My new Rewards Program

Today I went to Barnes & Nobles for the first time. I had visited their website before, so a coupon for 20% off a new release DVD was already clipped and ready to go for a Christmas gift purchase.

When I arrived, there were an abundance of great gift ideas for both the men and women on my Christmas list, as well as lil ones! Being the bargain shopper that I am striving to be....I asked an employee if they had a rewards program (similar to Borders, I was hoping). Alas, they did!

"Bummer", I thought as the employee explained the annual fee of $25. However, after reviewing the terms and conditions, it wasn't such a bad deal. (Free would have been better, but let me explain).

Here is a summary of my purchases.
Rewards card - $25.00

Rewards savings summary:
$6.00 savings on book #1
$1.44 savings on book #2
$2.30 savings on DVD
$.62 savings on coffee at the cafe (yes, you even get 10% off coffee & cheesecake!)

$10.36 savings on my first day with the rewards program.

Another great perk is that you can have them pull up the rewards card # by the phone # you listed, when you applied. So, I gave my Mom that info and she has also used the discount on a new release book which saved her an extra 20%.

One more thing I liked, is that they sell Vera Bradley, which I love. I was told (although I haven't tried it yet) that I will get 10% those items too!

I only need 1.5 more trips similar today to earn back my rewards cost and I intend to make the best of over the next 364 days of my rewards card!

PS - You also get $50 in welcome bonus savings via email.