Highlights from the Dave Ramsey Show

I went to Pier One. The sales clerk said the store was running a "discount card". She tried to fool me by describing it as the type of card you get at Kroger, Albertson's, etc. It was a darn credit card...the application was asking for my social security numberr! Beware..."I see debt people"! I became so upset for her lying, I almost cursed at her. I have chosen to never do business with this store again.

I little while ago I need to pick up some Baking soda in Target. I think these cashiers are acting like robots when asking the customer to sign up for a "Target Card". The reason I know this is because my total bill was $1.50 that day and the friendly cashier asked me if I wanted to save 10% today. "10% on a $1.50?" I said. "You have got to be kidding me!!"

I worked at Target while in college 6 years ago. And yes, those poor cashiers are required to ask every single person that walks through the line if they would like to save 10% with their Target card. I hated doing it. However, that didn't stop ME from getting one and carrying a $2000 balance LONG after I graduated and quit working there. I've never heard a better sound than that thing going through the shreader!!

Yes! Don't get mad at the clerks. Some stores insist that they sell so many cards per shift, or they won't have a job! My daughter quit her part-time job rather than sell people into debt. I told her she should have told them it was against her religion!

I used to work in retail sales and just hated
having to ask customers to open a charge card
at the close of each sale. I was more intersested
in making sure the customer was getting the service
she needed than having to pester and beg them with
fancy words in order to make them open a charge card.

Dave,
I have a 15 yr mortgage with my bank (Bank of the souf the southwest)I was told I had a fixed rate but I
now know I have a balloon payment attached to
this loan. now it shows my interest rate at 10%
so how can the fixed rate fluctuate? My balloonm
payment is due in full in 2011 in the amount of
60000.00 dollars. Is this a good thing and what
if any is my options.Im looking foward to hearing
from you. The loan is on land just in case
this makes a difference.
Thanks so much,
Joette Mays

Telling them you already have one won't work.

They'll ask why you aren't using it!

I took a part time job at Kohl's in Cleveland
Tn earlier this year. During orientation they
preached that our primary mission was to get
people to fill out an application for their card.
Debt was the reason I needed the job and I could
not stomach the idea of pushing people into even
more debt. I quite before I had to face those issues
at the register due to the additional disheartening
fact that the "management" was awful. They also
require their employees to get a card and provide
several types of employee "incentive rewards" to
get you to use the card. Many of the young folks
there owned more to Kohl's then the earned. Very
sad. Almost felt demonic in nature to work there.

I worked for over 20 years in retail at Wal-mart, Sears, and a fabric store. I never once had to ask customemers to apply for a card. I would tell customrs if THEY asked about the credit cards but I never had to push any on customers. Most clerks could care less what you pay with as long as you pay. It may be common elsewhee but here in m area, they don't do that.

Instead of getting upset at the sales associates, go to the customer service sections of the stores' websites and tell them how much you hate being sold those cards.

I just went to Macy's site and told them that I will be shopping elsewhere because EVERY SINGLE TIME I purchase something at Macy's, they are trying to push that card on me. I say no, firmly, I do not want another card, but they keep going "You can save 10%...!!" It's relentless and I've had it.

So write to them and inform any stores that you feel makes it burdensome (I shop at JCPenney's all the time and rarely, if ever have gotten the pitch) to get through a sale and let them know that it is not good customer service and it is not helpful to the sales associates.

While I never worked in a retail environment with an store credit card option, I did work in Telemarketing for a very short stint in college.

Unfortunately, I got assigned to the credit card sales division instead of surveys. You got paid on commission for the number of cards you got people to sign up for. I quit shortly after a month, because I felt sick to my stomach every time I called someone who obviously did not want or need a card. When someone would get irked that I called, I would actually tell them to say 'put me on your do not call list'. (even though the conversations were recorded by my manager and I could have been fired for this)

Working for a place like that was like selling your soul to the devil. I'd rather be a broke college kid than sell someone into debt with another credit card.

I worked at Penney's when I was in college (almost 35 years ago! Remember, the credit environment was much different back then as opposed to now.) They always had "contests" in which employees were supposed to see who could get the most credit apps. The top 5 employees in the store would get a free U.S. savings bond (or something like that.)

I would ask customers if they wanted to put their purchase on their Penney's charge. If they said they didn't have one, I would ask if they wanted to fill out an application. No pressure--just an offer. I knew I couldn't win because I didn't work the hours the full-timers did, but I wanted to have some apps to impress my boss. I was only 18 and had absolutely no credit history at that time, so I decided I would fill in an app for myself, expecting them to refuse me. You can imagine my surprise when they sent me a card! It had a credit limit of $100. Yes, that's ONE hundred!

I understand that things are much different now! And I get really upset when sales clerks REALLY push them. I understand if they have to ASK, but when the customer says "No", for heavens sake DROP IT!

And customers, remember that you don't owe anybody an explanation. Just firmly say "no". If they keep pushing, then you can get rude with them!

My wife just left house with plans to go to JC Penney with plans
to buy around $200 worth of clothes for her and our son, and is
going to open up the Penney card to save 20%. She says this is ok
as she will pay it off and then close it.

I told her this is not ok, but she does not seem to understand why.
Can someone explain clearly why this is still a bad idea, even if
you plan and do pay it off and close it? Aside from the credit card
company making mistakes, etc.?

Thanks,
Dan

I sure learned my lesson after opening a credit card with Belk. The credit company was trying to make me pay $86 in late fees on a dollar that I somehow still owed them. (They are sneaky like that.)

The next time I was shopping at Belk the clerk asked me if I wanted to open a card. After telling her my frustration about what happened she said that I could just close that card and open a new one. I replied, "Really, you can't be serious." Apparently she didn't hear the sarcasm in my voice because she picked up the phone, dialed customer service and then handed it to me.

It wasn't long after that incident that I had my plasectomy.

To answer Don Ferguson's question of 4/23/09: the only way to take advantage of a deal like this and save the $40 is to pay the entire amount, IMMEDIATELY after the purchase, then close the account. And check to make sure there is a grace period for payment before you sign up, or you will end up paying more. I have done this in the past, and saved some good money. However, I was very disciplined to pay it off immediately and cut up and close the card.

I just like to tell them that the machine would literally laugh if it saw my credit. The clerk either a) glares at me or
b) thinks I'm crazy. Either way, I chalk it up as a win. It's a minor victory.

Just tell them yes and please rush the
application. Say you are filing for bankrupcy
and want to run it up before you file.

Most of the advice Dave Ramsey gives is common sense. I do however have to disagree with his advice when it comes to life insurance. Dave talks about researching before making decisions...this is good advice. Here is some more good advice - Don't make all your financial decisions based off of what Dave Ramsey says. The same Dave Ramsey who filed for bankruptcy. It's kind of like taking marriage counseling from someone who's been divorced a few times.

Ok so I have one for you, my BANK talked my ear off about a rewards program linked to my Debit Card and so I asked what the cost was and OF COURSE there was an annual fee of $25. I said to them but I am already on your free rewards program. Apparently this was an upgrade and you received 4 times the amount of points (for junk I really DONT need). I listened kindly with my mind already made up that this is just one more company that wanted to TAKE money from me. And as I stood listening all I could think was "these poor saps are practically begging me to sign up, how sad".

GAZELLES BEWARE!!! A few weeks ago I went to Kohls because of all the advertising of HUGE back-to-school discounts, I was looking for a deal. While I was in a fitting room with the kids, a sweet lady that worked for Kohls preyed on my husband and the poor thing didn't even see it coming. She had promised to get him some additional money saving coupons if he would just give her his drivers license. You know so he couldn't leave without out the coupons, as if his license started the car??? Well he did, she returned without coupons, handed him his license and didn't say a word. He asked where the coupons were and in an ever so sweet voice she states "You didn't qualify" then turned and walked away. Thats right she used his license to run his FICO. Kohls has invested in some major marketing because thats all you hear and see all weekend is their BIG SAVINGS EVENT on commercials, just to think they fund those with money they have scammed from us. I have seen their scams pop up on quit a few of these blogs. I will never shop there again.