COSTA CUSTOMERS DISAPPOINTED AS VENDING MACHINES RUN OUT AFTER CHAIN PROMISES FREE COFFEE ALL DAY
I experienced the fag end of the phenomenon identified below whilst queuing to pay for my fuel at the local coop convenience store earlier this week. The Costa machine is next to the cash point and I erroneously thought (hoped) it was giving out free cash – only to find that not only was this not true but that the coffee had all gone as well….
Costa customers were thrilled when the chain revealed it would be giving out free cups of coffee on Tuesday, less so when the drinks had run out by 8am.
Last week, the coffee chain announced it would be offering complimentary coffees via its 8,500 Express machines across the country to mark International Coffee Day.
The aim of the initiative was to break down the supposed “stigma” attached to self-serve drinks machines, but customers were left feeling disappointed when they arrived to collect their free cup of coffee and find there were none left.
“Free Costa day is a great idea until they run out of cups at 07:55,” tweeted one person.
“Great idea – the reality is that the Sainsbury’s Local in Euston had already run out of cups by 07.25. Such a shame when objective is to create positive brand associations,” another added.