Discount Divas take savings a step further with program

The Discount Divas and Dudes card is offered at all area Goodwill stores.
By NANCILYNN GATTA
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
Three sisters from Florida created a multimedia endeavor when one sister, Sally Miller Outlaw, a television producer, had a yard sale. She became fascinated by the assortment of people who came to buy her stuff. As a result, Discount Divas Inc. was created, initially planned as a television program following the shopping excursions of her sisters Pam Miller Baston and Missy Miller Hill, whose motto is "Resale, not retail."
"They did shoot the pilot for television. But that had to sit down for awhile; we were doing something else. In the meantime, they created the Web site, which basically took on a life of its own (www.discountdivas.tv). It was so cute and getting good comments that we decided to launch that along with the card program," said Tina Legg, public relations director for Discount Divas.
Legg is referring to the Discount Divas and Dudes savings card, which is offered at all the Youngstown Area Goodwill stores including Hermitage and New Castle. The national program costs $15 for a two-year membership. The card can be used at any participating resale store in the United States. The stores that accept the card are listed on the Web site.
Discounts vary
"Basically, you show the card and get the discount. It can be anything from a percentage off purchase to $5 off a certain amount. It is up to the individual stores. We do not dictate in any way," said Legg.
Melissa Pearce, marketing director of Youngstown Area Goodwill Industries, explained how the loyalty card works locally.
"On Tuesdays, we give seniors and students 20 percent off with identification. We extend that to the Discount Diva card holders."
It is up to each individual Goodwill store to decide whether to participate in the loyalty card program.
"The reason we're involved is because once the program catches on, it would just be attracting customers to us that normally aren't familiar with our stores. If someone gets a membership at a Discount Diva store, they can go online and find out who is registered. People are traveling around the country on vacation, they can take advantage of that card," said Pearce.
The local Goodwill Stores have signed on to the program because, Pearce said, "All retailers realize now that word of mouth and customer loyalty are the best things you have going for you. We can't afford a lot of expensive advertising. We concentrate on upgrading our stores and rewarding our customers."
Range of shoppers
The Discount Divas and Dudes savings card is a perfect match for area Goodwill shoppers. "We have different kinds of shoppers. We have a lot of regular shoppers. Some of them are just bargain hunters that really enjoy the treasure hunt. A good many of our shoppers are recreational shoppers. They call it their therapy. They can fill up their buggy and feel guilt-free because it didn't cost so much. We find that a lot of our shoppers are women who just want something new and don't want to pay a lot. Sometimes they'll just pop in at the end of their work day and just walk around, relax and just pick up a few things," said Pearce.
Improving the image of secondhand shopping is the impetus behind Discount Divas Inc. As Legg explained, "We're trying to do for the resale area kind of what Martha Stewart did for regular home d & eacute;cor."