It pays to be an educated consumer: A lesson I taught my Mom
Last week, I was out shopping with my Mom at a store to whose customer loyalty program I belong. They have a simple “stamp card” where I earn a little red check mark for every $10 I spend in their store. When I collect 10 check marks, I get $10 off my next purchase. Simple enough.
My Mom is not a member of the loyalty program as she doesn’t even live in this state so, being the savvy shopper I am, I asked the owner “Can I get credit on my loyalty card for her purchase?” He’s a nice guy, he knows me, so he said “Sure!” My Mom used her bank-issued Visa Debit Card to pay for her purchase and he asked her “Do you want me to run this as Debit or Credit?” My Mom, thinking that the only difference between the two options is whether she enters her PIN code or signs the receipt said “Oh, it doesn’t matter.” Here’s where I interject that indeed, my Mom does know what I do in the Merchant Processing Industry but alas, doesn’t find it all that interesting. I saw this as my opportunity to finally repay my Mom for all the great lessons she taught me over the years. I spoke up “Actually, Mom, if you enter your PIN code, it saves him (as in Mr.Owner), money on what it costs to process your credit card transaction.” He smiled, and my Mom entered her PIN code. He then turned to me and said “Thank you, for being an educated consumer. I’m giving you an extra stamp on your loyalty card.” As luck would have it, that extra stamp filled my card and on my next visit to his store, I’ll save $10.
Show your loyalty to the businesses you frequent by helping them save a little money, too.
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*Don’t forget to join me for #ratechat on Twitter, this Wednesday at 4PM CT. I’ll be analyzing a Merchant Credit Card Processing Statement live, taking your questions and showing you how to be sure you aren’t the victim of hidden charges.