Where I live, we don’t yet have those cards. I despise the idea of them and hate getting caught out by them (I’m looking at you Tesco and Lidl).
Normal price for something - 0.49 (in stores without these cards) But in their store it’s only that price with their ‘club card’ or ‘plus membership’.
Otherwise it’s 1.59
There are loads of other items with high markups.
BUT - the marked price is the normal store price to the inexperienced shopper of these data collecting stores, with the blind spot being the need to have a store card to get the ‘discount’. My full shop was an extra 103.46 altogether between the two stores (51.22 in one 52.24 in the other) rushing to get christmas dinner and dining and extras. Should be banned. /rant
The government doing a sick job of protecting consumers. /s
I have no problem with this in any way. I’m buying things from Tesco all the time as it’s my main supermarket. The card means my shop is cheaper than it otherwise would be and I’m gaining points each time I use it. I don’t need to remember my card as it’s on my keys all the time.
Every year we cash in our points and usually get a 2 day break for 4 out of it so we take the kids to Alton Towers or Blackpool for free, that’s park tickets and hotel.
I also couldn’t give a hoot if they’re tracking my purchase habits. I lose nothing from them knowing what items I like to buy.
Card means that the price is what it could be anyway, but they decide to give it only to the customers who have the card.
Points are also just mark up in general prices that they could have given you anyway, but hide it as a “reward for points”
Well there’s some truth in that it’s not entirely it, the price is reduced because the data they get from tracking your spending habits has a value
They’re not pushing people to these cards for fun
Yes, you have described the process. If you have a card, you benefit. It you don’t, you don’t. If you shop somewhere regularly it makes sense, and the only reason you’d gripe is that you feel aggrieved to not get the deal by not having a card.
It’s pretty simple. I get benefits through the card to that I otherwise wouldn’t. I pay maybe 30-50 quid a week less than someone without the card getting the same stuff, and I get 500 quid trip out of it each year.
And what do those things cost somewhere that isn’t using the dumb member card system?
You’re not getting a deal, non-catdholders are getting shafted while you pat yourself on the back and the store sells shockingly detailed data about you.
The beer I bought yesterday was 12 quid in Tesco and at least 15 quid at all my other available options. 20 quid in one of those places, none of which has the card system. Same with a number of products I buy which is why I shop there. It’s objectively cheaper than not having a card or shopping somewhere else.
And the shockingly detailed data is in no way shockingly detailed. It’s my name, email, and some food I buy.
I feel aggrieved to not get the deal by not having a card.
If the card didn’t exist everyone would get the benefit.
But it does exist, so get the card if you want the deal. It’s exactly the same as any benefits offered by a company that requires you to be a member, but it’s free. It’s like being aggrieved that you can’t shop at Costco without a card or that you can’t get a bus for free as you didn’t apply for the pass.
These companies charge people extra if they refuse to provide personal details and buying habits.
If you can’t see a problem with that then I can’t help you.
They have my name, email, and know what milk and beer I buy. Oh no.
Thats pretty much what I mean - if you dont care then thats your problem. However, im trying to explain why other people dont like these cards and why its unethical for shops to offer them.
Its not merely your name and email. They would know your address, age, family situation, and which common maladies you suffer from like high cholesterol, headaches, diabetes, and so on. But thats just the information they collect directly at colesworth. They can exchange thus data with everyone else, and match up your visa card. So anything you buy anywhere really becomes part of the extensive profile they have.
You might not care about all that, after all… what difference does it make to you what ads you get shown or what a shop might think you might want to buy.
However, I just feel like thats none of their business. I shouldn’t have to provide this wealth of information in addition to fair price for the goods I wish to purchase.
That you couldn’t give a hoot etc. shows that you don’t really understand what is happening or are very naive. Nothing wrong with that, it’s normal, but it is worth looking into a little deeper, especially stores like Tesco. When prices are already artificially higher than they should be, and they are trebling the price of some items to get people to get their cards, you should be wondering why. They are not only making money from selling the items to you, but from selling your data to others. They also use the data in many ways, probably many unethical. With that much power and money and what is going on around the world currently with lobbying etc. it is definitely something that should be looked at. You should look up personalised pricing as well as here and you might start to notice that you have paid for those trips to Alton Towers and Blackpool (probably twice over). With a few companies trialing software as we speak. New York introduced a law too.
As for the imaginary markup
Tesco
LIDL
ALDI (No discount card)
SuperValu ‘sale’ price but applicable to everyone not cardholders.
Dunnes Stores Same as above
Centra €0.59 same as above and Centra are known for being more expensive
They are also €0.49 in Londis, Gala, Daybreak and Costcutter (no online listings) and €0.59 in Mace and EuroSpar (also known for being expensive)
The list of products that it happens with is huge, you could check the same wherever you are.