Cheapskates

I seem even easier to rile than usual at the moment. The latest irritation comes from my friends at Dymocks. I really like the local franchise store and its staff but I guess the chain management is just like big business anywhere.

I received a new Dymocks card in the mail last night. The envelope had a bunch of enclosed material trumpeting how amazing their new loyalty scheme is to be. But if you look at the fine print, what you see is that the effective loyalty earning rate has dropped from $7 benefit per $100 spend down to $5 benefit per $100 spend. It isn't as if it is replacing a clunky old card stamp system either - the existing scheme is a rather smart one in terms of its flexibility and customer information.

Harrumph.

Paint on a smile

I have been more than usually grouchy lately, so it is important when I have a positive experience that I record it.

I got a new pair of glasses today. I don't like wearing glasses - I prefer wearing contacts whenever possible - more comfortable and convenient. But I do need to give my eyes a rest from the contacts occasionally. My eyes are not that bad so I often go around the house without enhancement, but I need to occasionally wear glasses. Despite the infrequent wear, my old ones were coming apart but I didn't want to pay the huge cost of new ones.

The positive experience came when I ordered glasses from 39dollarglasses. The site was easy to use and let me match to exactly what I needed. The glasses have arrived quickly and are exactly what I require at a quarter the cost of getting them locally. Happiness.