I would not welcome a return to a cash economy - it involves inefficiencies for the customers and the stores, too. But if stores would give users of debit cards a discount, I would use a debit card instead of my credit card. Debit is like cash, just as electrons instead of paper.
There is one problem with this. Most large retailers save more money with credit cards. It's very expensive to handle cash. You have registers, insurance, pick up from those big armored trucks and the cost of simply counting it. Credit cards save them a lot of money. I'm afraid only small businesses might benefit from a cash incentive program, and that won't be enough to have an impact. Not enough would participate.
I have read all the comments listed above and I equally agree with all of them - not including the "this is a scam" messages.
I first stumbled upon this website about a year ago, and I used to purchase the $25 gift certificates @ $10. As many are stating, there is a "fine print" if you will, but it is hardly that. It is simply a text in normal size print that clearly states the requirements for you to successfully "qualify" for using your Restaurant coupon at that respective website.
All restaurants have different requirements. This is where you have to be quite careful if you have a particular budget or spending range. For example, some nicer scaled restaurants might be on the website selling a $25 gift certificate for $10 (or $3 w/ the 70%), but you will have to spend a minimum of $100.
Others may only have a minimum spending of $35 or a minimum purchase of 2 entrees. In addition, most will not include alcohol for the discount, but it will be stated, and most state that an 18% gratuity is included on the total bill (before the discount is applied).
Responding to the gentlement who feels bad about using the coupons at the restaurants during tough economic times. Look at it this way (like the way the waiter who posted above has). You visit a restaurant you would in most cases, never would have visited. You spend $10 and tip accordingly for a meal you would have probably never encountered. That waiter can be thankful for a customer that if not present, leaves an employee with a few dollars left. Something is better than nothing?
Keep in mind, these restaurants are not in the business of losing money and are not to be in this website FOREVER. As somebody mentioned in another comment, this type of advertising is "perfect" advertising. There is no waisted slack. Your advertising paid for that customer to come in. It is not a waisted ad where maybe only a few people respond. As soon as enough traffic accumulates, and you and others now know this particular restaurant - provided that they provided good service and good food - you will go back regardless of the price. That is how it works.
There are quotas that are met on this website as well, and sometimes they may be on the site for a couple months out of the year. If you enjoyed your experience, they know they can continue to attract you at regular market prices.
From an economic standpoint, websites such as these that are teaming up with restaurants and retail stores are big economic stimulators. During a recession, you have to take any losses you can to simply get people in the door. i.e. Post 9-11, the government subsidized 0% interest rates on new vehicle purchases. A profitable idea? no... A smart idea? yes. Why... You anticipate for future business to grow and expand, and you take the risks that come with that.
Here in Atlanta the only time I've seen different prices for cash/debit vs. credit is at the liquor stores, and I will ALWAYS pay with my debit card. I would definitely use cash more if this were the case at other stores.
A colleague shared with me that he thinks trying to be funny lost him a job offer. The interviewer asked, "If you were an animal, what animal would you be." My friend said, "A kangaroo so I would always have a safe place for my computer." He didn't get a second interview.
Not every interviewer has developed a sense of humor. That was an example of the kind of tricky question that interviewers are asking lately. For more on interviewing, check out: Much of What You Know about Job Search Just Ain't So. You can read the first chapter free at Barnes & Noble - http://bn.com
That last one is classic :) I don't have kids myself, but I could see it "tricking myself" into not using my card for something...maybe like, if I had a picture of a Harley in there or something I was saving for instead would work for those w/out kids. Although, I guess in this case it would have to go as "Cool Harley" so it goes w/ the other C's ;)
Thanks.......best comment yet!!!!
Oprah has opened our eyes to so many things we would have otherwise been blind
too plus she is entertaining and Happy!!!! Gotta Love it.
Putting your money into envelopes only does one thing: It sets off an alarm when you're spending too much money. The "alarm" is having to dip into other envelopes to cover your expenses.
That's really all you can expect of envelopes--they don't automatically cure overspending. You have to do that.
I've written several articles that are more on that topic. Emergency belt-tightening talks about ways to cut your spending right away. I also wrote one (aimed at people who had lost their job and had trouble finding another) with tips for making longer-term spending cuts.
Some daydreaming is highly productive. Bosses should encourage that kind of daydreaming. Some daydreaming is a waste of time. Bosses should not be paying people to engage in that kind of daydreaming.
The trouble is that it takes effort to determine what sort of daydreaming the worker is engaging in. You need to get to know the person. You need to get to understand where their ideas come from.
A lot of our ideas of effective management come from a model in which the idea of management was to oversee people working on an assembly line. So a lot of bosses think that their job is to stand there with a stopwatch and make sure that no one is slacking off. We have a different kind of economy today and we need a different kind of management model to make it work.
There really are slackers. You can't just say "all daydreaming is good." But it is just as wrong to think that all daydreaming is bad. Productive Daydreaming brings in more profits than just about any other activity that an employee could be engaged in. ALL breakthrough ideas went through a daydreaming stage before they produced huge profits and huge growth.
I need jobs for kids to make some money, and i have no idea what i can do to earn some money because i am under the age of 16. I have 4 years till i can get a real paying kids jobs. What kind of jobs can i do at this age to earn some money.
Be cautious with crayons that have sparkles in them.I found they are sometimes metal and can superheat and melt through a plastic container in the microwave.
I love to reuse things.It's fun to look at your junk creatively,and feels good to take responsibility for (some of) your impact.
You're right, but you have to be careful when you try to distinguish between needs and wants.
I suggest that, in a rich country, you could probably satisfy all your real needs (in the sense of enough food, clothing, and shelter that you won't die) for free. (After all, poor people in poor countries get by with no more shelter than a cardboard box and no more food than someone in America could scavenge out of just about any dumpster.)
There are even people who live like that. (Most are mentally ill or have some sort of serious emotional problem. A few people do so to make a political statement about poverty or about our economic system. Others do so to live in accordance with a religious belief that says that God will provide or that poverty is a virtue.)
My main point, though, is to be sure that you realize that virtually every dollar that you spend--including your rent and your grocery bill--is going partially to satisfy wants.
Finally figure out those Amazon Final Fees. Now you can download an excel sheet to calculate your selling prices, with those Amazon fees by margin percentage or gross profit dollars. Download the Amazon Pricing & Profit Calculator Excel sheet. Perfect for the beginner to Amazon Marketplace.
I think the first key step is identifying that much of what we spend money on is a 'want' rather than a 'need'. That bit seems to be something a lot of people have problems with that. Once you can really split out what is just 'want' it should be a simple exericse of prioritizing based on your own desires and spending what money you have to spare on the things you 'want' most.
It is critical that consumers start monitoring their credit. Stastics state that less than 15% of the people in this country understand what a credit score is, meaning that very few pay attention to their credit reports. This information gives them direction, and as a consumer advocate and credit score expert, this is in line with my goals to empower people with the knowledge and tools they need to maintain strong credit reports and scores. Great Information!
Working in programming, I can say that it's pretty well accepted here that people who are staring off into space really ARE working. I find it's helpful to take in all the inputs or constraints on a problem, and then let my mind rest for a few, and then tackle the problem. It seems to help things 'sink in'.
I would do nothing...Well I would quit my job and then book a family holiday to somewhere nice, then i would travel around the world in style and luxury, first class and penthouse suites. then i would buy a home somewhere in the county and read and relax and mabey study, but just take it easy. oh and sleep i woud get a hella lot of sleep.
I would also help out in animal conservation projects
First off, they are very affordable. I bought mine on Amazon.com for a mere $60.
Second, use your reel mower for one "cutting season" and your lawn is gaining the equivalent of a free fertilizer application (And saving you MORE money, and contributing to saving the planet.)
Third, it's decent exercise! You actually push the darn thing, and you'll get so much satisfaction out of hearing those blades slice through your grass rather than hearing and smelling a gasoline-powered engine.
This article is spot on. It's all about conscience spending. I think it doesn't matter how you spend your money, even if you blow it all the second you have it, as long as you've REALLY thought about it and decided that it's what you want to do and it's the best use of your money. Most people don't do that though. They buy something because it seems like a good idea.
I like your articles because they're so simple yet so deep. I always get a "Duh! Why didn't I think of it that way?" feeling when I read them. Thanks for this one again! To sum it up I guess "One's luxury is another's neccessity".
Laura, have you sent us a note to let us know what bank you want to use? If you let us know at support@justthrive.com, we'll actively go out and try to get them in the system, and even give you a nice letter that you can send to them, encouraging them to get in contact with us so that we can help them get into the system. Unfortunately, we can't force banks to help their consumers but we do our best to help them whenever they are willing!
I would not welcome a return to a cash economy - it involves inefficiencies for the customers and the stores, too. But if stores would give users of debit cards a discount, I would use a debit card instead of my credit card. Debit is like cash, just as electrons instead of paper.
There is one problem with this. Most large retailers save more money with credit cards. It's very expensive to handle cash. You have registers, insurance, pick up from those big armored trucks and the cost of simply counting it. Credit cards save them a lot of money. I'm afraid only small businesses might benefit from a cash incentive program, and that won't be enough to have an impact. Not enough would participate.
I have read all the comments listed above and I equally agree with all of them - not including the "this is a scam" messages.
I first stumbled upon this website about a year ago, and I used to purchase the $25 gift certificates @ $10. As many are stating, there is a "fine print" if you will, but it is hardly that. It is simply a text in normal size print that clearly states the requirements for you to successfully "qualify" for using your Restaurant coupon at that respective website.
All restaurants have different requirements. This is where you have to be quite careful if you have a particular budget or spending range. For example, some nicer scaled restaurants might be on the website selling a $25 gift certificate for $10 (or $3 w/ the 70%), but you will have to spend a minimum of $100.
Others may only have a minimum spending of $35 or a minimum purchase of 2 entrees. In addition, most will not include alcohol for the discount, but it will be stated, and most state that an 18% gratuity is included on the total bill (before the discount is applied).
Responding to the gentlement who feels bad about using the coupons at the restaurants during tough economic times. Look at it this way (like the way the waiter who posted above has). You visit a restaurant you would in most cases, never would have visited. You spend $10 and tip accordingly for a meal you would have probably never encountered. That waiter can be thankful for a customer that if not present, leaves an employee with a few dollars left. Something is better than nothing?
Keep in mind, these restaurants are not in the business of losing money and are not to be in this website FOREVER. As somebody mentioned in another comment, this type of advertising is "perfect" advertising. There is no waisted slack. Your advertising paid for that customer to come in. It is not a waisted ad where maybe only a few people respond. As soon as enough traffic accumulates, and you and others now know this particular restaurant - provided that they provided good service and good food - you will go back regardless of the price. That is how it works.
There are quotas that are met on this website as well, and sometimes they may be on the site for a couple months out of the year. If you enjoyed your experience, they know they can continue to attract you at regular market prices.
From an economic standpoint, websites such as these that are teaming up with restaurants and retail stores are big economic stimulators. During a recession, you have to take any losses you can to simply get people in the door. i.e. Post 9-11, the government subsidized 0% interest rates on new vehicle purchases. A profitable idea? no... A smart idea? yes. Why... You anticipate for future business to grow and expand, and you take the risks that come with that.
Here in Atlanta the only time I've seen different prices for cash/debit vs. credit is at the liquor stores, and I will ALWAYS pay with my debit card. I would definitely use cash more if this were the case at other stores.
Thanks for the article!
I have GERD..The Doctor says swallowing vinegar alone with out something like honey or etc is too harsh.
Here is a site with 1001 tips on Vinegar uses...
http://www.vinegartips.com/
A colleague shared with me that he thinks trying to be funny lost him a job offer. The interviewer asked, "If you were an animal, what animal would you be." My friend said, "A kangaroo so I would always have a safe place for my computer." He didn't get a second interview.
Not every interviewer has developed a sense of humor. That was an example of the kind of tricky question that interviewers are asking lately. For more on interviewing, check out: Much of What You Know about Job Search Just Ain't So. You can read the first chapter free at Barnes & Noble - http://bn.com
That last one is classic :) I don't have kids myself, but I could see it "tricking myself" into not using my card for something...maybe like, if I had a picture of a Harley in there or something I was saving for instead would work for those w/out kids. Although, I guess in this case it would have to go as "Cool Harley" so it goes w/ the other C's ;)
Thanks.......best comment yet!!!!
Oprah has opened our eyes to so many things we would have otherwise been blind
too plus she is entertaining and Happy!!!! Gotta Love it.
Putting your money into envelopes only does one thing: It sets off an alarm when you're spending too much money. The "alarm" is having to dip into other envelopes to cover your expenses.
That's really all you can expect of envelopes--they don't automatically cure overspending. You have to do that.
I've written several articles that are more on that topic. Emergency belt-tightening talks about ways to cut your spending right away. I also wrote one (aimed at people who had lost their job and had trouble finding another) with tips for making longer-term spending cuts.
Some daydreaming is highly productive. Bosses should encourage that kind of daydreaming. Some daydreaming is a waste of time. Bosses should not be paying people to engage in that kind of daydreaming.
The trouble is that it takes effort to determine what sort of daydreaming the worker is engaging in. You need to get to know the person. You need to get to understand where their ideas come from.
A lot of our ideas of effective management come from a model in which the idea of management was to oversee people working on an assembly line. So a lot of bosses think that their job is to stand there with a stopwatch and make sure that no one is slacking off. We have a different kind of economy today and we need a different kind of management model to make it work.
There really are slackers. You can't just say "all daydreaming is good." But it is just as wrong to think that all daydreaming is bad. Productive Daydreaming brings in more profits than just about any other activity that an employee could be engaged in. ALL breakthrough ideas went through a daydreaming stage before they produced huge profits and huge growth.
Rob
How can i get ahead on my envelopes if i have to go in to one to pay another. please help
I need jobs for kids to make some money, and i have no idea what i can do to earn some money because i am under the age of 16. I have 4 years till i can get a real paying kids jobs. What kind of jobs can i do at this age to earn some money.
Be cautious with crayons that have sparkles in them.I found they are sometimes metal and can superheat and melt through a plastic container in the microwave.
I love to reuse things.It's fun to look at your junk creatively,and feels good to take responsibility for (some of) your impact.
@Jim:
You're right, but you have to be careful when you try to distinguish between needs and wants.
I suggest that, in a rich country, you could probably satisfy all your real needs (in the sense of enough food, clothing, and shelter that you won't die) for free. (After all, poor people in poor countries get by with no more shelter than a cardboard box and no more food than someone in America could scavenge out of just about any dumpster.)
There are even people who live like that. (Most are mentally ill or have some sort of serious emotional problem. A few people do so to make a political statement about poverty or about our economic system. Others do so to live in accordance with a religious belief that says that God will provide or that poverty is a virtue.)
My main point, though, is to be sure that you realize that virtually every dollar that you spend--including your rent and your grocery bill--is going partially to satisfy wants.
Finally figure out those Amazon Final Fees. Now you can download an excel sheet to calculate your selling prices, with those Amazon fees by margin percentage or gross profit dollars. Download the Amazon Pricing & Profit Calculator Excel sheet. Perfect for the beginner to Amazon Marketplace.
I think the first key step is identifying that much of what we spend money on is a 'want' rather than a 'need'. That bit seems to be something a lot of people have problems with that. Once you can really split out what is just 'want' it should be a simple exericse of prioritizing based on your own desires and spending what money you have to spare on the things you 'want' most.
It is critical that consumers start monitoring their credit. Stastics state that less than 15% of the people in this country understand what a credit score is, meaning that very few pay attention to their credit reports. This information gives them direction, and as a consumer advocate and credit score expert, this is in line with my goals to empower people with the knowledge and tools they need to maintain strong credit reports and scores. Great Information!
Working in programming, I can say that it's pretty well accepted here that people who are staring off into space really ARE working. I find it's helpful to take in all the inputs or constraints on a problem, and then let my mind rest for a few, and then tackle the problem. It seems to help things 'sink in'.
I would do nothing...Well I would quit my job and then book a family holiday to somewhere nice, then i would travel around the world in style and luxury, first class and penthouse suites. then i would buy a home somewhere in the county and read and relax and mabey study, but just take it easy. oh and sleep i woud get a hella lot of sleep.
I would also help out in animal conservation projects
KEEP YOUR VCR THEY ARE THE BEST!!
First off, they are very affordable. I bought mine on Amazon.com for a mere $60.
Second, use your reel mower for one "cutting season" and your lawn is gaining the equivalent of a free fertilizer application (And saving you MORE money, and contributing to saving the planet.)
Third, it's decent exercise! You actually push the darn thing, and you'll get so much satisfaction out of hearing those blades slice through your grass rather than hearing and smelling a gasoline-powered engine.
This article is spot on. It's all about conscience spending. I think it doesn't matter how you spend your money, even if you blow it all the second you have it, as long as you've REALLY thought about it and decided that it's what you want to do and it's the best use of your money. Most people don't do that though. They buy something because it seems like a good idea.
Philip,
I like your articles because they're so simple yet so deep. I always get a "Duh! Why didn't I think of it that way?" feeling when I read them. Thanks for this one again! To sum it up I guess "One's luxury is another's neccessity".
Laura, have you sent us a note to let us know what bank you want to use? If you let us know at support@justthrive.com, we'll actively go out and try to get them in the system, and even give you a nice letter that you can send to them, encouraging them to get in contact with us so that we can help them get into the system. Unfortunately, we can't force banks to help their consumers but we do our best to help them whenever they are willing!