Not about sales but about shopping

Do you think having loyalty cards are a good idea?

How many of you are like me and have a wallet that is literally bursting with plastic? Not credit cards but loyalty cards. Ever since every store decided to have their own version of the loyalty card, my wallet has been full of different coloured plastic for different purposes.

Some loyalty cards are useful - they offer discounts or give you rebate points. Some others don’t serve very much purpose.

However, the key idea behind a loyalty card is to keep you loyal to the store - spend more and get more out of it.

The only loyalty cards I presently hold are - Isetan card, Jusco card, MPH card and the Esso Smiles card. I have a ton of other cards but I don’t use them as much because I’m not as loyal to those stores. Also, I’ve realised that if I keep my loyalty to as few as possible stores, I get to accumulate points and get my rebates quicker.

The Esso Smiles card for example, entitled me to a free bag of rice or oil. How many cards would give you that? I’d rather have that than some useless towel or umbrella that I’d have to accumulate thousands of points for.

So I think having loyalty cards is a good idea if you know how to work it and tailor your shopping needs. Otherwise, its just another piece of useless plastic.

What do you think?

October 27, 2008 | Filed Under Discussions | 3 Comments 

MPH Distributors Warehouse Sale

If you are at a loose end this weekend (its a long weekend after all) why not head on down to the MPH Distributors warehouse sale. Its at the MPH warehouse in PJ opposite Dataran Hamodal.

Be warned. A Zara warehouse sale is on going at Dataran Hamodal so expect crazy jams and haphazard traffic.

I was there yesterday. Honestly, I did not think it was a very good sale for adults. If you have kids or want to stock up on Christmas gifts for kids, the choice of books on sale are quite impressive. I also saw many teen books which were going cheap in the boxes - movie and tv tie ins and the like.

However, for adults, your best bet would be the books stocked on the proper shelves - they are marked down between 30-50%. Not extremely cheap but not bank breakingly expensive either. I managed to fill up the spaces in my Terry Pratchett Discworld collection and am now only lacking ONE BOOK! ARGH! The search kills me especially when I am particular about the covers I want :(

Still, if you are a book lover make sure you hit the MPH warehouse sale. Its always worth it.

October 25, 2008 | Filed Under General | Leave a Comment 

Cats Whiskers Boutique sells online

I must be really behind. I just had someone tell me that the Cats Whiskers boutique now sells their stuff online! This will be a boon for those who aren’t in Kuala Lumpur, to get their hands on some cheap and affordable trendy clothes.

Cats whiskers boutique

I’ve bought stuff from the Cats Whiskers boutique once or twice before. Their wrap dresses are pretty decent stuff. If you want something trendy without busting your budget, little boutiques are the places to go. Sometimes you can really pick out a gem or two. Sometimes the quality can be a little suspect too, but really, for the prices you are paying and bearing in mind that trends come and go quickly, you can’t really complain.

Go over to the Cats Whiskers online store to see what they have and how to buy online.

If you’d prefer to see the stuff in person, Cats Whiskers is found at:-

34-1, 1st floor, Jln 27/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur (above Pills & Potions pharmacy)
Tel: 2300 1264

22-2, 1st floor, Jln PJU 8/5G, Damansara Perdana, P. Jaya
(opposite The Place, Damansara Perdana)
Tel: 7728 5662

7-1, 1st floor, Jln Telawi 2, Bangsar Baru, Kuala Lumpur
(opposite La Bodega Restaurant)
Tel: 2282 7317

32A, 1st Floor, Jln SS15/4D, 47500 Subang Jaya
(above Pressto, same row as RHB Bank)
Tel: 5638 3520

52-M, Jalan SS21/58, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya
(above Bar Sava, Opposite RHB Bank)
Tel: 7710 5217

October 9, 2008 | Filed Under General | 1 Comment 

Do you find that co-branded cards are useful?

I’ve noticed a fair number of co-branded credit cards coming into the marketplace. Some card companies or banks tie up with retailers while the most common is to tie up with a departmental store. These credit cards operate as normal credit cards but also serve as loyalty cards. I own the Ikea co-branded card but tend to have a problem when making payment. I somehow never make payment to the right card number!

Yes, for some strange reason, Alliance bank assigns 2 credit card numbers to my account even if I only have one card. Its a bit of a bother for me and I’ve made mistakes numerous times. Even when I took my statement to the bank to make payment, the cashier too made a mistake!

But what I’m really wondering about these co-branded cards is whether they perform credit checks. When applying for the regular bank credit cards, the banks will do credit checks before approving or rejecting your application. However, when you apply for a co-branded card there is a 99% chance your application will be approved because I guess its a win-win situation for all. So, if you don’t already have a credit card and want to be sure that you are likely to be approved for one, try a co-branded card.

If you aren’t in Malaysia, you can read this site (http://www.allaboutcredit.net/Bad-No-Credit-Credit-Cards-991378-page.php) to find out more about credit cards that you can apply for even without a credit score. Sometimes, these things are useful to know.

October 9, 2008 | Filed Under General | Leave a Comment