COLUMBIA, Md. -- The Good to Go Markets chain of convenience stores is now the first company in the state of Maryland to offer Kickback Points. "There are plenty of loyalty programs out there, but they're more focused on what's best for the retailer, than the consumer. With this program, every dollar spent earns the consumer cash which can be spent with any participating merchant," said Larry Jackson Jr., co-owner of Good to Go.
Participants receive one point for every dollar spent, plus one point for every gallon of gasoline purchased. They can then redeem those points [image-nocss] at the stores for merchandise and fuel. It is just like spending cash, and the credits never expire. Because Good to Go offers such a wide variety of products and services, from fuel, auto repairs and car washes on the automotive side to Subway sandwiches, coffee, and snacks on the convenience store side, customers can accumulate points very quickly, the company said.
Said Jackson" "Just the other day, we had a man at our Hickory Ridge Sunoco location who had some auto repairs done; because he was a member of Kickback Points, he earned a free tank of gas. That is a really significant benefit given the high cost of gas these days."
Good to Go implemented the program on June 1, 2011, and had more than 5,000 people signed up within the first few weeks, Jackson added.
Participants swipe their membership card at the pump to get full credit for their purchases. In addition to the points they can accumulate, participants get other free benefits, such as Buy 6, Get 1 free for car washes, coffee and fountain drinks.
Although he would prefer that people redeem their points at his three locations--the Long Gate Sunoco, Columbia Crossing BP and Hickory Ridge Sunoco--Jackson will be looking for other merchants to participate in the program, he said.
"This is a great way for locally owned merchants like us to compete with the big chains. There is a clear push by consumers to deal with smaller, local companies, and the Kickback Points program allows them to enjoy the same benefits as the big boys, while keeping it local. That's a wonderful thing," said Jackson.
Good to Go Markets is a locally owned collection of convenience stores and gas stations based in Columbia, Md. Owned and operated by the father-son team of Larry Jackson Sr. and Jr., the family opened their first location in Annapolis in 1983, and their first location in Howard County in 1993.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.