These promotions are organized by virtually all supermarket chains. The principle is simple. Every time you make a purchase, you get a certain number of points. Then you can choose a gift with a substantial discount. Sounds tempting, but of course there is a catch.
It is easy to see who these promotions are targeting by looking at the types of gifts. They are usually stuffed animals, books, glasses, etc. based on characters popular with children, such as Disney, for example. This is because parents rarely refuse anything for their children, and stores naturally take advantage of this.
Let\’s also look at the price of these gifts. There is always the option of buying without points, but at a small discount of half a point, the price becomes very prohibitive. This, of course, forces parents to collect points, i.e., buy them, because “after all, they won\’t pay that much for a stuffed animal.”
Such campaigns are usually limited. Yes, points can be collected at any time, but if a child wants a particular toy, the necessary points must be collected quickly. Also, you usually cannot move from one action to another, so you have to start from the beginning. And even if they are able to collect the points, they must pray that the toy is still in the store.
The price per point is usually quite high, around 250 CZK, so you will need to spend at least 7,500 CZK to earn 30 points. These promotions usually do not last long and the quantity of toys is limited, so they need to be collected as quickly as possible.
These promotions are usually accompanied by prominent advertisements on TV and radio, also aimed primarily at children. The goal is to arouse interest in the toy in question and thereby at least get the parents to try to collect the points. The ads are, of course, accompanied by slogans such as “Collect them all!” accompanied by a slogan such as “Collect them all! Usually a set contains around five toys, so if parents want to collect enough points they have to spend at least 37 500 kroner at a chain store.
Now, consider this. The price of a toy without points is usually around SEK 500. This means that you would pay 2,500 kroner for 5 toys. With points, you would pay 37,500 crowns plus 100 crowns per toy. Total 38,000 crowns. Yes, you can earn points by buying the products you need. But do you really need nearly 40,000 crowns a month or two in a store that sells mostly groceries?
After all, one has to ask, if you want to please your kids, wouldn\’t it be better to buy those toys separately without points and save the rest of your money or invest it in other things? And will my child still be playing with these toys a couple of months from now, when they are no longer advertised on TV? Or will they be gathering dust in their rooms? If so, it\’s because there are plenty of cheaper stuffed toys that serve a similar purpose.
