Store cards and 18 yr old Staff - criminal!

98jdougl

I think the main issue is that you don't have a choice if you want your discount!
I missed out on discounts because I didn't want a store card at Debenhams because the limit was about 3* my monthly wage and wasn't allowed to be lowered and I didn't trust myself with that much temptation, so I wasn't allowed a staff discount at all.

Nobdy is calling to Ban storecards outright RadoJo, just not force them on people when they do not nessecarily want them

Bamber19

By the same token no-one is being forced to take one.

Also i think the OP's feeling that store cards are the "work of the devil" suggests that their problem is more about store cards than the related discount which is merely a secondary gripe. Talk of beign taken advantage of by unscrupulous bosses is ridiculous, we're talking about 18 year olds, perhaps if they were attempting to issue 6 year olds with store cards there would be a valid complaint. (Excluding the obvious legality issues of credit to children)

lornz23

ovetta2001 wrote: »

I used to work in topshop and I had a staff card myself. All stores under the same company give over 18 staff a discount by ther card only which last time i checked was also 29%APR. The world of topshop is...a different one and i saw many a girl use their card and get into debt. It is exactly what the company wants because then in the end it makes our discount worthless and in the end gives them a profit.

If they do it to 'keep an eye on us' then why is the APR so high? And why would they give us something with a credit limit thats higher than our monthly wages?

I also used to work for Topshop and had the same problem. My best friend has now ended up with a CCJ because of hers. I want to reclaim back my late payment fees but i will need all the statements from them so i can see how much they owe me. Does anyone know where to get a template letter for this as i can only find ones about bank accounts?!?

Anetares

You can't blame an employer or ex employer if you end up with a CCJ on your property.. What happened to personal responsibility?

Is it morally right to "enforce" discounts via store cards? Well obviously there are other options for employers, not everyone does this so there are alternative methods. However, they're a business, they are there to make money out of everyone, including getting the most out of their employees.. These retailers seem to just be finding new ways to do it, and morality doesn't need to enter into it, from their point of view.

I used to work for a major retailer in the UK, although it was administrative level and not shop, we didn't even get a staff discount on most things, when we did the discount was applied bi-yearly to your wage packet, i.e. they credit back the sum total of your discounts through the past 6 months, you buy 10 things for £2 each at 10% discount and you just get £2.00 extra pay in June. There would be hell to pay if you didn't get the card stamped and keep the receipt... for half a year.. I would have been grateful for a discount applied through a card scheme. But then, like some others have pointed out, I had a mortgage at 18 and other boring things...

I think in some ways this sort of thing may even help youngsters learn about how to manage debt in the future - some learning the hard way, which isn't good.

It's not that I'm totally unsympathetic, you should, for instance, be able to readjust your credit limit as per your own prerogative like with all credit products (if you want to reduce it), and some people have said they were not allowed. That can't be right, can it?

Anet.

RadoJo

I can see where the OP is coming from, but I think the answer is to educate rather than just take away any potential pitfalls. What happened to parents teaching their children about responsiblity in all areas including money - I was always taught that if I couldn't afford something I saved up, and nothing a store could have given me could convince me that it was alright to get into debt, especially not for something as trivial as clothes. To be honest, if it comes to it, I would rather someone who cannot control their spending was doing it in a place where they work and can pay off the debt, rather than using a credit card and ending up with those who stay within their limits paying extra so that debts can be written off when big spenders realise that they need help to sort out their finances.

Unfortunately in a culture where consumerism reigns and responsibility takes a back seat, there are plenty of ways for someone to come a cropper if they do not understand that their actions have consequences, and whilst I agree that a store card could be a catalyst for that, no amount of employee protection can stop someone from living outside their means, spending money they don't have. Restrictions should not be a substitute for good parenting or an appreciation of personal responsibility.

chuckley

its their job to push the cards, just like its a banks job to affer xtra services. just like its a bars job to offer u doubles or a fastfood restaurant to offer u a large... anything to make u spend more money.

your not forced to accept it, your not forced to spend on it or spend to the point of no means of paying back.

your 18 and therefore able to make your own decisions. store cards are not the 'work of the devil' they are just like credit cards but limited on where to use it. Plus some have lower APR's than credit cards anyway.

chuckley

lornz23 wrote: »

I also used to work for Topshop and had the same problem. My best friend has now ended up with a CCJ because of hers. I want to reclaim back my late payment fees but i will need all the statements from them so i can see how much they owe me. Does anyone know where to get a template letter for this as i can only find ones about bank accounts?!?

yes because TS MADE her spend herself silly and thus incure a CCJ.... she didnt do any of it through her own will did she?

you failed to pay ontime and ur now looking to claim back your fee?? why? do u think u can 'pay when u want to'?!