Would you buy a suspended coffee?

[focusedhypno 10]

There has been a surge on Facebook in the last few days talking about "suspended coffee". This is where you buy yourself a coffee and at the same time can put one by for someone who is not able to afford a hot drink. The poor or homeless pop into the coffee shop and ask if there are any suspended coffees available. If there are they are given one for free.

Read more about it here: http://travellingaroundacoffee.wordpress.com/2013/03/27/the-suspended-coffee-inititative/

I think this is a brilliant idea and is perfect for the independent coffee shops in and around Sheffield. The Starbucks of the world sell over priced tat (and most of us know it!). They probably wouldn't touch an idea like this with a barge pole.

The indy coffee shops though could really benefit from a scheme like this as it makes them more a part of the community. They sell more. Poor or homeless people get a chance to warm up with a decent cuppa and more happiness is spread and money invested back into the area.

 

Would you buy a coffee and put it on lay-away for someone less fortunate? Would you donate your loyalty card stamps to give a chilly persona a drink?

 

Just wondering how much public support there is for this kind of idea....

[Tomtom66 10]

Good idea, I would like to know of some places that do this, although how do we know the shop would be good for its word ?

[Ms Macbeth 70]

I think it's a great idea. It would give people a chance to make a difference for very little cost. I wonder if anywhere in Sheffield will join in? If it was somewhere like Blue Moon, I'd trust them to give people drinks.

[willman 10]

There has been a surge on Facebook in the last few days talking about "suspended coffee". This is where you buy yourself a coffee and at the same time can put one by for someone who is not able to afford a hot drink. The poor or homeless pop into the coffee shop and ask if there are any suspended coffees available. If there are they are given one for free.

Read more about it here: http://travellingaroundacoffee.wordpress.com/2013/03/27/the-suspended-coffee-inititative/

I think this is a brilliant idea and is perfect for the independent coffee shops in and around Sheffield. The Starbucks of the world sell over priced tat (and most of us know it!). They probably wouldn't touch an idea like this with a barge pole.

The indy coffee shops though could really benefit from a scheme like this as it makes them more a part of the community. They sell more. Poor or homeless people get a chance to warm up with a decent cuppa and more happiness is spread and money invested back into the area.

 

Would you buy a coffee and put it on lay-away for someone less fortunate? Would you donate your loyalty card stamps to give a chilly persona a drink?

 

Just wondering how much public support there is for this kind of idea....

 

I wouldn't do the lay away, but i regularly donate my loyalty cards - whether they're chilly or homeless is a different issue.

At this time of "Monopoly" @ McD's i almost always give away my instant wins usually to kids/youths.Some of them look"needy" nut may not be.

[focusedhypno 10]

I am a regular at Tamper in town (v. near Nandos & HIGHLY recommended!) and I have sent them a link to the article and they are considering it. I would trust them completely if I bought a coffee to lay away. It is the big players in the coffee industry that I would trust the least!

I just thought that if I could gather a bit of public opinion it might help those independent coffee shops who are considering it to see what a great idea it is.

[skinz 10]

How do you qualify as needy? Could it be abused...many people who are not "needy" look it..I do some times.

[Mr Bloom 10]

I think this is a great idea.

 

Maybe a local artist might design a little card coffee cup, that could be run off, and these could be put at the side of the tills, so when paying you could pick up a card coffee cup and then put it in to a coffee cup on the counter, so that it was simple for the purchaser and less embarassing to anyone wanting a free coffee, so they could simply pick up a donated coffee cup card out of the cup, without having to ask if there was a free coffee available and being refused.

 

---------- Post added 28-03-2013 at 11:33 ----------

 

How do you qualify as needy? Could it be abused...many people who are not "needy" look it..I do some times.

 

I think it's one of those things, where you have to faith in people. I don't think many people will abuse it.

[focusedhypno 10]

I think this is a great idea.

 

Maybe a local artist might design a little card coffee cup, that could be run off, and these could be put at the side of the tills, so when paying you could pick up a card coffee cup and then put it in to a coffee cup on the counter, so that it was simple for the purchaser and less embarassing to anyone wanting a free coffee, so they could simply pick up a donated coffee cup card out of the cup, without having to ask if there was a free coffee available and being refused.

 

Mr Bloom, you are a genius! I love that idea! The person in need keeps their dignity and is able to get something to warm them up when they most need it. Everyone's a winner!

[julado 10]

So you pay for two coffees...only have one in the philanthropic hope that the other one will be freely given to someone in need.......mmmm......do the coffee retailers view it in the same light....or do they just think hey we are getting paid twice for one coffee...as they pocket the amount you have lovingly donated.

 

For goodness sake....Starbuck can't even do the right thing and pay tax on it's profits...does anyone honestly think that your donated coffee would actually reach a person you bought it for??

[truman 10]

So you pay for two coffees...only have one in the philanthropic hope that the other one will be freely given to someone in need.......mmmm......do the coffee retailers view it in the same light....or do they just think hey we are getting paid twice for one coffee...as they pocket the amount you have lovingly donated.

 

For goodness sake....Starbuck can't even do the right thing and pay tax on it's profits...does anyone honestly think that your donated coffee would actually reach a person you bought it for??

 

I'm not sure the guys who work in the Starbucks shops are responsible for the company's tax arrangements..

[Timmmy 10]

does anyone honestly think that your donated coffee would actually reach a person you bought it for??

 

No I personally don't think it would

[Bonzo77 13]

So you pay for two coffees...only have one in the philanthropic hope that the other one will be freely given to someone in need.......mmmm......do the coffee retailers view it in the same light....or do they just think hey we are getting paid twice for one coffee...as they pocket the amount you have lovingly donated.

 

For goodness sake....Starbuck can't even do the right thing and pay tax on it's profits...does anyone honestly think that your donated coffee would actually reach a person you bought it for??

 

Maybe not, but the idea is a good one. You've got to ask yourself; what makes someone qualify for a free coffee??

 

I think you would get a lot of 'needy looking' people who could afford a coffee, taking advantage of the opportunity.

 

Plus, you would get a lot of 'wrong uns' hanging around the shop.

 

Can't see this one taking off to be honest.