If you have been in a Subway lately, this news isn't a surprise. Personally, in my second-to-last trip, they had no cards; in my last trip, they had no stamps. Now, there are no more cards and stamps for good.
Company spokesperson Kevin Kane said the program will be gone by Oct. 1 in every restaurant in the United States and Canada. The release contained the phrase, "increased fraud and an outdated redemption process."
The fraud charge seemed suspicious. Are people that desperate to be like Jared that counterfeiting devices are making tiny Subway stamps? And as for fraud, you buy 8 6-inch subs, then you get a "free" sub when you buy the 21 oz. drink. Once I gave up pop, the program was less ideal, and much less sincere. They wouldn't even give you a stamp for the $2.49 sandwiches.
The dirty secret is that soft drinks have the highest profit margin by far. For pennies a cup, they charge well over a dollar. That is why they can afford to have the self-serve machines; then again, the labor costs saved by a self-serve machine more than pay for themselves.
The chain has test-marketed electronic cards and store specials. An electronic card can offer a lot more customer-friendly opportunities. In the meantime, their $2.49 special does rock. I'm a Wednesday, turkey breast kind of guy.
Still, I will miss having to beg for my stamp.
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