Starbucks customer sues for $114 million

Page 2 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.
Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
iamme

iamme

Lifer
Jul 21, 2001
21,058
3
0
starbucks marketing team = dumbfvcks for not anticipating a huge response to free coffee coupons
 
S

smack Down

Diamond Member
Sep 10, 2005
4,507
0
0
Originally posted by: Aharami
scum lawyer.
Click to expand...

What is wrong with holding a company libiable for a promise it made. Starbucks wouldn't think twice about sueing someone for walking out on a 114 million dollar tab so why should starbucks get to walk away from it obligations?
 
C

confused1234

Banned
Jun 17, 2006
1,120
0
0
Skeeedunt

Skeeedunt

Platinum Member
Oct 7, 2005
2,777
3
76
Originally posted by: SagaLore
Originally posted by: intogamer
Coffee is practiclly free to make for the company

coolatas/fruit drinkns are a bit more expensive
Click to expand...

You're looking at it way too granular. Consider how much it actually costs them when you add up advertising, marketing material, store employees, company beurocracy (managers, accountants, other staff at HQ), distribution, etc. etc. etc.

If hordes of people are coming in for free coffee, you're not giving away cents of coffee. You're losing a LOT of revenue that pays just the cost of running business, which means your expenses are higher than your profit.
Click to expand...

That's not so much the case here though. For the most part, you still have your normal customers coming in paying normal prices. The only thing that's different is that you have X more people showing up, and it's costing you X times (the small cost of brewed coffee) to serve them.
 
J

jagec

Lifer
Apr 30, 2004
24,442
6
81
Originally posted by: confused1234
...just because i made a post about religion doesnt make me retardted or a troll:disgust:
Click to expand...

umm...I beg to differ. Considering where ALL threads about religion end up going, you HAVE to be either too retarded to realize it, or a troll who's doing it on purpose.

Originally posted by: smack Down
Originally posted by: Aharami
scum lawyer.
Click to expand...

What is wrong with holding a company libiable for a promise it made. Starbucks wouldn't think twice about sueing someone for walking out on a 114 million dollar tab so why should starbucks get to walk away from it obligations?
Click to expand...

If the coupon was legit, and if the store was legally obligated to accept it (I'm not sure how Starbucks organizes their stores, but not all locations "choose to participate" in certain coupon deals), THEN Starbucks is responsible for all $4 or so of coffee that they promised. And not a cent more.

If someone walked out on a $5 tab, you can bet that Starbucks wouldn't be suing them for $114 million. Your analogy SUCKS.

Originally posted by: Skeeedunt
That's not so much the case here though. For the most part, you still have your normal customers coming in paying normal prices. The only thing that's different is that you have X more people showing up, and it's costing you X times (the small cost of brewed coffee) to serve them.
Click to expand...

If that logic were true, then piracy would be completely and utterly harmless as well. The fact of the matter is that if these coupons are floating around, a lot of people who otherwise WOULD be buying coffee, will just get it for free. Starbucks loses a lot more than X*cost per cup.
 
ElFenix

ElFenix

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Mar 20, 2000
102,354
8,444
126
i'm guessing this guy got laughed at by the first 20 lawyers he went to
 
Babbles

Babbles

Diamond Member
Jan 4, 2001
8,253
14
81
Is a company legally obligated to accept every and all coupon that is out there? I thought most retailers always have an out in their fine print somewhere, much like what happens when a store accidentally mis-advertise some product at some ridiculously low price. Many retailers may honor the screw up, but are not legally obligated to do so.

At least that is my understanding of some things.
 
E

Extelleron

Diamond Member
Dec 26, 2005
3,127
0
71
This is one of those "Why didn't think of this first!" moments. If only I had thought earlier........... $114M could be mine :p

I don't know if he'll win, but it's a pretty dumb case IMO. $114 Million? :confused:
 
Skeeedunt

Skeeedunt

Platinum Member
Oct 7, 2005
2,777
3
76
Originally posted by: jagec
Originally posted by: Skeeedunt
That's not so much the case here though. For the most part, you still have your normal customers coming in paying normal prices. The only thing that's different is that you have X more people showing up, and it's costing you X times (the small cost of brewed coffee) to serve them.
Click to expand...

If that logic were true, then piracy would be completely and utterly harmless as well. The fact of the matter is that if these coupons are floating around, a lot of people who otherwise WOULD be buying coffee, will just get it for free. Starbucks loses a lot more than X*cost per cup.
Click to expand...

That's true to a degree. Seems like the majority of people who go to starbucks don't get brewed coffee though, so it's just a matter of how many would rather jump on this deal than get their usual $7 five shot venti mocha.

(The piracy analogy is a little weak, considering these people aren't exactly getting free coffee for life...)
 
SagaLore

SagaLore

Elite Member
Dec 18, 2001
24,036
21
81
Originally posted by: Skeeedunt
Originally posted by: SagaLore
Originally posted by: intogamer
Coffee is practiclly free to make for the company

coolatas/fruit drinkns are a bit more expensive
Click to expand...

You're looking at it way too granular. Consider how much it actually costs them when you add up advertising, marketing material, store employees, company beurocracy (managers, accountants, other staff at HQ), distribution, etc. etc. etc.

If hordes of people are coming in for free coffee, you're not giving away cents of coffee. You're losing a LOT of revenue that pays just the cost of running business, which means your expenses are higher than your profit.
Click to expand...

That's not so much the case here though. For the most part, you still have your normal customers coming in paying normal prices. The only thing that's different is that you have X more people showing up, and it's costing you X times (the small cost of brewed coffee) to serve them.
Click to expand...

And you don't think that normal paying customers didn't get those coupons? :confused:
 
JulesMaximus

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,528
908
126
The judge should throw everyone employed by that law firm and the plaintiff in jail for a year for wasting the taxpayer's time and money.
 
1

151528

Senior member
May 26, 2006
211
0
0
what a tool, obviosly a just a tight ass that dont wont to shell out a couple of bucks.
 
J

jagec

Lifer
Apr 30, 2004
24,442
6
81
Originally posted by: Skeeedunt
(The piracy analogy is a little weak, considering these people aren't exactly getting free coffee for life...)
Click to expand...

Isn't this the coupon that you print out, though? So they get pretty much as much coffee as they like. If it's a coupon that has to be given to you, well, Starbucks should know exactly how many coupons they had made, and so they wouldn't be ending the promotion early. Equate printing it out with burning a CD, and reprinting it with downloading a newer version/more recent album/latest movie, and the analogy is a bit closer:p

I admit it's not perfect, but you simply can't claim that coupon madness costs Starbucks next to nothing.
 
Skeeedunt

Skeeedunt

Platinum Member
Oct 7, 2005
2,777
3
76
Originally posted by: jagec
Originally posted by: Skeeedunt
(The piracy analogy is a little weak, considering these people aren't exactly getting free coffee for life...)
Click to expand...

Isn't this the coupon that you print out, though? So they get pretty much as much coffee as they like. If it's a coupon that has to be given to you, well, Starbucks should know exactly how many coupons they had made, and so they wouldn't be ending the promotion early. Equate printing it out with burning a CD, and reprinting it with downloading a newer version/more recent album/latest movie, and the analogy is a bit closer:p

I admit it's not perfect, but you simply can't claim that coupon madness costs Starbucks next to nothing.
Click to expand...

Ah, well, if you go in twice a day with one, I could see how it would be a more serious problem ;) I figured they would shoot you down after you had used one once.

Anyway, maybe you're right, I obviously have no idea what the real financial imact on them is. A couple months a starbucks by me was giving away free coffee all morning (they had a girl standing outside with a coffee-dispensing backpack :confused: pouring it into cups and handing it out to people), so I assumed it wouldn't be much of an issue for them, but apparently it was.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom