I suppose I'm being oversensitive about the relatively new Barnes & Noble "Rewards Card" program, but my limited experience in the program screams SCAM very loudly.
The basics: B&N pushes this heavily at checkout, and because it was a quick sign-up process (hand over an email address and get your new card in about two minutes) I went along with it. The program says that for every $10 spent, the customer will receive one digital "stamp," and that ten stamps will earn you a $5 store credit. So, effectively, you are getting a 5% rebate on every $100 spent...not much, but what the heck; it's more than I was getting before and it pays a little over one-half of the sales tax due on any given purchase.
But here's the kicker: One day last week I bought a $35 book, and today I bought a $17 book. That's a total of $52 before sales tax, so I would expect to have earned five digital stamps at this point. But no way is B&N going to bother to keep track of actual spending. Instead they round down to 3 stamps on purchase number one, and one stamp on purchase number two, resulting in four stamps. The additional $12 spent earns squat.
The main reason I find this so irritating is that it's just another sign of how stupid retailers believe their customers are. If B&N can keep track of how many stamps I have in my specific account, they can keep track of my true cumulative spending. It's the same process. As it is, the whole plan is borderline ridiculous, but this little trick of theirs to round down on every purchase definitely throws it into the "not worth the effort" category for me.
Yep, I'm feeling cantankerous today...as I'm sure you can tell.
That would make me cranky, too! Plus, I don't love having to give out my email to every retailer and store I shop at just for some paltry bonus points or coupons. It's annoying.
ReplyDeleteThey already had my email, really, from when I bought so many books that I paid $25 a year for their "premium card." But this kind of sloppy shadiness just annoys me generally, so I'm done with them for now. I'll use them as a showroom for online orders and library holds. Their mark-up can be as high as 40% on books, so 5% was kind of a big nothing anyway.
DeleteHi Sam, Agree and $5.00 off for every $100 you spend on books doesn't seem like enough of a deal considering what books cost. Buy two books get one free I think was a good deal Barnes and Noble was advertising at one point. I worry about Barnes and Noble. They seen to be the last book chain standing but they have to think up inventive ways to get people into the store
ReplyDeleteThe sad thing is that I love almost everyone working at the B&N, some of the nicest, most enthusiastic, and helpful people I've seen in a single bookstore. But I just can't afford to shop there anymore...or at least the way I used to. Publishers are pricing themselves right out of business except for libraries...the one business that is probably doing more to keep publishers afloat these days than any other.
DeleteAt the $5 per $100 rate, you would have to buy about $600 worth of books in order to get one new hardcover book free. That's an awesome deal.