After a while, I noticed that occasionally other people in the coffee queue would present a little card when they bought their drink, which would be stamped. A couple of weeks ago, I finally asked about it: it turns out to be one of those "we don't advertise it" features that reward customers who are not just regular, but so regular to have noticed the scheme's existence. So, I got one of the cards, had it stamped every time I bought a coffee, and can now show you the result:
Yes, that's right: if I buy 5 coffees, then I get one free. Yes, I know it says "one" rather than "1", or, if you prefer your consistency the other way round, "5" rather than "five", but hey, who cares, I get a free coffee!
That's just it, though. I get a free coffee. When I got my final stamp on Thursday, the stamp woman told me that they were discontinuing the scheme and it would be the last free coffee I'd be able to claim.
Augh! Why does this sort of thing always happen to me?