diff --git a/src/main/java/net/spy/memcached/internal/AbstractListenableFuture.java b/src/main/java/net/spy/memcached/internal/AbstractListenableFuture.java
index fd0b4e970..23c54bdce 100644
--- a/src/main/java/net/spy/memcached/internal/AbstractListenableFuture.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/spy/memcached/internal/AbstractListenableFuture.java
@@ -141,15 +141,22 @@ protected void notifyListeners() {
    * @param future the future to pass on to the listeners.
    */
   protected void notifyListeners(final Future<?> future) {
-    final List<GenericCompletionListener<? extends Future<T>>> copy =
-      new ArrayList<GenericCompletionListener<? extends Future<T>>>();
+    final List<GenericCompletionListener<? extends Future<T>>> copy;
     synchronized(this) {
-      copy.addAll(listeners);
+      if (listeners.isEmpty()) {
+        copy = null;
+      }
+      else {
+        copy = new ArrayList<GenericCompletionListener
+          <? extends Future<T>>>(listeners);
+      }
       listeners = new ArrayList<GenericCompletionListener<? extends Future<T>>>();
     }
-    for (GenericCompletionListener<? extends Future<? super T>> listener
-      : copy) {
-      notifyListener(executor(), future, listener);
+    if (copy != null) {
+      for (GenericCompletionListener<? extends Future<? super T>> listener
+        : copy) {
+        notifyListener(executor(), future, listener);
+      }
     }
   }