Starbucks Planner Brings Out The Worst In People

The dictionary defines promotion as-

something devised to publicize or advertise a product, cause, institution, etc., as a brochure, free sample, poster, television or radio commercial, or personal appearance.

also as


to encourage the sale of (a product) by advertising or securing financial support .

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/promotion


The original title for this was "Tis The Season For Self Entitlement". At least you have an idea where I am going with this. Every year since 2004 Starbucks Philippines has their planner promo. Every year I have qualified for one since I do frequent that establishment.Yes, I pay regular price for whatever I get. Notice it's a planner promo and not a planner giveaway. You will be surprised how many grown adults don't know the difference.

Let me just put my disclaimer that I do not work for Starbucks nor have I ever worked there. If they have good sense and taste they would never invite me to work there. Having said that, every year people ask ME for the Starbucks planner. How this germinates in their brain I don't know. They perceive that I myself am entitled to one and they are entitled to mine. Not sure how that computes.

In this blog piece I am speaking for myself and no one else. But as distantly removed as I am from the Starbucks food-chain I get requests no matter how ill thought out. I can imagine the deluge the people who actually are connected to Starbucks Philippines get.

Take the case of someone who I have known for 11 years. He/ she called me out of the blue late last month. Within a minute they bring up the topic(if I can get a planner for them) . No mention of compensation whatsoever. In plain English "something for nothing". I tell them the absolute truth. I was never given one. I don't have one now and I will eventually get enough stickers to get mine. As of Dec 28 I am actually six stickers away. You could not get this person to finish the call semi politely fast enough. In the words of Bob Hope "Thanks for the memories".

I am sure there are times in my life I have exhibited a sense of self entitlement. I would just really be embarrassed if it was obvious and memorable to someone else. If I noticed it, I hope I corrected it. Self entitlement flies directly into major themes in my blog. My war against vanity, narcissism and socialist thinking. It's exactly the point I was getting across with an old blog entry of mine of the legions who thought Barack Obama was their gate way to a buffet of self entitlement.



Starbucks is a private company which is put in place to make money. I am not sure what mental gymnastics some people use to justify in their cranium that even if they don't spend a cent in Starbucks that they are entitled to their promotional planner. Even if they have make the leap that planners fall on my lap, what makes them think I am benevolent enough to share anything with them?


Ed

http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/595/Peggy_Joseph_Typical_of_Obama_Support_