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?
Just more enshitification.
I think I’ve come to the conclusion that there’s no end in sight. Everyone can agree that things are going to shit but the thought of a boycott never crosses their mind. If we found a way to organize and motivate people to drop services that suck, delete social media accounts that suck and stop buying things from companies that suck we could make some real change at a speed that would surprise us all.
Instead we all acknowledge that CEOs at most large companies are pieces of shit that actively work to hinder our choices and freedoms but then we get right back to sending them money and as long as that keeps happening they have no real reason to change.
People change at the speed of convenience. They are generally willing to put up with a convenient shitty product over being inconvenienced. And yes, switching to a superior product is often an inconvenience.
In the future I predict it will add a “share” button. And the more engagement you get on social media is how you can earn discounts and stuff.
Plus they jack up the default menu prices so the only way to get a comparative price to what existed before the ‘discounts’ is to use the app and be engaged.
Ha. I remember around the 00’s the Best Buy website had increased prices if you went to the site while in the store. Checking the site from home had lower prices to compete with online stores.
Jimmy John’s started this recently too. They keep bombarding me with emails about getting this badge or that badge. Mother fuckers all I want to do is order a sandwich and walk from my office to your store and pick it up in a timely manner. They can’t even get that figured out most of the time anymore. I’ll order a sandwich at 10:30 and it won’t be ready until 12:30 or 1. Maybe they need to have the employees earn badges by making sandwiches quicker.
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
Oh, I do not fault any of the travel nurses for taking that deal! If I were licensed for it, I would’ve done it too. (I had a different role in the nursing home, one that wasn’t “medical” but was essential for patients’ wellbeing. In other words, another poorly-paid, under-supported position.)
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.
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.
This is everyone I know who actually has to keep up their SnapChat streak.
I guess because they’ve never seen the developers IRL, it doesn’t seem like the completely self-serving suggestion it is.
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.
i mean its no different then sub club cards in the 90s and early 2000s.
I think it’s hilariously stupid. It might have made more sense if it followed a training progression. Like move from coffee sprint to coffee racer, menu long run and then the marathon maybe? Sprint to marathon is some Goggins level shit.
Either way, sprinting to marathon isn’t a progression. Speed and endurance are different skills with different training plans. There’s a reason they’re separate Olympic disciplines.
Yeah but base building doesn’t seem as sexy. LSD is the basis of every coffee plan - Long Slow Donuts.
I’m not Olympian by any means, but this makes me feel a bit better about my running. I’ve never really run before but I have been trying to do it semi consistently since March. For whatever reason, while I’ve been able to run longer and longer distances, I never seem to be able to run much faster. I tried a couple of times the other week and I almost threw up after one of them lol. I think I’m just going to have to accept that I’m a slow runner! I like running at my own comfortable pace better. Idk.
Hey we’re pretty similar in regards to running! I started in May. I’m training for a 10k in May of this year.
I even made the same frustrating experience this week! I ran 8k in 50mins on Monday. Wanted to up my pace yesterday and was so out of breath after 2k that I tasted metal. Felt like I basically had to crawl home after that.
I googled and apparently if you do want to up your pace, you should try to run faster for only the last 10 mins or so of your run. But don’t overdo it because apparently it’s literally physiologically different within your muscles whether you run fast or far. And the changes training does are different, too: Usain Bolt at his peak wouldn’t have done very well at a marathon.
But I, for one, am fine training endurance for now. Maybe I’ll try to up my pace at a later point in time!
Dunkin loot boxes when?
Gotta wait for it to be launched on steam first
Order a dozen in the app and pick “surprise me”
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.
Well, the dystopia is starting to take shape.
That shape is “round”?
Lol
Secret achievement: diabetes unlocked
You’re the one that installed the app.
What is Dunkin?
Dunkin’ Donuts is an American Donut chain that exists worldwide (12,000 stores). Started in the 1950s
Oh yeah I can see how this is fucked up then
