Your (Mere) Visa Card Is No Good Here, Sir
I'd never set foot in a Neiman Marcus until my wife (then my girlfriend) dragged me in here about 10 years ago. I don't remember much about the overall experience to be honest. But I vividly recall how, when I went to pay with my Visa card for something my wife wanted, she explained to me in an almost embarrassed whisper that Neiman Marcus only took American Express or their own credit card. Nothing else (other than cash, of course)
What?!? I'd never heard of such a thing before. Anywhere. Didn't I have an AmEx card, too, my wife asked?
No. No I didn't. And since the item was several hundred dollars, I didn't have the cash on me either. That left me with one option: sign up for a Neiman Marcus credit card right there on the spot. And so I did.
I still have that card, though I don't keep it in my wallet since I never use it. Indeed I've never set foot in a Neiman Marcus ever again.
But I think that my wife may still be using it. She surprised me by protesting loudly (even violently) when I mused out-of-the-blue recently during a long car ride that maybe we should cancel that card....