Give me 5 mins, get a free latte.

What if Starbucks (or Borders or anyplace that sold fancy-pants coffees) offered a way to provide free lattes to their fans who may no longer be able to afford their daily fix?

Imagine a corner of the coffee lounge converted (as needed) to a "Give us 5 minutes, get a free latte" space. One at a time, marketers could set up a simple trade-show booth display and conduct sample testing/focus groups/surveys with willing volunteers that fit their demographic. Five minutes in exchange for a $5 coffee. Hey, if you're in there anyway, and you've got 5 minutes to spare, why not?

LOGISTICS
Sure, the store could use a simple drink ticket system: the marketer hands the consumer a ticket after they've participated, which the consumer then exchanges for a coffee, and the barista later tallies for a bill that the marketer pays at the end of their session. This would keep it simple and flexible (time-wise). But better yet, a sticker like the kind used for admission at museums, marked on the back with the date and marketer's signature, that says something like "I scored a free latte at ______(insert name of store)" would further promote the store, while also advertising the wearer's resourcefulness to friends and colleagues. The store's website could offer an instant alert via RSS feature for volunteers depending on what demographics they register under ("Free latte alert: Rosie's Cookies and Cakes is holding a taste-testing and survey at our Main Street store from noon to 1pm.")

COST
Assuming each volunteer cost the marketer the most expensive drink in the house, it's still a lot cheaper than the $20 - $50 an hour that they pay individuals to attend focus groups, not to mention a lot easier to organize and manage.

WIN-WIN-WIN
It's a win-win-win: free lattes during hard times; increased foot traffic to the stores, not to mention free press and lots of word-of-mouth; and an easy way for entrepreneurs and small businesses to test their products and services on remarkably willing test-subjects.

JUST SAY NO
How do you say No to willing participants that don't fit the demographic? Easy: a pre-registration form (online, which can be accessed at any in-store terminal) where they declare their various consumer preferences and categories. This is automatically matched to whatever the marketer has checked off and the result is either "Yes, come on down!" Or "Sorry, we have no matches for you today. Please try again soon."

Somebody please take this idea and use it. I want a free latte, dammit.