Reward This!

Enough with the rewards cards people! Every store I go into now has their own “rewards” card and consumers get bum rushed and sideswiped in the checkout line when you don’t have one or forgot to bring yours along. If had to carry every rewards card I’ve signed up for (or been offered and refused) I would need 2 wallets, a backpack and a paper bag to carry them all.

The worst perpetrators of the “Reward card or die” tactic here in Austin? CVS pharmacy and Randall’s grocery store. I avoid Randall’s altogether now because I don’t have their reward card and you can’t even do a transaction on their POS without either swiping it first or receiving a 10 minute lecture from the cashier on how much money you can save with one. I’ve found that if you quickly cut them off and say “I don’t like to save money”…… they usually shut up right there and proceed with your checkout, only after looking at you like your some asshole elitist.

Maybe I’ll invent a global rewards card that you can go online and register your stores of choice to and flash when you checkout? I’ll take it one step further and allow consumers to globally opt out of receiving the “Would you like to donate a dollar to (insert random children’s charity here)” too.

Now that idea’s got some legs.