Wednesday, January 5, 2011

All Clubbed Out

It seems like every institution wants you to join their frequent buyer club.  It is great marketing tool.  If they can suck you in to their system, they can keep plying you with offers that will continuously drive you to their store.  A few months back, I got introduced to the My Panera program.  So I now scan my little My Panera card every time I go in (which is frequent – remember this post?)  First few times you go in, you are greeted with “Mr. Quigg, you have a dollar off your coffee” or “Mr. Quigg, you have earned a free pastry this time”.  I certainly found myself using any excuse to go into Panera and use my newfound prestige. 

However, frequent buyer clubs have gone too far.  I was on my way home from work one evening this week and I knew I was on my own for dinner because Debsue was knitting that evening. I should have just gone home but I had a hankering for junk food (a too frequent occurrence) so after I pumped gas, I went into the gas convenient store and got a few slices of greasy pepperoni pizza.  The attendant asked me if I wanted a frequent pizza buyers card.  You can’t be serious, I asked.  If I get a frequent pizza buyer card from a BP gas store, either something is wrong with me or I need to seriously think about my life choices.  I mean this is a once in a lifetime experience – I may never buy pizza from a gas place twice in my life, let alone be a frequent connoisseur.  People pump gas, then put their hands on those things (including me). 

I maintain my selectivity on how much “clubbing” I am going to do.  I do have my dignity you know.

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