Or: How We Became Unpaid Market Research Participants
Dear Woolworths,
We need to talk. Not the kind of awkward conversation you have with your bank manager about overdraft fees, but more like the chat you’d have with a friend who keeps “forgetting” their wallet when it’s time to split the dinner bill.
You see, there’s a growing community of us out here – let’s call ourselves “The Unrewarded” – and we’ve been comparing notes. Turns out, we’re not crazy, forgetful, or unlucky. We’re just members of what might be South Africa’s most successful data collection program masquerading as a rewards scheme.
The Numbers Don’t Lie (But The Rewards Do)
Before we dive into our collective trauma, let’s put this in perspective. We’re talking about over 3 million active WRewards members who collectively track 89% of Woolworths’ revenue. Source That’s 3 million people who’ve handed over their shopping data, spending patterns, and personal information in exchange for… well, we’re still trying to figure out what we got in exchange.
To put this in context: that’s roughly the population of the entire Western Cape province, all united in our shared experience of being expertly tracked but thoroughly unrewarded.
The Great Birthday Voucher Mystery
Let’s start with the crown jewel of broken promises: the legendary birthday voucher. You know, that mythical beast that supposedly appears once a year to acknowledge our existence and reward our loyalty.
One fellow member of our 3-million-strong community on Reddit perfectly captured our collective confusion: “I only get an annual birthday voucher that pops up on my app,” they wrote, after a cashier looked genuinely shocked that they weren’t drowning in Woolworths vouchers. But here’s the kicker – even when these elusive birthday vouchers do materialize, they often don’t work! Source
Another community member summed it up perfectly: “I also never receive vouchers – just checked my app and it clearly states in my savings section that my quarterly voucher is R0.00. I don’t think I’ve ever received a birthday voucher either.” Source
The Irony Awards: Champions of Everything Except Customer Rewards
Here’s where things get beautifully ironic. While we, the 3 million unrewarded, sit waiting for our birthday vouchers that never arrive, Woolworths is absolutely crushing it in the awards department – just not the kind that benefits us.
In 2023, Woolworths won the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Champion Award, recognizing them as having “the most comprehensive and impactful overall contribution towards the attainment of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.” Source
They’ve also bagged the 2024 Petco Award for “Best Design for Circularity” for their innovative iced tea packaging. Source
Their Good Business Journey program has been running for over 17 years, earning them international recognition and multiple sustainability awards. They’ve been included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for eight consecutive years.
So let’s get this straight: they can win awards for sustainable development, environmental innovation, and responsible business practices, but they can’t manage to send a working birthday voucher to their 3 million loyal customers? The irony is so thick you could package it in their award-winning circular design containers.
The VIP Illusion
Ah, VIP status – that golden carrot dangling just out of reach. Spend R30,000 in their financial year (not yours, mind you – because why would customer convenience matter?), and you too can join the ranks of the “Very Invisible Perks” program.
The promised benefits sound impressive on paper:
- Exclusive invites to events (radio silence)
- Special offers (if you count the same sale emails everyone gets)
- 10% birthday voucher (see above re: the birthday voucher conspiracy)
As one loyalty expert bluntly put it: Woolworths loyalty is “practically nothing! If not actually: nothing. Zero. Not even a free coffee on your birthday.” Source
One VIP member summed it up perfectly: “I have never seen [VIP status] play out, even though I’ve done it for at least three years.” They achieved VIP status, got the badge in their app, and then… crickets. Source
The Data Collection Champions
Here’s where things get interesting (and slightly creepy). Woolworths is undoubtedly tracking everything from their 3.4 million active loyalty members:
- What we buy
- When we shop
- How much we spend
- Which stores we frequent
- Our shopping patterns and preferences
They’re building detailed profiles of our consumer behavior, learning our habits, predicting our needs. With 89% of their revenue tracked through the WRewards program, they have one of the most comprehensive consumer databases in South Africa. Source
It’s actually quite impressive from a data science perspective. The only problem? They seem to have forgotten the “reward” part of their rewards program.
Meanwhile, their competitors are putting them to shame:
- Pick n Pay Smart Shopper: Get points back on every purchase, convert to vouchers, with 85% active user engagement
- Clicks ClubCard: Regular discounts, birthday treats, and exclusive offers that actually work
- Discovery: Thousands back monthly for members who engage with their ecosystem
The Community Speaks: 3 Million Strong
The beauty of the internet is that it’s revealed the true scale of our “unrewarded community.” With over 3 million active members, we’re not just a few disgruntled customers – we’re a significant portion of South Africa’s population united by our shared experience of being seen but not rewarded.
Forum discussions across the country are filled with familiar refrains:
“Have never received those types of vouchers. We do spend a fair bit at Woolies for food and clothes.” [MyBroadband Forum]
“Woolworths rewards south Africa is misleading and promises the world of fabulous Christmas prizes but all I’ve ever seen on my prize board [is disappointment].” [HelloPeter]
“You should be receiving a quarterly voucher from them,” one Reddit user noted, to which another replied: “my quarterly voucher is R0.00.”
The Stockholm Syndrome Effect
Here’s the thing that makes this whole situation even more bizarre: we keep coming back. All 3 million of us keep swiping those cards, hoping that maybe this time will be different. Maybe this R2,000 grocery shop will finally trigger something. Maybe our birthday voucher will actually arrive and work.
It’s like being in a relationship with someone who keeps saying they’ll change, but never does. Except in this case, we’re providing them with valuable consumer insights while they provide us with… well, the privilege of shopping at premium prices while they win sustainability awards.
The Real Reward: Community
Perhaps the only genuine reward from the WRewards program has been the inadvertent creation of this 3-million-strong community of bewildered loyalty program members. We’ve found each other in Reddit threads, forum discussions, and complaint sites, united by our shared experience of being expertly tracked but thoroughly unrewarded.
We’ve become amateur data analysts, comparing experiences and trying to decode the mysterious algorithm that determines who gets vouchers and who gets forgotten. We’ve formed the largest unintentional support group in South African retail history.
A Modest Proposal
Dear Woolworths, we’re not asking for the moon. You’ve proven you can win awards for environmental innovation and sustainable development – surely you can manage some basic customer appreciation? We don’t need Discovery-level rewards or Pick n Pay’s generous points system. We’d settle for:
- Birthday vouchers that actually arrive AND work
- Occasional acknowledgment that we exist beyond data points
- Some small token of appreciation for our collective billions in annual spending
- Maybe just a “Thanks for shopping with us” email that isn’t trying to sell us something
Alternatively, you could rebrand the program to something more honest:
- “WTracking” – because that’s what you’re really doing
- “WData” – at least we’d know where we stand
- “WSustainability” – you could give us awards for contributing to your award-winning programs
- “WMaybe” – accurately reflects our voucher delivery success rate
The Bottom Line
We’re not angry, Woolworths. We’re just disappointed. You’ve shown you can excel at sustainability, win awards for environmental innovation, and build comprehensive corporate responsibility programs. You can track 89% of your revenue through 3 million loyal customers and build detailed behavioral profiles.
But somehow, sending a birthday voucher that works remains beyond your considerable capabilities.
The irony isn’t lost on us: you’re champions of sustainable development but can’t sustain a basic rewards program. You’re innovators in circular packaging but your customer rewards seem to disappear into a black hole. You’re recognized globally for your Good Business Journey, but your journey with customer appreciation seems to have taken a permanent detour.
We believed in the promise of rewards for loyalty, and instead, we became unwitting participants in a masterclass on consumer behavior tracking while you collected awards for everything except customer satisfaction.
But hey, at least we found each other. The Community of the Unrewarded – all 3 million of us – is growing stronger every day, bonded by our shared experience of being seen but not rewarded, tracked but not thanked, sustainably ignored but environmentally commended.
And who knows? Maybe one day, our birthday vouchers will actually arrive. Until then, we’ll keep comparing notes, sharing our stories, and reminding each other that we’re not crazy – we’re just part of South Africa’s largest unintentional data donation program.
With cautious optimism and zero vouchers, The Community of the Unrewarded (Population: 3+ Million and Growing)
P.S. Woolworths, if you’re reading this (and your award-winning data tracking suggests you probably are), we’re still here, still shopping, still hoping. Maybe put “Customer Rewards That Actually Work” on next year’s sustainability goals? We’d love to help you win that award too.