RANT: WTF Is Up With Neiman Marcus?
 

Allie and I decided to do a little after Christmas shopping today. We spend an hour shopping at Neiman Marcus and then stand in line for 20 minutes to pay for nearly $2,000 worth of merchandise. So, we get to the register and I whip out my Visa card and the clerk says, ?I?m sorry sir we don?t accept Visa. We honor American Express or the Neiman Marcus card. If you like you can go to the concierge and use your Visa to purchase a gift card to pay for these items?.

WTF, I have four questions:
1. Have I been living under a rock because I?ve never heard of a major retail store that doesn?t accept Visa?
2. Why the fuck do you need a concierge at a department store?
3. Why is that I can use my Visa card to buy a Neiman Marcus gift card and then use the gift card to pay for my purchase but I can?t use the same Visa card to pay for the purchase in the first place?
4. How much revenue is Neiman Marcus sacrificing annually because they don?t accept the most widely held credit card in the world.

And no we didn?t wait in line at the concierge for another 30 minutes to get a fucking gift card.

I think it's always been that way.

Just doesn't make any sense!

We should actually support them! They are telling Visa to "fuck off" ;)

Seriously, they've been doing it like this for as long as I can remember and my mother started buying me clothes there when I was in middle school - over 30 years ago. They seem to be doing OK with the policy :)

I wonder what the deal is behind not excepting Visa and how it's justified by the companies exec board and board of directors? Surely they must acknowledge that if they accepted Visa and Mastercard it would have to increase annual revenue.

ahhh when walmart folks try to step up lol

Have always done it... always....

My understanding is they have a deal with amex.

To whoever said we should support them cuz they are not taking visa.. they take amex who left the adult industry LOOONG time ago.... so it aint any better for us...

Amex is the prefered card of the upper class

I was gonna add that... that ppl who can afford NM usually carry at least a gold amex.. but blah..

dude, you should continue shopping at home depot, neiman marcus is obviouly a bit to upscale for you :xmas-smil

Actually we've been shopping at Neiman Macus for years. Until recently we've never lived near one of their stores so we've always shopped with them on-line. Which brings up another question. Why do they accept Visa and Mastercard on-line but not at their physical stores? Oh yeah and once again one of my original questions "Why is it that I can use my Visa card to buy a Neiman Marcus gift card and then use the gift card to pay for my purchase but I can?t use the same Visa card to pay for the purchase in the first place?"

Oh and BTW we also do quite a bit of shopping at Home Depot too :winkwink:

http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/se...sistance.jhtml

Click on "online chat" and ask the source :)

Yeah, I'm thinking the guy on the other end of the chat making $6.00/hr will be a real big help getting an answer to that question. :winkwink:

We don't have one close to wear I live so I don't normally shop there except while we are on vacation and I have always paid cash.

You learn something new everyday. I do find it odd though that they accept visa for gift cards but not purchases. Seems a tad backwards...it should be you either accept it storewide or you don't.

always look at the register to see what cards they take
big stores like that get kick backs for taking american express only

Sears did the same thing for a while, because of them starting Discover card.

You could only use discover sears or diners or some shit like that.

But that was some time ago.

At least Wal-Mart takes Visa.

Im guessing the source is in pakistan :)


Thank you for contacting Neiman Marcus Online. An operator will be with you momentarily.
You are now chatting with Kam Sandu.
Kam Sandu: Thank you for contacting Neiman Marcus Online. How may I help you?
Smokey: Hey i was just wondering why you dont accept visa cards in your store
Smokey: I went in to purchase some items and they told me i could not use visa to buy them.. But the same items are not available online
Kam Sandu: I am sorry, although the stores do not has the system to support other credit cards. They only accept the
Kam Sandu: Neiman Marcus Charge Card or American Express.
Kam Sandu: We online and catalog sales can accept Visa.
Smokey: There must be some reason why you dont allow them in your stores ?
Smokey: Thats ok i will take my visa to harrods then , thanks for the trouble..

sams club doesnt

More and more non-financial businesses are getting into financial services - Walmart is cashing checks, dept. stores issue credit cards, Home Depot gives you a credit line... It's the hottest thing these days.

were you guys at park meadows?

that mall is pretty hoity toity

colorado players represent

:winkwink:

Time to vote with your wallet.

The hours that you wasted in the store should be remembered forever and never repeated.

That is the most rude and fucked up retail policy I have heard of.
Visa OK online or for a gift card.... Just not at the checkout register.

Take your business elsewhere forever.

No, it was at the Cherry Creek Mall

they have a deal with AMEX, always been that way. Also convinces a lot of people to take out a neimans charge card which works out great for them.

\ :1orglaugh :1orglaugh :1orglaugh

Neiman Marcus or needless markup???

Walgreens told me they are not going to honor the AmEx card in 2005.....Guess I will have to use my Diners Club/Carte Blanche Card.

Was gonna add that. They DO take Visa debit cards.

ahh good ol cherry creek
i havent been there in a while

im down in the springs we should hook up sometime and grab dinner or something when you guys arent busy

not really, since they sell Visa Cards. Either way, Visa gets the money, theyre only inconveniencing their customers this way.

That is why I take my business to Saks. NM clerks seem to be TRAINED to be assholes. Saks has the same high end stuff but they are nice and accept Visa ;)

Thats very very very strange..

Im sure there is more to it as to why they dont accept Visa.

I dont think its really becase they think they are too good for it..

I dont think thier stock holders would approve of bullshit like that.

Something else is up.

Retail clothing industry is tight enough as it is in making profits and share holders happy.. Shit like this cant be planned for thier best intrest.

But they take my debit card with the Visa logo on it ...

I paid for my watch with my debit card back in September and had no problems ... you'd think the same may apply.

If you have a AmEx black card they will keep the store open late just for you. :)

My Sam's Clubs have always taken Visas.

It's always been that way....I was in shock the first time I shopped there and couldn't use either of my Visas or Mastercards or Discover Card and had to go to a fucking ATM and pay cash. I was like WTF?? I admit that Neiman's has very beautiful, upscale merchandise but their customer service is too snooty for me. They don't have the time of day for you unless you're gonna throw down 5K in one day. I mean WTF?? So I asked to speak to the manager as to WHY they don't accept Visa/Mastercard and he told me that it has to do with sharing customer information. Apparently Visa/Mastercard does not allow you to share info with affilliates whereas Amex doesn't have a problem with that. So basically it's a trick to be able to spam you and make money by selling/renting your info. Pretty fucked up if you ask me. I shop at Nordstrom's!

The Neiman's Card is the biggest scam. You have to spend like $5000 to receive any sort of gift or cash back. AND, if you do not reach that amount or claim it by the end of the calendar year you LOSE YOUR POINTS and start all over in the new year. WTF??? And, remember, it's not a Visa so you can't use it anywhere but at Neiman's or Berdorf Goodman! FUCK THAT

Sam's takes Discover Card only but online they take everything. I am interested in why all these stores take everything online...

Hey bro, we'll have to catch you at the Player's Ball next week!

Neimans isn't concerned about people that want to use a VISA, they're big business not like a Foley's or something. They don't want to accept terms of companies like VISA and having to deal with credit issues so they only take AMEX and their own card so that they always get their money.

no doubt?

you have icq or aim?
hit me up at "brycec"

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