🎂🎁 Birthday Bonanza in Jeopardy? Brands put a Brakes on Freebies! 💸😰
TL;DR:
Brands, get a grip! Your birthday perks are not as perky anymore. More and more companies are reeling back their birthday rewards and customer loyalty programs, citing costs, inflation, and changing customer behaviors. This has led to a wave of customer backlashes against companies such as Dunkin’, Sephora, and Red Robin who have made noticeable changes to their programs. What’s next? Charging for birthday candles? 🤔🙄
Full story:
Once upon a time, companies loved to shower you with freebies and discounts on your birthday. A yearly tradition as essential as the embarrassing Facebook wall posts. But now, it seems like companies are morphing into that forgetful friend who suddenly “doesn’t do gifts.” 😒💔
Remember the good old days when Dunkin’ would give you a free drink on your birthday? Sorry, too bad, those days are over. Now they’re offering triple loyalty points on your birthday purchase instead. Do the points taste as sweet as a free caramel macchiato? You tell us! 😏
And then there’s Sephora. They’ve begun asking for a $25 minimum purchase for online customers to claim a free gift and 250 loyalty points during their birthday month. Is it just us, or does that sound less like a gift and more like a sales pitch? 🤷♀️💄
Even Red Robin hopped onto the trend, introducing a dine-in only and $4.99 minimum purchase requirement for customers to get their free birthday burger. But hey, there’s a silver lining. They’ve also introduced a half-birthday treat in 2023. Is it half a burger? That’s still a mystery. 🍔🎈
Starbucks is not new to the game of birthday austerity either. The time window to claim your birthday treat has shrunk faster than the lifespan of your New Year’s resolutions – from a generous 30 days to just the date of your birthday. Talk about a short-lived celebration! 🍰⏳
Marshal Cohen, a retail expert, suggests these changes reflect a new reality. With the pandemic, inflation, and changing consumer behaviors, companies are reassessing their strategies and evaluating the effectiveness of these loyalty programs. Makes sense, but why does it have to happen on our special day? 🎉😭
Brand communication, it seems, is the secret sauce to keep customers from spiraling into heartbreak. Keeping changes in check and not highlighting what’s being lost could keep the party going for longer, says Leora Lanz, academic affairs assistant dean.
But what does the future hold for our beloved birthday treats? Should we expect to see even less icing on our birthday cake? Or could this spark a rewards arms race, with retailers offering bigger and better deals to win us back? 💝🚀
In a world where we are facing high costs of living and businesses are vying for our limited dollars, it’s clear things are going to change. The question is, are we ready to pay the price for our birthday cheer? 🎈💰
So, are you going to stick with brands despite their new policies, or are you ready to jump ship for the next birthday freebie that sails by? What’s the most valuable birthday treat you’ve received from a brand and are you willing to let it go? 🥳🏴☠️
[Note: This article is intended for informational purposes only. It is not intended to provide any kind of advice and Turnt Up News does not endorse any brand or company mentioned in the article.]
