How to Frustrate a Customer

I've been noticing over the past several days that some retailers are really good at sending out mobile and online coupons when you sign up for their deals and others are incredibly bad by comparision.  I've been spoiled by retailers like Target where simply texting a word or code to their mobile number will get me whatever coupon I see advertized on a shelf tag or sale ad within seconds.  There's small handful of companies like Target who do these sort of deals very well.

I think the stores that instantly send out the coupon codes when you sign up for their mobile or email alerts understand that by doing so they are more likely to secure a sale.  I wonder if stores like Bed Bath and Beyond and other stores that are part of their company realize that taking up to a week to send out a coupon code could, in fact, lose them a sale.  Yesterday I was all set to make a $300 purchase and I signed up for mobile alerts from Buy Buy Baby that will allow me to save $60 on the item I want that isn't available in the store in the color I want.  So already I'm a bit annoyed that I need to spend $23 in shipping fees to get the color I want that isn't carried in the store and now I've been waiting for two days just to be able to make the purchase.  Even more frustrating is the fact that I have a 20% off coupon that I can use in their brick and mortar locations if they had what I wanted in the right color in the store,  but I can't use it on-line.

So essentially this store is driving me crazy while I wait to be able to place my online order.  I had a similar frustating experience about a year ago when I signed up for mobile coupons from their sister store Bed Bath and Beyond.  I was going to make an in store purchase but since they took 5 days to send me the mobile coupon they ended up losing a sale.

If I didn't have a gift card to Buy Buy Baby I would have already gone elsewhere and ordered the stroller I want from somewhere else, like Amazon.  I'm hoping I get the online code soon.  Third trimester nesting and having to wait just don't go together well at all.  Even though I don't "need" a double stroller for at least 7 1/2 more weeks, I want it now.  I'm a bit neurotic about making sure I'm fully prepared for the baby well before the baby is here.  It's just the way I am.