it might be worth something other than at canadian tire!! who'd have thunk?!

check out the Canadian Tire Coupon Collectors Club. the ctccc was apprantly started in 1990 after an article that reported the possible demise of the canadian tire cash bonus coupon. this brought awareness about canada's 'second currency'.

for my american friends (and a little history for fellow canadians) here is info i found on canadian tire's website to explain what ctm is...

Canadian Tire 'Money' can be used anytime, for any item purchased at a Canadian Tire Associate Store, and it can be combined with other discounts on items. You can use your Canadian Tire 'Money'™ to pay for your entire purchase, or just a portion of the total price. Redeem it immediately or save it up for that special something you've been wanting to buy.
No rules - no time limits - no hassles It's that simple.
Canadian Tire 'Money' (CTM), one of Canada's best-known and most-loved customer reward programs. Considered by many to be a Canadian icon, Canadian Tire 'Money' enjoys nearly universal top-of-mind recognition in Canada.
The History Of Canadian Tire 'Money'
Canadian Tire 'Money'™ was inspired by Muriel Billes, the wife of Canadian Tire's co-founder and first president, A.J. Billes, and was introduced as a "cash bonus coupon" in 1958 in the first Canadian Tire Gas Bar in Toronto.

Why was Canadian Tire 'Money' Developed?
Canadian Tire 'Money' was developed as an innovative response to the promotional activities of the major oil companies in the 1950s. The oil companies were giving away dishes and toasters to their customers: A.J. Billes decided to boost gas bar business by giving away coupons. Customers were permitted to choose their preferred "bonus". The result? The oil companies just couldn't compete. In one stroke, Canadian Tire had hit upon another retailing first: the concept of cross-merchandising.

The first series of Canadian Tire 'Money' symbolized Canadian Tire's image. In 1961, the next generation of Canadian Tire 'Money' was introduced. This marked the birth of a well-known Scotsman, Sandy McTire, a character that became synonymous with Canadian Tire's emphasis on savings and value. The coupons were printed on genuine bank note paper by the British American Bank Note Company (the same company that printed Canadian currency at the time). The coupons were made from authentic bank note paper, with the same rag content and spot marks as paper currency. Because the coupons felt like real money, people were, and still are, reluctant to throw them away.
Today, the new design of Canadian Tire 'Money' incorporates the latest anti-counterfeiting technology. Special watermarked paper is used in the printing so that, when held up to the light, a white outline of the Canadian Tire triangle is visible through the paper. Raised lettering on the face of the bill, a maple leaf image, and anti-copier tints are used to create the background patterns. A latent image of a maple leaf is positioned to the right of Sandy McTire's left ear-but it can only be seen by tilting the bill at eye level.
Canadian Tire 'Money' has remained popular with our customers. In fact, each series of new Canadian Tire 'Money' is catalogued, tracked, collected and even hoarded by people not just in Canada but around the world. Rare bills are even considered to be valuable among collectors, prompting the establishment of organizations such as the Canadian Tire Coupon Collectors Club.
Canadian Tire 'Money'. Not only is it Canada's oldest, best known, best loved reward program, it's just one more way that Canadian Tire maintains its promise to be the best at what our customers value most.

i was just chatting with a friend here and they were telling me about a recent trip to canadian tire where he paid for his purchase using only canadian tire money and he was surprised that he still earned ctm on his purchase - how cool is that? like he said - where else but in canada?!

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