How did it work?

The system was pretty simple, it was based on human kindness, I trusted that there would be enough people passing by this location with a good heart and a desire to help a fellow human in need.

I purchased a $100 gift card and wrote on it Hanging Cups, we gave the card to the staff and trained them to ask every customer that buys anything, if they would like to hang a cup, this type of question struck a curiosity cord with majority of customer who would inquire what those it mean, to which the barista serving the customer would explain that this a non-profit project designed to pre-pay cups of coffee, tea or other drinks for people who come to the store and have no money, homeless people, people who simply forgot their wallets at home, or any other reason they could not afford to buy a drink.

If the customer said sure, they would get charged for an extra drink of their choosing, and the extra would be loaded again onto the gift card, and repeat…

Now those who came to the store asking for a drink and were not able to pay for it could get that drink without the need to bag the customers for it or sit by the door bagging passersby.

This never-ending circular system solved two major problems of that specific location:

1. Homeless people and other people in need stopped bagging the customers and Starbucks staff for something cold or hot to drink.

2. Customers who typically would just give a buck or two to whoever is standing or sitting by the door begging for food or drink, don’t need to that anymore and simply contribute to the project funding.

And the best part… it made Starbucks look good and didn’t cost them a single dime.