how is it customer appreciation when you HAVE TO spend $50?

[Tracy0416]

Shoppers will appreciate us, one day only, Novemeber 13th, IF WE SPEND $50????

How is it customer appreciation when you HAVE TO spend anything?

P-lease! SDM has some poor marketing folks working for them.
Tracy

[FallenPixels]

All of their events have minimum spends attached to them

[newbiesaver]

I don't think this is unreasonable. The "appreciation" part is providing some sort of perk you normally wouldn't get for shopping with them - such as dollar off, percentage off, gifts with purchase, bonus points, etc.

Let's not kid ourselves. They are a business, not a charity after all. And this is common practice across the board, not just with SDM.

There are many SDM practices I'm not happy with but this is not one of them.

[torontogal12]

They appreciate the customers who spend the most!

[mrskoka]

Sorry OP, completely disagree with you and that this is bad marketing. I don't know of another store that rewards their customers this well for spending $50.00. If you don't like it don't shop there.

[Chantel]

If this was a reasonably priced store, I'd say heck yeah. But SDM is so overpriced anyway, their regular prices with 20% off are still more expensive than walmart.

[Darth Penguin]

wish I lived close enough to a SDM to participate. I have to drive at least 25 mins to get to my closest one, though the better one is more like 40 mins away.

[renegado]

20X the points wus $50 on almost anything in the store is a much better deal than 20% off wus $50 on regular-priced merch (non-flyer items). So I agree, calling this promotion a "customer appreciation" event doesn't make a lot of sense.

Also, when stores have "customer appreciation" days, it raises the idea that on all other days they may not appreciate their customers.

Today we appreciate our customers! It's a very odd reason to have a sale.

[Tripsplanner]

I just look at it as no different from me telling my husband "I love you but I'll love you so much more if you buy me that Channel handbag!".

[Tracy0416]

Well coming from the corporate marketing/advertising industry, I've learned a promotion is an effort to "promote" sales and a customer appreciation event is a gift with no strings attached.

- EG: We hold client appreciation lunches where we provide the lunch and clients just have to show up and eat.
- No one except our clients know or hear about it, (it's not advertised on the web or in local papers, hence the title "client" appreciation. We contact JUST OUR CLIENTS.

- HAVING to spend in order to be appreciated is not appreciation, it's a promotion and SDM has these kind of "spend and get" promos all the time so it's not "special" nor does it instill into anyone a feeling of being appreciated.

- perhaps if I, and other regular customers was emailed a coupon or offer others didn't get, and within a reasonable $ denomination such as....

- mrskoka ---- With respect, Mark's Work Warehouse sticks $10 off WUS $20 or $30 cards in newspapers and hands them out in their stores like candy!) I got a one at Canadian Tire Milton and one in the weekly shopping flyer bundle in just November alone. So... better than SDM and an example for you of " another store that rewards their customers this well for spending $50.00." Dollar for dollar breakdown it's often 33 - 50% off for shopping at MWW!

newbiesaver ---- With respect, I'm going by personal experience and using Mark's WW as an example so I disagree this is "standard practice" (It's just trying to disguise a sales promo as an appreciation event in my opinion). Yes they are not a charity and I am not kidding myself. SDM is trying to kid us into thinking they are having a customer appreciation event when they are holding a sales promotion. As you wrote """"The "appreciation" part is providing some sort of perk you normally wouldn't get for shopping with them.""" i will say that they hold these promos all the time if not weekly, especially Saturdays. So nothing special here : )

Anyhoo, we all have our opinions and choices to take or leave a SALES EVENT. I'll wait for another.

Be well all!
Tracy : )

[newbiesaver]

I think we're just getting into semantics here. I see where you're coming from but at the same time, I think we as consumers are smart enough to know what's a good deal and what's not, regardless if they call it the Joe Blow Super Sale or just the Joe Sale. I could care less - just gimme the deal!

As for this specific offer, I have seen in the past that shoppers will call their 20% off wub $50+ or 20x pts an "appreciation" event when it's NOT on their regular weekly schedule.

Also, you mentioned that since this is "public", it's not an appreciation. Well, we are ALL their customers and I think these extra off-calendar offers are a great way to appreciate their everyday customer/client. Plus, they DO have offers for specific customer groups like Optimum, VIB, Seniors, etc as well.

I guess in short....I just don't see this as an issue. Let's focus our attention on complaining about something that really IS....like randoming freezing accounts, removing points, different coupon policies for different locations, I can go on and on!