How much is coffee worth to you?
How much do you value your cup of coffee? Is it something that you are happy to pay full price for every single time? Or would you prefer to get your hot drinks for free?
Well, a Liverpool based coffee shop has actually decided to ask their customers that very question, by launching a honesty box system for their takeaway coffee.
Crazy or crafty? Are we too tight as a nation to make this work in other establishments?…
Ziferblat in St Pauls Square, Liverpool has trialed the honesty box system for all of the takeaway drinks during their opening hours, with some surprising success.
Ben Davies from Ziferblat told the Liverpool Echo: “We are offering takeaway coffee on an honesty box basis for those in a hurry.
Hustle & bustle. pic.twitter.com/NVxnVdbWcH
— Ziferblat Edge St (@ZiferblatEdgeSt) October 14, 2016
“There is no minimum spend, we are trying to build in trust with our guests. Thus far it has been really popular and people are giving around £1.50 on average per cup.
“We open weekdays from 7.30am-7.30pm from our new St Paul’s Square branch.”
Whilst this is not a new trend, the idae of asking customers what they are happy to pay is an interesting proposition. Luckily we are much more educated in the entire coffee cultivating process, and understand the costs involved in making a quality cup of Joe.
Bargain lovers will rejoice at the essentially ‘free’ coffee available, but then there are those that will pay accordingly. It’s like coffee karma. Yin and yang.
Would you trust your customers to ‘pay’ for your coffee and tea if there were given and honesty box system?
Although this idea might not be right for everyone, it is a great way to introduce new customers to your brand, it could be great to increase the footfall during quieter periods and if it doesn’t work then you can always scrap it!
At least our delicious coffee beans are more than cheap enough to make it a worthwhile trial.