Rewards Programs

Giving up on my rights not to be a part of a rewards program, I remain resentful of the modern tracking system of all purchases. Acknowledging the data that determines market trends in order to meet market needs and match consumer demand with supply, I do not appreciate my purchases being monitored. Almost every store I enter to buy something asks me to be a part of a rewards program sometimes called "plus" or "benefits" or "bonus" or any catchy additive to the purchase. These types of programs are enticing and even impossible to ignore due to the reduced cost of certain items, more coupons available, or points that add up to "free" acquisitions of items. To deny the rewards is to increase the expense. To accept it is to reduce expenses thereby retaining more income.

In all fairness, these programs are coming from large companies with centralized purchasing power. They are responsive to inventory turnover and aside from the profit motive, recognize that it is necessary to supply consumers with products that are demanded. I have a choice not to purchase from the large franchise and I suppose I do have a choice to reject their rewards offers. But employees are trained and required to ask the consumer to be a "member" and even politely rejecting the opportunity results in a pitch explaining the "savings" incurred through the rewards program. When a buyer is not a member and does not supply a card, usually the next question is for the buyer's phone number. If the buyer asks why, the clerk's standard answer is in case the buyer is not satisfied with the purchase. Of course the truth is that the store can cross-reference the number with the name and track the purchases and buying habits of the consumer.

Yesterday I bought two packages of gum. I often chew gum when I am driving in order to quell any nervous tension I might have and to keep my teeth clean between brushings. Purchasing the two cups of gum would normally cost $4.55 each but my rewards program allowed me to purchase each cup for $4.30 each at a total savings of $.50. The salesclerk seemed genuinely happy to point out how much I would save by being a member of the rewards program, as though she were helping me--which I suppose was true to an extent. I, however, momentarily resisted her recommendation to be a member and asked for the discount anyway. Respectfully declining my request, she politely said being a member was easy. Wondering if my wife had previously accepted membership, I gave her a phone number from a prior residence and discovered I was, in fact, already a rewards member, resulting in reduced cost for the gum. Joy and happiness.

Yes I did not have to pay as much for the gum due to my membership. But I also gave the store my purchasing information including my time of visit, what I bought, how I paid, and what else I might have considered. Cross referencing with past purchases, videos of my visits, and any questions I might have asked and suddenly my independence is gone, replaced by a Robert Tucker robot of data.

Granted I could have run into a convenient store and bought the same thing or maybe a discount store of some kind. I did not have to give them my rewards information or I could have paid a little bit more which would have given the store general consumer information but not specific to me. Yet I was willing to give up my independence for the sake of saving a few cents. Thus is the way of the economic world of today. We are at risk of becoming walking data machines. While it may be time to accept it, for some reason I resent it. Our personal liberty is threatened every time we purchase something. I remain opposed but also a contributor at the same time to all rewards programs.