To: WSFAlist at keithlynch.net
Date: Sat, 3 Aug 2002 05:09:09 -0400
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Big Brother in your grocery cart?
From: ronkean at juno.com
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>

On Fri, 02 Aug 2002 15:15:17 -0400 "Michael Walsh"
<MJW at mail.press.jhu.edu> writes:
> Ron Kean put forth the proposition . . .
>  >A website for those worried about shopper cards.
> >http://www.nocards.org/
>

> I suspect most folks really don't give a hoot about the privacy
> issue - if Safeway gets excited over surges in sales of mazola oil and
> weasel wax  . . fine.
>
> But most of us are concerned about cost.  Most of us will purchase
> the sale item over the non sale item.
>
> mjw
>

The website referenced has a study which purports to show that list
prices are higher at stores which offer the cards, which leads one to
suspect that the cards might not save customers money, in the aggregate.
But a shopper who aggressively seeks out the discount prices would might
have an advantage over a shopper who does not.  Also, the study
apparently ignores the fact that grocery stores have offered discount
prices on some items from time to time, long before the cards were
introduced.

The cards could be used to track a shopper's habits, which some would
consider a violation of privacy, but only if the card is associated with
the shopper's true identity.  If the cards were really only being used
for market research, one wonders why the store even needs the name and
address of the shopper.  The cards could be issued with anonymous ID
numbers.  Of course if one applied for a card under a false name, the
information collected would not be easily associated with their real
name.  I suppose the store would issue a card to Xandar the Magnificent
from Franistan, if that was the information filled in on the application
form.

Ron Kean

.

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