Starbucks' sweet deal for voters

By: Amber McCaskill and Lindsay McFeely

Starbucks is offering a sweet incentive to voters today around the United States. The deal is simple: the voters show their voting sticker and Starbucks gives them a free cup of coffee.

Coffee lover Sean Caelehan (left) and Starbucks
barista Julian Gise (right) pose with coffee in hand as
customers at 114th and Dodge St. take advantage of Starbucks' free coffee
for voters promotion. The promotion rewarded those
that took the time to vote this election day.

Julian Gise, a local barista at a Starbucks in Omaha, said the purpose of the offer is to get as many people to vote as possible, "Of course, we like to get them in the Starbucks too," he said.

Starbucks is not alone in the idea of voter advertising. Several companies around the country are also offering voter incentive programs, including Chic-fil-A, Krispy Kreme and Ben & Jerry's.

The idea is to not only get people to vote, but also to let the country know that Starbucks is showing their patriotic support, Gise said. "We like to think we're helping out," Gise said, as he filled up another tall cup of Starbucks' house brew for the line of drive-thru customers.

Sean Caelehan, a local customer who arrived at the Starbucks for this very incentive, heard about the offer on the local news today. When asked if he regularly frequents Starbucks, "When the coffee's free, I do," he said

Voters can continue to stop by Starbucks until close today for their free cup of coffee.