Les Jones

Oh, I like to go one step further with the "loyalty" programs. Seems a good number of the big stores ask for your postal code when you shop there up here. I give them the postal code of a small town I used to live in, and have convinced a number of friends to do the same (thankfully the postal code in question is easy to remember).

Optimally I'd like to expand this so that the marketing goons of these retailers descend on that poor town, figuring that the residents do a disproportionate amount of shopping in the major cities.

Oh course that'd smack of effort.

I wonder how the White House feels about getting all my Kroger coupons? Do you think they've been using them?

Heh. I do the same thing. However, the Mrs. likes to get the occasional $10 off grocery orders coupons so she gives them the real deal.

Another fun thing to do with those cards is swap them with friends and acquiantences. If enough people did that a couple times per year, it would be like shuffling Kroger's database.

Ingles uses the same 'loyalty' card when you rent a movie. They always insist on seeing my driver's license since the name on the shopping card is so obviously fake.

I want the benefits, but I don't want to surrender my personal information. Why can't the marketing decision-makers acknowledge that?

'I want the benefits, but I don't want to surrender my personal information. Why can't the marketing decision-makers acknowledge that?'

They have. They are at Wal-Mart ;)

if you ever one slipped up and used a credit card, they have tied you to your discount card....

big brother works in retail

And the interesting data isn't even about you in particular, it is about the typical "market basket" - the collection of items bought together. Knowing for instance that when a middle-aged man buys disposable diapers on a week-night (because the wife is home with the kids and they are out of "supplies") he also usually buys beer (because it is NOT a good night, so he might as well have a cold one) and similar things allows stores to more profitably place items in the store. The longer you are in the store, the more you spend.... on average.

When in doubt, just try (your area code)-867-5309. It seems to work a disturbing percentage of the time.

In this age of ChimpazaBush and his crushing of your privacy you are worried about a grocery card?Sorry folks your pivate life went out the window a long time ago.........

Kroger has a very strict privacy policy and only a select few people have access to the database for specific information. The general information they collect helps provide the right products for the customers in that store or area. And as the customer stated in a previous comment, we get extra discounts and offers that the computer generates for us. As far as renting a movie, the credit card is usually to charge you if you damage or don't return the movie. Personal information for an individual is easier to access on the computer or any public data base that it is through any loyalty card data base.