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Re: “Lawmakers, let gift card proposal expire and focus on what matters” [Jan. 25, Opinion]:
As a small-business owner, I must object to the op-ed by the CEOs of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and the Washington Hospitality Association. What they aren’t telling you is our gift cards are already pocketed, and it’s by billion-dollar corporations.
Starbucks, for one, is using unspent gift cards and mobile app funds to outcompete small businesses like mine. They use consumers’ money as interest-free loans, while the rest of us must beg the bank.
Thanks to a loophole they lobbied for, Starbucks was able to keep nearly $900 million in consumer gift cards and mobile funds over the last five years.
Consumers deserve better. I started my coffee shop because I wanted to build community, not tear it down. Don’t let lobbyists dupe you into thinking House Bill 2095 is part of a government scheme. It will protect consumers, allowing Washington’s residents to reclaim their unspent gift cards, rather than see money go down the black hole of corporate profits and bonuses.
Dan Olmstead, owner, Poverty Bay Coffee Company, Auburn
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