North Texas Daily

Paul Wedding/ Senior Staff Writer

Every Tuesday and Thursday from 2-6 p.m. Big Mike’s Coffee on the corner of Hickory and Fry Streets allows customers to swap their Starbucks gift cards for Big Mike’s gift cards.

The Better Coffee on Fry Street Exchange Program began Jan. 27. The customer asks for either manager Keith Brown or ownerKim McKibben, who verify how much is on the gift card and then exchanges it for a Big Mike’s gift card. The limit is $50.

Recreation, event and sport management junior Sean Keller frequents Big Mike’s Coffee and sees this as a good opportunity for those on campus.

“More people could go here now instead of Starbucks since it’s so close,” he said.

Big Mike’s, located across the street from campus, is a short distance away for any student living on campus, making it much more accessible for students without transportation than coffee shops on the Square or University Drive.

The idea for the exchange program came from Big Mike’s barista and physics junior Brock Beauclair when he received a Starbucks gift card for Christmas.

“I didn’t need it since I worked at a coffee shop,” Beauclair said. “So I thought, ‘How can I use this to benefit Big Mike’s?’”

Big Mike’s uses the Starbucks gift cards to buy new coffee-making equipment from Starbucks. Part of the benefit of the gift cards is that the money is not associated with anyone, Big Mike’s manager Keith Brown said.

“It’s basically like finding money on the ground,” he said.

Big Mike’s also sees this program as a way of supporting local business as opposed to a “megagigantic international chain of coffee shops,” as posted on the official announcement on the Big Mike’s Facebook page.

Featured Image: Big Mike’s Coffee started a coffee exchange program on Jan. 27. Its patrons can redeem their Starbucks gift cards for Big Mike’s gift cards. Photo by Adrian Warfield – Staff Photographer