During July 2009 Starbucks decided to test "Occasion" cards to add to their gift card program. This was a new concept and up to that time Starbucks had not released any "occasions" cards.
Fearing the potential of a release failure, Starbucks did not want to go nationwide, or into a large and noticeable market with this test. So they chose a 2 month period in Indianapolis, Indiana to check to see the acceptance of a Happy Birthday, Thanks and General Appreciation cards. The results after the test follows:
The card shown - "THANKS!" was changed to THANK YOU for the national release a year later.
Happy Birthday was released as-is, with a color change from purple to silver on the back.
The General Appreciation or "Just For Fun" card was rejected altogether and never released.
We've concluded that the "THANKS!" card appears to be the rarest from this test, unless you can find the "Just For Fun" issue.
