... to be FED UP to my back teeth with store cards and loyalty points?

[PacificDogwood]

Just reduce your fecking prices FGS!

I received a Boots delivery yesterday. Nothing fancy, some emollients for DS2's skin, some deodorant, some shampoo, some san-pro - you get the picture.

£89 .
But apparently I "saved' £43 by taken them up on their '2 for 3' offer on some things and I 'earned' 1200 points.

We get buttered up by good sounding rhetoric of what we've 'saved' and what a 'bonus' the points are. When really all we're doing is do their market research for them.

TESCO is just as bad - I never spend vouchers in time (I clearly don't shop enough...).

I have a wallet full of store cards, yet when I am in a store I rarely have the one I 'need'. I don't shop anywhere consistently enough to every take advantage of their 'offers' (yep, I am a shop whore, but feel a deep and meaningful relationship with Lidl's coming on - what you see is what you get).

Big Shops, stopp your stupid schemes and Reduce Your Overheads, then pass those saving on to us!!

I love my tesco clubcard, i live pretty much next door so im always there, if i need something for the house etc il look on tesco direct first and compare prices with other places. My DP is really into his games consoles and when a new game comed out tesco is always cheaper than argos and other places AND they give you like 500 points on top of the price, which i save until xmas and double up so not only is the game cheaper ive got an extra 10er to get dd some pjs or something with.... for free. I understand its to keep us loyal but i love it

You know vote with your feet...support your local butcher, baker, fishmonger
Yes, to that. But I realise I am lucky to be living in the kind of small town where there is a functioning high street. Our fruit shop is far better stocked than the supermarket and much cheaper. The crux is time - DH and I work long hours and the long opening hours of the big chains or even home delivery help.

I love them too as I feel good thinking I have got a bargain
I think they bank on that 'feel good' factor too . You feel less guilty so buy more....

This is exactly why I don't have any loyalty cards and always pay in cash
Wow, Mandy, that is following through - kudos.

Some
People are so paranoid . Who cares of tesco knows what I eat and buy .. Pah !!

And were you live, what you spend, what strange habits you might have , what movies you like to watch (if you buy DVDs from them for instance) etc etc.

Fairenuff, if you are comfortable with all that, carry on.

I am sure you'd have no problem with ID cards either then - I don't btw.

My main issue with any loyalty scheme is that they cost money, we pay for them AND get lulled in to a sense that the lovely shop is doing us a favour

Your credit card company already knows all that.

Yep.
I hate their targeted marketing too

Equal opportunity hater, me

AND get lulled in to a sense that the lovely shop is doing us a favour

Well, Tesco is doing me a favour. All my club card points are from my credit card so the they really are free for me.

Well I ordered a scooter for the toddlers birthday and only £4 as come out of my bank account. That to me is great

My nectar points will go with my £10 Argos voucher to him something else.

I dont have an issue with Tesco knowing shit. Why would I? Unless I was buying lube and cucumbers

I have nothing to hide so therefore don't give a shiny shite who knows what I eat , drink , buy... I couldn't Care less about ID cards but do think they are a bit pointless.

Ok.
I am beginning to accept that IABU.
I am still right IMO, but unreasonable

So it doesn't bother the vast majority of you that these systems cost money? Which we all pay in the price of the products we are buying??
It does bother me.

Any you may have opportunity to require a cucumber and some lube for any number of innocent reasons...

ID cards - they do save the fuss of having to provide 2 forms of ID with your address on for instance - right pain, that, IMO.

Starbucks one is only worth it if you ask for a filter coffee which is 1.50 in our Starbucks with a card. It's not listed on the board but they will put on a pot if there isn't one on already.

Or if you tend to add stuff to your drinks - stops you getting charged extra for cream or flavourings.

Of course if you're getting an eggnog latte or somesuch which includes them already they aren't going to reduce the price.

And it takes 15 coffees to get a free one!

YADNBU

Tesco points have yet again paid for all of the kids' Xmas toys as well as HUDL tablets.
We don't spend vouchers all year and then double up at Xmas.
Yes I dislike the chokehold the large multiples have on us all but ... I am seduced by large amounts of stuff for free and Tesco are the only supermarket round here for miles.

decaff, so what does your 'free' coffee cost?
15 x £2 = £30 - and I am being stingy here, no extra syrup or anything.

You've spent at least £30 pounds and then you get a cup of coffee without paying at the time of purchase... which cost Starbucks pennies.
AND they've gained priceless customer satisfaction that you are even passing on on a public forum. Result! For them, not for you...

Unless you work for them...

harticus, oh, I know how seductive the whole thing is... it's not like I throw my vouchers in the bin

Hart That's what I do. I only made £7.50 but doubled to £15.

I've just spent a lot of money on buying a new purse to hold all my loyalty cards. I carry them all 'just in case'.

I love my Clubcard. Ive just received over £200 of vouchers, half of which I will double up on toys so no paying out for 2 of my dc Christmas presents.
I also get vouchers worth about £100 throughout the year. I have a Clubcard Plus card that gives me double points everytime I use it.
I also have a Nectar card which I get gas and electric points on. Ive also just had a booklet with 6x £10 off £30 shops.
Ive got a Game card that my dc use.
If your shopping in a certain store often then why not have a free store card?
Every Little Helps afterall

My personal take is I have the cards, and if I was planning to shop there anyway, I get the points of course. But they don't influence my decision to shop at a certain place over and above more pressing factors, like cost and convenience, ease of parking etc.

As far as i'm concerned, I don't really see it as a 'scam' or 'being taken in/fooled/tricked' because the price is the same whether you have a card or not, so I figure you might as well get something back rather than nothing. You're only stupid if you think you are then obligated to shop there for the rest of your life because of it!

Yes it would be nice if the stores all just reduced their prices instead but I reckon writing to head office/voting with your feet is the better way to press that issue, rather than taking aim on loyalty cards. The only real objection I can see to them is the whole 'privacy/market research thing' but I also figure my facebook and google searches probably give more away about me on that front. Oh actually, also the 'clogging up your wallet until it won't shut thing', I totally get that too

How do u get your double points card skinny?

cantheyseeme its a card Tesco issued years ago.
Its like a prepay card so all I do is pay say £100 in at the customer service desk and its on there instantly.

Clubcard Plus? Is that when you do online banking with them?

I dont think they issue them anymore.
Ive had mine for over 10 years.

Ive just received over £200 of vouchers

So you will have spent close to £20.000 pounds with them .
Or even just £10.000 if you've had lots of double/triple point deals.

Guess who's winning out here?

Oh and pay for your tesco shopping with it?

Ive spent no where near that much.
Im winning because I know how best to use my card.