have you heard of 'suspended coffees' ?? What are your thoughts?

i just came across this blog someone wrote.
http://fuckedupigkeit.wordpress.com...errible-idea-and-everyone-should-get-over-it/

basically, long story short, you can go into say starbucks, order your coffee nd any amount of 'suspended coffees' you want, say you order two. Then coffee is SUPPOSE to be then put on hold for someone who doesnt have any money and cant afford their own, so a homeless person can go in and order this 'suspended coffee'.

Anyway, i think, honestly , that this may get taken advantage of. People will just be like 'heeyyy free coffee' and not leave any for the people who cant actually afford it

 

this is the sort of thing which helps build a society in which people don't say "eyy free coffee" and fuck over the people who actually need it.

not doing this sort of thing out of fear that some will take advantage of it guarantees the maintenance of a society in which people DO take advantage of this sort of thing.

we need more of this.

it isn't just about giving coffee to the homeless, the fact that it relies on trust and encourages altruism even when you don't directly see the results (i.e. selfess altruism) is key. if you demonstrate trust in people's generosity of spirit, they'll meet and exceed your expectations. if you never do this sort of thing because you can't trust people enough to rely on them not to take advantage of it, they'll meet and exceed that expectation as well.

 

That sounds stupid. I'd rather buy a cup coffee for someone I see can't afford it or is out in the cold than kinda let the business take care of it.

 

This is absolutely ridiculously stupid. Who, that's down and out, even knows about such a thing?

 

word gets around. when you need to find stuff to eat to survive, you learn where that's possible.

 

Please! The welfare mom, who coincidentally owns a smart phone, may hear about, and get herself a free coffee. I'm tired of paying for welfare moms. This is a really stupid idea.

 

cynicism breeds cynicism, mate.

 

I don't really think it's stupid but I don't really know if fancy Starbucks coffee is something homeless people think about a lot. I guess it would be good on a cold day. I would definitely do it with food.

 

I like it

 

It's not a stupid idea since you DON'T have to do it.
We have something similar here, but in bakeries, not cafes.

 

I think its a good idea. I mean I dislike Starbucks. The coffee is fine. Its just I dislike American corporate invaders who dont pay any tax and kill off local businesses. So by buying a load of "suspended coffees", Starbucks will become deluged with alcoholic tramps and heroin addicts. A few of their most loyal customers will get stabbed to death for refusing to buy The Big Issue. But atleast no-one will die of cold.Starbucks will decide to make a "strategic retreat" from the British market. And local businesses will thrive again.
Every ones a winner! :2thumbsup:

 

where does it say starbucks was doing this? ive heard of it in greasy spoons and little indie places, but i doubt starbucks would get on board, they never struck me as being inundated with a sense of social conscience.

 

Hmm yeah. I cant see Starbucks going along with this one...

 

Friday 5th April 2013 11:14
Starbucks joins suspended coffee scheme

http://starbucks.co.uk/blog/suspended-coffee-realised-hope/1259

http://www.catererandhotelkeeper.co...3/starbucks-joins-suspended-coffee-scheme.htm

caffè sospeso: Coffee shops in other countries have adopted the sospeso to increase sales.

 

the peoplle at starbucks arent morons...

at my starbucks they know the difference between a welfare mom and a homeless dude............

they wont hand out coffees to just anyone unless there is a buildup of suspended coffees....i trust them to be diligent in not letting people take advantage

 

What bothers me most about the idea is the depersonalization of an act of kindness. A cup of coffee warms you up a lot more, when it's given to you by a stranger with a smile. I think it's important to give without caring who you give to, but there's something that feels wrong about it to me and like Odon mentioned more like a marketing idea to increase sales. Maybe I'd feel different if I was the homeless person and I could go into Starbucks or any other coffee and get a cup of coffee that has been previously paid for. To me it seems like "feel good about doing good and never leave your bubble. Make sure your hands don't touch the dirty/crazy hobo guy outside our store!"

 

It was just cynicism (it wasn't my thought, btw). I was just playing into a prejudice. It's a genuinely charitable idea (apparently) - but, yeah, I can still see Starbucks weighing that one up, too. But I can't overly cynical about their motives.

 

Bit of research:

Thanks to our friends at Starbucks, Oasis is about to benefit from the UK’s love of coffee.

Starbucks will launch a scheme in the spirit of ‘suspended coffee’, joining a popular trend that is spreading throughout the global coffee-community.

When you pay for a suspended coffee, Starbucks will give a free coffee to Oasis. We will then distribute the coffee to our UK hubs.

On top of this, Starbucks will match the value of each suspended coffee in a cash donation for the provision of food!

Steve Chalke, Founder of Oasis says, “At Oasis we work with those who are often at their lowest ebb so a free cup of coffee will really be a welcome blessing. We are delighted to help facilitate this initiative and ensure that the coffee donated by Starbucks customers and the money donated by our long-term partner Starbucks UK goes to those who most need it and helps strengthen the work we are doing within communities.”

http://www.oasisuk.org/article.aspx?menuId=32637

They are evangelical God bothers, though : / - I hope it's not a cynical attempt to get more people into church

 

I think it's a genuine charitable idea, but I also don't like it and would never use it. Not because of who might be getting the coffee or because of Starbucks getting money out of the coffee you just bought, but because it's impersonal. And I feel like things continue to become more impersonal everyday.

 

It looks like they will be 'losing' money (see above). I don't know many people that do anything other than fill out a Direct Debit, and see a few quid leave their accounts every month. That could be seen as quite impersonal. I'd prefer to see it as an easy way to help.