Wal-Mart, Amex take on banks with Bluebird debit card
Nov 10, 12, 2:10 pm
#2116
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Airline nobody. Sad!
Posts: 25,943
Originally Posted by ddallas
I'd go back and buy the rest.
Nov 10, 12, 2:14 pm
#2117
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 848
checked couple of stores in Chgo suburbs and they got the same memo. its all over.
Nov 10, 12, 2:17 pm
#2118
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: 787
Programs: Too many to list
Posts: 1,285
Originally Posted by arizonawildcat
After reading the numerous posts coming in this morning, I went out an hour ago to my local ice cream shop. Decent number of cones (23 in total) still available in the typical two areas of the store. I went to the counter and paid for the transaction with my IB. Went through fine, just like in the recent past. Perhaps I just got really lucky...?
Nov 10, 12, 2:21 pm
#2119
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: BOS, MHT
Programs: AA ltg, B6, DL, UA, AS, SPG/Marriott Plt, HH, Hyatt
Posts: 10,039
My presentation would be about the life and death of things, thresholds we should know of to prevent fails, how to be a u2 bomber and not get shot down and how to get back from behind the iron curtain when you do. It would cover things like this bean fiasco and how blogs both helped newbies learn it (and thats ok when done right) but also how over exposure killed it (now how good is this bluebird thing i had to ditch my serve to get?) and where the line is.
Some have thought that ive crossed too many lines to "get it" but think of it more like D Day... Send em in enough and we will prevail.
Im glad many here did od vn. I did and it was good. It could have lasted longer and unless theres a restock i think someone high up just plain dont like what we do here.
If i were to speak i would discuss how i know this to be the case in the eyes of many compliance departments of many companies. We cant be categorized nor fully understood so we must be outed
Too bad it is so. And yet if we know to say nothing to stores or csrs when we do mile and point things, then they think we are hiding something bad. They shut us down either way. I think it was easier for od to pull the vn than not, on many levels.
I also think half of what i just said could be garble lol
Some have thought that ive crossed too many lines to "get it" but think of it more like D Day... Send em in enough and we will prevail.
Im glad many here did od vn. I did and it was good. It could have lasted longer and unless theres a restock i think someone high up just plain dont like what we do here.
If i were to speak i would discuss how i know this to be the case in the eyes of many compliance departments of many companies. We cant be categorized nor fully understood so we must be outed
Too bad it is so. And yet if we know to say nothing to stores or csrs when we do mile and point things, then they think we are hiding something bad. They shut us down either way. I think it was easier for od to pull the vn than not, on many levels.
I also think half of what i just said could be garble lol
Nov 10, 12, 2:22 pm
#2120
Join Date: Apr 2012
Programs: 24 million points to burn!
Posts: 1,511
Well, all of you convinced me. I just drove the 5 minute drive to my OD and picked up 3.5K more, and left a few for someone else if they can get there before the end of the day. Again, thanks for the memories!
Nov 10, 12, 2:23 pm
#2121
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,708
Originally Posted by Bored_Russian
I don't think you have to use this stupid Morse code with "ice cream shop and beans & cones" any longer. Give it a rest.
arizonawildcat I'd seriously consider going back and buying the rest.
Nov 10, 12, 2:31 pm
#2122
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,708
Originally Posted by Marathon Man
My presentation would be about the life and death of things, thresholds we should know of to prevent fails, how to be a u2 bomber and not get shot down and how to get back from behind the iron curtain when you do. It would cover things like this bean fiasco and how blogs both helped newbies learn it (and thats ok when done right) but also how over exposure killed it (now how good is this bluebird thing i had to ditch my serve to get?) and where the line is.
Some have thought that ive crossed too many lines to "get it" but think of it more like D Day... Send em in enough and we will prevail.
Im glad many here did od vn. I did and it was good. It could have lasted longer and unless theres a restock i think someone high up just plain dont like what we do here.
If i were to speak i would discuss how i know this to be the case in the eyes of many compliance departments of many companies. We cant be categorized nor fully understood so we must be outed
Too bad it is so. And yet if we know to say nothing to stores or csrs when we do mile and point things, then they think we are hiding something bad. They shut us down either way. I think it was easier for od to pull the vn than not, on many levels.
I also think half of what i just said could be garble lol
Some have thought that ive crossed too many lines to "get it" but think of it more like D Day... Send em in enough and we will prevail.
Im glad many here did od vn. I did and it was good. It could have lasted longer and unless theres a restock i think someone high up just plain dont like what we do here.
If i were to speak i would discuss how i know this to be the case in the eyes of many compliance departments of many companies. We cant be categorized nor fully understood so we must be outed
Too bad it is so. And yet if we know to say nothing to stores or csrs when we do mile and point things, then they think we are hiding something bad. They shut us down either way. I think it was easier for od to pull the vn than not, on many levels.
I also think half of what i just said could be garble lol
Nov 10, 12, 2:36 pm
#2123
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: ORF
Programs: Amex Plat, AA, BA Silver, WN, Marriott, Choice Diamond, HHonors Gold, IHG Spire, Club Carlson Gold
Posts: 3,489
I'd be interested to find out how many cards were actually bought. And how many cards walked out of the store in the pockets of people who were hoarding with the idea of coming back later and paying for cash to be put on the cards. I suspect this happened more than you might have imagined. Since you probably wouldn't trigger a store alarm if you walked out with a card that hasn't been loaded (why would a store anticipate someone pilfering something with no inherent value?), some people afraid that none would be available when they returned might just consider doing this. So they created artificial shortages by taking more cards than they could use currently.
Or do you really think some of the folks in this thread who said that they were getting 25 cards or 40 cards at a time were actually loading them all?
And there's the loss OD takes. They pay Vanilla something for inventory that was walking out of the stores. OD can't figure it out at first since their inventory records would show that each store should have hundreds of cards but had sold only a few. Stores expect a certain amount of spoilage, but I suspect the figures would support the conclusion that spoilage here was way above average. Store personnel probably kept seeing an empty spot on the gift card rack and just kept putting the remaining cards on the rack without any suspicions since they weren't hearing alarms going off. Eventually OD corporate saw a trend, reproducible across the chain, and probably with some concerns about potential money laundering efforts, pulled the cards.
If my theory is right, there's a possibility we'll see a return of these cards, but likely re-keyed so that they would trigger an alarm if removed from the stores even if no money had been loaded onto them. If this is the case, however, I might also expect to see an increase in the fee to $4.95 or $5.95 to cover OD for any further losses that might occur.
Or do you really think some of the folks in this thread who said that they were getting 25 cards or 40 cards at a time were actually loading them all?
And there's the loss OD takes. They pay Vanilla something for inventory that was walking out of the stores. OD can't figure it out at first since their inventory records would show that each store should have hundreds of cards but had sold only a few. Stores expect a certain amount of spoilage, but I suspect the figures would support the conclusion that spoilage here was way above average. Store personnel probably kept seeing an empty spot on the gift card rack and just kept putting the remaining cards on the rack without any suspicions since they weren't hearing alarms going off. Eventually OD corporate saw a trend, reproducible across the chain, and probably with some concerns about potential money laundering efforts, pulled the cards.
If my theory is right, there's a possibility we'll see a return of these cards, but likely re-keyed so that they would trigger an alarm if removed from the stores even if no money had been loaded onto them. If this is the case, however, I might also expect to see an increase in the fee to $4.95 or $5.95 to cover OD for any further losses that might occur.
Nov 10, 12, 2:43 pm
#2124
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend, Moderator: American Express, Citi, Diners Club, Signatures
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; HH Gold
Posts: 41,976
Moderator action
A half dozen posts blaming a FlyerTalk members for an Office Depot business decision have been removed. Write about miles and points, not about each other.
Nov 10, 12, 2:44 pm
#2125
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Flyover Territory
Programs: Hilton Diamond
Posts: 685
Wow
Originally Posted by TheBOSman
Likewise. I would have no problem at this point if anyone went and cleaned a store out. Better for any of us to clean a store out than for OD to do it internally. Once that store's manager reads the memo, it is dead.
Anita
Nov 10, 12, 2:45 pm
#2126
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Airline nobody. Sad!
Posts: 25,943
Originally Posted by lwildernorva
I'd be interested to find out how many cards were actually bought. And how many cards walked out of the store in the pockets of people who were hoarding with the idea of coming back later and paying for cash to be put on the cards. I suspect this happened more than you might have imagined. Since you probably wouldn't trigger a store alarm if you walked out with a card that hasn't been loaded (why would a store anticipate someone pilfering something with no inherent value?), some people afraid that none would be available when they returned might just consider doing this. So they created artificial shortages by taking more cards than they could use currently.
If my theory is right, there's a possibility we'll see a return of these cards, but likely re-keyed so that they would trigger an alarm if removed from the stores even if no money had been loaded onto them. If this is the case, however, I might also expect to see an increase in the fee to $4.95 or $5.95 to cover OD for any further losses that might occur.
If my theory is right, there's a possibility we'll see a return of these cards, but likely re-keyed so that they would trigger an alarm if removed from the stores even if no money had been loaded onto them. If this is the case, however, I might also expect to see an increase in the fee to $4.95 or $5.95 to cover OD for any further losses that might occur.
Nov 10, 12, 2:47 pm
#2128
Join Date: Jan 2012
Programs: DL, WoH
Posts: 1,079
I must test this theory. I'm going today to see if my favorite OD has them or not. If they do not, then I am most definitely sure the deal is dead because they ALWAYS have them. I'll report back with a picture from my phone for proof. I've got 5 OD's in my city, and I'm seriously considering hitting every single one of them.
Nov 10, 12, 2:47 pm
#2129
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Airline nobody. Sad!
Posts: 25,943
Originally Posted by akp
this makes me feel better. I've been kicking myself for the impulse buying of the 5 just now because I'm afraid of pissing off Chase. I got my Ink thursday at 5pm, bought my first 5 that night, and just bought another 5.
Anita
Anita
Nov 10, 12, 2:48 pm
#2130
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Airline nobody. Sad!
Posts: 25,943
Originally Posted by ricohitman
I must test this theory. I'm going today to see if my favorite OD has them or not. If they do not, then I am most definitely sure the deal is dead because they ALWAYS have them. I'll report back with a picture from my phone for proof. I've got 5 OD's in my city, and I'm seriously considering hitting every single one of them.
