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It's Worth It If... Well, I'm Not Really Sure
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Restoration Hardware has a loyalty program like your grocery and countless other retailers. But they're in a small but growing segment of retailers who are charging customers for their loyalty programs. Barnes and Noble's done that for years, but it seems like everyone is pointing at Amazon Prime as the leader. Yet Amazon Prime provides more than a loyalty service: It basically pays for a year's worth of shipping, expedites stuff to the extent that you can get a lot of stuff delivered the same day for free, AND throws in a streaming video service on top of that. What do you get from Restoration Hardware? A small discount and... not even free shipping? I've never bothered to pay for Barnes and Noble's service, either, because it seems pointless to pay someone for a 10% discount that isn't even as good as Amazon's regular prices. And if, say, Ralphs or Vons (our grocery chains) decided to make us pay for their club cards, I'd shop somewhere else. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
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