Clean Couponing: New Earth Fare Loyalty Program

The free brie plus $10 off the
total purchase made one
shopping trip worth it.

A popular regional grocery chain has added a new opportunity for shoppers who practice clean couponing.  If you appreciate the quality at Earth Fare, you'll like their introductory offer to join their Tomato Bank loyalty program.   Our family received $10 off our first total purchase after signing up online for the program.  We also racked up the first 15 points toward future coupons with small actions like bringing our own reusable shopping bags.

I was relieved to see that this is not the chain's replacement for an even deeper and more frequent shopper discount it offers via the Recyclebank program.  We love earning monthly coupons for $5, $10 or $20 off our total purchase just because we proactively recycle at home.

With Tomato Bank, the first 1,000 points that totaled a $10 discount were a perk for signing up (this is for a limited time); it will now take slow accumulation of 100 new points to earn just $1 off.  An upside is that Earth Fare seems to continue offering a free item with coupon after a minimum purchase.  In addition to our $10 off during this shopping trip, we received a free $8 brie with our purchase.  The 5-point perk for bringing your own shopping bags should please an eco-conscious crowd and raise more awareness.  However, the need to now give your phone number (to earn your points) each time you check out feels a lot like the requirement to use the discount card at those big grocery chains -- and less like the folksy, friendly atmosphere that this regional store used to promote.  Overall, clean couponers who frequently shop this store already can feel modestly rewarded for their efforts.