As we approach the end of the year, you may find
announcements in your email saying, “Don’t lose your Status.” Or “Only $125 more to keep your Reward Level.”
Many of us have accrued a special status with a store by purchasing a certain amount there. One hundred dollars spent in one year gets us Tier One status with a birthday gift and early sale
announcements. Two hundred dollars may net us Tier Two—the same, plus free shipping. And so on.
I am probably not the only one who feels the urge to keep an earned tier. But do I need
it enough to spend another $125 or so before the end of the year?
Let’s use an example. Perhaps you get a notice from a beauty site where you like to shop. You have been at the second tier for a long time. You get a birthday gift and free shipping. The price of shipping may be worth it, especially
if you prefer to buy online.
Perhaps they have a sale with ten percent off sitewide. You check your beauty supplies and see what you are running low on. Maybe it is your favorite
moisturizer and mascara.
You need to spend $150 to maintain your Tier Two status. You could buy a large jar of moisturizer, three tubes of that mascara, and about $30 of something else, and
you will meet that tier goal while saving ten percent.
But what if you went to the website of your moisturizer, and they have a 30% off sale and free shipping? Then you look at the site of your favorite mascara, and they have a BOGO (buy one, get one) sale with $5 flat rate shipping. No need to buy
anything extra.
This is not an easy decision. Maybe free shipping on any purchase is what is most important. And it is convenient to shop at one site. But you may save more using several different sites with better sale offers.
So before you hurry and spend enough to keep that “Preferred Shopper” status, look around (and consider your current budget) to be sure it is still genuinely worth it.
