Green Shield stamps

http://141.20.245.46/~jmh/Stamps/greenshield.jpg

Green Shield Stamps were a sales promotion or
incentive scheme designed to encourage shopping.

Popular in the UK during the Sixties and Seventies,
shoppers were presented with stamps based on
the size of their purchase.

They then collected the green colored stickers
in a book. The books could later be exchanged
for a range of household goods such as toasters,
garden furniture and toys.

The 'catalogue' chain store Argos began
in July 1973 as the brainchild of Richard Tompkins,
the UK founder of Green Shield stamps. For seven
years it traded independently (though heavily
linked to the Green Shield stamps operation)
before being sold to BAT Industries.

Consumers eventually began to realize that,
although the stamps were accumulating, grocery
prices were having to rise to cover the costs
of the scheme.

So, when Tesco abandoned the stamps in favor
of a simple value for money approach, other
retailers were forced to follow suit.

Other well known sales promotion schemes
available today include 'Air Miles'
operated by British Airways.

Blair

================================================== =========

PRESS RELEASE - 17 October 2000

PROPOSALS TO REPEAL LEGISLATION DEALING WITH TRADING STAMPS


The Department of Finance and Personnel today published
proposals to repeal legislation in Northern Ireland
dealing with trading stamps such as Green Shield stamps.

Mr Mark Durkan, MLA, Minister for Finance and Personnel,
today said: "It has become clear with the advent of shop
loyalty cards that legislation regulating the issue
of paper trading stamps serves no useful purpose
and should be repealed. The costs to businesses,
primarily supermarkets, can no longer be justified
as protecting consumer interests.

"Consultation on the repeal of parallel legislation
has already taken place in England and Wales and
Scotland and the Office of Law Reform is now seeking
the views of consumer and business interests
in Northern Ireland on whether our own legislation
should also be repealed.

"Subject to the outcome of consultation, my proposals
to repeal the Trading Stamps Act (NI) 1965 should have
no adverse impact on consumer interests in Northern
Ireland and would reduce a significant and unnecessary
cost to businesses. This proposal would be a useful,
albeit small law reform repeal measure."

NOTES:

The Trading Stamps Act (Northern Ireland) 1965 was
introduced to deal with the introduction of Green
Shield Stamps in the 1960s following abolition of
retail price maintenance.

Such Trading Stamps, which were given to customers
following purchase of goods, could be used as part
payment for future purchases.

The Department of Finance and Personnel is not aware
of any such trading stamp scheme currently in use
as most businesses operating a similar scheme use
electronic cards to which the current legislation
does not apply.




-----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
-----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =-----

TC wrote in message . ..
http://141.20.245.46/~jmh/Stamps/greenshield.jpg

Green Shield Stamps were a sales promotion or
incentive scheme designed to encourage shopping.
snip

See here for a GS book going:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...category=21 1

In my BoB collection I have one stamp from GS's rival, Blue Star. Same
size as the little blue Berlin tax stamps.

Chris