This is a very simple idea from a very simple man!
Most of us carry around “loyalty” cards for various shops and garages. Well yesterday I went to fill up at a Salisbury’s garage (£60), and when I was asked if I had a loyalty card I had to say “no”.
I thought of asking the mum behind me if she wanted to swipe her card to collect ”my” points rather than let them go to waste. But I could see confusion arising from that gesture of good will, so I kept quiet.
On the way home I was wondering just how many “points” go wasted like this. And I came up with a rather tidy solution.
Given that all stores have their favoured charity or charities of the year, why can’t the person on the till ask if rather than waste the points, we would like them instead to go towards their charities.
My guess is that there will be profit-based financial reasons why this isn’t being done already. But there would be good publicity for the first supermarket to do this, wouldn’t there. And perhaps once one does it, they all would follow suit, and charities up and down the UK would benefit as a result.
So readers, I have three questions:
- Is this a barking mad idea?
- If not, how might the basic idea be improved, and
- Which store or supermarket might we approach first to see if they will bite?
1. Brilliant idea
2. Some stores have local charities, some presumably have national charities. Why not engage with the chains so it’s the little non-government-funded locals that win out? Hospices, air ambulances, that sort of thing. The local charities apply to the store for consideration by a deadline, the store ballots its customers over a 2 week period (staff member asks question at till?) and the local charity with the most votes wins the draw for the year. All accrued points get applied to the charity’s loyalty card. The following year, same procedure, new charity.
3. Tescos or Sainsburys. Both have wide coverage, and are building up “local” mini-supermarkets where people are more likely to emergency purchase without a loyalty card.
I think it’s a fab idea!!!! Love it!!!