As I hardly ever buy books at local stores [preferring to read free ebooks on the net] I did not previously know that bookstores also have reward programs. This could come in Handy should I desire to buy books regularly so I'd like to hear from those who've done this before. If I sign up for such rewards, should I expect discounts or freebies of sorts?
The last time I did, it was at Borders. The news media announced that some stores would be closing but I asked the clerk if there were going to be anymore closings. He said no and I got a coffeetable book that was on the clearance table for "free". Of course, the stores were going away for good in my area! I joined the free teacher's program at Barnes and Noble a few years before but had little use for it.
Don't do it unless you're a college student. I use the Barnes and Noble rewards program/membership, and I suppose it's worth the fee. The thing is that I end up renting most, if not all of my textbooks at this point. The membership does come in handy as I end up gifting people books for the holidays and birthdays.
Yes, if you sign up you are likely going to be given discounts on their products and some freebies. Mine goes like this, every time I buy, I am given a point depending on how much I spend on buying. When I have accumulated enough points, I can claim a product worth the points I've accumulated. Sometimes, I am given discounts.
Yes, I have been a member of a few bookstore rewards program. My first program was for Waldenbooks. It was free to join. I received $10 for every $100 I spent. I was a voracious reader. Even if I had paid to join, I would have made my money back many times over. It was rolled over into the Borders Books program which went out of business nearly two years ago. The only remaining bookstore chain left in my area is Barnes and Noble, but I haven't joined the program.
I used to be part of the Borders rewards program when it was still around, and it was well worth it. But at the time, I was buying a lot of books at a time and buying much more frequently then I do now. I joined the Books-A-Million/BAM! rewards program, and I've only been in there twice in the past three years, so it really wasn't worth it. I found out on the second trip that my rewards card had expired, and since I pretty much never go in anymore (The store is an hour away from me) I decided not to renew it. The poor cashier tried so hard to get me to renew it, but I just gently told him "No" every time. (I say "poor cashier" because of lot of chain stores make their employees had a certain daily quota of cards that have to get people to sign up for). Not a bookstore, but I used to be part of Acme's rewards program, but they recently got rid of it entirely, so I guess there's not point to it anymore. /shrugs/
I do sign up for one program from one library, but that is just because when I went to buy something at their electronic department they claimed people with their rewards card had a discount. So I made the card just for the discount.... I don't buy books anymore, I only read them as ebooks, so I don't see an advantage to having a bookstore rewards card anymore!
