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Honest question: when you go to a grocery or department store and they ask if you have any coupons or a rewards card, do you feel like you're getting ripped off

Honest question: when you go to a grocery or department store and they ask if you have any coupons or a rewards card, do you feel like you're getting ripped off? I may feel like I've missed out, but never "ripped off." When I've reached the checkout page it implies this was the best deal I could find. I do appreciate discounts, but don't feel entitled to them, especially if I'm a first time customer (or opted out of marketing emails). But maybe I'm an outlier and a sense of entitlement is the norm these days.

ry0ohki 13y ago
Yes I do. In that case it's a little harder to turn back but I can't help but feel a little like a chump.
- TeddyLondon 13y ago
  I feel like a bit of a naughty schoolboy when I go off and find vouchers, it just feels a little bit wrong (but I still do it)
throwaway1979 13y ago
The equivalent is when you go to a new store (or one you go to infrequently) and they ask you for a rewards card to get the discounted price. One or two times, I've signed up for one. More than half a dozen times, the cashier is nice enough to use their card for you. At one store, I got grief from the cashier saying you have to sign up for the card at the customer service desk, and that he/she couldn't use theirs. Guess which store I make it a point never to go to? I understand these discounts are designed to promote frequent patronage in some cases. But it can definitely piss customers off.
- Amadou 13y ago
  FWIW I do my best to completely avoid stores that have loyalty cards. I consider it unfair to expect people to give up their privacy for normal pricing - the rich people get to keep their privacy and the poor people don't have a choice. And yes I deliberately said normal pricing, the only study that has been done of before and after pricing once loyalty cards were introduced showed that prices are just inflated such that the loyalty card brings them back into line. Best to just shop somewhere without loyalty cards at all.
prof_hobart 13y ago
I've never had anyone directly ask me at the till, but if they did then yes psychologically I probably would feel that I was being ripped off. I realise that vouchers are available for a lot of shops these days, but if you push the fact into someone's face then it's basically reminding them that they could have had it cheaper. I have exactly the same thing with the £1.50 for one/£2.00 for two type offers. If I don't want two of them, the very fact that they are highlighting that they are happy to sell them at £1 each makes the £1.50 price look like a rip off, especially if they've put the single unit price in smaller text (it says to me "yes, we'll sell you just one if you really, really want - but we're charging you a massive premium for doing it). I sometimes find myself not buying the item at all as a result.
iopq 13y ago
I always get a rewards card the first time I'm there as long as I get a discount for even using it once. 90%+ of the things I buy at stores I usually have discounts on.

ry0ohki 13y ago

Yes I do. In that case it's a little harder to turn back but I can't help but feel a little like a chump.

TeddyLondon 13y ago
I feel like a bit of a naughty schoolboy when I go off and find vouchers, it just feels a little bit wrong (but I still do it)

throwaway1979 13y ago

The equivalent is when you go to a new store (or one you go to infrequently) and they ask you for a rewards card to get the discounted price. One or two times, I've signed up for one. More than half a dozen times, the cashier is nice enough to use their card for you. At one store, I got grief from the cashier saying you have to sign up for the card at the customer service desk, and that he/she couldn't use theirs. Guess which store I make it a point never to go to? I understand these discounts are designed to promote frequent patronage in some cases. But it can definitely piss customers off.

Amadou 13y ago
FWIW I do my best to completely avoid stores that have loyalty cards. I consider it unfair to expect people to give up their privacy for normal pricing - the rich people get to keep their privacy and the poor people don't have a choice. And yes I deliberately said normal pricing, the only study that has been done of before and after pricing once loyalty cards were introduced showed that prices are just inflated such that the loyalty card brings them back into line. Best to just shop somewhere without loyalty cards at all.

prof_hobart 13y ago

I've never had anyone directly ask me at the till, but if they did then yes psychologically I probably would feel that I was being ripped off. I realise that vouchers are available for a lot of shops these days, but if you push the fact into someone's face then it's basically reminding them that they could have had it cheaper. I have exactly the same thing with the £1.50 for one/£2.00 for two type offers. If I don't want two of them, the very fact that they are highlighting that they are happy to sell them at £1 each makes the £1.50 price look like a rip off, especially if they've put the single unit price in smaller text (it says to me "yes, we'll sell you just one if you really, really want - but we're charging you a massive premium for doing it). I sometimes find myself not buying the item at all as a result.

iopq 13y ago

I always get a rewards card the first time I'm there as long as I get a discount for even using it once. 90%+ of the things I buy at stores I usually have discounts on.