Wal-Mart, Amex take on banks with Bluebird debit card
Nov 10, 2012, 9:50 am
#2057
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Posts: 146
Sorry if this has been answered before, but why do some posts say NOT to use any any type of Citi card when purchasing VR? Does Citi alone classify it as a cash advance?
Nov 10, 2012, 9:52 am
#2058
Join Date: May 2003
Location: CA
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold, HHonors Diamond
Posts: 2,879
It all depends on how you define "profit". Remember that the store has overhead costs (building, taxes, employees, lights, charge card fees etc) that are typically spread over all sales. When you assume those costs, there is no way that OD is getting a big enough discount on the cards to show a profit on their sale. I am sure that stores that carry gift cards are doing so as a convenience to the customers and not as a profit center. If selling gift cards was really profitable there would be stores opened just for that purpose.
Nov 10, 2012, 10:01 am
#2060
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Washington State
Programs: UA, Starwood, AAdvantage, Alaska, BAEC, Marriott, Hawaiian, Hilton HHonors
Posts: 255
It all depends on how you define "profit". Remember that the store has overhead costs (building, taxes, employees, lights, charge card fees etc) that are typically spread over all sales. When you assume those costs, there is no way that OD is getting a big enough discount on the cards to show a profit on their sale. I am sure that stores that carry gift cards are doing so as a convenience to the customers and not as a profit center. If selling gift cards was really profitable there would be stores opened just for that purpose.
it was illegal, unsafe, vulgar, spoiled, out of date etc. Vanilla cards are just a product to them,
albeit a small profit center but still why dump it? Unless whoever furnishes them to OD has
decided THEY want to restrict their sales.
Nov 10, 2012, 10:02 am
#2061
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: BWI
Posts: 1,782
I called all my local OD in 1 hour drive. No one had them (not surprising) and two stores said they got a memo today saying they're not having them anymore.
Nov 10, 2012, 10:08 am
#2062
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,708
Profit is profit...why would OD pull any product they sell that makes even a small profit unless
it was illegal, unsafe, vulgar, spoiled, out of date etc. Vanilla cards are just a product to them,
albeit a small profit center but still why dump it? Unless whoever furnishes them to OD has
decided THEY want to restrict their sales.
it was illegal, unsafe, vulgar, spoiled, out of date etc. Vanilla cards are just a product to them,
albeit a small profit center but still why dump it? Unless whoever furnishes them to OD has
decided THEY want to restrict their sales.
Nov 10, 2012, 10:17 am
#2063
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 4,431
I just called a local OD, looks like the reports are true. The person answering the phone said that they're not carrying them anymore, and when I asked since when, she said they just received an email this morning. I called a couple stores yesterday morning to check their stock, and 1 store just received a shipment; when I checked after work, one of the workers said that someone bought 20 of them at once and cleared out their stock.
Nov 10, 2012, 10:18 am
#2064
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Airline nobody. Sad!
Posts: 26,062
Yes, any reports of "My OD had stock" for any day before today are out of date at this point. The next closest OD is over 2 hours away so I won't be looking myself.
Nov 10, 2012, 10:22 am
#2065
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,708
Okay, I"m believing these reports now unless someone posts a picture of his wife holding a copy of today's newspaper standing in front of a rack of vanilla reload cards in an OD.
Nov 10, 2012, 11:01 am
#2069
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 1,433
I just got back from my local OD.
20 there yesterday.
0 there today.
The placeholders are there for them -- just no cards.
20 there yesterday.
0 there today.
The placeholders are there for them -- just no cards.
Nov 10, 2012, 11:09 am
#2070
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Florida
Programs: UA Premier Gold, TK Elite Card, AF Gold Medallion
Posts: 256
Just went to an OD where I had bought Vanillas before. Went for 2 x $500 (still plenty on the rack), cashier had to ask for manager, manager comes over and says "We got a memo about these to pull them off the shelves" and he had to walk over to get the memo. After he studied it for a bit, he said it was effective today but he said he thought it meant AFTER today so he let me buy the 2x $500. .I asked if he knew why, and he said "Well I'm not really sure how but some people have apparently been doing some sort of money transferring back and forth with these, I don't really know how but it's something about rewards and something"