Whats Up With Retail "Discount" Tags, And Why?
Posted: Sunday, February 15, 2009
by Gary W. Halsey Sr.
All Season Karaoke and D.J.
I was out shopping the other day, and I was at Fry's picking up some staple foods, bread, butter, milk, and my personal favorite, Lays Potato Chips, you know, the Kettle Cooked Kind that are extra crunchy, the Jalapeno kind....yum. Well, I was standing in line, and as I was, I noticed that we were all like a bunch of cattle, being herded through a cattle chute at a rodeo, and I heard the cashier asking each and every person, "Do you belong to the Frys Discount Club"? "Yes I do" said the customer, "My card is on here somewhere", then I seen the customer digging through her keys, for that little card you get, with the bar coding on it, she must of had every grocery chain discount card on her keychain!! She had Safeway, she had Fry's, she had Albertson, she had CVS, she had Pet Smart, and on and on. Finally, she found the Fry's one, and I think the only reason why the cashier must scan it is so that she can say, "Mrs. Smith, you saved $8.15 today, and thank you for shopping at Frys"!
The next guy in line was this big, big tall burly dude, (well, everybody is tall to me, because I am only 5'6" tall, and he says in a kind of a, "Which way did he go George" kind of voice, "Duh, I don't have a card", so she asked him as if singing it, "Would you like to sign up for our Frys club membership today"? "Duh, I don't have time, but can I get the discount anyway?" She immediately looked at me, and said, "Sir, Do you have a card"? and I replied, "Yes", and she said, "Do you mind if HE uses YOUR card"? "Well....errr....no, I guess not". I almost felt violated, someone is else is actually using my card, what about my identity? Will she call him "Mr. Halsey"? She scanned it quickly, and continued by saying, "It's a win win situation, he gets our discount, you get the points to save at your next Frys gas fillup"!! The big dude looked at me, and said "Thanks", while I am frisking him for my identity, which by the way, my identity was still intact. "You're welcome" I mumbled.
So, I guess my point is, what is the point of these cards, and why can't they just give everybody this "wonderful" discount across the board? Does this mean that while I am realizing the great cost savings, that everybody else is getting ripped off? Is that legal? Hum, I wonder. I hate these little cards on my keychain, they get all dirty and gross, they collect dirt from my hands and where-ever I throw them. What's the point? Who was the genius that invented this concept in savings? Oh well, probably our ex-president Bush was the CEO of Frys at one time, and thought this was a great idea for a retail stimulus plan. Who knows? Do this little bar coded card thingy bob irritate anyone else, as much as they do me? Probably not.......
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Top-level comments on this article: (9 total)Hi Gary.Actually, I do resent them and the need for them. I have one for Frys and one for Safeway and have resisted getting any others. When I shop at Bashas, which isn't all that often (it's the most convenient place for me to get no salt added sweet potato chips made by Terra), they always ask me if I have a card. I tell them no and no again when they ask if I want one. Do you know they have a code they can use to give you any applicable discounts as a "new customer?" They do this every time for me. Now what's up with that?Safeway says they use their cards to collect data on what you buy and that they then tailor even better offers to what you purchase. But every time I get one of those "special" coupon fliers in the mail that are supposed to be tailored especially to me, there is never anything on them that I ever buy. So what's up with that?DianneHiya Dianne, I totally agree with your comments, this story was just a fun write for my writting theme "Life's Little Hiccups". But these do really bother me. I think in this day and age, were "big brother" is in the business of forever gathering information I Just think enough is enough, and that all should be afforded this savings. They are still making money, otherwise they would not give such a discount right. Thank you so much for reading my article...more to come, I will return the favor....Your fan and friend in pen, Gary.
Hey Gary!Never, and I mean never share your little key chain ID tag with a strange shopper. The clerk is supposed to have one at the register that she can use if yours is unreadable.You better hope he wasn't buying something your wife would not approve of because Dianne is right, they use this to collect info on your shopping habits and send you related coupons and offers, or at least that is how it is supposed to work. You got a lot of answering to do when those beer coupons and gentlemens magazine offers show up in the mail next week!Anyway, I had noticed you run a karaoke website, pretty cool. I did karaoke in public for the first time this weekend. I did not get booed which was all I was really shooting for and I had an absolute blast! Have a great day Gary and I realize you wrote this article as an alibi for the wife when those questionable shopping coupons start rolling in but we will keep that fact our little secret. lolMylaMyla, what am I going to do with you? Forever getting me in trouble...!!! hahahaaha, aw schucks, I was just tryin' to help is all...besides, I did it for the gas credits, think of how happy my wife will be to see that I am saving money on gas???? pretty cool eh? I thought of that all by my lonesome, and you know how it is to get a guy to think!! ha ha.......Yes, I own my own dj and karaoke business, and I am a singer as well......we will have to exchange cd 's sometime.....lol.......thanks for being a pal and reading my article....i loved yours your friend and fan in pen......Gary.....
You know you had me at "Kettle Cooked" my favorite! And yes, I have a Kroger little-thingy-bob on my key chain and guess what; I couldn't dig it out fast enough one day and the clerk says (in that same singy voice), that's fine. And I got the discount anyway--so I'm not sure they really are that important--at least not in Arkansas. But, hey, FEMA feels the same way about us!Thanks for a great read, Gary. And by the way, you look much taller in your picture.SandraThank you Sandra for your comments, it is always a pleasure hearing from you, and I find your article chuck full of interesting things to read about......I am allot taller in my pictures...why is that? that is why I was standing on a box....hahahahahaha, not really. I am really 6'2"....hahahahahahahaha not really, only 5'6", I cannot tell a lie, and that's the truth! My mom was only 4'11" God rest her soul, of course when she was still with us, she would have argued with you that she was 5'2", I love her dearly...but you know what they say about dynamite coming in small packages? lol, there ya go. I really appreciate you reading my article, and glad you like the Kettle cooked kind,,,,,my personal favorite....I like the BBQ ones too!!!! Thanks again for taking the time for me......Your fan and friend in pen......Gary.
Hey Gary, funny article! Of course it's all PR. And if George W had been ceo then Fry's would have invaded Safeway!Ken....hahahahhahahhaha that is so true....this was inspired by looking at my own keychain while I was standing in that line...and seeing all of these tags hanging on it. Then I looked down the line, and everybody had keys that had these thing on them, some of them tons....My daughter in law wrote that she keeps hers in a ziplock bag because they were so out of control, and she had so many.....hahahahaha, your right though, it's a PR thing....oh well, anything to make it seem like were saving money....Thanks for your thoughts, and I always consider your opinion a pretty darn good one, and Love your work as well........Your friend in pen.....Gary. Thanks again for taking the time.
Hi Gary US Savings Bonds (Sorry, couldn't resist. Remember that guy?)Yeah, I hate those things too. I've been to stores where they ask me if I have a card and after saying "no" they grab one from the drawer and swipe it. What's up with that? That basically confirms what you're saying, just give everybody the discount. It's not like the cards with your name are so unique.
And I just have way too many of them too. When I'm looking for my Vons, Costco, Best Buy, Ralphs, Circuit City, Petco, CVS, Smart and Final I too have to fumble for ten minutes before I can find the right one. And along with my credit cards, insurance cards (my three, and my kids four), license, AAA, LA Zoo membership card and on and on, is it any wonder I can't sit straight and now suffer from permanent back pain from constantly sitting at a 45 degree angle due to that bulge in my right-back pocket.I believe the store cards are the most useless though. But I'm sure they use them for marketing, for sending you ads to add to your junk mail, or maybe they even sell your name to lists that others marketers use to send you more crap and junk mail that you just throw out and don't even look at.
Ahh, the modern world certainly has its disadvantages, eh?Thanks for the article.
Jeff, I do remember that U.S. Savings Bond Guy!!!! What a awesome comment you left you had me laughing all the way through your comment!! So, I can see you have the experience also......well, just for kicks, when I go into the store the next time, I will let them use their card, and have them "Guess" my name, I think that would be entertaining!!!! Thanks so much for stopping by to read this, I will certainly do the same.....Your friend in pen......Gary
hi gary,i have long thought that if something went on sale for 10 per cent off, or 20, or 50, and i bought it on sale, how much of a mark up do these stores get, and if they can sell it for 50 per cent off, why not just start out that price?and i think you're right, somebody visiting from out of town, should be able to pay the same price for a product that everyone else does.thanks for sharing your thoughts,my best regards,sueThanks Susan....I find it really humorous that these thing even exist! And I totally agree with your comments...how true it is...and to think they think that we think that we're making a killing in savings!!! hahahahahahha how funny this whole scheme is...very funny and very good way of marketing....I wonder how much the guy made that thought of these little trinkets? I guess we'll never know Sue!! Thanks for commenting on the article, and thanks for reading it as well....I really like to hear from you......Your fan, and friend in pen.......Gary. by the way I liked your last article I read, it was great!!!!
Great, funny and strikingly honest article. I have a wad of cards on my keychain but really only use one: the CVS card. (No, I don't work for them and I'm not receiving a commission..lol). I like their bonus bucks: it comes in handy and I feel as if I'm saving...I really liked this article! Great job! Warmly, BarbaraWell thank you Barbara, nice to have you aboard and welcome to SearchWarp....I am glad you read the article, I love to write these everyday life little tidbits, just to see if it is me, or does everybody else suffer from these marketing afflictions! LOL....I really appreciate your commenting on the article and your very kind words, I will stop by and check out your work, as I would like to see a bit of your handy work!!! Your friend in pen, .......... Gary.
Gary, I could feel your frustration. You are a wonderful story teller. I hate those cards as well. What a waste! Thanks for another great laugh--keep them rolling :-)BTW, no more deleting my comments. hee, hee. Blessings, Teresaoops, should have been 5 stars, not 2 1/2 .Teresa, It's okay about the stars....I'm just glad you felt my frustration!!! lol....this was more of a humorous plight than that of frustration, although I still don't get it!!! hahahaahaha, I'm having fun though, can you tell? I love your work....and continue to write about it.....your name will be appearing in one of my articles soon....hope you don't mind.....its all good....as a matter of fact, several of my favorite writers that I am writing about will appear in this article.....I love all of the folks that joined my fan list, and I theirs, I can't wait to finish it.....Thanks so much Teresa, for taking the time to comment, the stars aren't that important to me anyway....just as long as you get to smile that great smile of yours.....Thanks again....your fan and friend in pen, GaryOh no......I was hoping you didn't notice, My friend at work deleted that by accident when I was showing him how to manuver around SearchWarp, he ask me if he had the ability to delete and control his files, and I showed him how to do it, and when I told him, "now, just click delete and it will delete, but he ACTUALLY CLICKED IT, but I smacked him for it.....so he knows better now...I told him, "I was just showing you , ya nut, you were not supposed to actually delete it"!!!! Next time I show him something, I will do it, not let him !!!!! LOL Sorry bout that sweetie....you can re-write it if ya wanna......your fan and friend in pen.......Gary.hahahahaha! No problem, I have done that before, but I am woman enough not to blame it on my "friend", but hey whatever :-)I would be honored to be in one of your articles. Can't wait to read it.
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