Asian Stickers with Purchase

The first time I made a purchase in Taiwan, along with my change and receipt, I received a very small sticker with a cartoon character on it. I thought it was sort of cute and perhaps a thank-you gesture from the merchant for shopping at their store. This same event occurred several times at various stores. At first I couldn’t determine a pattern, but after a while I figured out that only franchise chains seem to be offering the stickers.

Finally, after a few times of this happening I asked about the stickers. I was told that the store owners encouraged repeat customer visits through the stickers much like the reward punch cards used in the States. Near the register was also a small fold-out brochure with spots marked for stickers along with bright pictures for potential prices for 40 or 80 stickers. Interestingly 7-Eleven is one of the biggest store chains in Asia. They are even more popular here than in the States and they are one of the biggest promoter of the repeat-purchase sticker program.