Harry Marks: ((Whose blog is now a must read and among my favorites.))
>Passbook has the possibility of not only rattling the retail sphere, but email, as well. I don’t need a stack of Walgreens coupons in an email folder I never check, I need them where I can use them: on the other side of my Walgreens loyalty card in Passbook.

He has some very strong points, and I too have unrealistically high hopes for Passbook. I cannot stand loyalty cards, but Passbook makes them tolerable.

What I think Marks is missing though: is that these stores have a reason to not want to remind you about coupons. You see if a store sends you a coupon and you forget to use it, shame on you not the store. The store wins because it *tried* to be nice, but you lose because you forgot. The anger isn’t directed towards the store, and the store misses out on that sale, but also doesn’t have to discount the goods.

If I am a store, I like that model.

Coupons are made to get you in the store with the idea that you buy more. Passbook would change that, making you use *more* coupons when you are already *in* the store. The only thing that would mitigate the bad for stores is if Passbook sent you reminders to get in the store *not* to use your coupons.

So, color me skeptical on the hopes of coupons in Passbook, especially if the coupons are hidden as a part of a loyalty card and are thus not motivating you to get to the store.