This answer was originally found on Quora.com, written by Garrick Saito
- They want you to think of them as swell guys.
- They want you to feel special on your special day.
- In some small way, they believe it helps with customer loyalty.
- They want you to sign up for their My Starbucks Rewards™ program (this is how you become eligible to receive your free birthday coffee), which will allow them to track and analyze your spending patterns and habits, as well as market to you by email.
- They want you to bring a bunch of your friends with you when you claim your free coffee, hoping they'll buy their products at full price.
- The cost of a cup of coffee is a tiny investment, compared to the revenues a steady and loyal Starbucks customer will bring over the course of a year (I spend more on Starbucks than I do on car insurance).
Stuff like that.