Valued Customer Cards

[Estil]

Unfortuantely at our store, they insist that we CANNOT use a dummy card (believe me, I tried it myself). So much for trying to actually serve in the customer's best interests.

[theredbaron47]

That does indeed speak to what your store thinks about your customer's best interests.

[Aramika]

I should add......

We were actually given a "universal card" for a little over a week.

My store is close to a NASCAR racetrack so we had many, many out-of-towners in town for the race come in to get groceries. I guess the card was to be used for them so the lines wouldn't get longer than they already were.

When I discovered this card, I was so happy! No more customer battles about valued customer cards!

Unfortunately after the NASCAR race, I discovered that those awesome cards were removed.

WHY?!?!

[theredbaron47]

Unfortunately after the NASCAR race, I discovered that those awesome cards were removed.

WHY?!?!

Because, quite frankly, those awesome cards = less money for your store.

[Andara Bledin]

And did I forget to mention some of our competitors like to crow about how they're so great because they don't make you have a stupid gimmick card?

The local grocery store that likes to crow about not having a gimmick card is also approximately 15% cheaper than the closest store that does have one. And that's after you tally in the gimmick card discounts. The second closest gimmick card store is about twice the difference. So, not only do they charge more, but they also collect purchase information.

Oh, and that shopping information can also be used against you in court if you are suspected of a crime and your purchasing habits fit what they need.

^-.-^

[Evil Queen]

Me: Do you have your valued customer card with you today?
SC: No, I don't, I left it in the car (Why is it always in the freakin car? Do cars have some unnatural affinity to valued customer cards or something?). Do you have one that I can borrow?

*sigh* Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

I'm sorry to admit that I leave my value card in the car all the time but I have a good reason for that!

There's no such thing as an Ingles in Houston, TX so I don't carry the card with me. I really should get a business card case for the collection of value cards I have; I have a ton for a gazzilion different stores (even food lion and I haven't seen one of those in years! and the Winn-Dixie I used to go to shut down, ain't seen one of those in years either!)

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

We started offering one of those cards a year ago. It's gone over real well in my store.

As an employee I'm not allowed to have or use one. As something of a compensation for this, our employee discount was raised to 15%, but some items such as electronics and household chemicals and paper products are excluded from any kind of discount we may have (This is to "keep our prices low" on those items). And prices have been going up on many items for various reasons, so our discount isn't really that great.

On many items the savings card discount is better than the employee discount, particularly bigger-ticket items. But if I want one of those I can just have my mom, who has the savings card, purchase it for me and then I pay her back.

[mattm04]

Our store is similar, except we have a "store card" we can scan. People assume that because one of our compeators can look it up by phone at the register, we can to. Grrrrr.

[Alfie]

We don't have gimmick cards, we have "But I've spent so much money in here, so I should get a discount!!!" whinge cards.

I can't just walk into my local grocery store and expect a discount, so why would you expect that you can do that at my work? And I really don't care how much you have spent at our store at the OTHER location, someone else has spent at least three times that and has never asked for a discount.

[smileyeagle1021]

This is a perfect example of why I wish my grocery store too would get rid of those stupid gimmick cards (the proper name for 'em). I also don't like how they indirectly discriminate against out of town shoppers that don't have our store where they're from. Furthermore, we can do the phone number thing, but if the phone number is outside our Louisville region, it won't work.

I have the same beef with the Smiths on University Blvd... they offer a student discount, but only to UofU students... even though that is also where students from Westminster and the SLCC downtown campus would shop... so apparently UofU students are more deserving of a discount than Westminster or SLCC students... what a load of crap.