In a café today I was offered a loyalty card which, on inspection, offered to “Get the 10th cup free”.
This got me thinking. I feel somehow they've missed the point. “free” felt about as real as the waitresses plastic smile.
The problem is that something can't be “free” if it has to be earned. I'd have to buy 9 cups of tea, remember to take this little card with me each time and somehow not loose it in the weeks it will take to accumulate.
On the other hand, I am delighted when, in a small local café, I'm given the odd cup of tea for free. Perhaps 1 in 30 at most. The difference, quite simply, is the fact that I've done nothing to earn it. Neither do I feel I'm owed for my “loyalty”. Its simply a gift out of kindness giving me a far greater reason to return.
This makes it seems incidental that the small local café charges 30% less.
