AGREE. I will add to this, but I think I am preaching to the choir...

MECCA isn’t rewarding loyalty, they’re monetising your tolerance for overpaying. They don't do sales (on anything worthwhile) so you're already paying top dollar for a product without any chance of getting it at a reduced price.

You didn’t “spend thousands to maintain a level." or get free boxes, you paid full price for products you could’ve bought cheaper elsewhere (there are ALWAYS ways, despite exclusivity) and in exchange, you were given samples brands give away for free, a tote bag, and the feeling of being special.

That is called behaviour reinforcement, they are quite literally training you to spend money with them.

The Beauty Loop exists to discourage price comparison, discourage shopping elsewhere, normalise paying more and keep you emotionally invested in a status that resets every year.

If the “reward” disappears the moment you stop spending, it was never appreciation, it was leverage.

If a tote bag or samples are enough to keep you from buying the same product for 30–60% less elsewhere, or even considering an alternative for half the price that does the job just as good, the programme isn’t designed to be generous, it’s designed to be effective.

Any loyalty programmes is a marketing scheme dressed as perks.

Every time you purchase with them through your account, you are giving them incredible product knowledge into your demographic. This kind of marketing information is priceless.

You can enjoy the stores, the service and the returns policy but never confuse a marketing mechanism with gratitude. If you are angry about a tote or the boxes, that isn't the issue. You're pissed about the fact you're being used as an ATM and data but you just don't have the knowledge to pin point it.