One of my favorite retail stores is Anthropologie.
Yes, their merchandise is WAY overpriced.
Yes, the quality of some of their flimsy clothes is questionable (especially given the prices). But who can resist those richly embellished tops, brightly colored jackets, or flowery summer skirts? And if you check out the sale rack in the back of every store, you may be able find a few dare-I-say “affordable” gems.
Anyways, I was surfing some blogs over the weekend and came across this wonderfully juicy tidbit of info for us bargain shopping chicks with champagne tastes (and less of the wallet to match).
Anthropologie notoriously never offers free shipping offers, coupon codes or promotions for shopping their website. But they now offer the “anthro card” for frequent shoppers. It’s a bit like a supermarket club card where they can track your shopping habits in their store for their marketing purposes (fortunately they DON’T sell your information to any third parties, so don’t worry). But for you the card holder, you get some nifty perks!
Once you sign up for one online or in-store, they’ll send you a card in the mail (eventually). Here’s what you get:
- Free shipping with all online orders (you have to link up your email to your card’s account online first)
- Receipt-free returns on all in-store purchase for the full purchase price
- First look at all of the newest merchandise so you can purchase it before it hits the stores or online.
I just received my card and it even came with a cute little drawstring bag.
My wallet is already cringing…
Anthropologie – Various locations nationwide
Virgo in Wonderland 
I am also a huge fan of Anthropologie but do not be fooled by the Anthro card. I got it back in Dec 2007 and apparently the free shipping for me expired 3/31/08; customer service said it was only a “promotion”. And the receipt free returns are bogus too; I tried it and the system couldn’t find my items, the store said perhaps because it takes 5-7 days for items to get into the system. I haven’t received any special treatment from getting this card, so I don’t even know why they give it to customers.