More on Grocery Store Loyalty Cards

Filed in archive Buying Stuff on July 9, 2008

© axinar

My post last week bashing supermarket loyalty cards brought this response from Craig, whose Flickr photo I used as part of that post:

The photo above shows a loyalty benefit to using the cards at Krogers and my local Krogers brand, King Soopers. For every $100 you spend at the store each month you get 10 cents of a tankful of gas at their gas stations. It's not huge, but considering the store and the gas station are just up the road, it keeps me going there.

I agree with Craig.

I had forgotten about this new twist that many supermarkets are adding. This is what a loyalty card should be - you spend a certain amount at that store and you get something in return. In other words, you are rewarded for your loyalty. I will admit that one benefit to my own local grocery store is that your purchases lead to gas discounts at their store-owned stations - the more you spend in the store, the greater your gas rebates. It's a good thing.

However, I stand by my position on grocery store cards as a way to get "sale prices" on certain items. Since everyone is eligible to get the sale price if they have the card, it's not anything special; it's merely a way for the store to track your purchases.

Nevertheless, Craig makes a good point that I had missed.