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Al Swearengen

November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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I'm generally not a corporate guy, but are companies that have giveaways now supposed to anticipate that websites are going to spread their coupons to a greater audience than usual and there is going to be a rush on their restaurants/stores? It would seem to me that companies would probably just stop the giveaways altogether rather than run out of product in a rush of people looking for an almost free meal.

8 replies

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November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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@Al Swearengen: Maybe there should be some unique barcode system that generated a barcode for each valid customer, and the coupon could only be used once? Just a thought, no idea about practicality of it,

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lilyHaze

November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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@Stephen Colon: Very practical. Coupon sites (for manufacturer coupons, used at supermarkets, etc) are very good with the unique barcode system. You are only allowed 1-2 prints per IP address, and you have even have the potential to be banned if you abuse it.

The system is excellent and I've had some very good supermarket deals out of them.

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November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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@Al Swearengen:

Simply, yes. If you make it available to a certain part of the internet in printable form, you are basically making it available to everyone. Go traditional with mailing lists? Just send them in standard mail. I am sure the USPS would love the little extra business and you would hit your target audience. All you have to do is give out instructions not to take copies.

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November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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@ShadowFalls: Where I work we do send out email coupons, but in order to use them, you have to present a copy of the full e-mail, not just the coupon.

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Aladdyn

November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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@Al Swearengen: It depends, does the rush of people spend enough money in addition to the coupon deal to make it worth it? If they are gaining new customers and breaking even then i would think it would be well worth it. I would assume its at least cheaper than normal advertising.

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November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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@Aladdyn: From what I have seen, most of the idiots that get them from the dealsites do not spend extra money.. They are just there for the free stuff.. They are never going to shop there unless they get ungodly good sales..

Of course this is also the companies fault for allowing it or wording it where anyone could use it.. Should have tied it to the peoples email addresses on the list and once it was used and typed in the computer at the store it could never be used again..

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tbax929

November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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@Al Swearengen:
I think the potential for ticking off a customer they didn't already have would make it not worth it to just plan to run out of something. That happened with KFC's baked chicken, and I didn't try it until it'd been out for months because I was upset about not being able to use my coupon.

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November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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@Aladdyn: I think history has shown these people generally just want to get their free stuff and leave without buying anything else. These promotions often result in losses for the restaurants, they're a publicity stunt and not really meant to be profitable.

The idea is the publicity from the free giveaway will encourage more customers to come in the door, as well as convince some of those who scored the freebies to return (based on the assumption they liked the food).

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Meggers

November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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I used this coupon twice with some of my office mates at the Arlington Virginia location. It seemed like they were really prepared (every oven was cooking chicken and they had an assembly line thing going) and the whole thing went smoothly. I left thinking \"this is how an awesome promotion should be run\". Sucks that they are running out of chicken now. Maybe they should have shortened the promotion time frame?

1 replies

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eddieck

November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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@Meggers: My local Boston Market was out of chicken and I had to spend 20 minutes at the nearby Best Buy. In the end, a great meal for $1 - and that piece of chicken was pretty damn huge.

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JF

November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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This is why companies need to be very careful on how they work their coupons. Limits and expiration dates are really important!

1 replies

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November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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Damn right

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csparks

November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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You can also get a copy of it here: [www.snopes.com]

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JulesNoctambule

November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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That poor cat looks so resigned.

2 replies

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Verucalise (Est.February2008)

November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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@JulesNoctambule: The cat looks like if he could talk, he would say:

\"Take a picture, I'll claw your nuts off you f*cking a-hole.\"

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JulesNoctambule

November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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@Verucalise(countingcalories): Yesterday while shopping at Target, I saw an elf costume for cats. Christmas Creep aside, I wonder about the kinds of people who would a)buy that and b)manage to get it on their cat without losing a finger or three.

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Verucalise (Est.February2008)

November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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Oh, if only there were a closer Boston Market...

3 replies

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November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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@Verucalise(countingcalories): There's one within walking distance of my house. I'll go on your behalf.

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Verucalise (Est.February2008)

November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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@Laura Northrup:
@tbax929 is rooting for a Phillies repeat:
Teases.

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tbax929

November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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@Verucalise(countingcalories):
I think I have three or four within 5 miles of my house & office.

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bigsam27

November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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i belong to their email club and received advance notice of this promo. i went three times this week for lunch and each time was a smooth transaction. plenty of chicken, no lines, no problems.

3 replies

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Trai_Dep

November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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@bigsam27: One person, three coupons.
So. It's YOUR fault!

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November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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@Trai_Dep: Actually the promotion specifically allows multiple visits - it is limited to one coupon, per person, per visit.

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November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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@bigsam27: Yeah but reporting on a well run promotion isn't as sensational as reporting on a failed promotion. Did Consumerist do ANY fact checking on this, Laura? Boston Market pulled off this promotion very well and the failures you are quoting - the customers weren't turned away but left with turkey, meatloaf, brisket, etc - all upgraded options at the promotion price. Well done Boston Market!

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November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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You couldn't PAY me to eat @ Boston Market here... GROSS.

5 replies

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cmdrsass

November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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@boomerang86: I raise my own chickens on organic feed in my urban chicken coop. I then slaughter and prepare them under kosher supervision in a solar oven using only the finest herbs and spices from fair trade importers. It's a little extra effort, but at least I don't have to eat at Boston Market.

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JRock

November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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+1

I consider the food at Boston Market to be better than most fast food places. At least there you can see that it's real chicken with real bones and everything - nothing mechanically separated!

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November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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@cmdrsass: I make my own Boston Markets at home.

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tbax929

November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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@boomerang86:
Ok. Some of us, apparently, do like their food, or they wouldn't still be in business. I'd eat their before KFC.

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Verucalise (Est.February2008)

November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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@tbax929 is rooting for a Phillies repeat: EXACTLY.

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November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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It seems to me that the SMART thing to do would be to customize the coupon with the customer's name. Then require ID with the coupon. Simple. A little creative designing of the font/background makes it nearly impossible to Photoshop it effectively, or at least en masse. They achieve what they want, and these things stop happening.

3 replies

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November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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@Radi0logy: You're assuming that they only wanted each customer to use it once... this is a PROMOTIONAL vehicle... the more people who turn out, the better. Its relatively low cost advertising and if it didn't work, then restaurants wouldn't be doing it but they are so....

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November 13, 2009 4:35 PM

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@fantomesq: Well, if they wanted it to be used that way then they would stick it in the newspaper. Then every hobo from here to Boise will be getting 1 dollar chicken.

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November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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@Radi0logy: Joanne's Fabric does this, so it must be easy enough.

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Trai_Dep

November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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You know, they could solve ALL their We're Outta Chicken problems in one fell swoop by changing their \"Kids Eat Free\" signs to read \"Eat Kids Free\".
You're welcome, Boston Market!

1 replies

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Verucalise (Est.February2008)

November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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@Trai_Dep: Ingenius. I applaud your tenacity.

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November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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The nearest one to me is about 5 miles away. Since I live in the city and take the buses, it would take an hour just to get there..Plus have to stand in line and deal with the weirdos, plus have to pay the dollar. The opportunity cost is not worth it.
If there was one right down the block I would eat there 3 times a day until it ran out.
As for the value of the food itself, its very low. I assume that they dont make their own mashed potatoes, and the stores sell them by the box good enough to eat off of for a week for a dollar here, gravy packets are 2 for a dollar. Cornbread is just as cheap, a big box that'll feed you for a month costs roughly 4 dollars. And the chicken? 2 dollars a pound here, they're not doing anything special to it that would make me want to waste the time to eat there.
Plus boston market has a reputation for being a poor choice to eat at, thats all the more reason to not give a shit about this deal.

2 replies

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November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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@riverstyxxx: Forgot to add: Freegans always come out of the woodwork on deals like these, some are even willing to drive 10 or 20 miles just to get in on it...But scoff at the idea at spending an hour in the kitchen.
One time I put a fake ad on craigslist in the free section offering to give away a last-generation video game system that \"sorta works\". Within 5 minutes I had 100 replies, people offering to drive an hour just to pick it up. And the actual value of the system was somewhere around 20 or 30 bucks at the time. Could be the vultures trying to swoop in on a free deal to resell online, but in any case, freegans scare me.

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GadgetsAlwaysFit

November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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@riverstyxxx: I agree with you about the Freegans. OT: I saw a special about extreme food habits and they were in it. They made some very uneducated statements about businesses throwing away food because the business was lazy or it was cost effective. They clearly have not even the first idea about state food health laws. In my state, items prepared and out for over a certain amount of time must be disposed of. It cannot be donated. It must be thrown away. Usually those laws are developed because someone somewhere became ill and this was to help prevent that.

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PsiCop

November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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The cat is thinking: \"OK, you've taken my picture in this ridiculous get-up. When do you plan to get it off me?\"

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November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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This is NOT the KFC fiasco. Individual restaurants may have run out of chicken but they are still honoring the deal with upgraded options - turkey, meatloaf, briskit, etc. I really have to commend Boston Market on a very well executed promotion even IF they ran out of chicken. And to their credit, the promotion DID run for a full week, and at least here dwarfed the competing KFC offer in respondents.

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Raanne

November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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I know the boston market around here was a little slow due to increased business, but we got our $1 meal fast and it was fine. not bad for 3 pieces of chicken, cornbread, and mashed potatoes. Much better than the KFC deal - but I only say that because my husband tried to get the KFC one, and was turned away.

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November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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Those of you who use such coupons more than once and openly divulge this on internet sites:

Would any of you care to explain why you do this? Don't you think this is why these promotions crash and burn? If you had a restaurant, wouldn't you be angry if people did this? Do you know what you're doing is not right or do you think it's okay?

3 replies

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November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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@twophrasebark: How do you know its abuse? Boston Market set the terms of their deal. The coupon specifically stated \"one coupon per person per visit\" not one coupon per person for the run of the promotion... and despite the misinformation being spread here, I would argue that Boston Market's promotion was absolutely NOT a failure... it managed to get thousands of people in to try their food, many of which probably hadn't, others who weren't frequenting the restaurant... Do you have any idea how much they would have to pay in traditional advertising to get these results?

BTW, I am not hearing of ANY cases where customers were being turned away without their $1 meal. Boston Market substituted the higher priced meals - turkey, meatloaf, brisket at the same price when they ran out of chicken... and they held out the promotion for a full week and their franchises actually honored the offer. Kudos on a well run promotion, Boston Market!

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November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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@fantomesq: You're right. Boston Market said \"per visit\" and not just \"per person.\"

Chicken for everyone as much as you want!!!

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November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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(I'm not trying to be the ethics police or anything, I just always feel compelled to not abuse such things so other people can enjoy them as well.)

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November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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\"Do they mean they don't have any of the chicken that goes with the $1 meals left, or they don't have any chicken at all? The latter would be a pretty serious problem for a restaurant that primarily sells chicken.\"

They could not have one without the other. The $1 meal is just the value meal that has a quarter dark, one side, and a cornbread, from what I can tell. Since the chicken is cooked whole in a rotisserie and then cut up, they could have some white meat left for a while with no quarter darks, but generally it wont last long.

I'm so glad they never did anything like this when I worked there. I'd be gladder if they'd bring back my tortilla soup cause that was my addiction when I worked there.

1 replies

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November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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@ctnchrisw: No it means that they ran out of chicken BUT are still honoring the deal by substituting their other offerings - turkey, meatloaf, brisket...

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TechnoDestructo

November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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You can get FOOD at Boston Market?

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November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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It is inexcuseable that ANY marketing person at a chain restaurant would launch a promotion like this and be so stupid as to not understand that coupons go viral and fanchise locations must have enough food on hand to handle MASSIVE redeption of any offer like this.

They saw the nightmare KFC went through and made the same mistake?

My opinion. Whole marketing department at Boston Market... FIRED.

1 replies

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November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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@PLATTWORX: What makes you think that they didn't think it would go viral? Has Boston Market made a statement to this effect? Are people being turned away without food? I think not. Plenty of people are spouting off about something they don't understand around here though. The promotion by all appearances was a complete success.

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November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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Well, I really did get a free taco.

It wasn't good, but it was ..free.

Perhaps I'll take mom out tomorrow for a $1 chicken meal.

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November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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damn, the coupon is gone from the website, tho they are saying they will honor coupons already printed.

2 replies

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November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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@DangerMouth..Passed the Audition!: Read the comments... Its available from many different sources:
[www.snopes.com]

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November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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(Came back to thank fantomesq for the link I missed, Thank you)

Took my mom to Redacted, CT , Boston Market yesterday: a good-sized line, but not out the door, they were out of chicken and mashed potatoes, but we were offered alternatives, mom got the turkey, I got the meatloaf, which was .. interesting.

The funny (and slightly embarrassing) part was standing at the register, the counter person rings us and asks for $2.6whatever, and my mom goes off on the poor person: \"why are you charging us? You mean we have to PAY??\"

I guesse '$1 = free' in most peoples minds (at least for a whole meal), but I think mom took that a bit too literally.

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November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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QuikTrip does/did this with the free coupons from their survey program. The coupons had UUIDs printed on them and had to be scanned in to the register.

I tried to use one and it wouldn't scan, so they refused it. Went home and printed another copy (that did scan), problem solved.

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November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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Went to my local Boston Market yesterday, all they had was meatloaf and turkey until november 4th. They lost a paying customer, we went elsewhere.

How much business will this cost the franchisees? How many employees were sent home because there was no food to sell? This means money out of the employees pockets, probably the same employees that stayed late to help because of the rush of coupon customers, now for working past their shifts, they make less money than last week.

FAIL. I like the food at Boston Market, it is overpriced to say the least, the prices are higher, the chicken is smaller, and the cornbread is half the size that it once was. We usually go there just to satisfy my partner's cravings, but I doubt that we will be back any time soon.

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That's Consumer007 to you

November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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Boston Market should simply be fined for not supplying enough chicken for the deal. No sympathy here. Manage yo' business or get outa business.

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November 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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My boyfriend and I went to a Boston Market today in Denver and used the Snopes coupon and had no problem at all. I think they were out of white meat chicken, if you wanted it (we didn't) - and, it was a 10 minute wait for it. There was a decent sized line, though not much longer than I've seen in Miami on a regular day, and 90% of the people in line had the coupons in hand.

The chicken pieces we got were TEENY TINY, and we both agreed that if we had paid for the meal, we'd be pretty upset by it, but for a $1 meal, it was really pretty good.

Hey, KFC, this is how you handle a promotion.

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