Do you know what I’m getting fed up with? Loyalty reward cards. Almost every store’s got them, making our wallets the size of cute square-shaped bagels. I was thinking about all the different cards that I could potentially own, and I think it’s quite frightening. Here’s a list just on the top of my head:

• HBC Rewards - The Bay, Zellers, Home Outfitters, Designer Depot
• Shoppers Optimum - Shoppers Drug Mart
• Sears Club - Sears
• Air Miles - Rona, LCBO, Shell, Dominion, The Shoe Company
• PC Points Mastercard - Loblaw Co. Supermarkets
• iRewards - Chapters, Indigo, Coles
• Dividends Card - Staples Business Depot
• All-Access Pass - American Eagle
• Eddie Bauer Friends Card - Eddie Bauer
• Prestige Card - La Senza
• Love Your Body Club - The Body Shop
• Esprit Club - Esprit
• Signature Member - Bluenotes
• Scene Card - Cineplex Entertainment cinemas
• Moviewatcher - AMC Cinemas
• Pier 1 Imports Rewards - Pier 1
• Blockbuster Rewards - Blockbuster Video

Sure, I may have surrendered and opted for a few cards, but when will this marketing scheme blow over? Are you as tired as I am, when the cashier asks you if you have a [insert reward card name] card?

One card that has been ingrained into my head is the iRewards Card, the loyalty program for Chapters, Indigo, and Coles. When I worked there in high school, managers would continually push the sale of these cards. In fact, iRewards sales was one of three benchmark figures that determine store performance. Because I worked in the Multimedia section of the store, where the books were most expensive, there was a big push to sell these cards, since they were eligible to save 10% on their (big) purchase. The dialogue would often start like this:

[Matt finds a Oracle book for a customer, and places it in his hand]
Matt: Okay, here’s the book sir.
Customer: Thanks for your help.
M: You’re welcome. Oh by the way, have you heard of our iRewards program?
C: [In a hesitant tone] Um, no.
M: Well, if you become a member of iRewards, you can automatically save 10% on regularly priced books.
C: Oh really? That’s pretty good.
M: Yes, you can use it at any Chapters, Indigo, Coles and on our website, and it is a yearly membership of just $20.
C: Oh it costs me? Oh forget it.

Uh huh, it’s always fun selling these cards. When the customer goes to the cashier, you can be assured that he’s going to hear about iRewards again. Argh!

Anyways, I wonder if there is any research about the effectiveness of these loyalty programs, given that we are now flooded with them. Do I prefer to go to Chapters because of the iRewards Card? Probably not, given that it’s hard to buy books from any other book retailer in the suburbs. Perhaps proponents can make the argument that it may encourage customers to buy more.

Another concern I have with these loyalty cards is the customer information that they generate. While most retailers have privacy policies that state that customer information is never sold to other organizations, membership information is definitely used internally to investigate customer spending patterns. Should we be worried about this kind of practice? Perhaps not, I’m not too sure.

Anyway, what loyalty cards do you own?