Best Buy changing Rewards Program

[pinata242]

Originally Posted by reverie

If they really wanted to "go green", why not just have the RZ points show up on your account, so when you make a purchase it deducts the $5 from that, instead of you having to kill a tree to print it out yourself? (doesn't Borders do this?)

No shit! But, as previously pointed out, "going green" isn't the true goal here. It's just the facade they're using.

[dino88]

Originally Posted by pinata242

No shit! But, as previously pointed out, "going green" isn't the true goal here. It's just the facade they're using.

Just the notion of Best Buy going green is funny. We're talking about an electronics store that has 50 televisions powered on for 12hrs a day, 7days a week (multiplied by however many stores).

If everyone went green, Best Buy would go out of business.

[b2net]

I do agree that the expiration of points within a calendar year is crap. Of course it might be crap within a year from last use or within a year from last certificate. Any way you look at this, it is just a cost cutting measure by BB... They are looking at their bottom line just like everyone else.. and tightening the belt on spending... it just sucks cause in doing so, many of us will lose our $5 and not spend as much with them if we get peeved by it... so then their bottom line may suffer indirectly... you'd think they would consider that, but they probably think we will shop there anyway... as far as brick and morter, I ususally shop there with Price Match cause of these points.. maybe it is time to spread the spending around... maybe not.. depends on how worth it the extra $5 is to me..... hmmmm?

[Josh-da-man]

Originally Posted by reverie

If they really wanted to "go green", why not just have the RZ points show up on your account, so when you make a purchase it deducts the $5 from that, instead of you having to kill a tree to print it out yourself?

Because they're hoping you won't bother printing the certificate out, and they won't have to honor that $5 discount.

[Pizza]

Originally Posted by fujishig

The point, I thought, was to give a small incentive to customers to make purchases at Best Buy instead of other places, and to make it easier to track purchases from customers. Grocery stores have been doing it for years before Reward Zone came along, and I read yesterday an article on Kroger grocery stores doing well precisely because they were using the customer-gathered information to properly place items on sale.

Simply, the small incentive has gotten too small for me to bother.

As for grocery stores, their system isn't exactly the same. The customer doesn't receive the weekly discount prices unless they use the card. If BB did this, then I would be forced to use their card, too, when I made a purchase.

Originally Posted by Trevor

I don't get all the hate, companies have the right/duty to make a profit. Buy the item wherever it is cheapest and/or most convenient. If Best Buy meets your needs, the RZ program is just a bonus.

I buy about equal amounts from Amazon and Best Buy, wherever it is cheapest.

They certainly do have the right to make a profit. I'm saying they've ruined the RZ program for me. As an effect of this, they'll make less profit from me because I won't be making as much effort to purchase DVDs from them. If I'm the only one to do this then BB will be fine. If others feel the same way and their sales go down, then maybe BB will rethink the RZ card changes.

[Michael Corvin]

Originally Posted by reverie

If they really wanted to "go green", why not just have the RZ points show up on your account, so when you make a purchase it deducts the $5 from that, instead of you having to kill a tree to print it out yourself? (doesn't Borders do this?)

This is the ideal situation, kinda like a re-loadable gift card. Have them show up in my account when the clerk scans my RZ card and give me the option to use it that way without printing anything out from either party.

[PhantomStranger]

Every change here seems to be motivated by Best Buy wanting to reduce or eliminate costs to themselves. The reward program has become of increasingly marginal benefit since its inception and this move continues that trend. I am surprised they have not just eliminated it entirely now that Circuit City is gone. The current corporate management of Best Buy clearly does not want to compete on price with other retailers, so they have gone in another direction trying to capture the more gullible consumers. Good luck with that business model...

[DeepSleep]

Originally Posted by Michael Corvin

This is the ideal situation, kinda like a re-loadable gift card. Have them show up in my account when the clerk scans my RZ card and give me the option to use it that way without printing anything out from either party.

I was thinking of something similar to that.

When your RZ card is scanned, it hits the BB database and prints out the number of points you have accumulated on your receipt. The BB database knows how many points you have.

If you have enough points for at least a $5 RZ certificate, yes I agree that you should have the option of instantly applying those RZ dollars to your transaction.

This is very easy for BB to do at the point of sale. BB is slowly chipping away at the benefits of the RZ program and when the economy recovers I think they will do away with the current program and replace it with an even more skimpy rewards/loyal shopper program.

[dtcarson]

Yeah, there's absolutely no reason they couldn't do that. Lowe's Foods and Regal Cinemas do that exact thing. I got a "free" popcorn coupon printed out when we went to the movies on Father's Day because I had enough points.
Just like mail-in rebates, the main reason they do it like they do is to make it inconvenient enough that many people won't use their benefits.
The more inconvenient they make it, and the more they lower the benefits, the less it acts as a motivator for many (including me) to purchase there.

[pinata242]

Not that it matters, but the if that sort of system were implemented I would want the option of applying the coupon or not since I don't want to discount a purchase that would hurt me in getting bonus points for the next one.

For example the Gamers Club bonus points or if they (ever) have another 2x or 3x point promotion.

There'll always be something else to buy where the points not earned are 1:1 with the discount applied.

[Josh-da-man]

Originally Posted by PhantomStranger

I am surprised they have not just eliminated it entirely now that Circuit City is gone.

The whole point of the "Reward Zone" is program is that they want to be able to track the purchasing habits of individual consumers. The $5 for every $250 you spend is just the little bone they throw you in order to get you to use the card.

[Quake1028]

Originally Posted by dino88

I guess I'm just a little pissed bc I'll be leaving the country soon and probably won't be back until next year. I've got some points pending that will put me over the mark, including another 500 bonus points that haven't posted yet. I don't know if I'm going to get a chance to use these now.

Unless I'm misreading this, you wouldn't have been able to use them anyway. Don't certs expire after 90 or 120 days?

[hindolio]

imho, rewardzone is okay for what it is. was better before, but hey times change. who knows though - next year the offers might be better or it might be worse again.

that said, the bestbuy rewardzone credit card offers 1% of all purchases anywhere and 4% of all purchases from bestbuy toward rewardzone points. thats a nice plus

[jjcool]

For a free program, Reward Zone isnt bad. I think some people are asking a little too much of a free program.

[JB7]

I wish they never turned it into a free program. I liked it better when it was a pay to play program.

[pinata242]

Originally Posted by jjcool

For a free program, Reward Zone isnt bad. I think some people are asking a little too much of a free program.

Historically we've asked for less. At least according to Best Buy.

[GizmoDVD]

Any of you guys still get coupons? Been well over a year since any special RZ coupons have arrived in my snail mail.

[hindolio]

Originally Posted by GizmoDVD

Any of you guys still get coupons? Been well over a year since any special RZ coupons have arrived in my snail mail.

got one a couple of weeks ago, but im guessing that will end soon as they seem to be going paperless now.

[kayak99]

Originally Posted by waylonsmithers

If you buy the card at Best Buy, you get points when you purchase it but not when you use it. If you buy it at another store you get no points whatsoever.

My experience was different. I wanted a fridge on clearance so I went two blocks to a Giant Eagle, bought over $1K of BB gift cards there so I could get gas discounts (plus the points on my credit card), returned to BB & bought the fridge with the cards and received all the points for the amount spent on the fridge.

Three "rewards" plus the clearance made the deal decent and the wifey very happy!

[awil1026]

Originally Posted by GizmoDVD

Any of you guys still get coupons? Been well over a year since any special RZ coupons have arrived in my snail mail.

I just got some a few days ago.

[dino88]

Originally Posted by Quake1028

Unless I'm misreading this, you wouldn't have been able to use them anyway. Don't certs expire after 90 or 120 days?

No, before this rule change I could have used the points when I returned next year. Certificates expire, but points never have.

[ValeTudoChokeOu]

Speaking of changes within the program, did they stop offering free paper to RZ members when you buy a 2-pack of ink?

I bought a 2-pack in Feb or March and got the free paper...tried it last week and no dice (I'm a RZ Silver or Premium or whatever it's called). I called another store and they told me the same thing about it being discontinued.

Not a big deal, but kinda shitty they stop little perks like that. My friend joked that it was because CC closed down.

[Michael Corvin]

Originally Posted by JB7

I wish they never turned it into a free program. I liked it better when it was a pay to play program.

I'll take skimpy free rewards over a pay program any day. I hate fronting the money first and then climbing my way back to savings, because if you don't spend the minimum to break even you lose.

It's why I haven't pulled the trigger on the ECA deal for video games yet. It's $20 for a 10% discount, so you have to spend $200 before breaking even. That's why I find it funny that people ignore that initial cost when posting what a deal they got.

[GizmoDVD]

Originally Posted by Michael Corvin

I'll take skimpy free rewards over a pay program any day. I hate fronting the money first and then climbing my way back to savings, because if you don't spend the minimum to break even you lose.

It's why I haven't pulled the trigger on the ECA deal for video games yet. It's $20 for a 10% discount, so you have to spend $200 before breaking even. That's why I find it funny that people ignore that initial cost when posting what a deal they got.

But $200 is really 3 full-priced console games (well, almost). If you buy a full priced game each month you will make back your initial $10 within 3 months plus save $6 each month after. Yeah, the initial cost sucks, but if you know you only buy games from BB its well worth it.

[taco5]

Originally Posted by ValeTudoChokeOu

Not a big deal, but kinda shitty they stop little perks like that. My friend joked that it was because CC closed down.

It seems alot of things are going downhill since CC closed.