Champions for Life...

The American Red Cross frequent donor program is called "Champions for Life." I think you become a member if you donate 4 times a year or every 9 weeks or something like that.

There are perks in the program. The most notable being that whenever you show up at a donation center, you jump to the front of the line, no matter how many people are already waiting.

Clearly, this irritates some people and I'm told that some people get up and leave when they see this (shame on the ARC for not pro-actively telling people that this is a benefit and only doing so once people are already upset.)

Be that as it may, the question I was trying to deal with as I spoke with the phlebotomists on Friday was: is it worth it?

Of the people who donate on a weekly basis, how many are Champions for Life? How many people who leave in disgust would have otherwise become Champions for Life?

As a business, you want to treat your best customers best, to keep them coming back, but it's interesting to think what the law of unintended consequences does for those who are put off by preferential treatment for those who have earned it.