WSJ: Supermarket Discount Cards Don't Create Savings
The Wall Street Journal reports that supermarket discount cards do not give consumers savings over grocery stores that do not have loyalty card programs. In a study involving five grocery stores in different U.S. cities, the authors found that stores without loyalty cards were cheaper. The cards create a windfall for grocery stores because approximately 10% of shoppers don't use them, and those who use the cards enjoy the same savings that existed before the loyalty programs began.
CRANKY CONSUMER, The Discount Grocery Cards That Don't Save You Money, Wall Street Journal, January 21, 2003 (subscription required).
Food Chains Pay a Price for Discount Cards, Salt Lake Tribune, July 23, 2002.
