@Kevin No, they only allow glowing reviews (usually written by their own staff) and delete others. They do reviews because star ratings convince some people that it's a great deal. : "Five star reviews! Must get that!"
@Kevin I wrote one just now, but it hasn't shown up. If it does, it's this one: "I feel guilty accepting this as a gift from my sweet children, knowing that they are practically robbing Starbucks in the process. A ceramic, flower-etched gift card such as this is easily worth $350 - nay, $500! I fear that spoiling consumers thusly will inevitably doom Starbucks Corporation, perhaps even shuttering my local branches before I get the chance to enjoy the two or three beverages this card affords me."
@rockblossom Starbucks gets away with that because of convenience. It's kind of the same reason why you'll see two gas stations at a busy intersection.
@carl669 yea but a rolex is a finely crafted machine whereas Starbucks burns the shit out of their beans and then shoves a ton of sugary trash on top to make up for it
@Lotsofgoats like i said, i'm not debating the quality of anything. i'm just saying that exclusivity sells. sure, rolex makes a fine watch. but does it do anything a $15 Meta smartwatch from meh doesn't do? nope. same with this gift card.
@Lotsofgoats I'm confused. Are we arguing about the value of a $1.75 cup of coffee at Starbucks or the value of a Limited Edition engraved ceramic collectible whoozawhatzit?
@carl669 how exclusive is it when Starbucks sells other gift cards? A Rolex is exclusive because every Rolex watch is made with gold or whatever. This isn't an exclusive gift card, there isn't much differentiation from their other cards.
@Kevin true, but it doesn't matter to the person who buys it. they know the card is different from the one the masses carry and that's all that matters.
@carl669 This gift card would be like if VMP only offered to change your forum icon. What sort of mentally diseased person would want to change their forum icon just to stand out? ;)
@Kevin you'd be surprised. think of all the in-app purchases they sell in games. or, there was that game second life. people would pay real money for virtual things. people find all sorts of crazy shit to spend money on.
@carl669 I had a lengthy conversation with a car executive regarding the tiered pricing in the car industry. He made the statement that the difference in cost to manufacture a luxury car versus a base model isn't more than a couple thousand dollars.
@einrad i do not own the goat icon. i am only its steward for the month. however, make me an offer. even if you do not get the icon, take solace in the fact you have given a tribute to your goat.
@narfcake there is actually a half way decent one made by Capresso. Hard to get. They made the best. Well, still do if you buy a fully automatic Jura. But it beats a K cup any day. At home I have a hand grinder and a french press that will never see *$ in it. My daughter sends me Verve or Chromatic and knows I will smile for days
Jeez....now I feel like crap. I'm giving my mom a subscription to the local weekly paper for the town where she's soon moving. It's free..... Damn you Starbucks and @carl669 for making me feel like a cheap ass daughter.
@carl669 She hates cards, thinks they're a waste of paper. I actually do bring her a huge vase of her favorite flowers (tulips) every Mother's Day. Since I do it every year, I don't consider them her "gift".
Oh, good; I can still get one! I came here thinking you were just selling one for that bargain price, and now I find that I can just get one directly from starbucks! Happy day!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'll give you exclusive! Exclusive as in one-of-a-kind.
And you only have to send me $100.
What you'll get in return: what used to be a normal Starbucks gift card, custom spray-painted in any color of your choosing. I'll even match your Bentley convertible if you give me the Dupli-color paint code. And the card will come pre-loaded with $50.
Who in their right mind would purchase this? Hypothetically speaking, if the value on the card was $180 and sale price $200 I would still be wondering, Who in their right mind would purchase this?
@Kevin@carl669 might cause A LOT of problems and he is definitely the reason this thing is offered but he isn't stupid. He wouldn't buy it for himself, he would however be to blame for anyone else buying it.
For Mothers' Day, stay tuned to Meh where we might be selling VMMP (Very Mediocre Mom Person) memberships for $200. With it your mom will get one month of VMP membership, a very special forum icon, and our eternal gratitude for spending way more than you should have.
@NigelF You should offer a LVMP membership (Lifetime VMP). Pay around $200 as a one-time fee and get the VMP benefits for life without having to pay $5/month.
wow....
thats what I call having disposable income... (to the people who buy them) Eeekkk.
... and it has one review. 5 stars.
@rockblossom I really want to know why sites like that have customer reviews? Are they really going to allow a critical review?
@Kevin No, they only allow glowing reviews (usually written by their own staff) and delete others. They do reviews because star ratings convince some people that it's a great deal. : "Five star reviews! Must get that!"
@rockblossom Of course. But, I'm just amazed that Starbucks could be this oblivious.
@Kevin Starbucks got its start charging $5 for a 50 cent cup of coffee. That's not oblivious - just smart marketing.
@Kevin I wrote one just now, but it hasn't shown up. If it does, it's this one: "I feel guilty accepting this as a gift from my sweet children, knowing that they are practically robbing Starbucks in the process. A ceramic, flower-etched gift card such as this is easily worth $350 - nay, $500! I fear that spoiling consumers thusly will inevitably doom Starbucks Corporation, perhaps even shuttering my local branches before I get the chance to enjoy the two or three beverages this card affords me."
@rockblossom Starbucks gets away with that because of convenience. It's kind of the same reason why you'll see two gas stations at a busy intersection.
@darksaber99999 Brilliant
@darksaber99999 Interesting: Not only did your review not show up, the previous review disappeared as well.
@einrad There are 5 new ones up , but the one from @darksaber99999 has not yet posted. Maybe it takes a few days.
@rockblossom The reviews that are up now are hilarious! Wonder why it is taking Starbucks so long to delete them....
My mom would smack me upside the head for making such a stupid purchase.
@marklog What a good mom.
meh. same thing as paying thousands for a rolex (i have nothing against rolex or people that wear them). exclusivity sells.
@carl669 yea but a rolex is a finely crafted machine whereas Starbucks burns the shit out of their beans and then shoves a ton of sugary trash on top to make up for it
do you even first crack bro
@Lotsofgoats like i said, i'm not debating the quality of anything. i'm just saying that exclusivity sells. sure, rolex makes a fine watch. but does it do anything a $15 Meta smartwatch from meh doesn't do? nope. same with this gift card.
@Lotsofgoats I'm confused. Are we arguing about the value of a $1.75 cup of coffee at Starbucks or the value of a Limited Edition engraved ceramic collectible whoozawhatzit?
@carl669 how exclusive is it when Starbucks sells other gift cards? A Rolex is exclusive because every Rolex watch is made with gold or whatever. This isn't an exclusive gift card, there isn't much differentiation from their other cards.
@nadroj Yeah this is worse than just paying too much for crappy coffee. This is paying for 1/4 of your money.
@Kevin apparently this card is made of metal and ceramic, hence the exclusiveness.
@nadroj the value of collectible whoozawhatzits.
@carl669 right, but the problem is -- that's not a big enough differentiation from their other gift cards.
@Kevin true, but it doesn't matter to the person who buys it. they know the card is different from the one the masses carry and that's all that matters.
@carl669 This gift card would be like if VMP only offered to change your forum icon. What sort of mentally diseased person would want to change their forum icon just to stand out? ;)
@Kevin you'd be surprised. think of all the in-app purchases they sell in games. or, there was that game second life. people would pay real money for virtual things. people find all sorts of crazy shit to spend money on.
@carl669
@carl669 What's the price you would part with your precious goat icon?
@carl669 I had a lengthy conversation with a car executive regarding the tiered pricing in the car industry. He made the statement that the difference in cost to manufacture a luxury car versus a base model isn't more than a couple thousand dollars.
@einrad i do not own the goat icon. i am only its steward for the month. however, make me an offer. even if you do not get the icon, take solace in the fact you have given a tribute to your goat.
Writing as a mother, I would prefer a really nice grind and brew coffee pot instead. 200 bucks should about cover it.
@Teripie I bought an unused Cuisinart Grind & Brew from Goodwill for $10 ... which is about all it is worth. Stick with separates.
@narfcake That's what we currently use. It's kind of meh. Best one I ever had came from QVC. Did seperates for a long time. I'm lazy, too much hassle.
@narfcake there is actually a half way decent one made by Capresso. Hard to get. They made the best. Well, still do if you buy a fully automatic Jura. But it beats a K cup any day. At home I have a hand grinder and a french press that will never see *$ in it. My daughter sends me Verve or Chromatic and knows I will smile for days
But it ships for free!! Drats, I already bought my own Mother's day present :)
I guess this would've been a little nicer than my gift to my mother – a $50 Starbucks gift card and a picture of me flushing $150 down the toilet.
Jeez....now I feel like crap. I'm giving my mom a subscription to the local weekly paper for the town where she's soon moving. It's free..... Damn you Starbucks and @carl669 for making me feel like a cheap ass daughter.
@bluedog jeez. at least send her some flowers and a card as well ya fuckin' cheapskate.
Nothing says "I love you" like dead trees and soon-to-be-dead flowers.
@carl669 She hates cards, thinks they're a waste of paper. I actually do bring her a huge vase of her favorite flowers (tulips) every Mother's Day. Since I do it every year, I don't consider them her "gift".
That's one expensive gift box...
@Thumperchick Maybe there's a $150 bill hiding in the bottom.
I initially misread this as a $200 gift card for $50 and was wondering what everyone was complaining about.
@harrison me too, I initially thought this was just a post about a really good deal.
@JonT probably because our brains are wired to make the statement make sense
Oh, good; I can still get one! I came here thinking you were just selling one for that bargain price, and now I find that I can just get one directly from starbucks! Happy day!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ooh! Meh needs to sell these at a discount. Say, $100 should do it?? ;)
@luvche21 and they're expired.
@mcanavino that's why they're cheap!
You want exclusive?
I'll give you exclusive! Exclusive as in one-of-a-kind.
And you only have to send me $100.
What you'll get in return: what used to be a normal Starbucks gift card, custom spray-painted in any color of your choosing. I'll even match your Bentley convertible if you give me the Dupli-color paint code. And the card will come pre-loaded with $50.
Who in their right mind would purchase this? Hypothetically speaking, if the value on the card was $180 and sale price $200 I would still be wondering, Who in their right mind would purchase this?
@jimmyd103 @carl669 would, just because it's exclusive.
@Kevin @carl669 might cause A LOT of problems and he is definitely the reason this thing is offered but he isn't stupid. He wouldn't buy it for himself, he would however be to blame for anyone else buying it.
@Kevin @RedHot i suppose if i didn't have a mortgage and a kid, i would have the extra cash to buy something stupid like this.
The key here is they don't need to convince everyone that it is a good purchase, only need to convince a select few that it is a good purchase.
For Mothers' Day, stay tuned to Meh where we might be selling VMMP (Very Mediocre Mom Person) memberships for $200. With it your mom will get one month of VMP membership, a very special forum icon, and our eternal gratitude for spending way more than you should have.
@NigelF You should offer a LVMP membership (Lifetime VMP). Pay around $200 as a one-time fee and get the VMP benefits for life without having to pay $5/month.
@cengland0 Sorry, that's actually a reasonable idea, and I don't deal with those, I'm an engineer.
Almost as bad as paying $50 for a T-shirt.
@AlohaSnackbar