Blaine Bringhurst, Vice President of Merchandising and Sales for Acme Supermarkets, says that depending on what you buy, the store's SuperCard can help you save 20 to 30 percent off your total bill.
Bill Gorman, Manager of the Upper Darby Pathmark says that in addition to getting lower prices on in-store purchases, people who sign up for his store's club card get special coupons sent to them on their birthdays and other extra promotions in addition to lower prices in the store.
But, store club cards don't just help shoppers save money, they also help the stores.
Rutgers Marketing Professor Carol Kaufman-Scarborough explains that the cards promote customer loyalty and help stores track information.
They help stores determine which products sell well in which locations. Some cards also prompt coupons to be printed at checkout, which may encourage shoppers to try a competitor's brand or a store brand of an item they've already purchased.
Scarborough adds that she doesn't think shoppers should be concerned about major supermarket chains misusing the data they collect.
And she adds that other stores -- like C-V-S, Best Buy and Value City -- have cards as well.
Even stores that don't offer club cards do have websites where frequent shoppers can sign up to get emails with exclusive coupons or advance notice of sales.
Her advice -- take advantage of them all.
Here are the links to the major supermarkets and some other retailers -- where you can sign up for club cards.
Even if you don't find your favorite stores on this list, ask the next time you're shopping to see if they have a frequent shoppers club for which you can sign up.
To sign up for a club card at a store near you, check out these links:
