These Store "rewards" cards are out of hand. Rant.

[HonorAndHonesty]

I have had a Kroger card, Autozone card, and a few misc cards for over the past 10 years. Now it seems every single place has some rewards card for you to sign up for.

Now I have...

Kroger
Goodwill
Autozone
Oreilly
Lego Store
Big Lots
CVS
Walgreens
Circle K
Speedy Rewards
Toys R US.
Barnes and Noble.
Hobbytown
***** Sporting Goods


I am sure there is more.

Every store tries to get you to sign up for a stupid rewards card and I am sick of it.

Well I went into a Phantom Fireworks store this past weekend and I was checking out and Guess what.... They have a card now. I told them to put the stuff back, I didn't want it if I had to sign up for a card to get a discount. And I left and went to a mom and pop store instead. I know its not the employees fault, but im done. No more cards. No more.

If a store has an item that is a good price, but only if you use a card im not doing it. I will buy it online instead. Im done. Period.

This stuff has gotten out of hand and It really irritates me, It is now beyond ridiculous.

I threw all my "cards" away and I am going to order on amazon or goto stores that dont use cards. I kept the Kroger card for now, but i intend to shop at another grocery store in town that I do not believe uses a discount card.

Anyone else sick of this nonsense?

I assume they sell you info and make more money? I dont use my correct info anyway so I dont get much junk mail even if they do sell your info. I know they like the data they can gather from shoppers and I really dont care, but im not carrying 25 cards around.

And they wonder why amazon is taking over..... I go to the store to buy a coke and they have me fill out a form like Im buying a house to get a 1.19 item for .99 cents.

I guess I really am slowly becoming a hermit...

 

[Leo99]

There are phone apps to store all your cards. No need to carry them all around. I use Stocard.

 

[AirgunSavant]

Good for you. As a merchant I took a bath with MC and Visa reward credit cards.
I paid the processor 1.99 to 3% and then I would see up to a 7% fee when someone used a reward card to buy via mail order from me. Most people assumed the cc company took the hit. Never, the merchant does...

 

[HonorAndHonesty]

Originally Posted By: Leo99
There are phone apps to store all your cards. No need to carry them all around. I use Stocard.


Good Point.

I tried that years ago and I had trouble with some places scanning them. Then the cashier needs to touch your phone sometimes and I am a germaphobe.

Im Just sick of it. I dont want to spend any extra time checking out.

 

[AirgunSavant]

Originally Posted By: Leo99
There are phone apps to store all your cards. No need to carry them all around. I use Stocard.


Funny thing I'm sick of smart phones and apps... lol
No offence to you of course.

 

[HonorAndHonesty]

Originally Posted By: AirgunSavant
Good for you. As a merchant I took a bath with MC and Visa reward credit cards.
I paid the processor 1.99 to 3% and then I would see up to a 7% fee when someone used a reward card to buy via mail order from me. Most people assumed the cc company took the hit. Never, the merchant does...


Yes, I always try to use cash at a mom and pop store. Those Fees are ridiculous.

All the more reason to not mess with rewards credit cards.

 

[HonorAndHonesty]

Originally Posted By: AirgunSavant
Originally Posted By: Leo99
There are phone apps to store all your cards. No need to carry them all around. I use Stocard.


Funny thing I'm sick of smart phones and apps... lol
No offence to you of course.


Arghh.... That's another thing. Everyone has an app. I am sick of that also. Many of these store apps have little in the way of useful features to me anyhow.

Am I Just Becoming an old Curmudgeon? Im not even 40 yet....

 

[HonorAndHonesty]

I was on a trip to GA a few months ago and needed a few items from a drug store. There was a rite aid and I went in there to buy some distilled water and icyhot.

Well I went to check out and they offered to sign me up for a Points card. Again, im polite to the folks, they are just doing their job, but i explained there are no rite aids within a few hundred miles of my home, and as nice as Rite aid seemed, It will probably be many years until im in another one.

I dont believe that card would have saved me anything on my purchase that trip though...

 

[itguy08]

Originally Posted By: 5AcresAndAFool

Arghh.... That's another thing. Everyone has an app. I am sick of that also. Many of these store apps have little in the way of useful features to me anyhow.


Yeah and the apps that are just conduits to the online site.

Best is Home Depot - look for something and it will tell you what aisle. Click on it and it knows what store you are in and shows you the map of that store. Awesome.

Worst is Wal Mart. Was there over the weekend at an unfamiliar store so used the app to find dog food. Searched for it, told it what store I was in and it told me the aisle. But no F-ing Map. Had to ask someone where it was.

Quote:
Am I Just Becoming an old Curmudgeon? Im not even 40 yet....


No I think the race for "Big Data" and "Apps" made these companies try to grab it all and most do God-awful jobs. And I say this as a long time IT worker.

 

[Shannow]

I got stocard, and that made my wallet happier.

My Woolworths Credit card usually gives me $500+ per annum in reward cards, my Supercheap Auto probably another $100.

They all know what I'm buying anyway, may as well profit a little out of t.

 

[HonorAndHonesty]

Originally Posted By: itguy08



Best is Home Depot - look for something and it will tell you what aisle. Click on it and it knows what store you are in and shows you the map of that store. Awesome.



Yes! Home depots website is awesome. It gets you right down to the Isle, Bin, the whole bit. With a map! That is a great feature I Love.

My wife bought some glow sticks at Target last weekend and they give you an isle and map of the store as well.

Now those Features are very nice.

 

[Leo99]

Originally Posted By: AirgunSavant
Originally Posted By: Leo99
There are phone apps to store all your cards. No need to carry them all around. I use Stocard.


Funny thing I'm sick of smart phones and apps... lol
No offence to you of course.


No offense taken.

I have an issue with the hair cut chains that want your name, phone number, address to provide your haircut. I like to fly off the grid when I'm getting my hair cut. LOL.

 

[HonorAndHonesty]

Originally Posted By: Shannow
I got stocard, and that made my wallet happier.

My Woolworths Credit card usually gives me $500+ per annum in reward cards, my Supercheap Auto probably another $100.

They all know what I'm buying anyway, may as well profit a little out of t.


I dont blame you. Im just frustrated with them, I dont want to sign up for a card to buy smokebombs and magic snakes every few years.

I did not know woolworths still existed.

 

[UncleDave]

wow a rewards card at a fireworks stand. What next a rewards card for a coke machine?

I strive to keep overall accounts minimal and don't play the game.

Every data base you are in exponentially increases exposure to data theft and fraud.

UD

 

[2009Edge]

I have a Kroger card and save $1/per gallon on gas in the amount of $622 so far this year.

 

[John_K]

Originally Posted By: 5AcresAndAFool

I dont blame you. Im just frustrated with them, I dont want to sign up for a card to buy smokebombs and magic snakes every few years.

I did not know woolworths still existed.


According to Wikipedia: The similarly named Woolworths supermarkets in Australia and New Zealand are operated by Australia's largest retail company, Woolworths Limited, a separate company with no historical links to the F. W. Woolworth Company.

Another reason I love Menards: no loyalty card!

 

[BobsArmory]

The only reason they offer you a rewards card is so they can track you and then sell your information to any other company that has the cash. I'll pass thank you very much.

 

[MNgopher]

Last I checked, none of the stores mentioned require you to use a rewards card. Don't like em? Then don't use them.

And to anyone who thinks they can't track your purchases if you don't use a rewards card, did you use a credit card? Checking account? If so, they can already track your purchase history no problem.

Don't believe me? As an example, Target was able to figure out when someone was pregnant and send them targeted advertising without them ever having notified target - all without an actual rewards card to tie it to.

Unless you spend cash only, your purchases are being tracked by any decent sized retailer, period.

The rewards cards make that somewhat easier, but what it really does is attempt to make you "loyal" to one place when they keep giving you "deals".

 

[E150GT]

If I need to carry a card I don't need it. The only cards that I use are my credit cards. O'reilley has decent rewards but they use your phone number same as auto zone. Petsmart too. Those are the only I can think of I use. I am not keeping up with retailers allover town.

 

[itguy08]

Originally Posted By: MNgopher

And to anyone who thinks they can't track your purchases if you don't use a rewards card, did you use a credit card? Checking account? If so, they can already track your purchase history no problem.


Sure and that's why I love Apple, Android, and Samsung Pay. Unique card number that is not tied to you that is only known to the bank. It's made their tracking by that alone near impossible.

Quote:
Don't believe me? As an example, Target was able to figure out when someone was pregnant and send them targeted advertising without them ever having notified target - all without an actual rewards card to tie it to.


Yeah - it's a fascenating read. Here's the Original NY Times Article. for Target, I wonder if it's the credit card mapping data or the Red Card data which they push hard and fast and give you 5% off.

Quote:
The rewards cards make that somewhat easier, but what it really does is attempt to make you "loyal" to one place when they keep giving you "deals".


Funny thing is I'm loyal to none of them. One week we'll shop at one of 3 local grocery stores. None has much lower prices than the other and it's all where we happen to be when needing to shop for groceries. Same with parts, or anything really. The only retailer I'm somewhat loyal to is Sheetz. I've got their card and loyalty card. $.08 off a gallon of gas and they are close and near the cheapest in town. Other place would be Pilot/Flying J which with the $.05 Good Sam discount also is convenient and usually near the cheapest in town.

I typically can smell the marketing [censored] a mile away.