Seven Stars get 25% off at gift shops -- but not if they use RCs or room charges

[Dan Druff]

In yet another silly and infuriating operations blunder, Seven Stars members get 25% off at all CET property gift shops, yet they lose that 25% if they pay with RCs.

Why is that? No idea. But that's the rule, and it's always enforced.

This also applies to room charges (so you can't do the trick of room charging and then paying it off with RCs).

So picture yourself at the Caesars gift shop, and you want to buy a $30 item. You expect to get a 25% discount and the item will become $22.50, which you can pay 2250 RCs. There will also be no tax for that reason.

But wait! You can't! So if you want it, you'll need to pay 3000 RCs -- full price despite your supposed 25% discount.

And guess what? If you do decide to pay cash or credit in order to get the discount, you'll be paying sales tax! So that $22.50 item becomes $22.50 plus 8.1% tax in Vegas, meaning it becomes $24.32!

So that's not even a 25% discount anyway.

What a stupid restriction. Why should it matter how you pay?

[Alan Mendelson]

I've never questioned this. I think the discount for cash is good. When I use RCs to buy something I consider it 100% free.

[Dan Druff]

I've never questioned this. I think the discount for cash is good.

What do you mean by "I think the discount for cash is good"?

Do you agree with this policy?

The discount they're giving isn't for cash. It's for having a high tier players card -- something that other casino programs do, as well. It's good business sense, as it provides another benefit to achieving a high status without costing them very much.

I just think it's amazingly stupid for them to REMOVE the discount if you pay in any other way besides cash/credit. Think of how many big players like to charge to the room. Here if you charge to the room, you lose the discount. Awful.

When I use RCs to buy something I consider it 100% free.

Then you're looking at it the wrong way. RCs have real value. You can exchange them for freeplay at 1.25/1, for example.

If you think RCs lack value, I will be glad to buy freeplay from you at half price, and I will give you real cash for it. I bet you won't go for such an offer, because you actually do value RCs and freeplay as real money.

[Alan Mendelson]

Anything I charge to my room is either comped or paid for with RCs. So I really don't care about a 25% discount.

However I did buy stuff in the gift shop with a Total Rewards gift card and I did get the 25% discount when I paid with the gift card. The gift cards were comped. So I got a 25% bonus on top of the comped gift cards.