The photo above is an indication of how passengers were greeted as we emerged from the Waterloo Underground – a free 5-ounce can of Heineken (alcohol-free).
Of course, my wife, son, and I had to accept the offer, it would have been bad taste to refuse such a gift.
I could not tell what controls the two Heineken folks had over how many cans a person might take, or if the age was of any concern since it was “alcohol-free” (the drinking age here is 18). However, from my brief observation, everything seemed to be working fine, and no one seemed to be abusing the process.
As I stood there watching I tried to imagine such a scene in one of Philly’s subway concourses. As much as I love Philly, I think such a marketing promotion could cause a near riot, even if it was alcohol-free beer. At some point, someone would try to grab a second or third one, someone might try to take off with the whole cooler of beers, or someone might use one of the cans as a weapon at the Eagles playoff game this weekend.
I’ve noticed a few differences between the U.S. and the U.K., and I’m planning to write a future blog about those items, but I found the beer giveaway so intriguing I couldn’t wait.
Proost! (That’s ‘Cheers!’ in Dutch).
Borden's Blather 