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?
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’re the one that installed the app.
“logged in for seven days: wicked smart guy”
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 mean its no different then sub club cards in the 90s and early 2000s.
I quit DD forever a few years ago when they stopped the free bday coffee. I probably averaged $30/week.
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.)
It’d be pretty funny if the running guy got progressively fatter through the achievements
Level 500 he’s in a wheel chair with an IV bag on a pole
And there’s coffee in the iv bag, and donuts around the hose
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).
Dunkin loot boxes when?
Gotta wait for it to be launched on steam first
Order a dozen in the app and pick “surprise me”
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
That’s several orders of magnitude worse, fuck. Soon they’ll probably close the loop and consider owning a smartphone to be evidence that things aren’t so bad for you, and you don’t need asylum.
And NOT having a smartphone will be even more suspicious… “What are you trying to hide? you must have a smartphone hidden somewhere… where is it?”
yup and it particularly effects the elderly, the poor, the mentally challenged, folks from certain religious or social beliefs, and just folks with a certain amount of dignitity and self worth.
Where did his screenshot show levels give a discount? It just looks like badges for number of drinks ordered. Something you could track on your own if you wanted.
The first badge is “Savings Starter”, which implies that using the app is providing some sort of discount. The badges may not be directly tied to a discount but the app most certainly gives you one, that’s how all of these things work.
The practice existed long before smart phones, they used to call them loyalty cards or memberships or something like that. You can go to pretty well any chain gas station for some kind of perks membership card where you get a free coffee for buying gas or whatever. The switch to it being done by apps is in part because it’s easier, and they get more realtime and personal info.
Yes, but the barrier of entry was literacy.
https://swappa.com/catalog/type/phone?brand=&platform=&sort=price_low
Yes, but the price now is hardly more than that. Cheap tech leftovers are plentiful and I’m certainly not the only one who had a WiFi only phone for a while. Spend $40 for a cheap functional handheld and you can get all the apps if inclined. Can probably even find plenty for free if you look about.
In some places, people also give out phones to the needy because of how cheap they are. Somehow my mom’s boyfriend got one despite him not being poor…I think it’s because he’s old and retired.
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.
Order Donuts 500 times a year? They should have called that Diabetes.
I heard Dunkin rebranded away from Dunkin donuts because people buy coffee everyday but people do not buy donuts everyday.
I’m totally buying for the whole office!
works from home
Achievement reached! … Dunkin awards you with diabetes … save 5% on medication
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
