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Now that we're totaling points, shopping is a competitive sport

By SANDRA THOMPSON
Published June 17, 2006

Remember when you needed something and just went out to a store and bought it?

Yeah, me neither. Hardly anyone I know pays full price anymore, but it's no longer a simple matter buying things on sale. Oh, no, shopping has become much more competitive and complex than that. It's now a game of cards and points, the winner being you, the store or both, depending.

I knew people were taking all of this seriously several months ago when I pulled into a parking lot in Old Hyde Park Village and saw a woman carrying a bulging Talbots bag. "Everything's on sale again!" she cried out to a friend in the lot. "Double points!"

She was racking up points on her Talbots charge card, and, in return, when the point total hit the magic number Talbots would reward her with a coupon for X dollars off.

It's all about points. Macy's, Saks, Nordstrom double points this weekend!, Dillard's and others operate on the points system. All you need to play is a store credit card.

The points system builds store loyalty. I'm just guessing, but department and specialty stores needed to do something to make their charge cards attractive again. Once upon a time a store card was the only way to go. Then came Visa, Master Card, American Express and the rest of the credit cards. You can use them almost anywhere and, in return, get anything from airline miles to money back or make contributions to your alma mater. Who needed an old-fashioned charge card anymore?

Points changed all that.

And it's not just points. Charge customers get other perks, too.

Talbots' semiannual clearance sale began Thursday (don't know about the points, sorry), but charge customers were notified in advance that the sale would begin Wednesday. There were no "sale" signs outside the store Wednesday, but inside "30 to 50 percent off" signs were almost everywhere.

Some stores mail their charge customers discount coupons - say, for $25 off for every $100 spent. I once received a mystery coupon worth $15 to $1,000 - but you couldn't tell how much until your purchase was rung up at the register. (Did I bite? Of course! It was $25.)

Some store cards get you an extra 10 or 15 percent off sale prices.

You might luck into a "secret sale" that is unannounced but if you happen to be in store and purchase something on your card, a sales associate tells you where to stop off to receive dollars-off coupons for future purchases based on the total amount of your sales receipts that day.

Some stores gives charge customers 5 percent off all purchases.

Some send you a dollars-off-a-purchase coupon during the month of your birthday.

Different stores, different deals.

At some stores, you don't even need a charge account.

You simply become a "preferred customer." You'll get a card that says so.

At DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse) a Reward Your Style card gets you a $25 reward certificate after you've spent $250. Stein Mart's preferred customers receive coupons in the mail. PetCo's PALS card ("Petco Animal Lovers Save''), PetsMart, CVS and Office Depot cards get you deals right at the register.

It's all pretty dizzying, isn't it?

Especially for people like me, who have too much junk on their minds already. So I do a lot of shopping at Marshalls and TJMaxx.

The prices are ridiculous (as in low), and I like the camaraderie of rifling through a bin of wallets with a total stranger searching for a pink and a violet wallet to match the two fuzzy plaid clearance handbags she's got hanging on her free arm.

I don't even know if they have points.

Sandra Thompson, a Tampa writer, can be reached at sthompson125@tampabay.rr.com City Life appears on Saturday.

[Last modified June 17, 2006, 06:57:04]