Honestly, just WTF is going on with the world today? Achievements in a mobile app for ordering coffee, like this is some sort of weird mobile game you play. Is this what we are looking forward to in our future?
They do it because it works. Not only does it lead to more direct sales, but the app is scraping data that can be further used to generate sales, either to the user directly or sale of their data to third parties. And people who don’t like their habits being gamified will simply not install the app.
How many people are going to say “I refuse to go to Dunkin because they went too far gamifying their rewards program in their shitty app I never use”? Probably close to zero. So, the cost of doing it is whatever they pay their offshore contractors, who probably can’t afford to come visit the US, much less go to Dunkin for awful coffee every day.
It’s the gamification of everything. I work in education; and because the teacher shortage is so “emergency hires” are trained on child care through one hour online lessons that have game like elements to keep them engaged. I’m happy to have anyone helping in the schools at this point but it takes years of higher education to really be effective in education. (not saying everyone) But the online trainings are just their so the schools can shift liability. A one hour gaming session on recognizing self harm in children isn’t enough! But this is what our culture has come down to. Rewards programs, swipe dating, and gig work. It’s all mini games but the prize is a big middle finger.
That reminds me of how during Covid, nursing homes relied on “travel nurses.” These were nurses contracted by an outside agency, sent to facilities to combat the so-called “nursing shortage.”
Thing is, the travel nurses were paid considerably more than the staff already hired by the facilities. So if you already worked at a place, you were still paid your dirt-low wage - no raises, no bonus, no hazard pay. Meanwhile, nurses who came in who didn’t know the facility, didn’t know the staff, and didn’t know the patients got paid a lot more. It was insulting and demoralizing for everyone who chose to stay working where they already were.
I have a friend whose wife is a nurse and she decided to work as a “travel nurse” because it was stupid not to–the pay was at least double her current pay, plus she was given a stipend for room/board/travel expenses. It was a fantastic deal for her and allowed them to save a bunch of money for a while.
Edit: i still think the situation was exceptionally shitty to those who stayed where they were. For “Essential” workers they sure aren’t treated like it
You’re the one that installed the app.
Secret achievement: diabetes unlocked
People love this stuff. I feel like this falls into addiction territory and they know it. The saddest part is would it kill them to throw you an extra free donut or drink after unlocking each one? Those are some crazy milestones and the only thing I see is how terrible I am for going here so much if I did this so at least give me a reward for doing it at the least?
I quit DD forever a few years ago when they stopped the free bday coffee. I probably averaged $30/week.
It’d be pretty funny if the running guy got progressively fatter through the achievements
Its funny how they wish to use such imagery. Running, sprinting, marathon.
Level 500 he’s in a wheel chair with an IV bag on a pole
The sad thing is this kind of shit actually works on some people. Just how our brains are wired and some folks can’t resist.
You can be a coffee achiever You can sit around the house and watch Leave It to Beaver The future's up to you So what you gonna do? Dare to be stupid, dare to be stupid
Order Donuts 500 times a year? They should have called that Diabetes.
Achievement reached! … Dunkin awards you with diabetes … save 5% on medication
Can’t afford a phone?
No discount for you!!
This is a discriminatory practice, and it’s been going on for way too long. Every offender needs to be fined wildly for this shit.
“Yeah Tyler, you can get some free fries with your Big Mac that you’re buying with your dad’s credit card, because you have 100 mcpoints!”
Homeless man: please let me eat anything I am starving
It gets even worse, the federal government now only accepts applications for asylum through a mobile app
If it doesn’t come with a discount like a rewards program with free coffee every now and then, I’m not interested.
Lol It definitely does not. Most drink companies have gutted their rewards program, especially Starbucks.
Honestly, gamification is good but this is just stupid. Humans respond to gamification for a reason, it can add a sense of accomplishment or help you lay out goals, etc. If you gave that to, say, a non-profit looking to motivate volunteers who clean up the beach or something, it’s a net gain for society.
But this? What accomplishment or goal do you get for eating shitty donuts 500 times? I’d like to meet the man (and it most certainly is a man) who is proud of his 500th Dunkin trip. I’ll buy him a dose of insulin (but only the subsidized stuff).
It’s so rife for abuse I’m not sure I’d even say “good”. Effective, maybe?
feels like it would easily slide into idiocracy.
More like racing towards it … but we’re still too slow because we as a society are too big, fat and out of shape to move that fast.