E-couragement: No Strings Attached

“Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines practiced every day.”  Jim Rohn

 You may have experienced it. As a way to recognize loyalty, or make amends for a sub-par experience, companies sometimes offer an appreciation or make-up gift. I recently had two encounters with this. It’s interesting how I came away with such different feelings based solely on whether or not these gifts had strings attached.

Over the last couple of years I’ve racked up significant airline miles. I was excited to find the perfect opportunity to cash them in. My youngest daughter and I were headed to a father-daughter camp in California. I used my loyalty miles to purchase our two round trip tickets and quickly learned that there are strings attached to this form of loyalty recognition. Our seat selections were significantly restricted. Because of this limited seating policy, my daughter and I were unable to sit together on our cross country return flight. It was with a less-than-fulfilled feeling that I accepted this customer recognition gift for my ongoing loyalty.

A week ago I visited Starbucks on University Parkway in Winston-Salem, NC. I ordered my usual drink, found a seat, and began sending/receiving emails. Five minutes later I went to the counter to secure my drink. No drink. The barista apologized for the mix-up and quickly completed my order. I then received a gift card. The employee gave it to me and apologized for my wait. This gift card has no expiration date and no restrictions. I can order any drink I want… whenever I want it. No strings attached. What a nice feeling.

The retail value of the airline loyalty gift was approximately $1,000 and the Starbucks apology gift is unlikely to exceed $5.00. Yet, the Starbucks experience left me feeling better and more fulfilled. This tells me something about the human condition. When receiving a gift, it’s not merely the dollar amount that has meaning. It’s the spirit behind the dollar amount that has significant impact. Starbucks gets it: a gift, whether it’s for recognition or an apology is best given without any strings attached. That’s always the best spirit for giving.

Leave your comments: Recall a time when you received a gift that had significant impact on you. What about the experience made it memorable?