REWARDING BEHAVIOR

Strawberry Acai Lemonade, Greensboro, NC

“Let us add a little joy to your day.”

I recently returned to the gym after a brief hiatus for Covid, Chicago, home projects and golfing.  I’ve always believed that we should celebrate life’s accomplishments in accordance with the magnitude of the effort and results.  For instance, on occasion I will monitor my calories burned while exercising and if I exceed 400 calories, I just might hit Starbucks drive-thru for a free 300 points Grande vanilla bean Frappuccino with a shot!  I may not lose weight that day, but I still leave the gym in my rearview mirror in better shape and frame of mind than when I arrived.

I sort of took it easy today, but felt that I certainly earned a Grande strawberry acai lemonade on my way home.  As I was driving to no place in particular and enjoying my free reward, it occurred to me that the Starbucks Star Rewards Program does a very good job of keeping track of my wants and desires.  I was beginning to feel like a trained dog or seal that gets treats for performing a trick.  Then again, over 25 million members must consider this a good thing.  And I don’t rank an inflated $5.00 drink nearly as high as a $150.00 spending spree on stuff to elevate my demeaner, especially since both are equally fleeting.

Members accumulate reward stars for each dollar spent, for special incentives to buy certain items you like, the number of trips you make in a specified time limit, games, etc.  The rewards are not that hard to accumulate for free drinks or food which is why I’ve essentially quit participating in airline frequent flyer programs, given the unattainable rewards.  If you think there may be a sophisticated computer algorithm tracking your every move, you’d be correct.  But frankly, I don’t mind Big Brother watching my coffee likes as much as my google searches and physical moves.  Most of those are pretty mundane though.  I gave up my undercover job years ago. 

The 25 million Starbucks loyalty members account for about 40% of sales in the US market.  And the company has obviously recognized the eternal business truth many successful organizations have embraced that “It’s easier to retain customers than attracting new ones!”