The Truth About Loyalty Programs
Why does your cashier become aggressive when you refuse to sign up?
A few years ago, I realized I was being asked to sign up for loyalty programs at every place I shopped. Places like Petco, PetSmart, and Sephora all had something to offer me if I signed up. They promised me a chance to save money, get exclusive coupons, and return things without a receipt. If I shopped there frequently, I would sign up, but whenever I declined to sign up, my cashier would ask me again. Sometimes even growing more aggressive than they’d been before.
At the time, I didn’t understand why my previously kind cashier had become pushy, stressed, and unhappy all at once. I thought they were earning a small commission or prize for getting people to sign up, but I was wrong. The truth is, I was putting my cashier’s job in danger without even knowing.
During the holiday season of 2020, I started a new job. It was the first place I’d ever worked that required me to ask guests to sign up for the loyalty program. I thought little of it until one of my managers pulled me aside and told me I needed to get my loyalty numbers up. The manager told me that if I didn’t get my numbers up, my hours would be cut, and I could face being written up or terminated. I also couldn’t enter fake phone numbers, because that was loyalty…
