Krispy Kreme demands college student stop acting as a doughnut mule

[Yappi]

Jayson Gonzalez is a college senior just trying to make a buck. He’s worked at Starbucks. He’s made candles. He’s sold iPhone cases. Like any good Gen Z kid, he’s tried developing an app. But earlier this year, he hit on a scheme that actually made him some real money: importing Krispy Kremes from Iowa to the Twin Cities. It was going well until Krispy Kreme ruined the whole thing.

Krispy Kreme arrived in Minnesota in 2002 with great fanfare and departed quietly six years later. The state is not completely bereft of doughnuts, but Minnesotans still have a soft spot for Krispy Kremes. Earlier this year on a trip to Iowa with a youth soccer team that he coaches—another of his gigs—Gonzalez spotted a Krispy Kreme store. He posted a message on Facebook Marketplace asking if anybody in the Twin Cities would like him to bring them back some Krispies. He got more than 300 replies from people willing to pay twice the market price for doughnuts. Thus a business was born.

Krispy Kreme strikes a deal with college student doughnut mule [Updated]

Update, November 5, 2019: Krispy Kreme has seen the light and realized that maybe somebody reselling its doughnuts in a state where there are no Krispy Kreme outlets is not such a bad thing—especially if that someone is an entrepreneurial-minded college student who is just trying to avoid a...

thetakeout.com

 

[eastisbest]

I can sell old stuff on EBay but I can't resell a doughnut? Make them sue.

 

[Zunardo]

Krispy Kreme doesn't have a legal leg to stand on here. On the other hand, the IRS might.

 

[Raider6309]

Shouldn’t Krispy Kreme be happy. He’s delivering their product to consumers that wouldn’t buy it if it wasn’t for him

 

[Mr. Slippery]

What's Krispy Kreme's beef? He still has to buy the donuts from them at their retail price.

 

[Crusaders]

Quality control issue maybe

 

[eastisbest]

College we had just enough time at the metro exchange to run across the street, get a dozen and smash them on the final leg. Can't do it now. THey're cotton candy in doughnut form. Too cloying for me.

 

[arizonawildcat]

My freshman year at college we had a guy nicknamed "Wally Donut" who came around at 9:00 pm, prime snack time, to sell us donuts. Where he got them from, I've no idea, but I know he didn't make them himself. He made a killing.

 

[OhioBobcatFan06]

Krispy Kreme probably scared they'll somehow get sued if someone gets sick off a donut this kid resells.

Corporations suck. All about limiting risk. No value for entrepreneurship and innovation.

Lawsuits shouldn't be a thing. Buy at your own risk

 

[PantherProud]

Quality control issue maybe

perhaps, given they are basically being sold 1-2 day old donuts. They could argue it misrepresents the quality of their product.


Plus, as others mention, if someone gets sick off of the donuts he sells them, it opens them up for litigation.

 

[Thavoice]

Some businesses think they can just bully someone and they will stop.
A favorite hometown bar of mine, McSobers, got a letter years ago threatening them to stop using the Mc in front of their name or they will be sued.

They framed it and put it on the wall and had never heard anything after that.

 

[Thavoice]

KK changed their tune and now is promoting him.
Gave the kid like 100 dozen donuts for free.

 

[Red14]

I think Krispy Kreme saw it as an opportunity to get some good PR. Interesting how people would be twice as much for old donuts?

 

[chs1971]

I suppose Krispy Kreme could stop selling him donuts, but once he buys them he can do what he wants with them.

 

[Crusaders]

 

[MoeDude]

KK changed their tune and now is promoting him.
Gave the kid like 100 dozen donuts for free.

I heard on the radio this morning that Krispy Kreme has actually sat down with the young man, paid off his college debt and are working with him on a way to possibly not only continue with what he was doing but design a business plan to expand what he was doing. Pretty smart young man. When he was first stopped by KK he didn't go off on some wild anti KK rant. In the end KK saw what an entrepreneurial spirit this guy showed and are now working with him. It's a pretty cool Capitalist story

 

[winbypin]

Some businesses think they can just bully someone and they will stop.
A favorite hometown bar of mine, McSobers, got a letter years ago threatening them to stop using the Mc in front of their name or they will be sued.

They framed it and put it on the wall and had never heard anything after that.

Surprised the Cleveland Browns haven't said something to them about their billboard on the way in town there on 118 I think it is.

 

[Thavoice]

Surprised the Cleveland Browns haven't said something to them about their billboard on the way in town there on 118 I think it is.

Ha.
Browns.
Cavs.
Bengals.
Think they have transposed that guy's face on all of those teams!

 

[Thavoice]

I heard on the radio this morning that Krispy Kreme has actually sat down with the young man, paid off his college debt and are working with him on a way to possibly not only continue with what he was doing but design a business plan to expand what he was doing. Pretty smart young man. When he was first stopped by KK he didn't go off on some wild anti KK rant. In the end KK saw what an entrepreneurial spirit this guy showed and are now working with him. It's a pretty cool Capitalist story

We would all like to think they did it for the right reasons, buuuuuut it likely was more to do with the backlash they got briefly from the public after they banned him from doin git!

 

[MoeDude]

We would all like to think they did it for the right reasons, buuuuuut it likely was more to do with the backlash they got briefly from the public after they banned him from doin git!

You may be correct but I also understand why the wanted him to stop in the first place. In today's sue happy world if the kid sold some donuts that were maybe two or three days old I could see someone trying to sue Krispy Kreme. They do have to protect their brand.