It's raining points

One of my favorite things to do when I lived in Japan before was to collect points. I loved shopping at a store, throwing my point card down at the cash register, and watching the point total go up. In the U.S., reward systems usually either require an initial pay-in, like Best Buy, or more generally seem to be built around credit cards. In Japan though, it's all about the point cards. The general idea is that every time you purchase something, you get a certain percentage back in points, which can be used just like money on future purchases. By the end of my last stay there, I had point cards for each of the grocery stores by me, multiple electronic store cards, donut shop cards, and my most valued one for the hair salon I always frequented (I had previously won a new year's raffle, and automatically got $10 off every time I brought in my card). I remember seeing people with mini-booklets just filled with page after page of point cards. Before our flight out, I carefully dusted off and sorted through all my old cards; at last, this was my time to shine.

My first order of business was to update my T-Point card. Towards the end of my last stay in Japan, there had been a growing trend in the point using community to move towards a system of consolidation and uniformity. To that end, the video rental giant Tsutaya, in conjunction with several other notable businesses, introduced a new type of point card that could be used at a variety of different outlets, thereby giving consumers the ease of only having one card to keep track of. One of those businesses included my beloved Book-Off, a used bookstore chain that deals in everything from used DVDs and music CDs, to video games, to used furniture and clothes. Of course, if you know me, then you know there's only one true reason for my obsession with Book-Off: manga. One of the sadder moments in our move back was selling off most of my beloved manga collection. I hung on to my absolute most loved series, but still had to say goodbye to some old favorites. Now that I was back in Japan, however, all bets were off.

There was a combination Tsutaya/Book-Off near our place, and pretty soon after we settled in, I casually suggested we take a trip over to check it out. Once arrived, I immediately headed up to the counter to get myself set up. Now, unlike most point cards, the T-Point card requires an initial fee to activate. Knowing how much I would be using this guy, however, this was a small price to pay for my lucrative future prospects. Having secured my card, I happily went over to the Book-Off section, found some back issues of a new series I had been wanting to try, and plopped them down at the counter whilst simultaneously sliding over my brand new point card and giving the clerk a knowing nod and wink.

"Sorry, sir, but we're moving into a new system, so you can't use that here anymore."

"..."

A setback, to be sure, but I wasn't going to let a minor detail like that get in my way. OK, so my grand T-Point card plans were a bit of a flop, but at least I knew the system. I had my handy card case, and I was ready to start filling it back up with all my precious point cards. Our next stop was Yamada Denki, an electronic store chain similar to a Best Buy in the U.S. We had needed to pick up a wireless router, and I was excited to finally start collecting some points. Yamada Denki was an especially good choice as we still had a point card from the store leftover from before. Having found a good router, we proceeded to the counter, where I once again casually slid over my point card with a wink and a smile.

"Ah, hmmm, sorry to tell you this, sir, but we no longer use physical cards at our stores. You'll need to download the app on your smartphone first."

"..."

This was not how I pictured my triumphant return to point land going down. It seems that in the intervening years while I was back in the U.S., a lot of places started switching over to an app based approach to their point systems. On the surface this didn't really appear to be a bad thing, though I definitely felt a bit behind the times. I did dutifully download the new app, however, and after a cumbersome sign-up process, I was able to get everything sorted out. The upside to all this is it makes it easier to keep track of all your points, with the downside of creating a system that's a bigger hassle to use, and slightly more awkward.

A couple months in, and I'm happy to report that my point collection is going well. I'd still like to diversify my portfolio a bit, but I'm overall pleased with how my points have been performing. The point market is looking bullish for the next quarter, and I'm anticipating growth in the tech fields, especially. With any luck, I should have a nice nest egg to keep us afloat once we retire. I'll tell you what, though, it certainly beats holding out hope for social security ever getting fixed. Zing!