Origin: Erroneous belief that I'd get an actual rebate for recycling my inkjet cartridges.
How long kept: Not too long, actually. The one that expires today just arrived weeks ago. The other, maybe last month?
Why kept: It's Worth Money.
Destination: Staples, converted into printer paper.
Confession/Rant: Perhaps I wasn't using my listening skills: I thought that the Staples employee who convinced me to sign up for Staples Rewards program used the word "rebate".
My understanding of the definition of "rebate" involves receiving an actual check. This "rebate" can only be used at Staples. Annoying. Not because I don't shop there -- heckfire, it's the only game in town. There aren't any non-big box stationery stores left.
But because they have just given me another job...to hang onto the fracking (heh heh, I've been watching Battlestar Galactica on DVD) little pieces of paper and make sure that I have them in hand the next time I visit.
I'd prefer to go back to recycling my cartridges for the good karma points I used to get when HP let you mail them in. You don't need to participate in any program to drop the cartridges at Staples, and I'm going to revert to just dropping them off, shred my rewards card, and "blog" my participation in Staples program.
"Reward" programs like this fall into the same category, in my mind, as stored value cards. (With the added twist that we're effectively selling them our data about what we buy.) Part of the business model is that all of this "money" will not actually be claimed.
They're a trap.
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