Category: Odd + Funny Author : Duncan Riley Posted: May 6, 2009
Tags : fail, kfc, oprah
As we reported yesterday, Oprah and KFC teamed up to promote KFC’s new “Kentucky Grilled Chicken” product with a free coupon offering “two pieces of grilled chicken, two individual sides and a biscuit.” Offering free food at any time is going to be popular, but during a recession you know that demand will be even higher again. So you can probably take a guess at what happened next.
The difficulty is to know where to start. The short version: riots, racial abuse, pandemonium, a near complete breakdown of KFC’s entire supply chain, and some KFC stores simply refusing to honor the coupons.
The reports of a riot (or small riot or near riot depending on the report) come from New York, where customers where told that one KFC outlet in Manhattan would not accept the coupon, despite many customers having queued for hours. Another Manhattan KFC store ran out of chicken, resulting in reports of racial abuse and police being called. Other stores in the area had “sit-ins” with customers refusing to leave until they had received their free chicken.
According to a report at Business Insider, the entire supply chain for KFC is on the verge of breaking down, with the company scrambling to find more chicken. The report claims that KFC will run out of chicken by Saturday.
Other reports from across the United States say that a significant number of KFC stores are refusing to accept the coupon. KFC stores are primarily franchise operations, so although head office has a strong say in promotions, local owners operate each store.
And of course, we can’t finish without mentioning the “Oprah backlash” from vegetarians and animal rights groups. According to the LA Times, “they” are saying that Oprah is hypocritical, particularly since Oprah has tried to shed a spotlight on farm animal cruelty — a spotlight that helped lead PETA to award her its “Person of the Year” honors.
A spokeswoman said that Oprah’s intent with the promotion was to give families a financial break during these tough economic times.
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May 6, 2009
I understand the individual franchises deciding to not honor the coupons. They will understand when I refuse to participate in ever purchasing any products from their stores in the future.
May 6, 2009
i am a high school student working at kfc and the plocie came and tryed to closed the store because the lines where blocking trafiic and there was alot of fack copyed coupons that the barcode ended in 1234 that accounted for more than 90% of the coupons
AND NO OPRAH IS NOT PAYING FOR THIS CHICKEN THE INDIVIDUAL OWNER ARE LOSING MONKEY IF THEY PARTICIPATE
May 6, 2009
“According to a report at Business Insider, the entire supply chain for KFC is on the verge of breaking down, with the company scrambling to find more chicken. The report claims that KFC will run out of chicken by Saturday.” The Report at Business Insider sites an email in which the author claims a *FRANCHISEE* (not someone generally familiar with all aspects of the supply chain) told him that the supply chain was threatened. The author of the email – not the franchisee – goes on to speculate that the store may run out of chicken by Saturday. It's good that you site your sources, but read the story, not the hype.
May 7, 2009
I received my coupon yesterday from a friend who alerted me to the deal.
I might just drive over to the local KFC and see if they accept it out of curiousity.
Independent of any negative publicity I can't even comprehend the free publicity that KFC is receiving. The word Kentucky Fried Chicken is being said and thought about millions of times. Some negative thoughts, some positive, but people are talking about it. That's all KFC or any corporation can ask for.
Ryan
May 7, 2009
If you can't get Oprah's coupon to work, check out this site and make your own BBQ:
dirtydirtygrills.com
A tribute to everything BBQ: cool videos from some BBQ competitions, ecipes, fun BBQ evites and even pig ringtones!
dirtydirtygrills.com
May 7, 2009
ick!
bad, bad speller!
lol
May 7, 2009
What a hypocrite Oprah is, she acts like she loves animals even doing a expose on the abuse of poultry factroy farming a few months ago. What a fiasco if she wanted to help and stimulate the economy all the money she was going to spend on toxic chicken and is so bad for people buy them a healthy dinner. What a hypocrite!!!!!1
May 9, 2009
LOL funny Oprah – KFC t-shirt
http://alturl.com/vui2
May 10, 2009
I work as an assistant manager for one of the nations largest KFC franchise chains. I can personally say that the decision by corporate to not honor the coupons was a necessity. For the two days that we were accepting the coupons, the store was complete chaos from open to close. My store is designed for maximum product output. This, coupled with our A-Crew was still not enough to meet the demand. I have worked for the company for over 8 year and this was the first time I have ever seriously considered quitting. Thanks for the 'fun' times, Oprah.
May 11, 2009
right off the bad it seemed odd that Oprah would promote something so contrary to all her other dieting advise… but oh well, free is free
May 11, 2009
One writer said it best: Oprah PIMPS for KFC = KENTUCKY FRIED CRUELTY. What a stupid, ignorant woman – or plainly doesn't care about the horrific endless torment animals endure confined in intensive production of factory farming, the suppliers to KFC. Thanks to Pimp O. millions of chickens were swept from the earth, never to see the sun, touch the earth or nuture their young – simple freedoms every creature desires – and will be quickly grown, by way of steroid growth hormones and antibiotics, so the coupons can be “honored” to the fat, lazy consumers who swarmed to eat the flesh of abused chickens – by way of her disgusting betrayal to the billions of animals who suffer and die in industrialized animal production/transport and slaughter. O. stinks. What a hypocrite. No wonder she is a fat hag.
May 16, 2009
omg ppl…its just chicken….if your gonna complain about a chicken how about the milk you drink have you seen the condition of some of the cows being milked…or what about chicken used for hatching eggs….so who is really being the hypocrate? btw i love kfc…chicken….eggs…..and anyother meat product…and i was upset that i didnt get a coupon…i know it was dangerous in places and maybe caiotic….but this was good for the recession!
May 16, 2009
your pathetic…. unless you are a true vegean i wouldnt bitch about animal crulity!
May 16, 2009
I am a Vegan – and even if I were not, I can bitch about animal cruelty (not spelled crulity) as much as I like, when a person who professed to care about the horrendous conditions in factory farming, animal production/slaughter, and who had the power to affect others, chose to promote one of the cruelest exploitors of animals for profit, KFC. Many meat eaters would prefer the corporations who abuse these animals to at least provide humane conditions, more natural environment and the compassion for animals that I, and many others, feel is our obligation. If you don't have compassion for the atrocious conditions in which billions of animals who provide your fat piece of animal flesh, at any cost of pain to them – eat up! You are a genuine member of the ignorant, non-compassionate consuming masses. Obviously, you enjoy your “part” in supporting and condoning the pathetic system of industrialized animal cruelty. BTW, Dairy Cows suffer also, their calves are taken away for VEAL production, chained in crates, to become anemic and unable to stand for your VEAL cutlets. Eggs, the same. There are free range – cage-free eggs offered now. In every area of animal products, an animal suffers. I do hope you get to line up in that “dangerous” place to gulp down your chicken legs – Dangerous??? You do have a lot of fear, don't you?
May 23, 2009
oprah…………. i did not get my chicken, but i ran out of printer ink