by Dawn Hawkins

Created on: March 16, 2010

Grocery store discount cards are those little things that you hang on your key chain that give you the savings the store advertises. Some people refuse to get these cards even though they will save a lot of money by using them. There are pros and cons to using grocery discount cards that you should be aware of. It will help you make a wise decision about whether you should get one or not.

Here are the pros and cons of a grocery discount card:

Pros

Great Savings

The main item that is considered the number one reason that people obtain a grocery store savings card is to get the sale price that is advertised by the grocery store. If you don't have the card, you don't get the savings. You should be aware that if you don't have a card, you can still get the savings if you ask the cashier to put in the store card number. They don't like to tell you that you can do that because they prefer that you get the card in order to get the savings.

Free Turkeys

Free turkeys is a good reason to have a grocery discount card. It isn't just the free turkeys at Thanksgiving time though. Most grocery stores will run a points program that allows you to get free items throughout the year. You have to spend enough money to get the free items though. You will get points for each purchase you make. It depends on the dollar amount that you spend as to how many points you receive. When you have accumulated enough points, you get the free item or a discount on particular items that you purchase.

Coupons

When you use your grocery discount card, you may get coupons good towards you next purchases. These coupons are printed based on your buying history with the store. It tracks your buying habits and prints out coupons based on your likes and dislikes that you can bring in the next time you shop.

Cons

Forgetting the Card

If you are someone who has not put the card on your keychain, chances are that you will forget to bring it with you sometimes when you shop. That means that if there is a point program, you will lose the points for that purchase. You will also have to go through the speech about why you should have your card with you when you shop before they will key in the store card number. It can be a big hassle and therefore you decide to forgo the savings.

Personal Information

In order to get a grocery store discount card, you have give your personal information. The very least required for the store card is that you give your name and address. The information can get very specific. The information is then put into the grocery stores computer system and your information will be tracked. This is a good thing in some ways, but it also gives the grocery store too much personal information that they truly don't need. You will begin to get advertisements in the mail, which some people may like but that means more junk mail in your mail box each week.

These are the pros and cons of grocery store discount cards. These cards are great for savings but not so great for your privacy. It depends on which one is more important to you as to whether you get a grocery discount card or not.

Learn more about this author, Dawn Hawkins.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.