Square + Starbucks = game changer
Last August, I wrote a post suggesting that more wineries should look into Square as a credit card payment processor, something I’m still a big proponent of today. Tonight, I caught a tip on Facebook from Josh Williams about how Square would be rolled out in Starbucks locations across the country, according to this NYT story by Claire Cain Miller.
Wow.
Really see this as a game changer, and has the potential to get technology like Square in front of a lot of people that might not be exposed to it otherwise, at least for awhile. Since that post last summer, I’m now using Square at D’Arcy Hair Design when I get a haircut, tried it out this weekend at Piccola Wine Company after a wine tasting, and when I get a hot dog from Happy Hot Dog in Woodinville. At all of those, I never actually swipe my card, I simply open a tab on my phone and approve the charges. Dead simple.
Truly, legitimately excited to see what this does for the future of mobile payments. Cheers to Jack Dorsey and the team at Square, and kudos to Howard Schultz and the continually progress-oriented folks at Starbucks for making this happen.
[update] Check out Dan Frommer’s details on the ins and outs of this particular deal, and what it really means for the companies involved.
Tom Biro
Tom Biro is a thirty-something public relations guy with a slight addiction to digital media and Washington wine. He resides in Seattle, Washington with his girlfriend, Brittany, and can be frequently caught in the wild at tasting rooms in Woodinville, central and eastern Washington, various parts of Oregon, and California. While generally preferring full-bodied reds, he's a sucker for a smart Chardonnay and great Champagne. He can be reached via email at tom@sevenhundredfifty.com on Twitter at @7hundredfifty or @tombiro, and Google Plus.
