Why is it that every time you seem to shop in a store you are given all sorts of incentives to get a store credit card? The answer may actually surprise you.
One of the most annoying things I find about shopping is the cashier that continues to insist on offering me a store credit card. I don’t own any store cards, so I expect the cashier or salesperson to offer me one when they see that I am not paying that way. But after I’ve said no, I’d like to be left alone, not re-offered the card and re-offered it again.
There is a very good reason why cashiers are so insistent about offering those cards. Many salespeople even get an extra commission for everyone who signs up. Yes, they may want your debt, but they also want something else..your loyalty.
You see, getting someone to open a store credit card makes them identify themselves as a shopper of that store, loyal to that store. In marketing terms, it is called consistency. You view yourself as a member and are more likely to shop there.
To reach shoppers who don’t want store credit cards, there are the free membership cards, the bonus cards and the rewards cards. I do own some of them. You can’t get sales prices these days without one of them.
With a Kroger card, for example, I would be much more likely to drive past Acme, for example, because I am a Kroger shopper (not really, just illustrating the point). If I have a Borders card, I’ll be less likely to look for books at Barnes & Noble and go back there again and again.
While store loyalty can be good–you can get to know a store well and there is benefit in that–sometimes the best deals can be had by shopping at multiple stores. So keep this in mind the next time you are given an incentive to sign up for a store credit card or membership card.