No Need to Buy Coffee - Starbucks Updated Guest Policy
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By Jessica Davison
Starbucks – the most favorite place for a coffee place has recently updated their guest policy. Now you don’t have to buy a coffee if you want to spend some quality time at some beautiful place. You sit there and do whatever is legal and not disturbing like smoking, drinking and taking a nap. No one will force you to leave your seat even if you are a non-customer.
Some of the people criticised this updated policy because they feel that Starbucks will become a heaven for the people who are looking some cool place to use drugs or to drink and smoke. When these reservations reached the Starbucks management, they clarified their policy that they still have the right to ask anyone to leave if that person in doing any activity which is illegal or disturbing one for other customers. They further explained that they already had trained their staff that how to deal with such situations if required.
You can use their toilets, washrooms and even you can use the power plugs to charge your mobile phones and laptop even if you are not paying them for anything. They will take care of you like a customer till you are on the premises of Starbucks. Spend how much every time you want to spend there, but it doesn’t mean that you can take naps at their tables. If you are caught taking a nap, they can ask you to leave to take a nap in your bed rather than on the chair and table.
It was good news for me. After university hours I used to find a place where I could sit and spend some quality time. Starbucks is one of the places most of the students love, but their old policy to keep rotating order was something unaffordable. I took my laptop, sat there for two hours while making my assignment. Well, now I can even write a dissertation while sitting there and even without paying a single penny to them.
Starbucks is playing a smart strategy. They gave a hint in their guest policy about this new marketing strategy. They said, “whoever will enter the Starbucks premises is their customer, and he/she will be treated like that with respect even if he/she doesn’t make any real purchase.” Some people claim that this is just a trick to get more traffic and audience to the Starbucks. There are a good number of people who are little hesitant. They can spend, but they always hesitate to enter just expensive places. This new guest policy will give such people confidence.
Well, it’s an excellent policy and strategy at the same time. A person who is sitting there for an hour will think about buying something. If nothing, they will buy some water bottle at least. The primary audience which will be attracted by this policy is the student community. Students love to hang out after college and university hours and hence Starbucks will be a beautiful place for them to spend some quality time. If a group of students will be sitting there, there are chances that they will buy some coffee.
Another advantage will be an automated social media marketing. Everyone today wants to update their Social Media status as they check-in at some good place like Starbucks. When such statuses are updated by the customers even if they were a non-paying customer, Starbucks will be getting hits from Social Media, and this advertising will be free to them. Well, whomever dugout this new policy is smart player of the market. Moreover, this new policy and marketing strategy will bring some good results for the Starbucks. Though there are a good number of people, who are still opposing or not liking this new policy Starbucks management has clarified their reservations and tried to satisfy them with logical answers and strategies.