Customer loyalty programs

Everyone has a customer loyalty program these days, encouraging you to earn points in exchange for allowing them to track exactly what you buy, and when you buy it, and to get you to use them exclusively.

However, I would like to single out a few I have noticed these days that are not worth it: Edgars used to have a Cash Card, which gave you R50 back for every R700 you spent, which was a very respectable 7% discount, and made me buy things from them I normally would have bought elsewhere (like an Xbox from CNA, rather than Game - same price, but 7% discount!).  This has now been replaced with a Thank U card, which works out to less than 1% discount.  No thanks, I'll shop somewhere else then.

Similarly, Exclusive Books has a Fanatics card that rewards you with about 2% (after they charged you 20% more than Kalahari.com for the physical book and 200% more than Amazon.com for the ebook).  No thanks.

Woolworths has the right idea though - 10% (I have seen 20% on some items) discount on specific items, deducted immediately at the till point!  No fuss, no waiting for vouchers, and I know exactly what I am in for!