Fun Perks

I hope Cedar Point doesn't do this. Rewards programs are annoying and gimmicky. They broadcast the message that getting quality and value doesn't matter, but successfully playing their little game does matter. Many people shop at Giant Eagle because getting "free" gas makes them feel good. The reality is that Giant Eagle sells mediocre food at above average prices, and you always have to have that stupid card to get their fake discounts -- because they just inflate the non-card prices and then call the member price a discount. Then you get points that expire at different times and roll over at other times and so on. It's gimmicky, it's a silly game, and it's not fun to play.

Focus on humbly and consistently offering quality and value, and don't encumber me with hoops to jump through to get it.

Or if you're like me and shop where it's convenient, and you have the card in the wallet, it just isn't a big deal. My extreme grocery shopping wife tends to find Giant Eagle has the better price on about half the stuff she buys, and gets the rest elsewhere. And she takes the gas discounts because it requires no extra work. Well, to me it's work to shop at more than one grocery store, but if she doesn't mind, I don't mind.

And here's the bigger point. You don't have to participate if you don't want to.

In response to Tod:

I disagree; reward programs are awesome. They enable businesses to sell products at full price to consumers that don't care about money, allowing them to pass on much more substantial savings to reward customers, who obviously do value money and savings.

Anyone that thinks Giant Eagle's Fuel Perks / Food Perks program is a silly game is not playing correctly. Need to buy a $1000 TV at Sears? Buy $1000 of Sears gift cards at Giant Eagle. If buying the gift cards during one of the many double fuel perks events, you just earned yourself at least 30 gallons of free gas on a TV that you were going to purchase anyway.

Or when I buy groceries there, I'll buy all the advertised deals (which ARE decent prices), use a 20% off entire order Food Perks discount, and use manufacturer coupons, which they sometimes double up to $1. My savings on an order are usually over 50%, which slaughters the gimmick-free pricing at Walmart.

Or speedy rewards cards. If I took the time to sign up for those things I would have about 20 free Arnold Palmers by now! :)

Ffej said:
...reward programs are awesome. They enable businesses to sell products at full price to consumers that don't care about money, allowing them to pass on much more substantial savings to reward customers, who obviously do value money and savings.

While I generally agree that reward programs are cool, at least from the money savings angle, I think it's important to point out that the savings aren't free.

You're getting those savings in exchange for providing the stores with info about your shopping habits. Now, I'm of the belief that such behavior is relatively harmless. However, some point out - and I think the point is valid - that there are potential privacy concerns with that exchange.

Ffej said:
Or when I buy groceries there, I'll buy all the advertised deals (which ARE decent prices), use a 20% off entire order Food Perks discount, and use manufacturer coupons, which they sometimes double up to $1. My savings on an order are usually over 50%, which slaughters the gimmick-free pricing at Walmart.

How many groceries do you buy that you get a 20% food perks discount? I get to about 2% and they are ready to expire.

And for what it is worth my mechanic has told me several times that Giant Eagle gas causes problems with fuel injectors. Use it once in awhile and you are OK. But use it repeatedly and your car starts to be unhappy.

And for what it is worth my mechanic has told me several times that Giant Eagle gas causes problems with fuel injectors. Use it once in awhile and you are OK. But use it repeatedly and your car starts to be unhappy.

I was a mechanic for 20 years and now I am a service advisor at a very respected auto dealer in the cleveland area. The gas you get at Giant Eagle will not cause your fuel injectors to malfunction in any way.Back in the day when the gas was not so regulated,BP would cause some concerns in the lower output 4 cyl engines. Today there are more regulations in what goes into your tank. Today the only problems with gas are when there is a water leak into a main tank or the truck driver puts diesel where the gas should go.

Or gas stations, such as Walmart add extra water to the gas so you think you are getting a better deal for fuel.

Shades said:

How many groceries do you buy that you get a 20% food perks discount? I get to about 2% and they are ready to expire.

Overall, I purchase a very small percentage of groceries at Giant Eagle in comparison to the amount I spend there. As already stated, I buy gift cards at Giant Eagle before shopping at other retailers, restaurants, etc. Not only can you earn free fuel this way, but if you have an American Express Blue Cash Preferred card, you get 6% cash back, since Giant Eagle is considered a grocery store.

As for Giant Eagle or other gas stations offering inferior fuel or purposely adding water, come on guys. It's all regulated and typically comes from the same source. From Giant Eagle's website:

"Where does the gas I buy at my neighborhood GetGo® come from?

We provide high quality gasoline that meets or exceeds all federal, DEP, EPA and auto manufacturer requirements. Our fuel is collected from the same terminals that other national brands use, making our product very similar to what the major gas companies offer at the pump. Although it is almost impossible to distinguish a crude oil’s country of origin, our suppliers are domestic and based in Pennsylvania. Every grade of our gasoline comes from domestic refiners."

"What is GetGo's® 100% fuel guarantee?

GetGo® offers the highest quality fuels available including every grade of gasoline, diesel and kerosene. Our gasoline comes from major domestic refiners. We add detergent cleansing agents to assure that your engine remains clean and operating at peak performance level as well as reducing emissions from your car. For the optimum level of intake valve deposit control, turn to GetGo®.

GetGo’s® quality gasoline meets or exceeds all Federal, DEP, EPA and auto manufacturer requirements. We monitor our state-of-the-art equipment, storage tanks and systems 24 hours a day, 7 days a week so that you'll get the highest quality gasoline, diesel and kerosene every time you fill up. If your car develops a problem that was caused by our gasoline, we'll pay for the repair."

You can quote all the stuff from gas companies to your hearts content. The fact is, I see alot more water coming out of my tailpipe filling up at some gas stations compared to others. Oh, and my vehicle runs better from the supposed same fuel at some gas stations compared to others.

The water coming out of your tailpipe is condensation, which is normal for any vehicle...are you seeing more water in your gas in the winter, when there is typically more condensation? ;)

Water and gas do not mix. Gas is less dense than water. Fuel stations draw the gas from the top of the tank, such that if there was any water in the gas, it'd be at the bottom of their tanks.

What you are saying is a common myth. Walmart does not decrease their gas price by adding water. Detergents and such are added to gasoline, but just about every station does this, and they tend to help your car run efficiently.

To quote from Wiki...

"Gasoline, as delivered at the pump, also contains additives to reduce internal engine carbon buildups, improve combustion, and to allow easier starting in cold climates. High levels of detergent can be found in Top Tier Detergent Gasolines. These gasolines exceed the U.S. EPA's minimum requirement for detergent content. The specification for Top Tier Detergent Gasolines was developed by four automakers: GM, Honda, Toyota and BMW. According to the bulletin, the minimal EPA requirement is not sufficient to keep engines clean. Typical detergents include alkylamines and alkyl phosphates at the level of 50-100 ppm."

Gas is gas. It all comes from the same refinery. So it boils down to detergents. Giant Eagle (and likely Walmart) may meet the minimum EPA standards but all the EPA cares about is emissions. The other guys apparently do something above that to keep the injectors clean.

I'll pay the extra couple of cents per gallon and stick with my mechanic's advice.

Ffej: Sure, rewards program participants pay less money, but they make you hustle for it. You have to carry their stupid cards*, receive their advertising, and let them track your purchases. Then you have to be aware of the rules and when the points expire and if you need to reach a new point level maybe spend some extra money. It's not such a great reward.

I'd rather see consistent prices for everyone, no coupons, no games to play, no clubs to join, nothing to complicate my life.

* Surely I'm not the only one who hates carrying things. When I go to CP I let them scan my pass, then I exit and put it in my car. I also don't own a wallet. I have a rubber band around 4 cards, all of which I resent having to carry. And I lock my keys in my car when I go ANYWHERE. They make noise in my pocket. And I definitely don't carry a cell phone. Doesn't anyone else see this all as a huge hassle? To have to deal with wallets and gadgets and cards and programs and all that junk?

Maybe I am misinformed (please correct me if anyone has experience in this matter) but I though if you left your keys in your car and it got stollen you were s.o.l. insurance wise.

Krafty, I don't know the answer, but if it happens, the person at fault is the thief, for taking what isn't his.

Shades is right in that top tier gas has a higher detergent content. The additive package in gas is typically added after the gas is refined as it is being delivered to a specific brand station. GetGo gas has the minimum required detergent content but all you need do is add fuel injector cleaner to a tank of gas every now and then and all is well.

Show me proof that using top tier gasoline will make my cars last longer and cause less problems. From what I've researched, the benefits are unproven and debated. It sounds like marketing hype in an attempt to protect profits to me. Ford and many other automakers do not believe in top tier gasoline and do not recommend it.

For what it's worth, I've been using absolutely nothing but Giant Eagle gas across 5 vehicles in my family for over 5 years, and there have been zero issues. Two of those vehicles have eclipsed 160,000 miles, and they're still running very happily. :)

Tod said:
Ffej: Sure, rewards program participants pay less money, but they make you hustle for it. You have to carry their stupid cards*

* Surely I'm not the only one who hates carrying things. When I go to CP I let them scan my pass, then I exit and put it in my car. I also don't own a wallet. I have a rubber band around 4 cards, all of which I resent having to carry. And I lock my keys in my car when I go ANYWHERE. They make noise in my pocket. And I definitely don't carry a cell phone. Doesn't anyone else see this all as a huge hassle? To have to deal with wallets and gadgets and cards and programs and all that junk?

I work at Giant Eagle and if you truly hate carrying your Advantage Card that much, go to a cashier to check out and have them look up your card by phone number at the start of the order. It takes literally 10 seconds. Or go to the self scans and wait a little longer but have them look it up with a hand held device. You might get on the nerves of employees doing the latter every single day, but if you don't mind being "that guy" we don't mind looking up your card when we can get to you amongst all the other customers with blinking lights.

The odd thing to me: if you lock your keys in your car.... how do you get back into your car at the end of the day?

^My guess is he drives a Ford product. My first car was a Mercury Sable and my second car was a Lincoln LS and both had the keypad keyless entry. That was by far my favourite feature on both cars. I would lock my keys in the car every time I was at an amusement park or event that I didn't want to have them on me and then just come back to the car at the end of the day, punch the code in and I was good to go.

My car doesn't even have a key. I touch the door handle to lock and unlock it and push the big button labeled "start" to turn it on.