Canada’s oldest grocery store loyalty program is ending, and a Comox Valley man is questioning the value of his points after they were moved to another program.
James Hunchuk has been collecting points at Quality Foods for nearly a decade, but recently learned he needed to convert more than 700,000 points to Save-On-More Rewards. This switch left him with just 37,000 points. He says something doesn’t fit.
“I think they have a different points system, but I’d like to know how we’re getting value when we’re losing this much,” Hanczak said.
Q Card was Canada’s first grocery store loyalty program. The company, which has 13 stores on Vancouver Island, was acquired in 2017 by the Pattison Group, which owns Save-on-Foods.
Quality Foods announces changes to its loyalty program More rewards Save administrative costs and offer more benefit options to your customers.
“We haven’t been able to take advantage of some of the third-party gift card programs, hotels, and travel. This not only allows our customers to earn money in more places, but it also allows them to earn money in more places than just food. They can redeem it for merchandise,” said Justin Schley, vice president of Quality Foods.
But comparing loyalty programs isn’t like comparing apples to apples. Quality Foods says it has determined that the 22-to-1 conversion rate is fair because of the purchasing power of More Rewards points, but the company says it has determined that the conversion rate of 20 QF points to 1 More Rewards points is fair when switching. It states that it has decided to use the Rewards conversion rate.
“The biggest goal we had was to make sure consumers were getting the same or better value, and points matter to people, they matter to shoppers, and they matter to me. “Because we want to make sure our customers get all the benefits,” Schley said.
But the true value of most points and rewards programs is difficult to pinpoint, so shoppers should be wary of them in general, especially as grocery prices soar, says one finance professor. Says.
“My biggest concern is that people are confused about the true value of what they’re getting. They buy things they didn’t particularly want or need just because they have a point benefit. and as a result, you’re not getting much value for your money,” said Dr. Charles Schell, a finance professor at Vancouver Island University.
Hunchak says she still feels confused and deceived.
“Nobody really trusts us right now. It’s a difficult time, especially with record profits,” Hunchak said.
With the changes to QF points, his loyalty has changed and he may shop elsewhere in the future.
Quality Foods says it remains a family-owned business operating independently of the Pattison Group and will continue to do the right thing for its customers.
In 2021, Quality Foods made permanent changes to additional pay for employees due to the pandemic.
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