Chapter 4: Coffee Shop Punch Cards

I have about 5 different punch cards for a few different coffee shops around the city of Rochester. That's about 5 too many punch cards. Granted, I do frequent these spots quite a bit, so having the cards isn't a bad idea. I do treasure my little collection though, and I make sure to grab a new card each time I finish one up.  I even get a little rush every time I hear the barista use the hole punch on one of the stars.

Unfortunately, there's no actual payoff in the middle of the punch card. I'm aware that I have to reach the end of the ten or so spots to actually get anything for free. But even so, each punch is a little bump of gratification and positive reinforcement for me.

Two down ($5), eight to go ($20)!

The effectiveness of this frequency marketing technique really depends on how loyal an establishment's customers are. Not every customer is going to use a punch card, but in my case, these cards definitely keep me coming back.

Humans are creatures of habit. I love routine and habitual behavior (in this case, going out to coffee shops to get punches) and I stress out when things don't go as planned (just in general :) ). This fixed-ratio reinforcement is actually kind of comforting to me. Having these cards makes me feel like I have something to work towards, a goal to achieve. Even if it does take spending $25 on coffee over the course of a few weeks to get there.