Starting March 5, 2013, Starbucks will be offering another first for their loyalty cards: A Starbucks card made of wood. The card will be made from Birch wood harvested from sustainably managed forests, and can be swiped, and fully used just like any other Starbucks card. There is no doubt, this will be collectible fast. There were only be a limited supply of them made. As I understand it, the cards have a finish on them that make them feel almost like any typical Starbucks card!
I know that I am going to try and nab one of them quickly for my card collection. It’s definitely worth keep your eye out for this one! Just wanted to give you a heads up so you can try to get one for your collection, as they likely will be gone fast.
If you like reading about Starbucks cards, be sure to browse through this category here.
Enjoy!
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Do you know how these will be offered first to loyalty customer (i.e. website, or? Also, will there be a minimum purchase for the card!?)
These look so cool! I would love if they had this specifically for the gold card members.
These look great…apart from their birch base, I just like the design. Definitely hoping to “nab” one, like you Melody:)
@DeniseR- Maybe I could’ve found a better verb than “nab” ? 🙂
@KayJay – Look for the cards inside Starbucks stores, near the register. The way you are supposed to get one is by loading money on it. Sometimes if you ask very nicely, a barista will just give you one. With all in-store cards, the minimum you can load on it is $5. Hope that helps!
Oddly enough, I’ve never had a customer just ask to take a card. I guess card collecting around here isn’t as popular as I thought it would be :/
March 5 is the start of the new spring promotion, so start looking for them this coming Tuesday!
@KDH – As I was responding to KayJay, in the back of my mind I was kind of thinking about a Facebook Starbucks Cards fan page that I follow. I remember some time ago reading a conversation, and being quite surprised that a number of customers think it would be okay just to take one without even asking!! I was sooo surprised. I know some people do ask to take a card or two. Actually, I recall just recently talking to a partner who went to the Tazo store in University Village, and he wanted to just take a couple of Tazo cards for himself and a couple of partners at his store, and he says that the store told him “no.” That surprised me too!
I too like the design of this card and will look out for it! Very creative on SB’s part. Thanks Melody. I assume this card will be rolled out nationally?
I would gladly give out Starbucks cards to anyone who asked. We have tons of them and there’s no reason to say say no. I wouldn’t care if customers took one or two without asking.
As long as they’re not grabbing handfuls and running out the door I probably wouldn’t even notice.
A very interesting card that I will keep an eye out for. Thanks for the advanced warning.
Regarding “just taking a card” or even asking for one for free.
Do remember that there is a cost associated with that card that Starbucks hopes to recoup with use (granted it is not much, but a cost none the less).
One or two of normal cards might be okay. The problem is collectibles, like this wood card, or city cards like New York, where you might have a line of tourists or collectors making a run on them.
Spotted them in DC already. They are neat– you can see the wood grain on the back quite easily. However, they are really rough around the edges (literally) and not so nice to handle because of that!
I have been looking forward to this card coming out so i have been definately watching out for it. We have yet to get them in but it usually takes a while for our store to get the new products in :/ I will definately be adding this one to my collection!! ^_^
In regards to just giving the cards, I generally don’t have many people asking to just have one very often so when the moment comes that I do I let them have it. Its a card that they will eventually register and load with money or just collect I have no quarrels with that and neither does my manager. We have TONS and I literally mean TONS of gift cards 🙂
[…] go from cold hard steel to something more warm and organic. Yes, Starbucks is releasing a card made out of wood. It’ll feel like a typical card but its origin is from harvested birch trees. I’m […]
HI, these are already on the shelf/card stand at my local Starbucks store. You sure the pic you have IS the card – or are they coming out with something else, like the metal card (which I did get as well). Speaking of metal card – is yours getting a line on it when they run it through the card swipe machines?
I have been on the lookout for the new card ever since I learned that they were to be included with the Spring Promo. My store goes through promotional cards extremely quickly, and we ran out of the Year of the Snake cards within a few days of getting the shipment in.
As for taking the cards without purchasing them, I think that it is basically theft. It causes a discrepancy in inventory and is taking the opportunity away from a customer who wants to actually load a card.
Got it! (not out yet, was given one….:)
Thanks for this post Mel. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for this card. I like it!!
They are really beautiful and surprisingly light. Ill keep one but I don’t know if I want to build a big collection. This one seems special like the stainless card but it also seems like it will break easily.
As for people taking the cards with no purchase I see it frequently and generally don’t mind but when a store only gets 50 of them it might be why partners feel protective.
@Becca – I still haven’t gotten one yet! I wouldn’t use this one because I would want to keep it in nice condition for my collection. I don’t use my metal card either for the same reason. @Dawnn – I would be curious if others are experiencing the same thing. I remember seeing a twitterer say that her metal card is getting a line in it too – Sounds like they’re prone to that. However, it seems like Starbucks cards generally aren’t met for huge wear and tear. My Tazo Starbucks card is beginning to fade so that it kind of looks like TA O. And I have used a couple of cards to the point of them cracking on me.
These are very nice. However, they can give you slivers. I got one from one of these cards the other day. They’re a very nice collector’s item, however I wouldn’t use one for that reason.
I have to agree on the slivers part. I transferred a balance on and off mine today and in just the couple of swipes total I could see splinters forming.
I can see the late night ads now:
“Have you been injured by splinters from your Starbucks Card? Call Dewey, Cheetham, and How and we may get you settlement of millions.” (apologies to Melody)
😉 😉 😉
Dad Cooks love your last comment! Denise R that was great you got a card. I saw the SM at my local store this morning and asked him about this card and got nowhere with getting one now all he said was I would have to wait until Tuesday. He said he would try to save me one but he figures on the first day I would be able to get one.
The partner who I was asking about (this new card) said that as usual, they’re told very little and learn more from many customers than they do from corp! She quite willingly showed me a few of the new “spring” cards and this was one. When I told her about it, she immediately offered it up to me, did not want me to put any $$$ on it and was quite sweet about it all. Thinking back, I was sorry I hadn’t asked for a couple more..she really didn’t care…..and actually, why would she? I would’ve sent one immediately to you and to Melody. (it’s hard to imagine you haven’t been one yet, Melody!) Also, I have often called and asked that my store hold something for me, and tell them I’m on my way…they’re very good about it, whether it’s a bagel or a special card, etc.
However, to be clear, I have NOT seen these cards out anywhere here yet. I was just lucky to be given one. (also noticed a bag of Tribute…….)
@Denise – No seriously, I do NOT have a Birch card yet. I have not even asked. I might stop by a favorite Starbucks on the way home from work today and ask for one.
@Melody, if you don’t get a Birch card by next Monday let me know and I will send you one 🙂
@Nathan – I will let you know! Thank you for the offer!
The DM paid a visit to my regular Starbucks on Tuesday and once again she has put the fear into them. Everything by the book, or at least the DM’s interpretation of it.
When I mentioned the Birch Card I got a deer in the headlights look and a “we’re not supposed to mention it”.
Tribute was lining the top of the wall cabinets behind the counter and I asked if I could buy one. Again the deer in the headlights look and a “we can only put your name on the pre-sale list”.
Since this is not an open thread I’ll stop my digression with one final comment; it is a shame that after a DM visit there is a noticeable and undeserved decrease in moral.
@DadCooks – This “by the book” thing is the way it is in downtown Seattle all the time. As an ordinary customer, I would have NO idea that wood card was coming. The only reason I know things is often because I will get random emails from readers letting me know what’s coming – and trust me, I appreciate that (I am Melody@StarbucksMelody.com). I have not heard a single partner talk to anyone about the wood card. I understand the uncomfortable “deer in the headlights” thing, but it really strikes me most stores are not as “by the book” as what happens right here in downtown Seattle, when you’re a mile from the headquarters. As for that specific DM, I think a better approach would be to understand that once information is out there, just to make sure it’s good information. If I were the DM, I might ask you what you’d heard and where you heard it: That is an opportunity right there to make sure you’ve got right information from a DM! I don’t always get everything right on this blog, and so the conversation with the DM is a chance to double check information.
@Melody – I understand your points completely, the problem really is that when I say “by the book” it is mostly the DM’s book, sometimes subtle sometimes not.
Usually the Baristas like to talk about the upcoming promotions and ask me “what’s new on Melody”. Now a couple of days do not make a trend, just that I feel for these folks when I sense their morale is down.
@Nathan – I got a wood card! I dropped by a fave Starbucks on the way home from work, and talked to a fave shift. He readily went and grabbed one, as well as the new core card. the new core card is pretty!! Do you (or anyone) know which Starbucks the the graphics on the new card are based off of? Starbucks historically has based cards loosely upon real stores. (For example, this card here – http://www.starbucksmelody.com/2010/03/13/first-and-battery-starbucks/) I will actually be a little disappointed if it’s not based on a real store.
And as to the wood card, I’m never using it. It already looks like it could easily chip and crack!
As a former partner (I escaped!!! Yippeee!!!!), I can attest to the fear struck into the hearts of baristas by DMs. It’s really sad.
@Alexa – I am saddened to hear of your poor experiences with DMs. Trust me, I have met a few that I didn’t think we so great, but I have met some really fantastic DMs too! You must have had one of the not to great ones. 🙁
Denise R it sounds like you have some great partners. It is nice to see when partners will go out of their way to say you are special.
Do you know if these have made their way to Northern California? Haven’t seen one. This is an awesome collectible. Thanks for sharing the news.
@DottieStewart – I am sure the wood cards will show up in Northern Calif! But they won’t show up until March 5th! 🙂
We just got the cards in today, they are really cool and I can’t wait to load one for myself.
As for baristas not knowing about events and promotions, there is a plethora of possible reasons. This however is a major spring promo, and ALL partners should have read through the new material. Also, since the items are not supposed to be displayed until the stated date and the documents do state company confidential, I can kind of understand why the DM was a little leery.
Personally, I love sharing a few bits of information with customers who have shown an interest in a given topic. For instance, I was talking to a customer who LOVES aged Sumatra and was discussing how Christmas blend was their favorite and was sad to see it gone. I let the customer know that Tribute will be out soon (one of if not my top favorite coffee from our lineup) and included them in a tasting of the coffee that I was going to do with the partners in my store.
Hate to say it, but in our Spring promo material, there were NO mention of the wood cards.
Tribute is MONDAY!! So yummy and excited. We pressed it the other day. VERY, VERY yummy.
The Spring promo book mentions the wood card in the list of new card designs, but it certainly doesn’t make a huge deal about it. I have spent a lot more time talking to my partners about new food/bevvies and Tribute (whoo hoo – my fave!!) than anything else.
All partners are going through the spring workbook using existing time, meaning they’re not getting extra time allotted to the store to go through training, so we’ve been taking advantage of moments of slowness to send partners through it. Hence why you might see some difference in knowledge store to store, or even partner to partner within a store. We’ve been doing this for almost 2 weeks, and I have 10/15 of my partners trained. The other 5 are being tackled this weekend, come hell or high water, haha.
As for sneak peeks of merch, beverages etc. I make judgment calls. For the most part, I wait until the official date to launch things, but talk them up a lot before hand to build excitement. But, I have made exceptions – offered promo flavours early, sold merch a couple of days ahead of time, offered tastings of a promo coffee etc. It will depend on the situation – I made a regular’s day by making her a refresher before it launched because she was going on vacation and would miss all the free sample days. She still gets one every day 🙂
My understanding as of today, is that these cards WILL NOT be in limited supply. I was told that they would continue to be sold after their introduction. So I was wondering which story is true? BTW – There is no mention of it, but could this be Starbucks way of introducing a more Biodegradable Card (or at least parts of it)? Just wondering…….
@Chgo – That’s good to know. The person who emailed me the photo in this blog post had said that stores cannot reorder them – once they’re out, they’re out. I can’t imagine it will be a permanent card. Remember the Braille card? Stores got a decent supply, but when they were gone, they were gone. Would love to know if anyone knows the right answer on this!
I have not seen one. I spoke to a Manager about them and was told they wouldn’t have any until Tuesday. I was told that they would get only so many, then they would be ordering more. I honestly don’t know what the truth is, and was kind of wondering. That’s why I asked today at the store. Of course, I will never know if they are telling customers just what they want to hear. After you posted this thread, I started asking about the cards every couple of days. I actually had a partner ask how I know all this stuff before they even know about it? I told them maybe I have family at the Corporate level. Then I just leave them hanging without any further response. It’s kind of funny when I do it.
@Chgo – That cracks me up!
@Chgo – we were all autoshipped a pre-determined amount, and as of yet, I haven’t been able to order more (when we place an order, not all items are available for us to re-order, and this was one I was unable to when I went to place my order last week). This doesn’t however, preclude the possibility that we might be able to order more in the future, once the dust settles and we see how popluar they are, or they might be autoshipped based on how fast stores are going through them. Or, we may never get any more – time will tell. They say ‘Special Edition’ right on them though, so they are not here to stay at present.
just an fyi re: the ‘braille card’. I cannot say why but that same braille (autumn-looking) card is available in many stores I’ve been in. I don’t know if they’re not selling (or being ‘nabbed’ 🙂 or were re-ordered. All I know is they’re still around. (in many places)
ps: had a very nice cup of Tribute that I brewed at home this morning! I do like that coffee….
@Rebecca – I kind of believe what you and Melody told me more than what I was told at the store. I kind of believe that the partners may snatch these up before they make it to the customers. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, but I don’t believe everything people tell me out of experience. I kind of got the feeling that the partners were acting strange when I brought it up in the store last week. It was as if they didn’t want me to even talk about their existence. I felt like I was ruining some best kept secret by bringing it up.
@Chgo – they are on eBay.
The new Birch wood Starbucks card
There are some baristas that have a great side business, until they get caught. Can be kind of difficult though, it is usually a “friend” who is posting the goods.
@DadCooks – This card isn’t something I would go out of my way to get. To me it’s all material. My daughter has hundreds of Beanie Babies, and I learned a lesson in the collectability of material things. If they become available at the counter, I may get one just for the sake of having it, but it’s not something I need to have.
You would think DM’s would be able to demand that Managers have them readily available per their request, prior to March 5th, but then that could ruin some DM’s little side business with the partners.
The cards can not be reordered. They are a special edition thing. Our store only got 2 boxes and we are a high volume store.