Friday, September 24, 2010

Border's New Rewards 'Plus' Program

Browsing through my emails this morning I see one from Border's with a fantastic coupon (40% off 2 paperbacks!) and an ad at the bottom for Border's Reward Plus Program.

An additional rewards program.

That you would have to pay for.

Hmmmmm......


Now for my general book buying pleasure I'm very much a Barnes and Noble girl. I like their sales associates better and I think the layout is more conducive to me finding what I want with or without help. I think this attitude may have been influenced by how Border's are run in NC, but even the best ones here in DC aren't all that fantastic.  But still, after moving here, I've found that I've visited Border's much more often because they're just as (if not more) conveniently located than Barnes and Noble. Go figure.

The reason I'm moved post though is the fact that this new push from Borders seems to be slightly hypocritical of most of the signage in the store: 'Why pay up to $25 for rewards programs at other book stores when you can get ours for free?' That seemed like a great marketing plot to me, but how many people are going to continue to be motivated to sign up if they realize that the best deals can only be had through paying almost as much as they would at Barnes and Noble? What would make Borders stand out amongst the competition?

What do you think? Do you think the rewards plus program is a good move for Borders?