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Comment on Starbucks claims $181M in revenue from unused gift cards (2022)parent

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I've given Starbucks gift cards to homeless folks, who were always happy to receive them. And in California, businesses must give you cash for a gift card if it's less than $10 in value.

https://www.giftcardgranny.com/blog/5-important-facts-about-...

That would be a great billboard...a close up of a hipster handing out a Starbucks card to a homeless person. One of those feel-good moments.

I mean, they do have food there. A $10 gift card would buy a decent breakfast sandwich and a basic coffee, I'm sure a homeless person would appreciate that. Not to mention an excuse to spend a while indoors.

I agree that the image is funny, but it's not the _worst _ way to give someone in need $10.

Yeah, for a homeless person, the advantage to having a little bit of cash to drop in a restaurant or coffeehouse means that they get to rent that table for, oh, perhaps a couple of hours. They get access to a well-maintained restroom. There is climate control.

Motels > restaurants > libraries > buses, in terms of comfortable hangouts.

When I was living on the streets, St. Vincent de Paul continually finagled for me some gift certificates to a 24-hour burger joint. That was a GODSEND, because the worst part of living on the streets is wondering what to do with yourself all night. It was absolutely Heaven for me if I could slip into the burger joint and doodle in my journal, or sip coffee in an IHOP and read a book.

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