Chick-fil-A, Very Disappointed In Your 2013 Calendar. Did Not Purchase It When I Actually Saw It Was A Gift Card And Not Individual Coupons. I Went To Purchase One And Then Decided Not To.

I try to purchase a cow calendar each year and then use the coupons throughout the year. For many years I did not know you were able to use the monthly calendar coupon anytime to redeem it. I thought you had to use the actual coupon for the actual item for the actual month it was on the calendar. I did that and many times there would be items I did not cash in on because I may not drink a diet beverage or want a bottled water etc. It wasn't until a year or so ago that someone told me that they accept the coupons anytime through out the year and if you will not consume that item they will apply the amount of that particular item to your purchase and deduct the amount from your bill. I am so sorry I was not aware of this earlier then when I found out about it. Many coupons were wasted prior years. However, I did enjoy using my coupons this past year. I only have one more left to use and this may be the first time or maybe the second time that I actually used all of my coupons. There will be no wasted coupons this year YAY.
Guess what I mainly purchase when I do go to Chick-Fil-A. I enjoy their kids menu chicken strip meal, it seems to be just the right amount of food for me and sometimes I do not get the drink with it. I am not much of  a soda drinker and I think their brewed plain tea without sugar is too strong for me and the lemonade has an after taste I do not care for. Sometimes I just ask for a cup of water and that is just fine. I do enjoy the Chick-Fil-A dipping sauce to not only dip the chicken strips in but it tastes great with the waffle fries if you dip them in that. I also enjoy their side salad and cole slaw on occasion too. Sometimes I get a side salad and then take the chicken strips from the kids meal and add it to the salad and it is more than enough to consume along with the waffle fries that come with the kids meal. I really enjoy the gifts they give out with the kids meal. The books are the best and I try to give them away to kids I know so they do not go to waste. Maybe they can come up with a smaller portion meal for adults that do not want to consume a huge meal and put it at a great price point too.What about a senior adult menu item and put it at a great price point for them. Remember, a lot of seniors are on a fixed income.
I went to purchase my calendar this year and the clerk made mention that this year it was going to be in the form of a gift card and not individual coupons and you had to use the card the actual month and get the actual item for that month. I was stunned at that concept and the clerk so graciously stated that it was a corporate decision to do this. I guess some executive created this one up and it will flop. That is my prediction. I never really used the calendar per say just used the coupons in the calendar. I teared out the coupons and kept them in my wallet. I would keep it in my car and tear out a coupon here and there until I figured out why not just tear them all out so as to not take up room storing it on the side of my seat. There is something about being able to tear out that coupon and present it with your purchase. Sort of like taking ownership in the transaction process. Do you cut out coupons from the Sunday newspaper? You get to pick and choose which coupons you will cut out to use with your future purchase.
Well, for many years you made money on my calendar purchase because I was not aware that I was able to cash in on the value of the coupon item to apply it to my purchase that day. When I finally found out about being able to use all of my coupons in one year you now come up with this gift card idea. How many people will not remember to use their gift card when at Chick-Fil-A because they are use to using their coupons? I guess that is modern technology. I recently heard on the radio the story of when Coca-Cola decided to change their long-time recipe for Coke and it flopped and guess what? They went back to their Classic Coke recipe and learned a costly lesson when others began to drink the competitor's product. My suggestion to the executives that came up with this idea, you should have researched better and asked your employees their opinion first for they are the actual one's dealing directly with your customers. Go back to the coupon method please, every little bit helps the consumer in the current economy we are living in. People are willing to pay your premium prices for the quality of food you provide you are ahead in that respect. Now help them out by bringing back your coupons to really let them feel (at times) that they received a bargain on their purchase when using a coupon.