SDM rant **first rant**

[LauraWill]

I haven't read any of the replies thus far. But for one promo I was off by $1.50 (used coupons as well which did not affect the total of course) anyway, I called up and they deemed that it was an honest mistake on my end - since I have been a loyal customer they credited me 20x the points on my $48.50. Try calling them, you'll get results quicker. They say some items are not eligible for the 20x the points so maybe that is what happened. Either way, I bet they will credit you the points when you call.

[Bronwen]

I emailed them twice so far and still havent heard anything back. Ugh !

Definitely call them. I did so a while back about points from one of their mailed coupons never showing up on my card. The lady credited my account and it showed up within the hour. Good luck :S

[luckbealady]

I just had my gf check her receipt (she shopped at same location, same day). Hers went the following:
3 boxes of diapers @ 22.99 each
vendor coupon 2001 - 30.00
total with tax 42.42
reg points= 380
total points earned today= 380
Something is not right !!

Yep, something definitely went wrong there. Your base points should have been 680.

[NessaW]

Just heard back from my original email (Saturday evening) and all they did was outline their policy & apologized. I should have specified that after they told me I would not get 20x the points I grabbed a few more things to increase my bill bc I wanted my points.
I guess out of this I learned that I need to have the SDM policy in hand when shopping at their promotions.

[ckc118]

Hi NessaW (and all),

Thought I could jump in and help to clear up some of the confusion (I worked at SDM as an assistant manager for four years so I do speak from personal experience). I should note that without actually seeing your receipt I'm only going off of what I have read, so feel free to correct me if I make any incorrect assumptions. Also my apologies for repeating any information previously mentioned by other members, as as some of them are absolutely correct.

I'm pretty new to this site, but not to shopping at SDM. I went on the wknd to score 20x the points and did my usual by spending just over 50 BEFORE tax and then used coupons to lower my total. Usually, I get the promo's whether the comp does it automatically or the cashier scans something but this time it didnt give me 20x the points since I lowered my total. I understand that there wasnt anything the cashier could do but I had to make note that all the other times I have had NO issues getting their promos. Anyone else have this issue over the wknd? I emailed them twice so far and still havent heard anything back. Ugh !

First, as long as your basket is $50 pre-tax then you should automatically get the 20x the points. If you did not it is possible that while entering your coupons the cashier may have accidentally typed the 2002 PLU for one or more of them (as noted in an earlier reply the 2002 PLU references a "free" item and therefore will not count towards your basket total, nor will it qualify for optimum points). If you go and speak directly to that store's cash manager they can print you a copy of your receipt from that day - though keep in mind that "can" and "will" are dependent upon the individual you speak to.

Second, it makes no difference whether they scan your optimum card before, during, or after having rung through all your items. Even if you have already paid and then give them your card, they can always do a "points update" for you - your receipt should show the points you could have earned if you don't give them a card to scan during the transaction.

Third, previously with the older cash register system, it was only able to recognize the $50 pre-tax threshold amount when calculating the optimum points. Meaning that if the cashier entered any coupons (regardless of which PLU was used - 2001 or 2002), and your subtotal before tax was under $50, then you would not be awarded the points. With the newer POS systems this should no longer be an issue.

Fourth, the coupon policy language is a definitely confusing, but unfortunately its standard corporate "legalese."
Coupons that meet the above requirements, with the exception of coupons for free product,
qualify towards the spend threshold for promotional events (20x Event, Tim Hortons Event, etc.).

This means that as long as your total basket of items reaches $50 before tax (regardless of how many regular coupons you use), you will still qualify for the promotion. With the $10 gift cards, Tim Hortons cards, Esso cards, etc. this is not a big problem as the cashier must manually scan the card at the end of the transaction. With points promotions though, this means that you will still get 20x the points, but keep in mind that points are only earned on your NET total before tax. I have taken the following excerpt from the optimum terms and conditions:

11. Shoppers Optimum Points will be awarded at the rate of 10 Shoppers Optimum Points for each dollar spent on each separate purchase at participating stores. Shoppers Optimum Points will be calculated by reference to the net (purchase price less discounts) pre-tax total of each cash register receipt.


I find that most cashiers get confused because they are trained to look at the screen for the $50 pre tax amount before scanning any promotional gift cards, but with points the computer does it automatically so they often still look at your pre-tax total and mistakenly think that you need to make up that amount if it has been reduced by coupons.

NessaW with your gf's receipt:
3 boxes of diapers @ 22.99 each
vendor coupon 2001 - 30.00
total with tax 42.42
reg points= 380
total points earned today= 380

The calculations are correct for any normal (non-promotion) day, although I'm not sure why she did not get 20x the points (its possible that they may have changed the promotion rules, but it could be something as simple as a computer glitch - perhaps you could scan and post her receipt as well?).

$22.99 x 3 = $68.97 (pre-tax) - $30 coupons = $38.97 x 10 = base points.
Since they round down, your base points earned would be off of 38x10=380 base points.

If you've managed to read through my reply this far then here's an informational bonus on how they calculate the promotional points. Say for example you have a pre-tax total of $52.63 on a 20x the points day, your breakdown would be as follows:

52x10=520 base points x20=10,400 - 520 = 9880 bonus points

Total points earned = base points + bonus points = 9880 + 520 = 10,400
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Sorry for the long-windedness but I'm in the middle of studying for finals so I'm in educational mode right now.

Hope this helps!