Earlier today, from 5 to 7 PM Singapore was giving away free ‘tall’ sized drinks, but with a good-hearted catch. They weren’t just handing out free drinks because they felt generous, or to drum up business or publicity, it was to raise funds and awareness for the Salvation Army.
I went to the Tampines Starbucks at 5:30 PM and there was already a sizable line reaching back out the door. Starbucks was well prepared for the crowds with partitions set up and employees outside to keep the line under control. I decided to go eat dinner first, but when I came back at 6:30 PM the line was still wrapped around the back of the cafe.
Regardless, I wanted my chance to get a drink and offer a donation so I got in line. As I fell in at the back of the line a Starbucks employee asked me what I wanted and then handed me a paper with my order on it. I suppose that was their way of ensuring that they could effectively cut off the line when the promotion time was over. Shortly after that the line moved and I walked up to two Salvation Army workers with the traditional bell and pot. I made my donation and moved on.
Surprisingly, it didn’t take me long to get my drink, which wound up being a vanilla latte because they ran out of toffee nut, and I found a seat inside and watched the end of the event. The employees were surprisingly upbeat and excited, despite the overwhelming crowd. There looked to be about 20 of them there though so they weren’t overworked.
After the event was over they all posed for a group photo. Another person was there taking photos with a big DSLR. He seemed to know the employees so he probably worked for Starbucks as well.
I think this was a great way for Starbucks to help give back to the community in Singapore and I was more than happy to part with a few dollars, which would’ve been spent on coffee anyway.
Bradley Farless 