Dorothy Lane Market, a local grocery store chain, updated and revamped its shopper reward system over the summer, maximizing savings for loyal customers and providing unique deals to those enrolled in the Club DLM program.
According to the Dorothy Lane website, the new system, which began July 9, is “not an advertising gimmick, and it’s not a charge card. It’s your ticket to even greater customer service.” A customer must first register in store and activate the rewards card using one of the Dorothy Lane Market computers before receiving
the benefits.A
On normal business days, for every two dollars spent in the store a customer receives one point. Customers can also accumulate points more quickly by purchasing bonus items throughout the store.
“Buy two whole loaves of Artisan Bread, each worth 50 bonus points, and you have earned 100 bonus points,” according to the store’s website. “You may redeem those points in the same transaction for bananas at 9 cents
a pound.”
Customers can find bonus items listed on the store’s website, shopdlm.com.
The store also has 10x Points Days on the 10th, 20th and 30th of any given month, when spending two dollars in the store equals 10 points instead of one, according to the website.
In a July 2012 press release, the stores stated that points have
“no value.”
“Each customer allocates the points they have earned towards the Club,” the press release said. “DLM Rewards priced items they wish to buy. In so doing, customers decide the value of their
own points.”
As a baseline for the purchasing power of a customer’s points, the website explains that if buying a dozen Crystal Springs Eggs for 19 cents, it will take a total of
200 points.
Joe Gierut, a senior political science major, believes that Dorothy Lane Market produces higher quality food items and has been shopping at the market since his freshman year.
Although he sees other students shop elsewhere, Gierut feels satisfied, as evidenced by his loyalty to the company.
“I feel like it’s higher quality and I’m willing to pay for the higher quality,” Gierut said.
Gierut believes that the new points system could prove very effective with UD students if they understand how to get the most out of their accumulated points.
“All college kids are trying to save a little money here and there and this is a way for Dorothy Lane to reach out to kids our age,”
he said.
Tom Winter, vice president of marketing for Dorothy Lane Market, said the points system updated a customer loyalty program, which started in 1995.
The system acts as “an extra step to help people who buy the everyday items,” Winter said.
Unlike the old system where specific discounts were delivered to the customer through the mail or over the Internet, the new points system rewards allow the customer to choose the items they wish to purchase at a discount, according to Winter.
Winter believes that UD students will take advantage of the opportunities to save. He thinks the new points reward system will appeal to the college crowd.
“They can earn and burn the points on the same transaction,” Winter said. “It’s instant
gratification.”
Dorothy Lane Market has locations in Oakwood, Springboro and Washington Square.
