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
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.