Marketing Managment

FAM-RHF.131

Supermarket Savvy

You might not be aware of it, but each time you visit a supermarket you are being influenced by a variety of

sales techniques. Effective sales techniques make good sense for supermarkets but, for many consumers, it can

mean returning home with unplanned purchases. Understanding how supermarkets influence your purchasing

decisions can help you become a more informed shopper and save you money.

Loyalty Cards

In the last few years, many supermarket chains

have required their customers to get

special loyalty cards to receive sale

prices on certain items. As part of

the sign-up process for these loyalty

cards, most supermarkets ask

consumers for personal information,

including name, address, phone number,

and Social Security number.

There is no reason why a supermarket needs your Social

Security number to offer you a loyalty card. Many

supermarkets do not require it. If you are concerned about

identity theft, you can decide to leave this line blank on the

application, as well as the line requiring a credit card

number. If the store clerk says it is necessary to fill in these

lines, ask to talk to the store manager. In today’s

competitive climate, the desire to please loyal customers,

combined with the very real increase in identity theft, will

convince most store managers to honor your request. Many

small towns and rural areas have only one supermarket;

by requiring private information from their patrons to

receive sale prices, shoppers are forced either to divulge the

information, forego store discounts on advertised specials,

or drive extra miles to a different store.

In supermarkets’ advertising campaigns, loyalty

cards are presented as a way of rewarding loyal

customers with special sale prices, not only in the

store but also through the store’s mail coupons.

Why have supermarkets gone to loyalty cards? The

answer is that they want to monitor your buying

habits in order to increase profits. A study...