Blue Chip Stamps started as a trading stamps company called "Blue Chip Stamp Co." They were a competitor to S&H Green Stamps. Blue Chip stamps was a loyalty program for customers, similar to discount cards issued by pharmacies and grocery stores in the digital era. A customer making a purchase at a participating store would be given stamps in proportion to the size of the purchase. The stamps would be issued by machines next to the cash register. The customer would paste the stamps into books. Pasting a large number of stamps into books could be time consuming. The books could then be... taken to a special redemption store and redeemed for merchandise, such as lawn furniture, dining tables, table ware, and many other items. The redemption stores did not keep a full inventory of items, but would order from a catalog on behalf of the customer. The loyalty program was paid for through the overall pricing of goods in the participating stores.
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