Go Outdoors can go take a running jump!

[diplodowcus]

I picked up a couple of small things for DC's Duke of Edinburgh expedition in Go Outdoors today. One was 6.50 and the other was 5.50, so I expected to pay £12 minus a 10% DoE discount, so £10.80 total.
However, when I showed the DoE card, the sales assistant said "You can only use that if you're a discount club member"
Me: "How do I become one of those?"
Sales Asst: "Just give me a few details"
[Gave name, address, email etc]
Sales Asst: "That will be £15.80 please!"
Me: "How come? Surely it should be £10.80?"
Sales Asst: "It's £5 to join the discount club!"

Since when did retailers start charging to join their loyalty card scheme? And why didn't the assistant mention it before I signed up? And how mean of them to make the DoE discount dependent on joining the scheme!

Feeling better for the rant, and will be shopping elsewhere in future. But buyers beware!

It’s always worked out saving me money regardless of the initial cost.

Go Outdoors have always charged a membership fee and you tend to get that £5 back in savings on the first thing you buy. The discount prices are a lot cheaper than the no discount prices

Go Outdoors have always charged.

agree!!
be prepared for a lifetime of junk mail, they have your details now!

As others have said; they've always charged money to join.

They should have explained it to you upfront, though.

I can’t remember when Go Outdoors didn’t charge for their card.

Agree that overall it saves money.

It’s not a loyalty card. It’s a members card.

Try Mountain Warehouse - gave an email address and said yes to marketing emails after a purchase many moons ago. I get 20% discount on a regular basis with a barcode that can be used in store and code for online. Just received the latest one after my last one expired 18/6 - new one valid till 31/7.

That’s always been the case at Go Outdoors and certainly last time I was in there there was very clear signage and on the price labels to indicate the member cost vs the non member cost.

Go Outdoors have done that here for at least ten years. We shop there for camping and outdoor stuff so it’s always worth it but maybe if you’re never going back there then offer the card to someone else who is also doing DofE

YANBU. They renewed our membership for free when DD showed her DoE card.

I agree about being told about joining fee.

I also don't think it's right using the dofe card should be dependent on being a member. Not without it expressly being issued as so.

I assume they let you cancel the membership there and then and pay the cheaper price?

Go outdoors has always had this. It's a small price for a large discount. It lasts all year and you can get loads of practical things there so well worth it for us as a family.

I assume they let you cancel the membership there and then and pay the cheaper price?

What would be the point of that? You'd still have paid the fiver and then wouldn't have the use of it for the rest of the year. The pricing is very clearly displayed as both members and non members price so it's fairly obvious you have to sign up for the members one and unlikely to be free given the level of discount

Me too. We went yesterday. Got 10% off and a free membership card after scanning the DofE card.

The good thing about Go Outdoors is you get the DofE discount on everything. The backpack we wanted wasn't on the 'DofE list' at Blacks/Millets so we couldn't get the discount on it.

Dh bought some walking boots and we got it off those even though he said they were nothing to do with DofE.

We found once you have the card registered to your online account you never have to pay again.

it’s pretty clear of most of their advertising boards outside and inside the store normally that you pay £5 get a discount. Not worth it for a few small bits but if you buy expensive things or lots of stuff you can save quite a bit.

I assume the poster meant "cancel the membership before the OP paid".
Everyone saying "well I KNEW they charge for membership" is missing the point - OP didn't know so her q was should they have told her the cost before signing up to membership, to which the answer is obviously yes. Just because you knew this one thing, does that mean you can't work out a parallel situation in which you are asked if you want something (cheese on your pasta, sign up to a loyalty program, whatever), and expect any additional charges to be mentioned?

MN is so weird sometimes, posters seem physically incapable of putting themselves in others shoes and realising that other people do things differently/not everyone KNOWS the same thing!

Go Outdoors have always done this (as long I've used them anyway) but you really do save money in the long run.

I don't shop there for this reason.

Did you say "changed my mind, I don't want the membership" and just pay the £12?

Go outdoors have done this scheme for as long as I can remember

Never shopped there, thanks for the tip OP.

They should have made it clearer to you but every time I've been there's been a giant board advertising the £5 membership and all the items are priced with both.

I've always found Go Outdoors very good. They'll price match and give 10%.

Have also returned items without any bother. Once for a jacket where the pocket zip broke and although they didn't have the same colour which had been on a good offer, just let me swap for a different one at same price.

Family have returned tents etc with minor faults on no quibble basis.

Fair enough it doesn't make sense for you on a very small purchase but for most people the card makes total sense as you save immediately.

You might not like it but it's a clever policy as it encourages you to make the most of it by continuing to buy from them

They should have made it clearer to you but every time I've been there's been a giant board advertising the £5 membership and all the items are priced with both.

Same, the one in hathersage is covered in signs and posters advertising this and it's got the price difference in the shelf edge and an explanation of the scheme about every 3 or 4 shelf edge labels