Life's a card

Life's a card and retailers literally have 'our number' as a result of it.

How many retailers do you shop at on a regular basis who don't ask you... "do you have your Club Card today? (Also passionately knows as: Preferred customer card, member's card, discount card, value card or Points card, incentive card). Not many is the answer.


Why you ask? There are the obvious reasons and likely equally as many reasons that I'm not aware of. The primary one that I know of is Data Tracking. 'They' the retailers marketing department want to know:

This is off the top of my head...feel free to add your thoughts.

1. Are you Male or Female

2. Your Age (range)

3. Disposable income

4. Postal code (determine how far you travel to their store...perhaps they need to open another location)

5. Frequency to which you shop

6. Your $pend

7. The items you purchase (they can tell what you eat, how often you eat it and what you are willing to pay for it - maybe you like generic brand or call brband,saving money or don't mind spending a bit more for quality and brand name)

8. So they can increase inventory on particular items or add complimentary items (cross sell / upsell)

9. They may sell their Lists. If you have signed on the dotted line, then you have agreed to their T's & C's. Privacy Act - may be a factor. Selling lists generates revenue for them. You know the telemarketers who call you during dinner or call you on your cell and rack up your minutes.

10. Allows retailer to target market current clients, potentially new clients and promote products

11. Determine a new service - perhaps their own credit card. You may always use M/C when you shop and they want to introduce a new Visa with even more points to earn simply by using it

12. Maybe you haven't visited the retailer lately so they send you some 'incentive propaganda' to incent you to come back and spend with them. Think of Air Miles

13. Cross promotion - Again think of Safeway and Air Miles

Excluding my list above... Why the hell can I not be given the same discounted price as the person who has the 'club card'if I don't happen to have one or have one with me? Isn't the fact that I left my house, got into my car and made your store my destination spot reason enough to reward me?

Why do they make it so difficult to get a discount? How much demographic info do they need? Can I not just give you my phone number and let your $100K POS do the rest? Why do I have to overstuff my wallet with a battery of cards?

Shit this is no different that two-tier health care (ok it is different, but same vein).

Oh, don't forget about the retailers who try to get you in their doors for 10% off products or services. Just to let ALL you retaiers out there know (for me personally) a 10%-15% incentive or eating the GST, PST, whatever... doesn't do a damn thing for me. The little discount does not motivate me to rush out of my house, put your event on my calendar or share the information with a friend.

My first thought is, sorry to see that you wasted all that money advertising for something as measly as 10% off your products or services. You devalue it more than anything. I am confident that I can walk in off the street any given day and get the same discount as you were offering last week or one month ago. Do you want my business? I can spend my hard earned money anywhere. Make a difference, seperate yourself from your competitiors for me.

Life's a card and here are some of mine...

Save-On Foods - usually use this one - they need a back-up plan when you don't have your card with you.

Safeway - at times

M & M Meats - good concept. Don't shop there so much

Blockbuster - cancelled because I owed $55 in late fees...not my fault and they did not want to extend their new late fee policy

Costco - great if you are feeding a small village

Irewards - total value if you use it frequently

Airmiles (blue card) - Easy to get and hard to use for flights. Oh no, it's not their fault you can't book a direct flight or have only two stops to travel 600 miles, it's the airlines because they limit them. Should have thought of the impact to your members when you set up your program. AND it only cost you $300 for those two free movie passes. Think about it. They are difficult to book and cancel even when you have cancellation insurance

Suzy Shier - one-time thing...the incentive / discount made sense

Hertz - came with Diners Club (now m/c) promo

Bay Rewards - got 25% off something - good deal at the time

Priority Pass - Via Enroute (last month I was @ TO International Airport and called the 1-800 to find out where their Members Lounge was. It was in Term 1&3 and I was in 2. Figures.

Aeroplan - was easy to get and hard to use as well. This is changeing (so I hear from the companies news release)

Bali's Hote, Vegas - given to me


There are also Shoppers Optimum, Esso Extra, etc, etc.

As much as membership has it's privelages, I hate necessary evils.