🚀 go-pugleaf

I have joined just about every popular CD  club on the market at one time or
another.  There  are more than just  Columbia and BMG.  There  are clubs for
classical music and laser video discs too.
 
My CD collection  contains about 400 CDs.  Many of  these have been acquired
by way of clubs.  In fact, many times I join the same club concurently using
my work address and my home address.
 
When I  get a  CD in  the mail  which I did  not request  I always  open the
package and see what's  in side.  If it looks like  something decent, I will
buy it.  If not,  I send the unpaid bill back with a  note asking for a free
return  postage slip.   Every club  I have  ever joined  complies with  such
requests quickly and they always credits my account with the return.
 
The quality  of these clubs'  CDs seems  fine to me.   I have a  rather good
stereo system and haven't  heard any poor quality sound from  the CDs I have
purchased this  way.  The prices  of the  discs are not  exactly competitive
with some stores in  this area especially since there are  some good used CD
shops near by here.   As such, I usually quit these clubs as  soon as I have
met my minimum purchasing obligation.
 
Be  careful when  selecting a  club's membership  offer.  I  have seen  many
instances where clubs  such as BMG and Columbia House  make different offers
in different magazines.  Once, I purchased  a TV Guide and a Popular Science
(I think) at the same store at the same time.  One mag had an add for 3 free
CDs and  the other mag had  an add from the  same club for 8  CDs.  I forget
which club it was though.  Try to browse  through a few mags to look for the
best offer from a particular club before you sign up.
 
A good way  of expanding the deals for  free CDs from these clubs  is to get
one or more friends  to sign up to them with you as  a reference.  This way,
you get a CD or 2 as a reward  for bringing in a new customer and they get a
few CDs for becoming a new members.  Just remember to quit the clubs as soon
as you meet your purchasing obligation so  you don't waste too much time and
money sending back cards for monthly selections that you do not want.
 
This has always seemed like a sleazy tactic  to me, but I am not the one who
invented  this method  of  doing  business.  The  CD  clubs also  implicitly
encourage  it by  rewarding  former subscribers  to  resubscribe again  with
offers of even more free CDs.