WS Chronicle

By Judie Holcomb-Pack

If you’re a baby boomer, the name “Green Stamps” may bring back memories of licking stamps and sticking them into small books for your mother or grandmother, and flipping through pages of a Green Stamp catalog dreaming of what those filled books of stamps could bring. 

Don’t look now, but those Green Stamps of yesteryear are back – sans licking and sticking.

Carl Norloff, CEO of S&H Interactive (home of S&H Green Stamps) is traveling the United States to spread the word about the all-new, updated version of Green Stamps. Following him on LinkedIn or Facebook (S&H Green Stamps) is like viewing a travelog of America or a game of Where’s Waldo? 

Norloff  has obtained the rights to the Green Stamp promotional program and has brought it into the 21st century by creating a digital application, or what he refers to as “click it, don’t stick it.” Norloff said he is focusing on mom and pop businesses to continue the legacy of what Green Stamps meant in the ‘50s and ‘60s, a way to promote businesses while giving consumers an easy way to earn items from low-cost kitchen gadgets to expensive housewares and more. 

According to Wikipedia, S&H Green Stamps were popular in the United States from 1896 to the 1980s, nearly 100 years, which is a long time for a marketing promotion to retain interest. Sperry & Hutchison (the S&H in the Green Stamps name) created the rewards program and in its heyday in the 1960s issued more stamps than the U.S Post Office. At the height of popularity, 30 million households saved Green Stamps distributed by 80,000 retailers.

Customers received stamps based on the amount of their purchases at grocery stores, gas stations, department stores and other retailers. The loyalty program became a real connector of communities. Not only could consumers redeem stamps for personal items, they could join with their neighbors to support community needs. In one memorable redemption, a community saved enough Green Stamps to purchase a fire truck; another group used Green Stamps to purchase two gorillas for a zoo.

In the 1970s Green Stamps started to go out of favor. A series of recessions decreased the value of the stamps as the number of books required to purchase items increased. Green Stamps and its successor, Greenpoints, were eventually discontinued.

Enter Carl Norloff and his goal to bring back Green Stamps, but with a 21st century spin. He jumped at the opportunity to purchase the Green Stamp trademark. In a recent interview at 6th Sense Health & Wellness, where Norloff had stopped by to visit Nike Roach, he said that the new program is not designed to compete with the rewards programs of large companies or chains like Harris Teeter, Speedway, CVS, and others. He is focusing on small businesses and local mom and pops that need an added boost to promote their business. He also wants to partner with nonprofits through the Green Stamps for Good program. 

When a local business joins the Green Stamp program, they are able to put their items in the online catalog. As in the past, consumers receive Green Stamps for their purchases, but today the stamps are issued digitally and the consumer can accumulate stamps and redeem them for purchases via an app on their Apple or Android phone. Consumers are encouraged to visit the store to pick up the redeemed item, thereby driving traffic to participating retailers.

Businesses that choose to participate in the program receive posters and door clings to promote their participation, along with a code card that is scanned at the register to issue stamps to customers. Businesses pay a fee to participate and then can upload their promotional items to the online catalog. When consumers look through the catalog, they will see promotions from local companies first, which will encourage cross promotion of businesses. 

After meeting Norloff at 6th Sense, Nike Roach said, “I believe that S&H is going to be a game-changer for local businesses that are looking to give back to their community, as well as to be able to generate interest in their business, whether it’s massage therapy, like mine, or other service or product-oriented businesses.”

For more information on S&H Green Stamps, follow Carl Norloff on LinkedIn,  S&H Green Stamps on Facebook, or visit www.greenstampsforgood.com.