Originally Posted by
super807
Part of the reason I am concerned about loss of value compared to current Optimum program is that they are increasing the points value awarded per $ spent. Will be 15 pts instead of current 10.
When has a business ever given us something good completely for free? The extra point value per $ spent is likely because with the plan they have moving forward, somewhere there has been recognition that there is a loss for Optimum collectors. The extra points are to compensate for something.
Yes, there are some good points. Being able to redeem up to $500 in one transaction, in increments of $10 is fabulous. Would have loved this when purchasing electronics that cost more than the max redemption level. And if you only have $50 worth of stuff you want to redeem for, you don't have to search for an extra $10 worth of stuff to not lose points.
But I've had fabulous value from the Optimum program. At one point, I was tracking all my purchases, and I was getting 68% of what I spent back in points. That has probably gone down to around 50% now, but that is still unmatched by any other loyalty program I am likely to ever encounter. I buy things that are on sale (or items that never go on sale but I need, or that are only available at SDM), both to earn, and to redeem points. I've earned so many points on milk, eggs and bread, paying the same or less than I would at the grocery store.
I like the PC plus program, but the amount of points I earn there is not high. I hate that in the past two years they have changed so many of their offers to be x pts on every $2, or $3, or $4 or $10 you spend on that product. Bread on sale for $2.78? Well then, out of luck on getting any points on it, cause offer is for every $3 spent. We are only 2 at home. I only buy one loaf of bread at a time. For me, the Optimum program has been more valuable than the PC program. For some people, it's the other way around and they will benefit from this merger.
Ultimately, it's their company and they can do what they want. They don't have to offer a loyalty program at all, but they certainly get a lot of value out of offering one - not only do some shoppers buy certain items because of offers, but more importantly, they have sooooo much data about how we shop. That data is worth way more than the $ value their customers get to save through the program. I won't stop shopping there, as I was already buying my groceries at YIG and RCSS before that, and SDM is so convenient for me, and the staff at my SDM are wonderful.