When Starbucks introduced its limited edition stainless steel Metal Card in 2012 at a price of $450, I was among the few (15 percent) on RetailWire who thought the company would not sell the 5,000 the coffee chain offered for sale on Gilt.com. I was wrong.
This year, the coffee chain is back with card at the same price ($400 is loaded onto the card for purchases), but it's making it even harder to get them. As was the case last year, you can't buy the card in a Starbucks or on the company's site. You'll have to go to Gilt.com (www.gilt.com/starbucksrose) at noon EST tomorrow and order one of only 1,000 being sold.
Last year, according to Starbucks, it took about six minutes for 5,000 cards to be sold. With only 1,000 available this year, that timeframe should be cut substantially.
According to the coffee company, roughly 10 percent of adults in the U.S. received a Starbucks gift card last December. Cliff Burrows, group president of the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa for Starbucks, told USA Today that the company's cards are the most "gifted" item in the country. By making the Metal Card even harder to get, demand may actually intensify.
"If something is hard to get, it takes on irrational value," Steven Addis, a brand consultant, told USA Today. "By making it even harder to get, the irrationality goes up."
The Metal Card bestows upon its holder Gold Level status, including free refills and other perks. Each hand-assembled card, according to Starbucks, "features a gorgeous artisan rose base metal with rose colored coating, laser-etched with traditional Starbucks lettering."