Bring your own bucket? Starbucks China's free coffee promo has people queuing up with all sorts of wacky containers

In light of Earth Day last Thursday (April 22), Starbucks China rolled out a promotion where customers would be entitled to a free drink if they showed up at an outlet with a reusable cup.

People came in droves, leading to snaking queues over many Starbucks outlets across the nation, according to China Press. This wasn't all that unexpected. Less expected were the variety of ways people ended up interpreting the term ‘cup’. 

Instead of traditional receptacles that immediately come to mind — think coffee cups or tumblers — some customers decided to cheekily show up with contentious containers on hand. This ranged from the silly to the unexplainable.

Netizens posted photos all over social media of customers lining up with pails, teapots, giant cups, and even empty buckets.

These customers were trying their luck at somehow being able to walk out of a Starbucks outlet with a ridiculous amount of their favourite coffee order.

There were also others who thought that tin cans might be a good place to keep their lattes warm.

All in all, their attempts at getting more free coffee were all in vain. It seems that they had not read the terms and conditions of the promotion.

Starbucks China had specifically indicated that the promotion only entitles each customer to a 330ml cup of coffee. That's equivalent to a Tall order. So a free Venti isn't even on offer, let alone a free bucket. 

Overlooking some of the odd responses to Starbucks China’s Earth Day promotion, it is quite clear the hour-long promo was a resounding success. 

amierul@asiaone.com