Old Navy: Yes, I'm fine. Nope, no card. Yes, I'm FINE. NO, NO CARD, THANKS! I SAID...

The BBQ Pit
1

What is it with Old Navy lately? I’ve been in two different stores during the last week and was continually assaulted by hip, cute young folk who were terribly intent on helping me find things: the right sizes! the best color! the ones similar to this one that are on sale 2 for $18, if you buy at least two! a shirt to match those pants!
They were also quite–let me emphasize here–QUITE concerned that I might lose out on that 10% discount that I’ll receive if I fill out a simple form applying for an Old Navy charge card! Not to mention the mailing list which sometimes includes COUPONS! Not to mention that the first time I order online I’ll get another–yes, an ADDITIONAL!–10% off that order as well! As well as the bag that you can fill up with things, and you get 20% off the entire contents of it! And they’ve done the bag thing at least TWICE this year already!

I love Old Navy, I really do. Great sales, cute clothes, warm fuzzy fleezes. Aside from Goodwill, it’s just about the only place I buy clothing for anyone in my family. So I really don’t want to stop shopping there.
But please, whoever developed the idea of stalking customers around the store like a bunch of extremely cheerful cult members, please STOP IT. Because you are driving your customers absolutely fucking crazy, and this particular customer is just about ready to hang it up and hit the local K-Mart where I can be blissfully left alone to shop.

whew I feel a little better. But it’s going to be a while before I venture in there again, no matter how bad I want those cute pajama bottoms.

2

It isn’t just Old Navy. So many stores are now pushing those cards…just off the top of my head, I can think of six or seven other places that I’ve been to in the last three months that have tried pushing their plastic on me just so they can suck my name and address into their marketing database.

But I just decline every time, stating that I already carry enough cards.

If I got every card that I had ever been offered to me, my wallet would have exploded a long time ago.

3

I always say thanks but then I’ll use it and find myself in debt again. People never have an answer for that.

4

Stores push their own cards because transactions with major cards like Visa and Mastercard cost them 3% each, while they typically earn back 1% on their own cards.