This morning I was getting supplies ready to bring to day care for the Dude. They needed a new supply of diapers and wipes. Before I bagged it up, I took off the reward point stickers. Let me splain. We have switched brands in the last 6 months or so to Huggies, which is carried at Costco in the giant boxes. When we made this switch, I noticed that there was a sticker on the bags for some type of reward program. I checked it out and signed up to get the points for buying their product. I am not sure really what I get yet for taking these stickers off every time and saving them and then entering them online. The only thing I know, is that it is a pain in the ass. Basically, ALL rewards programs are kind of a pain in the ass.
Every retailer, restaurant, credit card, movie theater, local brothel and back alley drug dealer have some sort of “loyalty program” that rewards you with something for remembering to bring some goofy little card with you to show them that you took the time to give them your email address. I used to refuse to sign up for all the programs because I didn’t want to have to carry around 400 plastic cards or key chain fobs. Most of these programs give you points to cash in for something. A lot of these programs are basic … you buy this much, you get this much. Some are complicated as hell … you buy this much on this day with this card and you get this to buy this but can’t use it until then and if you come back then you will get extra stuff to do at another day. WHAT?!?!
I admit I use some of them> Best Buy and my Sears/Kmart as those give you points that add up to actual cash value. There are some I don’t even know what I am earning “rewards” for, but I am told I get them all the time. Off the top of my head, I think I (I include the wife in this) am loyal to the following companies/brands: Best Buy, Huggies, Amazon, Toys/Babies R Us, Sears/Kmart, Jewel, Dominick’s, Pet Smart, Border’s, Red Robin, Walgreens, Lowe’s, Petco, Best Western, Disney Movie Rewards, Capital One Credit Card, My Coke Rewards, AMC Movie Watcher, Craftsman, Barnes & Noble, American Express, Speedway, American Airlines, Luke’s of Carpentersville, Hollywood Casino and I am sure there are a number of other ones I haven’t touched or thought of in years like the alcohol and tobacco ones that I used to send in things for when I worked in the bars.
Fortunately, most of them have gotten it through their heads that we shouldn’t have to carry around a card and can look us up through our phone number. Which is good so the wife and I don’t have to have separate ones. Jewel, has recently gotten rid of theirs all together and now everyone just gets the good prices. Makes sense since if you forgot your card or for some reason didn’t have one, they just scanned the store card and you got the discount anyway.
Most times, if some place asks me if I have a card, I tell them I don’t know and give them my phone number. If I do … cool. If not, I am not signing up for another one. Unfortunately there is only one solution to all of this. We need to get chipped and then that is how we are tracked. Either that or everything just needs to be free like on Star Trek.
I thought I had a point coming into this but I guess once again … I am pointless.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Voicesinmybrain 