Krispy Kreme’s announcement last month of a promotion offering a free glazed doughnut, available through the end of the year, to anyone receiving a COVID-19 vaccine was not viewed as a positive in some circles.
Dietitians, doctors and others pointed out that regular consumption of sweet, nutritionally deficient treats like doughnuts is directly tied to the nation’s obesity epidemic and associated ills. Others saw it as trivializing the serious nature of the pandemic that has taken over half-a-million lives in the US since last year. Still others didn’t see much upside, looking at the issue from a purely business perspective.
Krispy Kreme, for its part, maintained that its show of “sweet support” for those protecting themselves and others from spreading the virus was meant as a simple gesture of thanks to its customers. No doubt, the chain expected extra traffic into its shops and add-on sales as a result of the promotion. The reluctance of some to receive the vaccine and the disinformation spread about it could just as well have backfired against the doughnut chain, however, if it was seen as taking a side in what most see as a public health issue but others view as a political matter… RetailWire
