Fiona G.الكاتب
#1I keep going back and forth on this, so I wanted to hear what other shoppers think. I have loyalty cards (or apps) for a couple of grocery stores, and sometimes the savings look real — a lower "member price" here, a few dollars off there. But then I look at my basket and wonder if I actually saved anything, or if I just bought extra stuff because it was on offer.
The points thing is a good example. You collect them for weeks, and by the time you have enough for anything decent, half the digital coupons have already expired. And some of those "member prices" make me suspicious too — is that really a deal, or was the regular price just set high so the member price looks good?
The other side of it is the data part. I know the store is tracking what I buy, when I shop, and probably what I'm likely to buy next. I'm not thrilled about that, but I also don't want to pay more for the same groceries just on principle.
So what do you all do? Do you use the card every time, skip it completely, or just shop somewhere that doesn't push a loyalty program so hard? Has anyone actually worked out whether they come out ahead over a month or two?
The points thing is a good example. You collect them for weeks, and by the time you have enough for anything decent, half the digital coupons have already expired. And some of those "member prices" make me suspicious too — is that really a deal, or was the regular price just set high so the member price looks good?
The other side of it is the data part. I know the store is tracking what I buy, when I shop, and probably what I'm likely to buy next. I'm not thrilled about that, but I also don't want to pay more for the same groceries just on principle.
So what do you all do? Do you use the card every time, skip it completely, or just shop somewhere that doesn't push a loyalty program so hard? Has anyone actually worked out whether they come out ahead over a month or two?