The Elusive Starbucks Planner
For the first time in my adolescent life (well, uh, not that I am adolescent anymore), I was able to complete all the stickers in my Starbucks card, which entitles me to a 2006 Starbucks planner and a donation in my name for their charity, Spark Hope.
I completed the card before Christmas... and everywhere I went, the answer was the same: Starbucks Planner out of stock.
What?! Out of stock this early in the promo period? Wow, how many coffee freaks are there in Manila who can afford to buy 21 cups of designer coffee in one month? (I don't fall into this category because I didn't buy all of my coffee!)
I tried again in the New Year. This time, there was an official notice on display, explaining that planners were out of stock due to (I think) unexpected demand.
Unexpected demand?! Wouldn't management have anticipated the demand as a function of the number of red cards they were giving out??? Even if they decided to produce only about three quarters of that amount, I'm sure they wouldn't have run out of stock so early in the game.
Planners to be available in the third week of January...
On the first day of the third week of January (yesterday), I went to the nearest Starbucks and asked for my planner. Delivery was expected at 7:00 PM.
I couldn't believe it. STARBUCKS STILL COULD NOT DELIVER! But what could I do, right? Local customer is very rarely king in these snobby, designer establishments. (Hey, I have to admit, possessing some Caucasian-ness to one's appearance merits special treatment not available to the natives in stores like these.)
I come in at 5:00 PM the next day (today)... ONLY TO BE INFORMED THAT THEY WERE ONCE AGAIN OUT OF STOCK BECAUSE EVERYONE WHO HAD RESERVED A PLANNER ALREADY CLAIMED THEM.
Now why wasn't I offered to reserve a planner? NOT ONCE IN THE THREE TIMES I ASKED ABOUT IT. Not before Christmas. Not after the New Year. Not yesterday. NOT ONE FRIGGIN' TIME!
DID I REALLY HAVE TO ASK? WHY WASN'T IT SUGGESTED TO ME IF EVERYONE ELSE WAS DOING IT?
Customer maltreatment, ipso facto. You draw your own conclusions.
I completed the card before Christmas... and everywhere I went, the answer was the same: Starbucks Planner out of stock.
What?! Out of stock this early in the promo period? Wow, how many coffee freaks are there in Manila who can afford to buy 21 cups of designer coffee in one month? (I don't fall into this category because I didn't buy all of my coffee!)
I tried again in the New Year. This time, there was an official notice on display, explaining that planners were out of stock due to (I think) unexpected demand.
Unexpected demand?! Wouldn't management have anticipated the demand as a function of the number of red cards they were giving out??? Even if they decided to produce only about three quarters of that amount, I'm sure they wouldn't have run out of stock so early in the game.
Planners to be available in the third week of January...
On the first day of the third week of January (yesterday), I went to the nearest Starbucks and asked for my planner. Delivery was expected at 7:00 PM.
I couldn't believe it. STARBUCKS STILL COULD NOT DELIVER! But what could I do, right? Local customer is very rarely king in these snobby, designer establishments. (Hey, I have to admit, possessing some Caucasian-ness to one's appearance merits special treatment not available to the natives in stores like these.)
I come in at 5:00 PM the next day (today)... ONLY TO BE INFORMED THAT THEY WERE ONCE AGAIN OUT OF STOCK BECAUSE EVERYONE WHO HAD RESERVED A PLANNER ALREADY CLAIMED THEM.
Now why wasn't I offered to reserve a planner? NOT ONCE IN THE THREE TIMES I ASKED ABOUT IT. Not before Christmas. Not after the New Year. Not yesterday. NOT ONE FRIGGIN' TIME!
DID I REALLY HAVE TO ASK? WHY WASN'T IT SUGGESTED TO ME IF EVERYONE ELSE WAS DOING IT?
Customer maltreatment, ipso facto. You draw your own conclusions.
posted by Denise | 17:40
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