Reward Cards
I’m really tired of the reward card concept. Keeping track of reward cards is becoming a real pain in the you know what. Not only is my wallet running out of room, but I’m finding it difficult to keep track of the different terms and conditions. Sales people are always asking if I have a rewards card. To make matters worse, some stores are pushing their store credit cards in addition to reward cards (Target asks me everytime). Why do people even bother with store credit cards anyway? If you want to use a credit card, why not just use VISA or MC?
At some stores like Ralphs (grocery store), you must be a rewards “member” in order to get the savings. It bothers me that they use the rewards card “incentive” to collect data on my purchasing habits–I feel like I’m selling my personal information every time I make a purchase.
Is it really worth carrying around an extra card in your wallet for months or years so that you can get something for “free”. For me, the answer is mostly no (but not always). For some people, I think they figure “why not, what does it cost me?”. I have to admit that I did get a free yogurt this weekend after carrying around a Golden Spoon card for over a year. I even tranferred it into a new wallet and finally, after months of waiting, the time had come to collect my reward, a free yogurt!!!!!
I really hate it when I have a rewards card and then forget to use it. I purchased two movie tickets that other day and realized later that I had forgotten to present my rewards card. If I had not signed up the the rewards card in the first place, I would not have been frustrated.
I have an amazing idea. How about if retailers just focus on everyday low prices and see what happens. Let’s forget about coupons, rebates, sales, promotions, and reward cards. Walmart seems to be doing this and last time I checked they were doing very well. What do you think?
p.s. I hear that women tend to like reward cards more than men. I wonder if it’s true?
Filed under: Business, Shopping | Tagged: retail, retail sales, reward cards
I agree with your point of view, but just like life, just because its
available, doesn’t mean you have to take advantage of it.
Plus we live in a society fueled by tricky rewards and incentives. What you
suffer from my friend is common sense and a better understanding of the corporate world. Although, I’ve been guilty of carrying around a Jamba Juice card for over a year and im still two tornado’s short of a free regular Jamba.
Is it worth it, no, not really. The one thing I can say about most places
is that you don’t need to carry the card around. Example would be Ralphs or Albertsons. You just input your number and it locates your account information that way. But what’s the point when you can just say “no, I don’t have a card” and the cashier grabs one they keep handy at the register
and gives you the discount.
Check out justoneclubcard.com which will allow you to enter the barcode for a bunch of club cards and print one card you can carry around with you.