OPINION: Enough with the cards!

“What ever happened to simple shopping?” I began asking. “And simple sales, and simple discounts. Why must I carry all these dang cards?”

Then Walgreens came to town. “At last!” I said. “A company with some sense. I bet they’ll do well here.” Now, I regret to announce, Walgreens has cards, too. They’ve just introduced them, and I have refused to get one. I figure you have to draw the line somewhere, finally.

I realize that we are faced with worse problems in life — but in a way that’s the whole point, isn’t it? The companies that sell us the merchandise we need are supposed to be making our lives easier, not harder. But right now the shoe’s on the other foot, and I would argue that it’s making us all limp, partly just because of the weight of all that plastic we’re carrying around. Lately I’ve been musing about whether the money I supposedly save would be enough to provide a salary for someone who could go everywhere with me and carry my cards.

According to The Economist, Britain’s premier weekly news magazine, we are actually carrying spies in our wallets! Those so-called rewards cards, or loyalty cards, aren’t doing much for us, but they’re giving the merchants a boat-load of information about us — information they can store, use, or even share. “The real value-added is the data” they gain, says the company that runs one of these card programs. I believe that they could get that same information in other, far less intrusive ways. Besides, as it is now they’re discriminating against anyone who won’t join their “loyalty clubs.” Why is this even legal?

The good news is that you won’t be asked for a special card when you shop at Jay’s — where the “cousin prices” are for everyone, and if they know your size, or your preference in clothing, it’s because they remember you. The same is true at Commerce Drug, Giftworks, Mary’s Fashion Corner, Sanders Furniture, Quality Foods, and many more Commerce stores. So I say lighten up — shop locally, vote with your (lighter) wallet, and let’s hope it catches on.

Susan Harper is retired, lives in Commerce and volunteers with the Commerce Public Library and the Jackson County Literacy Program.