# If you were buying lunch anyways, would you help a stranger by swiping their frequent customer card? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 27, 2010, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-buying-lunch-anyways-would-you-help-a-stranger-by-swiping-their-frequent-customer-card/533992 "2010-03-27T04:36:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Gustav](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/919ad9/32.png) [@Gustav](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gustav)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2010, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-buying-lunch-anyways-would-you-help-a-stranger-by-swiping-their-frequent-customer-card/533992/21 "2010-03-27T16:09:21Z")
No, if you buy 8 meals you’re a frequent customer. In the original scenario no one is a frequent customer, homeless guy is simply getting free lunches off of casual guests. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2010, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-buying-lunch-anyways-would-you-help-a-stranger-by-swiping-their-frequent-customer-card/533992/22 "2010-03-27T16:40:19Z")
I’d probably buy him a lunch. I don’t give money to panhandlers, but I WILL give food. I’ve had people approach me, trying to sell me a filled Subway card at a significant discount. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2010, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-buying-lunch-anyways-would-you-help-a-stranger-by-swiping-their-frequent-customer-card/533992/23 "2010-03-27T16:47:55Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > I’d probably buy him a lunch. I don’t give money to panhandlers, but I WILL give food. I’ve had people approach me, trying to sell me a filled Subway card at a significant discount. Just out of curiosity, what’s a significant discount for a filled subway card? A sandwich there is only a few bucks. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2010, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-buying-lunch-anyways-would-you-help-a-stranger-by-swiping-their-frequent-customer-card/533992/24 "2010-03-27T16:52:14Z")
I would just offer to buy him lunch and then I would get an _EXTRA_ stamp on my card. (I have a bit of a loyalty card obsession). ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-buying-lunch-anyways-would-you-help-a-stranger-by-swiping-their-frequent-customer-card/533992/25 "2010-03-27T17:12:22Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Suppose I bought eight meals for myself and then gave my card to the homeless guy for him to have the free meal. Would you feel that violated the spirit of the agreement? That is something I’d agree with. I don’t think that is as much a violation of the spirit of the agreement. Having someone else card stamped for your meal is something I find unethical. While I wouldn’t report the guy outside for the specific offense my most likely action would be sorry can’t help you. If I felt the guy was overly invasive I’d mention to the shop they have a man soliciting their customers. ---
**Author:** ![Teacake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Teacake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teacake)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2010, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-buying-lunch-anyways-would-you-help-a-stranger-by-swiping-their-frequent-customer-card/533992/26 "2010-03-27T22:43:46Z")
I said I would in the poll, but I agree with others that I’d be more likely to offer to buy him lunch. Though you say he’s well dressed - I’d be more likely to buy him lunch if he looked like he really needed it. ---
**Author:** ![firstname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7ab992/32.png) [@firstname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/firstname)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-buying-lunch-anyways-would-you-help-a-stranger-by-swiping-their-frequent-customer-card/533992/27 "2010-03-28T08:55:09Z")
Voted other, the scenario you described I’d probably be a bit freaked out and say no, However if you were behind me in line and it seemed spur of the moment I’d probably say yes ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-buying-lunch-anyways-would-you-help-a-stranger-by-swiping-their-frequent-customer-card/533992/28 "2010-03-28T10:38:35Z")
It _does_ go against the spirit of the card. They have these cards to encourage you to create a habit out of going to a certain restaurant. Sure, it can probably be legally used in other ways. But that isn’t really what they had in mind and to do so would seem a little sleazy. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-buying-lunch-anyways-would-you-help-a-stranger-by-swiping-their-frequent-customer-card/533992/29 "2010-03-28T11:43:43Z")
I’ll have to get me one of these cards, because I need all the freebies I can get. I have them punch my card. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-buying-lunch-anyways-would-you-help-a-stranger-by-swiping-their-frequent-customer-card/533992/30 "2010-03-28T13:31:04Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > It _does_ go against the spirit of the card. They have these cards to encourage you to create a habit out of going to a certain restaurant. Sure, it can probably be legally used in other ways. But that isn’t really what they had in mind and to do so would seem a little sleazy. Plus, many of the cards say “non-transferable” on them. So the lunch places have thought of this scenario ahead of time and said it’s against the spirit of the promotion. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-buying-lunch-anyways-would-you-help-a-stranger-by-swiping-their-frequent-customer-card/533992/31 "2010-03-28T14:56:43Z")
> [@](#): > > No, if you buy 8 meals you’re a frequent customer. > > In the original scenario no one is a frequent customer, homeless guy is simply getting free lunches off of casual guests. Why would the restaurant care how many meals their customers individually eat? If they sell 700 meals a week, do you think they care if they’re sold to 700 different people or if 100 people ate a meal there every day? The profit is the same and they’re just going to look at the number of meals sold. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-buying-lunch-anyways-would-you-help-a-stranger-by-swiping-their-frequent-customer-card/533992/32 "2010-03-29T00:34:44Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Why would the restaurant care how many meals their customers individually eat? If they sell 700 meals a week, do you think they care if they’re sold to 700 different people or if 100 people ate a meal there every day? The profit is the same and they’re just going to look at the number of meals sold. Because frequent customers end up spending more money than one-time customers. There will always be one-time customers, but it makes financial sense that a business try to build frequency of visits by its customers. This way the business continues to grow. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-buying-lunch-anyways-would-you-help-a-stranger-by-swiping-their-frequent-customer-card/533992/33 "2010-03-29T00:53:45Z")
I see it as a legitimate way of using the cards to your advantage. The fact that they don’t care enough to check and make sure that you are the only one who uses the card indicates to me that they don’t really care about this stuff. If you don’t want people doing something, it is your responsibility to try and stop it. Otherwise, you are giving tacit permission. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-buying-lunch-anyways-would-you-help-a-stranger-by-swiping-their-frequent-customer-card/533992/34 "2010-03-29T01:19:59Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > I’ll have to get me one of these cards, because I need all the freebies I can get. I have them punch my card. I have them for a few restaurants. If I’m going to spend the money, I might as well get something for it! Now as to the OP’s question, I might. I’ve done it for friends, they’ve done it for me. If someone needed it, and had the cojones to ask me, I might. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-buying-lunch-anyways-would-you-help-a-stranger-by-swiping-their-frequent-customer-card/533992/35 "2010-03-29T02:13:44Z")
> [@](#): > > Why would the restaurant care how many meals their customers individually eat? If they sell 700 meals a week, do you think they care if they’re sold to 700 different people or if 100 people ate a meal there every day? The profit is the same and they’re just going to look at the number of meals sold. > [@](#): > > Because frequent customers end up spending more money than one-time customers. Explain how you think that works. I said the restaurant sold 700 meals in a week. You said that frequent customers eating those meals would spend more money eating those 700 meals than one-time customers would. How? Does the restaurant charge more money to their frequent customers? ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-buying-lunch-anyways-would-you-help-a-stranger-by-swiping-their-frequent-customer-card/533992/36 "2010-03-29T02:44:29Z")
If they are selling 700 meals a week flat, of course it doesn’t matter who is eating the meals. But that isn’t how it works in real life. There is no flat amount of meals being purchased, and there is infinite potential to increase the number of meals sold. Let’s say a shop sells about 700 meals a week to casual walk-in customers. That’s fine. What they need to do now is make some of those casual walk-in customers into repeat customers. They want just a small incentive to make some of their customers say “Eh, I think I’ll eat at Subway again” instead of thinking “Let’s mix it up and go to Taco Bell.” I know when I worked at an office, I got pretty bored pretty quick with the lunch options around me, and often I didn’t really care food-wise where I went. Something as simple as a loyalty card may well have been enough to convince me to go back to the same restaurant over and over instead of going to a different restaurant each day. A loyalty card might also convince me to try to steer group outings towards a place where I’d get some benefits. If they get 10% of customers to eat at their place three times a week instead of once a week, now they are selling 840 meals and making a lot more money. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-buying-lunch-anyways-would-you-help-a-stranger-by-swiping-their-frequent-customer-card/533992/37 "2010-03-29T06:11:08Z")
I’ve said it before: if you want to be charitable, do it with your own money. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-buying-lunch-anyways-would-you-help-a-stranger-by-swiping-their-frequent-customer-card/533992/38 "2010-03-29T06:31:56Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#): > > Just out of curiosity, what’s a significant discount for a filled subway card? A sandwich there is only a few bucks. I went back in the days when the Subways around here had provolone as a cheese choice, and before the Subway chain discounted the sandwiches. I was usually offered a card for $3, sometimes $4, but then when I either showed hesitation or outright refused, the price dropped to two dollars, and then one dollar. I never bought one, by the way. I noticed that sometimes customers didn’t take their stamps, and the cashier was always careful to dial out the stamps anyway, and set them aside, before helping the next customer. I suspected that the cashiers and the folks flogging the filled stamp books were in cahoots, and I always wondered how that sort of thing could be profitable. Later on, that particular store went to having the cards punched and initialed. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-buying-lunch-anyways-would-you-help-a-stranger-by-swiping-their-frequent-customer-card/533992/39 "2010-03-29T07:03:52Z")
> [@](#): > > If they are selling 700 meals a week flat, of course it doesn’t matter who is eating the meals. > > But that isn’t how it works in real life. There is no flat amount of meals being purchased, and there is infinite potential to increase the number of meals sold. > > Let’s say a shop sells about 700 meals a week to casual walk-in customers. That’s fine. What they need to do now is make some of those casual walk-in customers into repeat customers. They want just a small incentive to make some of their customers say “Eh, I think I’ll eat at Subway again” instead of thinking “Let’s mix it up and go to Taco Bell.” You can argue that frequent customers would eat more than 700 meals a week - maybe 800 meals a week. And I can say “Nuh-uh. One time customers would eat a thousand meals a week!” And what would it prove except that we can each create our own hypothetical situations. But there is a bottom line objective standard here: eight meals = one free meal. That doesn’t change based on whether they sell 700 or 800 or 1000 meals that week. But you seem to be saying that some sales of eight meals are better than other sales of eight meals. How are eight meals sold to one customer more valuable to the restaurant than eight meals sold to eight different customers? ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-buying-lunch-anyways-would-you-help-a-stranger-by-swiping-their-frequent-customer-card/533992/40 "2010-03-29T11:17:08Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > But there is a bottom line objective standard here: eight meals = one free meal. That doesn’t change based on whether they sell 700 or 800 or 1000 meals that week. But you seem to be saying that some sales of eight meals are better than other sales of eight meals. How are eight meals sold to one customer more valuable to the restaurant than eight meals sold to eight different customers? _sigh_ Because if those 8 different customers are one-time only customers, the sandwich shop doesn’t expand their business. Customers with loyalty cards are encouraged to return. I thought this seemed pretty obvious, and **even sven** ’s explanation seemed sufficient, but here it goes: Sandwich shop sells 700 sandwiches in week one. 200 sandwiches are sold to repeat customers, 500 are sold to new customers. To keep it simple, SS has established 500 new customers/week via marketing. In order to encourage repeat business, SS implements loyalty card to turn new customers into repeat customers and 20% of new customers decide to use the loyalty card the following week. Next week, sandwich shop sells 300 sandwiches to repeat customers and 500 sandwiches to new customers for a total of 800 sandwiches. SS has expanded its business. Now, as **even sven** indicated sandwiches shops don’t sell the exact same number of sandwiches every week. Hence, any way they can attract new customers + encourage repeat business results in more sandwiches sold and greater profit. That’s what the loyalty card is for. To turn a customer that spends $7 at their business into a customer that spends \> $7. It’s predictably referred to as [loyalty marketing](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loyalty_Marketing). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-buying-lunch-anyways-would-you-help-a-stranger-by-swiping-their-frequent-customer-card/533992.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-buying-lunch-anyways-would-you-help-a-stranger-by-swiping-their-frequent-customer-card/533992.md?page=3)