Is it worth it to collect points any more?

I haven't collected optimum points in over a year. The closest SDM was 30 minutes away & there were so many issues at that time with points being stolen etc. that I stopped making the trek to shop there.

A new SDM has opened only 15 minutes away and I was considering starting to shop there & collect points again but in the past few flyers I have noticed very few bonus points listed on products. It appears they have stopped offering bonus points as often as they used to. I find the prices on non-food items to be a bit more expensive than other places & only the food items on sale are on par with local grocery stores.

Is it still worth it to shop & try to earn points?

If you consider it "work" it's not worth it to you.

Well, of course planning what you're going to buy to earn points and finding coupons etc. is "work", no matter how fun it is, it still takes effort. I found it enjoyable in the past....but I can't shop at SDM, pay higher prices and there be a LOT less optimum points than there have been in the past.

I haven't received an e-mail from them since May, so I don't even get personalized points coupons. I wonder if it's because I have been inactive.

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Originally Posted by missnita

.but I can't shop at SDM, pay higher prices and there be a LOT less optimum points than there have been in the past.

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You answered your own question.

Everyone has their own opinion of whether it's worth it or not. I find SDM to be one of the best points programs out there. I do not buy much of anything unless it's on sale or I really really need it.

Collecting points can be easy if you have the time to sit down and figure out what is the best approach.

SDM generally always has 20X points weekends, or 18,500 points weekends and personal email coupons that give you 20x points so earning points can be easy if you plan your shop.

As for not getting emails from SDM - log into your account online and update your profile. Even if it's correct make sure you change something like Street to St. or Ave to Avenue. Then make sure you click the box that asks if you would like electronic communications. That should kick start the emails again.

As mentioned above, SDM has one of the best points offers out there, and their customer service is unbelievable..( I have never had a problem if I didn't get pts etc I make a phone call and they adjust my pts).. It does take time at first but once you know how to work the sales, coupons, promotions you will definitely love SDM like most of us.. Today I went and got Tide for .99 cents and Nivea Vital anti age concentrate for $3.00..reg.$21.99!!

I collected points for 4 years & did 3 or 4 redemptions, but because I am seeing so few items with bonus points in the flyers, I wondered if the program had gone down hill. Shopping on a 20x event or similar was great BUT the items with bonus points really helped. With there being a lot less of those, it's going to take longer to get the same amount of points that I could get a year or so ago, so I simply wondered if maybe other things had changed as well...what the general consensus was for the program. A year or so ago a lot of people were claiming they were not going to try to earn points any more, so I wondered if that was continuing.

We shop there weekly usually - but not for much. Just for specials.
It's been just ages since I did a bonus points shop - never spend at the $50 mark even.

So just slowly, they add up.
Actually, we wiped out two years' savings of points this past spring when we had no income for two months - just bought whatever house and food items we could with points there.
In that case, it was amazeballs! :)

For me it's definitely worth the points. I rarely buy full price items (And if I do it's usually for my parents who don't care what the price is) - but it's easier for me to earn points because my DM and I combine shops, making it easy to reach $50 spend minimums, etc.
We shop there about once a week - sometimes we don't spend very much. But I find their sale prices to be quite reasonable, and groceries we usually buy anyway go on sale quiet often (like eggs and yogurt). And of course this year they have offered a lot of points for free just for updating your profile - not to mention all the points I've earned through their coupons.

But for me, those points mean a whole lot. In the last 3 years I have gotten: 1 Nexus 7 tablet, 1 Acer Iconia tablet, 2 HP laptops, 1 Sony eReader, 2 new release video games (At $60 each), $100 in stocking stuffers, a wireless printer, a $90 beauty redemption, and a few other things - all costing me just the tax. I NEVER would have been able to just go out and buy these things, even if they were on sale.

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Originally Posted by luckbealady

For me it's definitely worth the points. I rarely buy full price items (And if I do it's usually for my parents who don't care what the price is) - but it's easier for me to earn points because my DM and I combine shops, making it easy to reach $50 spend minimums, etc.
We shop there about once a week - sometimes we don't spend very much. But I find their sale prices to be quite reasonable, and groceries we usually buy anyway go on sale quiet often (like eggs and yogurt). And of course this year they have offered a lot of points for free just for updating your profile - not to mention all the points I've earned through their coupons.

But for me, those points mean a whole lot. In the last 3 years I have gotten: 1 Nexus 7 tablet, 1 Acer Iconia tablet, 2 HP laptops, 1 Sony eReader, 2 new release video games (At $60 each), $100 in stocking stuffers, a wireless printer, a $90 beauty redemption, and a few other things - all costing me just the tax. I NEVER would have been able to just go out and buy these things, even if they were on sale.

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wow. You are a very smart shopper's shopper. :)

It is worth the points to me. I collect all the points for buying things for my family and then I splurge all the points and buy Chanel products. Chanel lippys are $45 each. I would not get luxury makeup on a regular basis without all the points. LOL

I only shop there during 20x or 18,500 WUS $75 events and try to use as many coupons as possible. ~ so for me it is worth it as I will do a redemption or two around Christmas and it helps out a lot.

I think IMO that they are targeting personalized offers now more than offering bonus points on certain items.

perhaps you are seeing less in-flyer points promotions because they are pushing their email offers more? often i'll see on the front page of the flyer some kind of advertisement for signing up for email offers. the emails I get are quite good and I usually use at least one offer a week. just a couple weeks ago I was able to pick up a box of cereal for 49 cents thanks to an email coupon- not bonus points but still good!

I think its still worth it to collect points, especially if you sign up for emails

I'm extremely careful with my money and shop at SDM weekly. I do a big must have once a month on either 20x or 18,500 and use personalized coupons the rest of the month. Bonus points, buying incentives, contests, coupons and more are in several different areas for example SDM flyer, SDM website, local newspapers, mail, email, Glow magazine, third party advertisements, facebook etc.
Many have stated they have used SDM coupons at both Walmart and Target so updating profile and printing coupons can still bring savings.

I won't stop collecting SDM points. Just like the above posters I wait for sales, 20x days, bonus offers & coupons. I may not even shop there for a month or two but it all adds up as I have 139,048 points waiting for a Christmas redemption.

I think it all depends on how you use the program. I have never reached the highest level to redeem and probably never will. But if they have something on sale or I have a personal offer what we need I go for it. The way I see it every little bit helps. Now would I ever buy my make up there, heck no not when Wal-Mart is $3 to $5 cheaper for that I am willing to forgo the points. But the way I see it like any other points program if you are the cheapest on an item I need and I will earn points yeah me, if it will cost me more to get points than I will choose the cheaper out of pocket cost.