How well do you know your stores?

What about their points cards and reward programs? 

How many stores do you have represented in your purse? 
How many do you actually use to your advantage? 
Do you make a conscious decision to shop where you get points or shopping rewards? 

Until a few months ago, the only card,  I really paid attention to was my Airmiles - it meant free movies for us, that was about all. That is changing BIG Time. . .

In my wallet I have:

Airmiles (used mostly at Safeway, Boston Pizza and for gas at Shell)
Safeway club card
Save-on-More card
M & M Meats Max (used occasionally, mostly special occasions for Butter Cream Brownies -OH MY so good but oh so not good for the waist line)
Shoppers Optimum  (until recently only regularly shopped there for prescriptions - that is changing)
Petro Points (Petro Canada Gas)
Scene it (movies)
Starbucks (if you register your card, you get a free drink on your birthday, along with other perks)

There are so many of them out there I doubt that any one person could have them all, but then again maybe some do, I am not one of them. 

Today I want to focus on the Shoppers Optimum card -. This is a card I have carried and used here and there for years but certainly not to it's full potential.

Shoppers Drug Mart is where we have the bulk of our prescriptions filled. It was close to the girls pediatrician when they were young, it is on the way to many of our 'regular' activities and Royd's work.  Very convenient. Yup, I had a card, I knew it gave you points, I think I used them once, I never really thougth much about it, if I had my card, great! If not.. oh well.  It took me  a LONG time to amass the 8000 points it took to get the $10. savings.  
That was until recently, when a friend was talking about all the free stuff she was getting from Shoppers... (thanks Colleen) and told me to take a deeper look at how their points work.  I went from just about 6,000 points to over 12,000 in a months time.  It took me years to get the first 6 000.  

As a starting point you receive 10 points for every dollar spent, &  you have to have 8000 points before you can cash in and get your $10.00 savings.  You can see how it would take a while to add up.

I have discovered that all it takes is a little planning, watching their sales fliers, and logging into their optimum offers  web page, to see the points begin to pile up.  There are often 20X points events, and weekly there are bonus offers when you buy certain products.  You just have to keep your eyes open.  A few months back I literally had no clue, now I am cluing in.

There are a few no brainers....
I go through 2 - 4l jugs of milk a week  at 4.99 x2 that is 100 points a week, (5200 points per year)
eggs at 2.29 per dozen = 230 points every two weeks or so.   (5980 points per year)
Shoppers is located next to both of our "quick go get milk" grocery stores so it is not out of the way.  Just a conscious choice.

There is a points bonus on now when you spend $75 on almost anything in the store you receive 18, 500 points (that is approx $20) I have a birthday gift to buy this week, I will be taking advantage of this bonus.

Milk is 4.29 (this week, milk prices seem to fluctuate almost as much as gas recently),

Here is one scenario:
Enter store and purchase
1 10.00 gift card receive  100 points
1 50.00 gift card receive  500 points
1 25.00 gift card receive  250 points
      For a total of             850 points. 

This is before I actually start to shop - I have already earned 850 points.  This is money that I KNOW I was going to be spending today.  I will then use the gift cards to cover the purchases for the bonus points as well.

I will use the $10 card to purchase a tooth brush, milk and one U by kotex product
3.99 toothbrush = 39 points plus coupon for 3000 bonus then I have a 1.00 off coupon as well. 2.99 cost.
4.29 milk = 42 points
4.99 U product = 49 points plus a bonus of 1200 per product  (1.50 coupon) 3.49 cost
11.47 +tax   total points 4330

I am planning on purchasing a birthday gift that is just over the $75.00 mark.  So that will be a BONUS of 18,500 points.  on top of the regular 750.  For  a total of  19520

for a whopping grand total of 24,700points in one day! 

Now I just have to show a little self restraint and wait for the double points redemption day!