Reward programs are great things conceptually. Patrons are rewarded for being loyal with bonuses, whether they be free products, discounts on purchases or cash. The trouble with reward programs, however, is the wide gulf in quality between the programs.
There are a number of factors that go into making a good rewards program. The nature of the reward, the difficulty in qualifying for the reward, the ease of redeeming the reward and the consistency of the program. The first three are self-evident. The last is harder to define but easier to describe.
I belong to several reward programs. I love the idea of getting stuff for free. I blame Columbia House records. Back in the day, one could order one album and get twelve free. Before that, even, the Military Book Club was ridiculous: Buy four books for a penny, pay shipping and handling and have no obligation to buy anything further. I abused this horribly. After every order I would cancel my membership only to receive the same offer from MBC a couple of months later. I probably got about forty-eight hardbound books for nothing more than shipping and handling of each four-book order; shipping and handling then being no more than $12.95. So for $155.40, I bought books that ranged from $25 to $40; I estimate that I bought roughly $1,000.00 for $155.40. It took Military Book Club a while to catch on.
The sad thing about it was Book of the Month Club had the same program. Yes, I abused that one, too.
Nowadays it seems that every retailer has some version of a rewards program. Some are better than others. A few are downright horrible.
In my experience, this is what I've found:
Speedway: I like this program because I get points for every purchase. In the age of Man of Dementia, I can get .25-.50 off a gallon of case, which is very helpful. And all I need is my password, which I've made easy to remember.
Panera: Another easy to use program, all I have to give them is my phone number. The downside with Panera is that their rewards are miserly. I may get a free muffin or scone after eight visits.
Kroger: Another valuable rewards program when it comes to buying gas. Kroger has surveys that earn fifty points every week. For every one hundred points I earn I get ten cents off a gallon. All I have to do is buy something -- anything -- and then do the survey at the end of the week and I get at least twenty cents off a gallon each month. My purchases count dollar for dollar, and gift cards count two or four times the point, depending on the season. During the summer, weekend purchase earn double the points. Every bit helps in the age of Man of Dementia.
Arbys: I get a free sandwich on my birthday. Otherwise, it's worthless.
McDonalds: This one's relatively new. With each purchase I earn points, but the points expire after a certain time. The free items I can purchase are niggardly; it takes a ton of points to earn a small ice cream cone, for example. To earn anything of significance would mean I'd have to eat myself into a diabetic coma over a month of purchases first. Then, points expire after a certain time...but I'm never sure when they're going to expire.
Chilis: Who knows how this program works? I give them my phone number every time, but so far the only thing I've been able earn is free chips and salsa.
Outback Steakhouse: By far the worst of the programs. There is no rhyme or reason as to how, or when, I can earn rewards, what the rewards are or if there's even a program. Considering how expensive Outback has gotten, it's all irrelevant now.
(c) 2023 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
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