LOYALTY SCHMOYALTY: When ‘Regular’ Really Means ‘RAID MY WALLET FOR FREEBIES!'
LOYALTY SCHMOYALTY: When ‘Regular’ Really Means ‘RAID MY WALLET FOR FREEBIES!’ #
Hold onto your complimentary bread baskets, folks, because we’re diving headfirst into the entitled abyss of the “Loyal Customer” – that mythical creature who believes their continued patronage (read: buying a latte twice a month since the Mesozoic Era) is a golden ticket to the Willy Wonka factory of FREE STUFF! Grab your pitchforks made of slightly-bent loyalty cards, it’s rant o'clock!
These self-appointed VIPs don’t just appreciate service, darling, they demand tribute. Like feudal lords surveying their fiefdom (which happens to be your struggling café), they stride in radiating an aura of expectation thicker than day-old espresso grinds. “I’m here EVERY DAY!” they declare, conveniently forgetting their three-week absence during the monsoon season. “Where’s my usual extra-large, triple-shot, unicorn-tear-infused latte… and why isn’t it half-price today?” Loyalty, to them, isn’t a two-way street paved with mutual respect; it’s a one-lane highway to Discountville, population: Them.
The sheer audacity is breathtaking! They treat loyalty programs like a hostage negotiation. “I’ve got 10 points! That CLEARLY entitles me to this entire cheesecake, a foot massage from the barista, and naming rights to your firstborn!” Try explaining that points equal specific rewards, not a blank cheque for their greed, and watch the facade crumble into a puddle of offended privilege. Suddenly, their “loyalty” feels flimsier than a paper straw in a milkshake.
And heaven FORBID you have the temerity to enforce a policy! Charge them for that extra mountain of guacamole they insisted was their “birthright” as a “Burrito Bronze Member”? Prepare for the waterworks hotter than your deep fryer! “After all I’ve spent here!” they wail, conveniently omitting that their lifetime expenditure wouldn’t cover the cost of the napkins they hoarded. Their loyalty card isn’t a token of appreciation; it’s a battering ram aimed squarely at your profit margin and staff sanity.
They mistake basic commerce – you provide goods/service, they pay money – for a personal favour system skewed wildly in their favour. Their “loyalty” is transactional, conditional, and entirely self-serving. It’s loyalty with strings attached… strings made of pure, unadulterated entitlement, demanding you dance like a marionette offering free upgrades, skipped queues, and chef’s tears as a garnish. Spoiler alert, Princess Paycheck: Your occasional custom doesn’t fund my pension OR entitle you to raid the till! True loyalty is quiet appreciation, not a shakedown wearing a “Frequent Flyer” badge. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to hide the complimentary mints before the “Platinum Whiners” arrive demanding them gold-plated. NEXT!