Looking for the Loblaw gift card registration reminder? Check your spam

If you asked to be notified when registration for Loblaw's $25 gift card offer opened, you might have to dig through your email spam folders to find it.

The gift card offer is a gesture to customers for its role in fixing the price of bread for more than a decade.

A number of customers have told CBC News if it weren't for the extensive media coverage across the country, they'd have no idea the registration period for receiving the card started on Monday.

The email is getting stuck in customers' spam folders — particularly for those who use Gmail.

CBC News spoke with numerous people who applied to be notified when the registration was open on Jan. 8. All but one said they didn't receive the registration email, only to find it had been blocked by spam filters. 

The single person who did receive the registration email had signed up using a Hotmail account. 

However, customers don't need to have the link found in the registration email to apply for the gift card. They can apply directly through the company's website.

In an email response to CBC News, Kevin Groh, the vice president of corporate affairs and communications at Loblaw, said, "We are aware that some reminders have gone undelivered, but our review suggests the vast majority — nearly all — were delivered without issue."

"We are continuing to investigate, but have been registering a steady stream of customers since early yesterday morning," he wrote. 

He refused to provide the numbers of how many cards are registered so far, but said Loblaw is looking at the possibility of designing emails that will make it past spam filters.

Gift card in Loblaw's best interest

Applying for the gift card doesn't preclude customers from also joining a class action suit. Instead, $25 will be deducted from any compensation following a successful suit.

But don't be fooled, said Martin Qiu, an associate professor at the Lazaridis School for Business and Economics at the Wilfrid Laurier University, the gift card isn't a completely altruistic olive branch.

The gift card, in the end, benefits Loblaw — ensuring even its disillusioned customers will come back through its doors at the very least, to spend that $25.

"Loblaw does not pay you cash, it gives you a gift card," said Qiu. "It's just an opportunity for customers to shop at Loblaws."

This is an opportunity that could benefit the company, he said. If six million gift cards are distributed as planned, "they'll see an increase in store traffic and revenue."

Groh said the company currently has no plan to limit the number of cards distributed across the country, and "all customers who meet the eligibility requirements can apply, with no restriction related to household." 

Customers also have to provide detailed personal information, including first, middle and last name, date of birth, residential address, mailing address and phone numbers — information that the company would be hard-pressed to get otherwise.

However, Groh assured that Loblaw will not be using personal information "for any purpose other than administering the Loblaw Card program."

Referring to the statement on the website, he said the information collected will not be used to market to clients, unless Loblaw have obtained the consent to do so.