Actually, I've read
more of DCBachelor's blog and while I love what he writes, especially about
Starbucks, he's almost got more edge to him than I do -- I said ALMOST:
http://www.dcbachelor.com/2005/how-to-get-free-drinks-at-starbucks
HOW TO GET FREE DRINKS AT STARBUCKS
By DCB
During my years
frequenting Starbucks, I’ve observed ways to beat the system and get
free drinks. This is dedicated to your poor schmos who can't afford an
affordable luxury. I pay for my drinks but have “accidentally” stumbled
on these field-tested rules.
Rule number 1: Go the busiest store near you to capitalize on worker confusion.
The key is to find a *$ that
is busy, where confusion makes it easy to get away with things. If you
go to an empty store where the person who rings you up is the same
person who makes your drink, you aren’t getting away with anything.
Rule number 2: Make it seem like your order was incorrect.
If a barista screws up your
order, they correct it and give you a coupon for a free drink the next
time you come. Technically this isn’t completely free since you have to
make that first purchase, but you can keep the chain alive and get free
drinks forever.
Example: “Yeah, um, this is a
caramel latte but I actually ordered a vanilla latte.” Of course you
really did order a caramel latte but the person who took your order is
busy (you’re at a busy *$ remember?) and forgot what you really ordered.
Rule number 3: Purchase something small and then act like a patient, confused customer waiting for his coffee beverage.
A bolder extension of rule
number two is the real/fake purchase scam. You first need to order a
baked good from the cash register person. After she gives it to you in
a bag, mill around for about five minutes and then go to the barista
and say, “Have you made a grande white mocha?” Look confused but
gentle, like a puppy dog. They will look at their cups and see it was
missing, and then promptly add yours to the queue.
Rule number 4: Wait by the bar like a snake and grab a drink that has been sitting there for more than 3 minutes.
At busy stores the
inefficiencies in the system cause a lot of duplicate drinks to be
made. The drinks sit on the bar for a while until the baristas throw
them away. All you gotta do is go up there and grab a drink. This scam
has a couple downsides: the drinks will probably be lukewarm by the
time you get it and like a person shopping for a home in a hot real
estate market, you will never get your first choice. Most of the drinks
are lattes with some wussy modification like a splash of soy milk.
Rule number 5: Greet baristas by their name.
If you are a regular at a
specific store, simply ask for the first names of the people that work
there and introduce yourself. They will promptly forget your name but
it doesn’t matter, for each time you go there and greet them by name
you create a friendly vibe that encourages them to hook you up. It’s
acceptable to be a little funny. To milk your connection indefinitely,
it may be a good idea to tip them every now and then so they don’t
think you are cheap. Little do they know that you are just broke
because you have no skills that companies would pay for.
There are holes in
every system and if you patient enough its easy to pick them apart with
simple observation. I conclude with a disclaimer: don’t blame me if
your stupid ass gets caught.
2 comments:
Did I ever mention I'd hate to be on your bad side?
DC's a genius. But I think I'll stick to stealing money from my kids' college funds to pay for my drinks.
I'm just not taking any chances on soy. Ewww.
Anna
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