When asked “Do you have an Everyday Rewards card?” at Safeway, what’s the quickest, most polite way of saying:
“Yes I do, it’s tucked inside my wallet somewhere, but I know full well that there’s no benefit to me if it’s scanned on a transaction less than $30. This one is only $15, so I don’t get a petrol discount, and I don’t get Frequent Flyer points, all I get is more data on my shopping habits going into the Woolworths Corporation database, and the more they know about my shopping habits, the more likely it is they’ll be able to direct highly targeted and irritating advertising at me, and I really don’t want that thanks very much. So I realise you’re only following your script, but to be quite honest, I
cancan’t be arsed getting it out, thanks very much.”
There’s no quick and polite way of saying that, so I think a little white lie isn’t out of the question, along the lines of “I don’t have it with me.”
(On the subject of Woolworths, one of my pics got used on the Cult Of Mac web site. Cool. Thanks for the tipoff, Damien.)
11 replies on “Quick and polite”
I don’t bother with loyalty cards any more, if I took every loyalty card offered to me (Priceline, Boost Juice, Muffin Break, Woolworths, Subway, Fly Buys etc) I would need another wallet to carry them all around in, not to mention having to shuffle through them all to find the one I needed, so I just don’t bother. I also find it doesn’t force me to go to any particular retailer. About the only loyalty program I’m in these days is Frequent Flyer and that’s only because I got enough points for a trip to Sydney when I went to New York last year. I’d love to know the stats on how many people actually get the reward the card promises.
This is normally correct. However, from time-to-time Woolworths run competitions (e.g. “You can win a car just be swiping your Rewards card”). Admittedly, Safeway haven’t run that type of competition recently.
“So I realise youโre only following your script, but to be quite honest, I can be arsed getting it out, thanks very much.โ
I am curious why there is no ” can’t ” in this sentence. Is this a new idiom ?
Not a new idiom, but a typo!
You could say (and I will try to remember to say): ‘No I don’t use it on transactions this small, thanks.’
I just politely say “no”.
I have heard english people use a can instead of a can’t there. I thought maybe it was taking over in Melbourne too. Like problems don’t get sorted out anymore.
I just press the Skip button… what, you don’t use the self-serve checkouts?
Cue rant about self serve checkouts, gosh darned kids on lawns, etc. ;)
I do use the self-server checkout, but it’s a royal pain. Every single time it complains about “unexpected weight” and I have to wait for a staff member to come and shut it up, and I need to wait for a staff member to check my signature at the end (DJ AmEx doesn’t support PIN).
Just be frank:
“Yeah, but don’t worry about it. I won’t get a petrol voucher out of this.”
I’m with Nathan (comment 1). I deliberately choose to not have loyalty cards. They (the retailers) are just trying to mess with your mind with those things, to get you to change your buying behaviour. I’m happy to forgo the “rewards” of a card for the reward of simplicity and not having my mind messed with.