Rebates: what really gets me…

I like shopping for deals. I’m ok with rebates. Of course they are a hassle but it’s worth it. I always send it out right away and put a reminder on my calendar on the latest date the rebate cheque should arrive.

What gets me is when rebates come in form of gift cards. A couple of years ago I bought a toaster for mum from Linen 'n things. It was $40 after a $30 rebate, but I didn’t realize the rebate will come in the form of Linen 'n Things gift card.

It is a pricey place, full of things I don’t usually need or could get for cheaper elsewhere. In two years I have yet to find a chance to use this money. I thought it expired for sure. But apparently it doesn’t expire, phew. This year I’m determined to use it, preferably on a $30 purchase, and never fall for this rebate thing at Linen 'n Things again!

I remember they have these 20% off coupons once in awhile, so I wanted to wait until I could lay my hands on such a coupon.

Last week a flyer came in my morning paper with a coupon in it. This was it. I was going to spend that $30 on the weekend even if I have to buy overpriced scented candles. I had a look through the flyer to see if there were any good deals. I liked this set of Pyrex Tupperware for $49.99 – not too bad with a 20% coupon and $30 gc. Wait it was $49.99 with a $10 rebate. I wasn’t going to get into this again.

No Pyrex but I found a digital scale for baking (mum’s Christmas gift). It was the floor model so I got 20% off the price. Mum doesn’t mind, it’s a stainless steel model and looks quite good. She probably would’ve asked for more. Add the 20% off coupon, and $30 gc I paid $3.45 out of pocket. Of course the one that mum asked for (from an online store) is only $15 so I didn’t really come out ahead there. I’m just glad that I’m over this rebate fiasco.

P.S. the scale I got for mum isn’t the most expensive in the store. It was actually the cheapest. There was one for $79.99! What extra feature would justify the different between a $15 and a $80 scale?