Good Sales Gimmick or Harassment?

Teri Ann Renee Paisley, Gleaner Online Writer

I love the idea of forming good relationships between consumers and retailers. It is important that consumers feel as if their business is valued as they will be more inclined to visit stores when they are remembered and given special attention.

In this strained financial environment, keeping your customers is a definitely a plus for retailers. Retailers are using every method to increase customer traffic such as by giving discounts to make them feel as if their patronage is being rewarded.

Often the retailer might ask for contact information from their customers such as their phone number and email address. This information is used to contact customers about specials, offer them a reduced rate when they shop at that store or offer membership in a V.I.P. club.

There is however a slight line between being informed of sales and being flooded by constant calls and emails from proprietors about sales promotions at their stores.
The calls can become intrusive if they are received too often within a short time. If you are trying to stay on a tight budget it can be challenging to hear of sales that you can not afford to support.

That is not to say there are no advantages to being the first to hear of a sale! I recently received a call from a store that was advertising up to 70% off their ticketed price. I had not passed by the store recently or seen any promotions in print so without the call I would not have been aware of the promotion.

If you are a trendsetter and want to wear the latest fashions, then having emails sent to alert you of new shipments to your favourite store would eliminate the inconvenience of having to call the store at regular intervals.

So should you give your contact details to retailers?

If you value your privacy and are cautious about giving out personal information there are options to consider.

You could set up an email account that you only use for stores you wish to communicate with instead of giving them your personal email.
If you are uncomfortable with giving out your phone number, you can politely ask the store to communicate with you by email.

Just a note to remember though is that some stores require more than just an email address in order to enroll you in their VIP club.
Members of the VIP club would enjoy more benefits than a regular customer. For example one popular book store gives customers who are members in their VIP club, a 10% discount on any purchase in the store.

Do you give stores your contact information? Let me hear from you!

Tags: consumer, sales