I don’t like Debenhams attempts to push their store card (ie credit card) with every purchase. I really feel a credit card isn’t a financial decision to be taken out on a whim at the tills. In the very unlikely event I was going to be lured in by 10% off my purchase I’d want to be spending more than £15!
I've often thought that. Being told that you get 10% of your first purchase after signing up, when you're only buying a pack of pants, is a cast-iron perfect reason NOT to sign up, at least until a later date.
Same reason as, if something's on BOGOF but they only have one left, I then don't buy it, whereas if there hadn't been any offer, I'd have been happy to have just narrowly managed to get one and cheerfully paid full price for it.
Maybe the senior management have sort of thought this through and come to the faulty conclusion that people will say "Wait a moment" and then do a 2-minute shopping spree, scooping up every item in the shop that they've ever considered looking at and bundling it on to the counter, declaring "I'll take it! Now, what were you saying about this card I need to get?!"
Maybe if they were offering 75%, or even 50% off - but for 10%? I think not. If anything, it could perpetually deter some people from buying anything except absolute essentials, saving up all their desired purchases for this one massive shop, where they'll score 10% off the lot, that they never quite get around to doing.