Some businesses are preparing for the arrival of rebate checks and are beginning to announce the predictable practice of offering bonuses for spending your rebate check on their goods. This week Sears and Kroger kicked off the emerging trend, and it would hardly be surprising if more retailers adopted the idea in the weeks leading up to rebate check deliveries.
If you bring your check to a Sears cash register, they'll convert it to a gift card and serve up an additional card worth 10 percent of your rebate check. They're working on a system that will allow those who received their rebate check by direct deposit to get in on the action. Kroger's idea is basically the same 10 percent bonus deal, except they're slinging groceries, not stainless steel appliances.
The motivation behind these practices is that you're essentially getting more for your money, but really it only makes sense if you would be spending your rebate money there anyway. And while I personally plan on banking my check, I could see why deals like these would be appealing, say for those with families buying large amounts of groceries.
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Yeah i can't wait.
I'm happier paying off my VISA than shopping with my rebate check.