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Goodbye Farmers, thanks for nothing

25 posts, 21 members
alikat
423 posts
Have posted this on the Farmers facebook wall, but I'm officially DONE with farmers and their loyalty scheme. With moving and everything else, we've spent $4748 in the last quarter with them and I expected a pay day of vouchers this month as I need a summer wardrobe for work (because I don't own a corporate wardrobe and I have a new corporate job...)

Well.

$4748 of spending got me ONE $10 voucher. 

Presently looking for their address to send my club card back to them. At least under the old system, I could have killed it in their beauty department with some high end purchases. Or would have been made to feel like a valued customer.

Officially the stinkest loyalty progreamme in New Zealand.

(I've used stronger language elsewhere on the net about this....)
-Bex-
611 posts
woah thats really stink! To be honest I have barely shopped with them since they changed their loyalty program 
tannygirl
3392 posts
 Yeah, it's a shame because they were voted as the best beauty store some years back on here. I haven't bought anything there since they changed a the rewards system. I wish they had kept it the same especially since a new Farmers store opened just a fifteen minute walk away from my home. 

  Before it changed I asked some of the Farmer's store assistants why and they said it was to make the rewards more widespread to all customers since only about several hundred thousand out of the millions had ever gotten a twenty dollar reward. So the rewards system was changed to be more inclusive of all the customers not just those who purchased from the beauty department. At least that was the theory. But at $4748 spent in the last quarter I would be fuming if all the rewards I got from the new "all inclusive" rewards system was a $10 voucher! After reading your post I've completely given up hope of getting any rewards from Farmers since they've changed their system, unless I want to only buy from the more expensive brands like Clinique, Elizabeth Arden or Bobbi Brown. 
trudijoy
8375 posts
that''s ridiculous.... nearly $5k and you get $10? Ugh

I'm still shopping at Farmers once in a while simply because there are things for sale there that I can't get elsewhere in NZ, but according to my last receipt i'm building towards some $500 target for a $20 beauty voucher, which I don't know how because the brands i've bought aren't 'high end'.

They've taken a great loyalty scheme and under a lie of 'making it better' made it worse and annoyed people. Not a good day in the Farmers marketing nand customer services offices....
shazatron101
5112 posts
Wow... That's so awful. I haven't shopped there since before they changed their scheme, but that's really disheartening to see and makes me not want to! 
alikat
423 posts
I decided to break it down.

For a $500 spend at farmers, you got 2% back. In a roundabout sort of way. Not taking into account the minimum spend for redemption.
Life Pharmacy - $150 gets $10, so thats 6.66%
Ballantynes VIP - $500 gets $50 - a 10% return
Max Clothing - Same deal as Ballantynes.

Any others I should include in this comparison?

My spend got me 0.21% for my loyalty. So being a loyal customer isn't worth anything. Not even a cent in the dollar.

I've sent them an email pointing all of this out and so far I've had the standard line of "we've taken your feedback on board" and I've asked them to admit they've stuffed it up and to do something about it. But I'm not holding my breath. I have free pita pit today, thanks to that loyalty card.
MrsO
196 posts
Farmers just emailed me a $5.00 discount voucher and a priviledge pass to future sales and promotions, saying that I had over 250 points. I hadn't been keeping track of them. To redeem the $5.00 voucher I have to spend $20.00 or more. I don't like this new scheme, I think they are doing the bare minimum to reward loyal customers.
itsclearascrystal
2055 posts
I agree, their new program sucks. I've started buying my beauty from Life Pharmacy instead. Do you really have to spend over $20 to redeem the store credit you've earned? Under their old system we could just use the voucher if we wanted and that's how most stores with that kind of program work. It's a shame, I think Farmer's new loyalty system will cost them a few customers. I'll still shop there if they have what I want, but if somewhere else has it as well, I used to often buy it at Farmers.
tannygirl
3392 posts
Same here. I only buy from them if they have a worthwhile sale, I have a Farmer's gift card or if something I want no other store sells. Luckily there's a Life Pharmacy about the same walking distance as Farmers from my house and it sells some of the same brands. Oh and there's online stores that sell less than RRP of most physical stores and give a pretty good rewards system and I don't need to leave the house to shop.
Amyxxoo
1155 posts
There new scheme doesn't sound good at all! I haven't shopped there in awhile it'll most likely stay that way now after reading this.
ragingfrog
1289 posts
Even under the old system where it was $10 for 1 point or something in non beauty items, you were still better off. It would have been $40 if it was all non beauty but it is a lot more than what you got. At least Pita Pit was a ray of sunshine for your day.

I got an email from Farmers telling me I hadn't earned enough points to qualify for benefits this month. If Farmers checked my spend it was a big fat zero. The only reason I haven't stopped their emails at present is my birthday is next month and I want to see if I get something on that. Last year was a pen, a pretty pen but it was still a pen.

If Farmers thinks that I will be missing on high end items, think again Smith & Caugheys is a closer walk from work than they are, has more high end brands and they also ship items too.

I am also on a survey website, valued opinions, that once you have earnt some money by doing surveys you can pick your vouchers. Last few times have been Subway vouchers since I have been unhappy with Farmers. (this is not an endorsement of valued opinions).
My local coffee shop at work rewards on coffee are fantasic and make me happy every 6th cup free on my loyalty card which is my most used loyalty card.
 
I only go to Farmers for Essence now. Nothing really worth buying anymore, especially with how they scrapped the old system.
Lisa-Lou
2679 posts
That is ridiculous! I hardly shop there at all now. The new rewards system sux badly.
k3r1pakai
1185 posts
You know Alikat I commend you for the post both to farmers social media to their customer service I hope something comes from this because this doesn't seem any bit fair at all.
charly
456 posts
Yeah, the new system is complicated and annoying.  I now only shop at Farmers when I need clothing for my little girl, as I can use my True Rewards points to buy stuff (on sale) there.  No intention of spending my actual $$!  I can buy most of the brands I like on Healthpost, Black Robin or Oh Natural, and I feel better about supporting those businesses because I feel like they appreciate me as a customer!  (Don't mean to snob Vanilla Bloom or She Lives Cruelty Free - both seem excellent sites, just I haven't used them yet!)
tannygirl
3392 posts
I haven't shopped at She Lives Cruelty Free yet, but I can voucher for Vanilla Bloom that they ship your order super fast, have free shipping when you spend a certain ammount and every order has at least one free sample and your item is gift wrapped. 
Kimrose
1412 posts
I love the fact that we can vote with our feet.  They have changed their loyalty system to benefit a few, not fair.  I have not shopped there since they changed.
RamblingRose
1280 posts
I've only bought one item from Farmers since the change and only because Life Pharmacy didn't have stock of what I needed.  Farmers has gone from being a go-to store to being a last resort if I can't get it anywhere else. 
Thebeautycontext
1768 posts
I know exactly how you feel. I am  moving today, so in the last quarter I must of spent just under 2k at Farmers buying a lounge suite and other bits and pieces. Boy, was I excited to receive my rewards email. I earnt a $5 voucher, which I can only redeem after I spend another $20. So lame. 
Pifithrin
1243 posts
Ugh that is so disappointing. I have boycotted them since the changes also. They lost a seriously good  customer!
Kikikiana
52 posts
Alicat, did you get an answer from Farmers?

i've been buying all my beauty from Postie since they changed their loyalty programme, farmers just wasn't cutting it anymore and so over priced.
postie's prices are heaps better as well, AND they give rewards and bonuses, eg, $5 just for signing up!
 
AmandaJane
1147 posts
Thanks for the headsup ladies. I won't be shopping at Farmers anymore either. Unless I really have to. I like their 3 for 2 offers on skincare though. Just a case of finding those deals elsewhere. They sure have stuffed up!
LinF
63 posts
Just read through this thread.  Someone at Farmers needs to get the boot, one of the worst boo-boos in marketing history! You should post it on all the relevant forums to get max impact with other Farmer shoppers. Good luck ladies, I hope you manage to reduce their sales drastically and get them to reverse their decision.
Charmmy-Kitty
639 posts
My god that's dreadful! I've hated the change too because a lot of the beauty section purchases don't even go towards the $20 voucher anymore. I'm pretty sure farmers just made the change so that they'd give out less vouchers. I absolutely dispise their new rewards system the last quarter I had over 200 points from various purchases but all that got me was a 'privilege pass' and a $10 voucher for purchases over $50 or something like that. No thanks!
ragingfrog
1289 posts
I need to pop into Farmers this month to collect my birthday gift, which is the same pen as last year. I did want to know what it was going to be. Might make it my secret santa gift at work or part of it.

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