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Hit 1,000 loyalty points at my local gas station and it broke my brain
I buy the same cheap coffee there every morning. $1.87 with a splash of milk. Never thought about it. Then the cashier goes "congrats you hit 1,000 points yesterday." I was like for what? Just buying gas and coffee for like 3 years straight. That's probably $600 worth of bad coffee. Now I'm stuck because the rewards are tiny but I can't leave the streak. Has anyone else hit a dumb milestone that kept you locked into a brand?
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claire_walker1mo ago
The Subway thing @adam_thompson53 mentioned is exactly it. I think loyalty programs are just a way to trick our brains into staying loyal even when the reward is basically nothing. Like my coffee is $1.87 and I could get a better one anywhere else for the same price, but now that point number is sitting there it feels wrong to leave. Its the same reason I still use the same weird rewards card from a grocery store I moved away from two years ago. The tiny milestones make you feel like you're building something when really you're just spending money.
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adam_thompson532mo ago
Man I felt this in my bones. I had 847 Subway sandwich stamps saved up from college because I walked past one every day and got the $5 footlong. The manager actually knew my order by heart. When I finally redeemed them for a free sub I realized I had spent over four grand there and the free sub was like $8. It was this weird moment where I felt proud of the loyalty but also deeply disappointed in myself. Now I still go there but just out of habit and the cashier gives me a weird look like he knows I'm trapped. Congrats on the 1,000 points though that's seriously impressive even if it's kind of sad.
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