It seems like just last week that we were discussing Starbucks' use of limited supplies to build the perceived value of select estate coffees in the marketplace. Now the chain is back at it again, but this time it's with a limited edition gift card that is sold only through the Gilt luxury products website and costs $450.
The Starbucks Metal Card is made of stainless steel (that accounts for $50 of the cost) and the coffee giant is making only 5,000 of them. According to USA Today, the card would buy 106 Grande Frappuccinos, 119 Grande lattes, 205 regular brew coffee in a Grande cup, 402 K-cups and enough Pike Place Roast in six-ounce bags to brew 1517.5 cups of coffee. Each card comes with gold-level member benefits such as free refills and gifts.
"This is a card for the one percent," cultural anthropologist Robbie Blinkoff told USA Today. "It's all about status..."
The card is expected to become a collector's item. According to USA Today, other non-steel limited edition Starbucks cards go for thousands of dollars on eBay.