trading stamp
Noun: A trading stamp is a small paper token, similar in appearance to a postage stamp, that is given by a retailer to a customer as a bonus based on the amount of a purchase. These tokens are collected by the customer and can later be exchanged, or redeemed, for merchandise listed in a special catalog.
Trading stamps functioned as a customer loyalty and incentive program, primarily used in the mid-20th century. - They were typically given at a rate of one stamp per a set amount of money spent (e.g., one stamp for every ten cents of purchase). - Customers would paste the collected stamps into specially provided booklets. - Once a booklet was filled with a required number of stamps, it could be mailed or taken to a redemption center to be traded for an item from the stamp company's catalog.
- The system is an early example of a customer loyalty program, a precursor to modern points-based reward systems.
- The term can be used historically or metaphorically to describe any small, incremental token that leads to a larger reward.
- In a way, completing each small task felt like earning a trading stamp toward the final project.
- Stamp book (n): The booklet into which trading stamps were pasted for collection and redemption.
- Redemption center (n): The physical location or mail-in service where collected stamps were exchanged for goods.
- Premium (n): The merchandise obtained by redeeming trading stamps. This is a more general term for a bonus item offered as an incentive.
- Bonus stamp
- Gift stamp
- Premium stamp (These are all specific types of trading stamps, often named for the company that issued them, e.g., S&H Green Stamps).
- Loyalty program / Rewards program: The modern equivalent, often digital, where points are earned for purchases.
- Coupon: A voucher offering a discount, differing from a trading stamp which is a token for accumulation.
- Token: A general term for an object that represents a right to receive something.
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a token resembling a stamp given by a retailer to a buyer; the token is redeemable for articles on a special list
