Since its emergence onto the Canadian retail scene, Canadian
Tire Money has become one of Canada’s most loved loyalty programs. To some it may seem dated compared to the
plethora of electronic cards offered by most retailers today. Others see Canadian Tire Money as national
institution.
In her article titled “Why We Love and Hate Canadian TireMoney”, Dakshana Bascaramurty, a writer for The Globe and Mail explains the
various ways that Canadians trade, collect and donate the Sandy McTire bills.
Dakshana identifies groups:
The Traveller, The Collector, The Fundraiser and the Grey Marketers.
The Travellers could also be called the Canadian Con
Artists. This group tries to dupe
foreign merchants by paying for purchases with their Sandy McTires.
To a Collector, hitting the CTM jackpot is to find unusual uncirculated
bills with missing and signatures of past short-term company presidents. They travel to trade shows and auctions to
check out others’ collections – some include bills from the original series
valued at $2000! This group might even be members of the The Canadian Tire Coupon Collectors Club!
The Fundraisers donate their Canadian Tire Money to a
variety of worthy causes such a food banks, animal shelters, and even to buy
sleeping bags for the homeless.
Ben MacMichael, Manager of the Moncton West End Food Bank
and recipient of donated Canadian Tire Money says “when times are tight….this
is something extra they can hand on to someone like us.”
The Grey Marketers are the ultimate supporters of all things
Canadian, and support trading Canadian Tire Money for their Canadian small
business products and services.
Whether you collect or not, there’s no denying that Canadian
Tire Money has successfully integrated itself into Canadian Culture. It’s just about as Canadian as the Loonie and
maple syrup! As Canadian loyalty programs come and go and constantly evolve,
one this is for sure; Canadian Tire paper money is here to stay!!
Check out this video of an Edmonton man who saved enough
Canadian Tire Money to buy the most expensive item in the store!
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/personal-finance/household-finances/why-we-love-and-hate-canadian-tire-money/article567476/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUNG0oz4PyE&feature=youtu.be&noredirect=1
http://www.ctccc.ca/eng.html
No comments:
Post a Comment