When a store offers up a too-good-to-be-true promo, it's almost guaranteed that customers are going turn up in droves to take advantage. It happens at 7-Eleven when the convenience store chain offers up Bring Your Own Cup specials, and thanks to Delish, caffeine devotees can see that Starbucks faced a similar situation in China, where it held a special Bring Your Own Cup promo to celebrate Earth Day.
The coffee chain encouraged customers to bring in their own cups to cut down on waste, but Starbucks had no idea that customers were going to stroll in with anything but a reusable souvenir tumbler. But unlike 7-Eleven, which has embraced the tradition of bringing in bathtubs and five-gallon water jugs during its special Slurpee days, Starbucks had announced that 12-ounce brewed coffee would be the only complimentary beverage on Earth Day.
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Meanwhile in China: @Starbucks offered free coffee to anyone who brought their own cup for #EarthDay and people got imaginative... ? pic.twitter.com/NSOzaBZnXz
— Aiden H. ?? (@ThatBoyAgain) April 24, 2017
Starbucks trolled in China with ridiculous containers: https://t.co/AQ6eusLpxH pic.twitter.com/HGItot7UGC
— Kotaku (@Kotaku) April 24, 2017
A WeChat account tested out Starbucks' free coffee promo last week by bringing in a bunch of giant containers https://t.co/hID4CPhG6z
— THAT'S (@ThatsOnline) April 24, 2017
Even with that explicit rule, customers lined up with various outrageous vessels in hand. There were pots, pans, soup bowls, mixing bowls, tea kettles, and, yes, 5-gallon water jugs. The people lined up were more than happy to pony up the big bucks to get their fill, however. Do it for the 'Gram, right? Delish adds that a basin-sized bowl of coffee rung up at around $47.50. No word yet on what a tea kettle full of caramel macchiato or five gallons worth of extra-hot latte costs. Of course, the huge containers gave baristas plenty of space for latte art — and they took full advantage. There were super-sized coffee hearts and foam foliage along with text and sweet messages.
And while it's easy enough to tote a kitchen sink to a Starbucks branch, sipping a kitchen sink full of coffee is another endeavor altogether. Here's hoping these super fans have lots of friends to share their bounty with.
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