Customer Acquisition Costs - VC-style ($DNKN)

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Coffee futures have been trading down - in part because of travails in Brazil (see below) - but you wouldn't know it from the recent prices at your local coffee shop. The hipster spot we generally go to just raised prices - again. It was the second time this year. An ice coffee is now $4: after the guilt-inducing Square "tip" prompt, we generally end up paying $5/per. Frikken nuts. 100% stupid. At least they sprinkle on the attitude for free. Anyway, much like the big box players pricing down the grocers, big coffee chains are ratcheting it up a notch. Dunkin Donuts ($DNKN), for instance, pushed their mobile "On the Go" ordering HARD this week with freebies and discounts galore. Yesterday the team got several ice coffees for a fraction of what it costs at the hipster joint (and attitude-free). AND we racked up points: coffees will be free for days. Nothing like tech wars and VC-style subsidies to please the consumer. Can't wait to see DNKN's margins next quarter.