New LEGO VIP program

[ILikePi]

A few days ago, my friend TooMuchDew on Flickr posted scans of the October 2009 LEGO Store Calendar for the US. Here are the pictures:

There is this new "LEGO VIP" program that is coming soon to LEGO Stores (October 19th, to be exact). What it basically is is a reward program (just like the loyalty cards). For every 100 points you get (one point = $1 spent), you get $5 USD back (5% cash back). It might not be as good as the current loyalty card program, but it could be better in the long run, because if you spend a few dollars over every $25 increment, you can get some extra points back, unlike the loyalty card program (for example, if you spend $35, you can get 35 points with the VIP card program, but only one stamp with the loyalty card, so you "lose" $10).

Do you think that this new program will be replacing the current loyalty card program? I don't think that LEGO would keep both of them at the same time.

EDIT: It looks like it will replace the loyalty card program, and there is word that it might work online, too!

Edited September 18, 2009 by ILikePi

[Davey]

My big question is whether they will ever expand this to online purchases. Since many of us don't have a LEGO store in our backyard and purchase many things online at S@H, we really need a loyalty program that works online.

-Dave

[ILikePi]

My big question is whether they will ever expand this to online purchases. Since many of us don't have a LEGO store in our backyard and purchase many things online at S@H, we really need a loyalty program that works online.

Someone just posted on Flickr (around one hour ago) that they asked a clerk, and he/she said that the VIP card will replace the loyalty card, and the VIP card might work online, too!

[Ricecracker]

My big question is whether they will ever expand this to online purchases. Since many of us don't have a LEGO store in our backyard and purchase many things online at S@H, we really need a loyalty program that works online.

Very true. I also hope this might work outside of the U.S.

[Saeba-san]

My big question is whether they will ever expand this to online purchases. Since many of us don't have a LEGO store in our backyard and purchase many things online at S@H, we really need a loyalty program that works online.

-Dave

I talked to my local store manager (Woodbridge VA) about this last week. He indicated that it is a Lego Store loyalty program, so it should not be applicable to online purchases. But we shall have to wait and see.

[The Green Brick Giant]

I am three stamps away from getting $20 back, they better not get rid of the program yet!

[Big Cam]

I am three stamps away from getting $20 back, they better not get rid of the program yet!

I would assume they would honor any current cards you have, or even convert it at a certain rate.

If this goes online, I'll jump up and down and sing. Almost all of my purchases are from Shop @ Home.

Again, I agree with the above statement that it probably is a LEGO STORE promotion.

[The Green Brick Giant]

What I'm thinknig is that the gift cards will be usable online, not that you get points for the online thing.

[Piranha]

Thanks for sharing this

I had heard about this but didn't know the details

It sounds ok, I kind of like the stamps idea better

However if it can be used online then it will be much better

I am glad I filled up my card in time to get the $35 gift card

[Artahn]

If it does support online purchases, I think I might only buy on Lego.com from now on...

[ziljin]

this would be awesome if it applied online.

[GC8Monkey]

Sounds promising. I like the Idea that I would get full value for the dollars spent. However I think it would be even better if they rolled it out to Shop at home aswell. Well better for TLG as I could see myself spending alot more money on Lego at Shop at home.

I better get my card filled up soon though so I don't lose any of it's value. Thank goodness I am heading to the Lego Store this weekend.

Edited September 25, 2009 by GC8Monkey

[The Alchemyst]

It'll automatically be converted; i.e. 1 $25 stamp will be 25 $1 stamps.

Which is good, since I got 2 stamps past the $10 card, meaning another $5 when it starts with the bonus.

If regular gift cards are usable on S@H, the $5 back should be as well; because it's just regular gift cards.

But I doubt online purchases count towards 'em.

[-TA-]

[the enigma that is badger]

I'll probably apply regardless, but if online purchases apply towards points, this will truly be a great promotion! I can also easily see double- and triple-points promotions being a possibility, as retailers that use similar models often run events such as those.

All in all, I like that now every dollar spent goes towards a reward! No more balancing out a purchase to hit a $25 increment! ;)

[Cardinal Brick]

It's also comming to the UK, so I asume Germany as well as our leaflets are printed together normally.

[HIC1957]

hi -

I just this minute, got off the phone with a Lego customer service person -

she said the new VIP points program CANNOT be used for online purchases!

I said that seems discriminatory -

I asked what Lego would do, if the entire Lego community rallied together and brought a class action suit for discrimination against Lego, because - to purposely shut out an entire segment of purchases seems unfair!

I said I would think there was a law that you cannot offer a discount to only one type of "purchaser" while ignoring the others, and that people who don't have a Lego store in their backyard, should still be offered the same opportunity for savings, irrespective of the method of purchase -

what sayeth the rest of ye?

[davee123]

I said that seems discriminatory

I dunno-- seems just as fair as the current program.

I said I would think there was a law that you cannot offer a discount to only one type of "purchaser" while ignoring the others, and that people who don't have a Lego store in their backyard, should still be offered the same opportunity for savings, irrespective of the method of purchase

It's not really a discount, though. It's a rewards program. You're not getting money off of your purchase, you're getting "points" that you can exchange in future purchases as a coupon.

By contrast, though, how many items are often cheaper online rather than via retail? Happens all the time, actually, because distribution costs through a website are different than via retail. Typically, online costs are actually cheaper. Hence, it would seem that the precedent has already been established that it's completely legal. Furthermore, it also happens that retailers and online venues offer coupons that are ONLY valid in one buying format or another. You might (say) get a coupon code for use online, but it won't be valid at the store. Or you might get a paper coupon that's redeemable at the store, but not online. That's a little bit closer to what they're doing, and is again totally legal and quite normal.

Honestly, I think the question to LEGO ought to be: Why not offer it for online purchases? Obviously, they've now got the system computerized for on-the-fly access from any store, so the data IS available electronically somehow. Previously, you could argue that the data simply didn't exist, so it would be difficult or impossible to tie it in online. But now, it seems like it would be a more trivial matter. However, there may be additional complexities that I'm not accounting for.

More likely, they've decided that it's an incentive that helps attract repeat business to their stores, but that it wouldn't be as helpful to encourage repeat business online. It's also important to LEGO to get people INTO their stores. A lot of people can window-shop on a website (LEGO.com) without buying anything, but are more tempted to buy things when they're inside an actual retail venue. Plus, it makes for a more memorable experience when you've got kids having fun at the store, rather than just looking at a screen when buying-- so encouraging in-store presence helps to build the brand.

Basically, the potential issue above is that if you DO live near a LEGO store, and you're signed up for the VIP program-- where are you going to do your shopping? Why fight the Christmas rush when you can order online? But the LEGO Company would rather that you DID go to their store, because doing so helps them out more than if you order online.

Now, those are only my personal guesses, but it certainly makes sense enough to me.

I asked what Lego would do, if the entire Lego community rallied together and brought a class action suit for discrimination against Lego, because - to purposely shut out an entire segment of purchases seems unfair!

Well... for starters, I'm 99% confident that the community would NOT do such a thing. If they did, LEGO would probably take a harder look at their reasoning for not putting it online, and spend a good 1-hour meeting's worth of their lawyers' times to find out if the case would be immediately thrown out of court (which I expect it would be). The more significant thing would NOT be the fact that there was a class action suit. That's pathetically trivial. The thing that would make them think twice would be that enough fans actually cared sufficiently to get together and do such a thing. Hence, that fact more than anything would probably make them consider offering it online.

DaveE

[ziljin]

Well they don't give tracking numbers when ordering from their online store. I don't feel like ordering from S@H anymore.