To think loyalty schemes are being downgraded?

[catsarekeytohappiness]

M&S has made their Sparks scheme even worse. No more 20% off, now you have to spend x amount for a ‘reward’.

Boots is scrapping their 10% discount on their products for Advantage card members.

Cult Beauty has scrapped / changed the free delivery schemes for silver and gold members.

Now Lidl is getting rid of Coupon Plus and replacing it with something else (I’m sure it will be a downgrade).

Nectar is already rubbish with their rewards and only getting 0.5p back per £10.

It’s only a matter of time before Tesco Clubcard stops their double up scheme with reward partners and changes it to their flat value. I remember when you got 2 points per pound and could exchange for 4x the value.

I didn’t realise this but the whole point of this forced membership was so they could get the data to do personalised dynamic pricing.

So basically charge x customer the maximum amount they believe THEY will pay. Plus added instant price changes for demand and stock. Ie. Rush hour.

Using digital labels for instant update. And potentially in the future personalised pricing for all the stock for online shopping.

They already have it in America. The difference on a 20 item shop ordered from the same room, at the same time by 20 different people was c. 12 dollars. 20 - £1 difference per item.

We need legislation on this. Personally I want one price. For everyone. Loyalty can only include points. No price changes within a day. Only at midnight.

If you don’t mind people knowing stuff about you and using your details to contact you, sell g it on to other companies etc then fill your boots. Your data has ‘value’ - you are happy to sell it for cheaper prices at the supermarket. Fine.

I do mind and I understand the value my data holds for them. I won’t give it away cheaply.

Consider this, when I shop in Hollister (not cheap!), they offer me a 15% discount every time if I’ll give them my email address for an email receipt. My email address is worth a LOT of money to them. They’re not getting it.

My email address is worth a LOT of money to them. They’re not getting it.

You do know that if you are SO important and SO private and your email address is SO gold-plated and valuable, you could set up a secondary email address just for the purpose of getting receipts or whatever? Free of charge.

I would like to see more local charities ie smaller, and a broader range. I ended up changing mine last year to Wellbeing of Women. I've just looked it up - i couldn't remember the name - and there are more choices than there used to be but still big names mostly.

Nectar is already rubbish with their rewards and only getting 0.5p back per £10.

It's 0.5p per £1

I just tick the no box for emails and have never had any trouble. Are you able to explain why your email address being a secret is worth more than you getting 15% off? I’m not trying to argue that I’m right I just don’t get the issue. People talk a lot about protecting data in this way but the vast majority of people come to no harm because holistic have their email address. I would like to be able to apply logic but I much be missing something.

Ocado used to do 50% flash sales in the week before delivery and they were put on the grocery app daily at about the same time, sometimes dozens of items.

I had some amazing savings and purchases.

Now it's dropped to 40% with not nearly as many items and they're dribbled on over the course of days so you have to continually log in to check and take advantage of the flash sales. Which most people don't have the time to do.

When Hollister ask for an email, there’s no box to tick. They sell that data on.

If lots of companies have your data, they’re all selling it on. You are in far more danger of being hacked/scammed, and at a simple irritation level you will receive far more scam calls and spam emails.
Even companies that don’t sell data on (that have the tick boxes) are hacked on an almost daily basis - you’ll remember the latest big one was M&S.

An email, leads to a number, leads to an address, leads to an NI number, leads to bank details. They’re all small parts of a bigger picture that emerges about you as a person, and then you are ripe to be exploited.
Identity theft and fraud is one of the biggest criminal areas the police have to deal with right now. We can all help ourselves by not being so blasé about sharing our data.

Maybe her email is something embarrassing like ihavemassiveboobs@gmail or shopliftingismyhobby@outlook.

I also think unsubscribing if they do start emailing is so much easier than it used to be. I ordered something from Charlotte Tilbury as a gift for a niece last Christmas and within hours was getting emails every 6 hours which all started "Darlings!" Hit unsubscribe, and they stopped.

Unless of course the OP believes that Hollister and other places are up to nefarious practices and don't abide by rules/laws. Imagine, she could use the 15% she saves to get a bigger roll of tinfoil to make her hats from.

Nectar is only good now for in-store deals.

Would you think it was good if the shopper checking out next to you was paying 50p less per item.

I miss the days of amazing holidays and new cars on Clubcard 😞

Loyalty Cards have always been an absolute con.

they get our data for free, in exchange for a few "discounts" that we have to pay through the nose for.

they've never been rewards.

the day I realised this was the day I actually started saving real money

If the shopper checking out next to me hasn't got nectar, I'm the one getting certain items for less. Not sure I quite understand your point. Of course it wouldn't be good if the shopper without nectar was paying less than me. Obviously, I wouldn't bother with the nectar card if that was the case.

Yes! I have started buying through Quidco, and then paying full price through Klarna. I get money back from Quidco, and then money back through klarna (for some stores)

No you both have nectar card.

You both have offers for x on personalised prices.

You get 50p off. The shopper next to you is getting £1 off for the same item.

You think you’re getting a good deal. But no you are actually being charged more.

I scan my Sparks card so my chosen charity gets money, but 9 times out of ten I don't bother to upload the offers, I'd rather just get an email saying these are the offers this week. Invariably the offers mean I would have to spend more than I wanted to and the freebies were things I didn't want.
Tesco Clubcard is still reasonable in some ways, we've used vouchers doubled up for various non tesco things.
Boots always pissed me off as you had to have the entire item price in points.

I use my nectar points on the Eurostar. We got a return for two to Paris for £8

I have earned 12p since January!

Absolutely crap, I used to end up with 40-50 quid to do a Christmas drinks shop with!

I'm not aware that's how it works. Do you have any evidence that personalised discount items vary between individuals and that there is not a 'swings and roundabouts' element in which, on another item, I would save more than the other customer?

If that is how it works, then yes, I see that point, but as I am not privy to every discount my neighbouring shopper gets, I genuinely don't know. Having the nectar costs me nothing, and as well as personalised, there are in-store general discounts to all nectar holders.

Something is better than nothing. If I had no nectar card at all, I could guarantee I would always be paying more than my fellow shopper who has one.

Yep, same with nectar. I used to be able to do a Christmas shop with it, now that element has dropped significantly

Rach to their own. Personally I don't care if supermarkets know how much butter I buy.

Agreed. Each to their own.
I confess I am sometimes jealous of the deals loyalty card holder get. Just not jealous enough to tempt me.

Disagree - years ago, I got a new car from motorpoint and a 2 week holiday for the family of 4 in the Maldives, half board, with some savvy shopping in Tesco.

Friend has just booked a 4 night 5* trip away in Milan with her loyalty points on her credit card spends. She only paid tax on the business flights. She pays the card off in full each month.

We're very happy for them to have our data for our freebies.