How I Feel about Nordstrom’s Debut Rewards

With intentions to turn the nation’s capital, Ottawa modern, contemporary and more importantly, luxurious, the city has begun work in downtown’s main attraction, Rideau Shopping Centre. Recently, the second Nordstrom in Canada opened (after Chinook Centre in Calgary) and it is located right in Ottawa at the Rideau Shopping Centre. I have quite the mixed feelings for Nordstrom as their prices either attract me or push me away. The prices at Nordstrom Rack are great, but to find anything that fits your size is almost close to impossible. Nordstrom on the other hand, has a great selection and setup, you can also order different sizes if you cannot find yours on display; but the prices aren’t so friendly. Though I would like to mention that they have a immense scale of brands from high end products like Michael Kors, Tory Burch, Kate Spade, Chanel, Burberry, Hugo Boss, Canada Goose to more affordable products such as North Face, New Balance, Fossil, Diesel and Levi’s. There is a list of men’s brands and women’s brands.

Coincidentally, it was a friend’s birthday and she is a big fan of Michael Kors, so I decided I would go in and give them a try. Surprisingly, the prices were reasonable (if not cheaper than the Michael Kors boutique) and the salespeople were very friendly and helpful. I had told the lady it was a gift and she had handpicked a few of her favourites for me, all under the budget. In the end, she had asked if I had a Nordstrom Rewards card. I said no. She said she could sign up for me and would add me to her VIP guest list in which I would be the first to be informed of upcoming promotions emailed personally by her. This caught me off guard as it was quite a personal interaction with the salesperson, so I decided to give in and see what they have to offer.

With Nordstrom’s Debut Rewards (in Canada our accounts are digital only), you can earn 1 point per dollar spent at Nordstrom (Nordstrom Rack and HauteLook as well for US members only). As soon as you earn 2,000 points, you will receive a $20 Nordstrom Note in which you can use at all participating Nordstrom locations. There are four levels of the Nordstrom Rewards program. The higher you go, the more rewards and faster you will earn. For higher level Nordstrom Rewards members, you may earn 10 points per dollar spent and take part in bonus points events in which your purchases will allow you to earn additional points.

I would like to note that I am very impressed with the customer service at Nordstrom. A week after I had made my purchase, I had received a handwritten letter from the salesperson who sold to me telling me about her shopping experience that day. She had remembered what I had purchased, who it was for and some of the things I had mentioned during that interaction period.

Without a positive shopping experience at Nordstrom, I don’t think I would have spent too much dwelling whether to sign up for the Nordstrom Rewards card or not despite the fact that I could be earning more with loyalty credit cards. You can also take this into the double dipping process earning both retail store rewards and credit card rewards. 

Unfortunately you can only earn points from shopping at the Canadian stores only. Online and US stores do not count yet. 

In the next 3 years, Nordstrom plans to have 6 locations in Canada.

• Calgary, Alberta, Chinook Centre (opened on September 19, 2014)
• Ottawa, Ontario, Rideau Centre (opened on March 6, 2015)
• Vancouver, British Columbia, Pacific Centre (coming fall 2015)
• Toronto, Ontario, Eaton Centre, (coming fall 2016)
• Toronto, Ontario, Yorkdale Centre, (coming fall 2016)
• Toronto, Ontario, Sherway Gardens, (coming spring 2017)