I go ahead and get it, pay the bill off, and then cancel the card. Got 10% off my Sons PS2 back when they were hot and expensive that way.

But I have to agree with you otherwise. I only have 1 gas card, and I am about to get rid of that one. And NO store cards. At least not longer than a month!

I have to admit I got one once when I was buying wedding attire for the brides- & groomsmen, 'cause I ended up getting $50 pants for $21 what with all the sales and card savings. But I canceled it a month later...and got a cancellation fee. Blech.

Thanks for your comment.

-A.

You should tell someone at the store you aren't coming back because they pestered you about the credit card too much. Who knows, they might stop offering the card and just take 15% off everything for you Or more likely, fire the person that was talking to you instead

You should tell someone at the store you aren't coming back because they pestered you about the credit card too much. Who knows, they might stop offering the card and just take 15% off everything for you Or more likely, fire the person that was talking to you instead

Well, I have this friend who, at Starbucks, orders a "medium" latte. When they say, "Would you like to make that a grande for just 50 cents?" he answers, "No, actually, I'll take a small." He made a Starbucks worker cry.

In most stores, it's policy to ask the customer if they want the card. So I doubt the clerk would get fired. And I hate to be a rude customer and say, "Y'know what? Never mind. I don't want these purchases" but I've been sorely tempted a time or two. Hence the article.

-A.

My wife started working part time at one of those retail chains while she attends school. She hates that they make a big deal out of asking the customers about the card. Most of the cashiers hate asking. They used to have an incentive policy that stated every time they got an application, they got some kind of gift. For the first couple of weeks she was coming home with free stuff that ranged from free two liters of Coke to DVDs. But, the store realized that the policy wasn't really working. A lot of cashiers still wouldn't ask at all if they weren't being watched by the management. So, they scaled back the policy. Now every application is a ticket in the raffle and they pull one name out per shift. So on a day where you get a bunch of people to sign up, you could still get no incentive gift. And on days when nobody signs up, you get hassled for not working hard enough. My wife has seriously considered quitting for no other reason than this policy. She hates that she can do a good job on everything and still be judged as marginal or poor just because no one wants to sign up for the card.

At some chains, you are required to ask, and even have a quota to fill. I had one friend who did not meet her quota of credit card applications, so a bunch of us went shopping and got cards from her. They may have pestered you so much because they could get fired otherwise.

I had to suggest sales at a family resteraunt and store. I was a cashier and I had to pester these people to buy music or candy after their meal. Did I hate doing it? Heck yeah. Would I have been written up if I refused to sell? Yes again.

Remember... don't take it out on the salesperson or cashier. If you don't like the policy, take it up with the manager leaving the minimum wager's name out of it, though it is likely they have no choice in the matter either. The salesperson/cashier cannot change any policy. Don't be rude to them (not saying you were, just in general) and ask to speak to a manager.

Credit cards, discount cards, membership cards -- I just think they are all an excuse for them to spam your mailbox.

I usually just tell them I don't live nearby or I say I don't usually do my shopping in their store, that I was just passing by the area. They usually stop trying to pursuade me when I say that.

In addition to the annoying credit card offers, it irritates me that they ask for my home phone number or my zip code. I politely respond "no thank you" and it confuses the heck out of them!

Chiprj, sorry that your wife is in that situation. Sucky. Does it do any good for the workers to tell their managers that customers are irritated by being asked that? Probably not. Store managers probably don't have much of a say in the policy, anyway.

Elf, that's a fair point. I don't reflect it in my article, but I certainly wouldn't ever take out my frustration on the cashier, though every time they ask me for a card I'm tempted to ask for their manager. But then I'm still afriad it would reflect on the clerk, as if they were badgering me.

Raven, i think I've used those excuses, too (though in Hawaii for our honeymoon, we got the member card for whatever grocery chain it was, since it was cheaper than Safeway). Speaking of Safeway, most of my friends and I trade around our club cards, and you can even download a barcode online and stick it onto your existing Safeway card. I think the barcode belongs to some guy in Indiana or back there, who got tired of getting spammed for buying stuff.

Shades--I do that too! They ask for my zip code and I say, "No." Usually, they say "okay' but one of them said she couldn't complete the purchase without my zip so I gave a false one. But that's a bunch of crap. And I *never* give my phone number. Ugh.

-A.

one of them said she couldn't complete the purchase without my zip

I'm bitchy enough to say, "ok, then, I guess I will buy my stuff elsewhere."

I dislike asking about the phone number and zip. I usually say, "you don't have to give it if you don't want to" if I sense customers getting peeved.

I think it's unfair for upper management to write people up or fire them if they do not get people to sign up. It's not their fault to begin with. Retail is stressful enough without having to deal with losing your job for something so minor. I think companies should focus less on the cashier doing the job and have the advertising and public relations departments handle the load. The credit card or membership can get out there more with better promotion.