heya,
this might be interesting to folks here. i will assume that most of you are familiar with two trends relating to check out / register sections of stores and supermarkets today...
1. policy of asking for your zip code - often heard as one of the knocks people would make against Radio Shack in the past, nowadays numerous merchants just have a policy of bothering every customer for their zip code when they are paying. i'd imagine that most of us here refuse to discolse ours on principle (or have fun giving fake ones just to skew the data in marketing databases) at least stores are training their people now to no longer be pushy about this. in the past, i've been told that (a) they can't complete my purchase without it (b) i can't use gift cards or other promotional deals without it (c) i'm at risk of not having my warrany honored if it's not in their records (d) etc etc etc. this no longer happens and, at least around me, i'm pleased that customers refusing to give out personal info is just about as common as people who yak about anything to strangers.
2. customer-operated credit card / debit card swipe terminals - initially i saw these only at supermarket checkout lanes, but now i'd say the majority of stores where i buy things have swipe terminals and pin pads <rant>is it just me or is the UI code on most of these annoying? most of them assume you're using a debit card and ask you for a PIN... if you are using credit card you must press cancel, then choose "credit"... why isn't that the first choice?!?</rant>
an interesting thing happened to me today, however. i made a small purchase at a store and used my credit card at the swipe terminal. it asked me to OK the amount. i did. it then asked me for my zip code. i was puzzled. i know that zip code validation is a type of authorization used with CC purchases. i was about to give it my zip, but accidentally hit a wrong button before i started punching it in. i pressed cancel to clear it out... but the authorization simply processed anyway.
i'm wondering if the device wanted my zip code for merchant bank authorization or for storage in a marketing database. you can bet that from now on i plan to just hit cancel if i continue seeing this new prompt at other stores. if things ever don't go through, i'll just keep cancelling until the checkout staffer asks what's wrong, at which point i'll mention how the device keeps asking for information that it doesn't need. they can process my card manually if they have to, but i'm never buying into this bullshit about establishments' insatiable desire to have more and more of my personal data.*
* interestingly, i wonder how far off we are from a time when merchant banks enter into partnerships and collaborative contracts with stores which will automatically generate a marketing profile of you for the vendors during your purchases. in other words, i swipe my chase mastercard at the local Stop & Shop, in addtion to stop and shop billing me for $36.12 through, chase automatically generates a profile of me based on the data in their files (name, address, credit limit, etc) and sends it back to the store for instantaneous storage in the marketing database entry associated with my shopper card.** such a proposal would likely first be put forward under the guise of "discouraging fraud" but with banking laws and privacy regs being gutted all the time, the freedom of stores to do whatever they want might not be that far away.
** yes, i have a shopper's savings card at my local supermarket. while it can technically track my purchases, it's not tied to my actual name and address. the funny thing is, i'm always amazed at the fact that any bullshit you write on the application form is accepted. i trash my card routinely and get new ones just so i no meaningful marketing profile gets built up... and each time i've chosen personal info that is more and more obviously fake. nowadays i think i'm in the system as thomas jefferson, with an address of 1600 pennsylvania avenue. what's funny is the fact that during checkout, when your receipt is printed, the store uses your name (as it appears on file) in the receipt... a la "thank you, thomas jefferson, for buying at stop and shop. you saved $4.20 with your savings card." more than once i've had register jockeys (attempting to be chummy with the customer) glance at the receipt as it prints and say something like "thanks, tom, have a nice day." one time, a person even said "oh, were you named after the president?" or something. never, however, has anyone commented on the fact that the name doesn't match the one on the credit card i just used.
this might be interesting to folks here. i will assume that most of you are familiar with two trends relating to check out / register sections of stores and supermarkets today...
1. policy of asking for your zip code - often heard as one of the knocks people would make against Radio Shack in the past, nowadays numerous merchants just have a policy of bothering every customer for their zip code when they are paying. i'd imagine that most of us here refuse to discolse ours on principle (or have fun giving fake ones just to skew the data in marketing databases) at least stores are training their people now to no longer be pushy about this. in the past, i've been told that (a) they can't complete my purchase without it (b) i can't use gift cards or other promotional deals without it (c) i'm at risk of not having my warrany honored if it's not in their records (d) etc etc etc. this no longer happens and, at least around me, i'm pleased that customers refusing to give out personal info is just about as common as people who yak about anything to strangers.
2. customer-operated credit card / debit card swipe terminals - initially i saw these only at supermarket checkout lanes, but now i'd say the majority of stores where i buy things have swipe terminals and pin pads <rant>is it just me or is the UI code on most of these annoying? most of them assume you're using a debit card and ask you for a PIN... if you are using credit card you must press cancel, then choose "credit"... why isn't that the first choice?!?</rant>
an interesting thing happened to me today, however. i made a small purchase at a store and used my credit card at the swipe terminal. it asked me to OK the amount. i did. it then asked me for my zip code. i was puzzled. i know that zip code validation is a type of authorization used with CC purchases. i was about to give it my zip, but accidentally hit a wrong button before i started punching it in. i pressed cancel to clear it out... but the authorization simply processed anyway.
i'm wondering if the device wanted my zip code for merchant bank authorization or for storage in a marketing database. you can bet that from now on i plan to just hit cancel if i continue seeing this new prompt at other stores. if things ever don't go through, i'll just keep cancelling until the checkout staffer asks what's wrong, at which point i'll mention how the device keeps asking for information that it doesn't need. they can process my card manually if they have to, but i'm never buying into this bullshit about establishments' insatiable desire to have more and more of my personal data.*
* interestingly, i wonder how far off we are from a time when merchant banks enter into partnerships and collaborative contracts with stores which will automatically generate a marketing profile of you for the vendors during your purchases. in other words, i swipe my chase mastercard at the local Stop & Shop, in addtion to stop and shop billing me for $36.12 through, chase automatically generates a profile of me based on the data in their files (name, address, credit limit, etc) and sends it back to the store for instantaneous storage in the marketing database entry associated with my shopper card.** such a proposal would likely first be put forward under the guise of "discouraging fraud" but with banking laws and privacy regs being gutted all the time, the freedom of stores to do whatever they want might not be that far away.
** yes, i have a shopper's savings card at my local supermarket. while it can technically track my purchases, it's not tied to my actual name and address. the funny thing is, i'm always amazed at the fact that any bullshit you write on the application form is accepted. i trash my card routinely and get new ones just so i no meaningful marketing profile gets built up... and each time i've chosen personal info that is more and more obviously fake. nowadays i think i'm in the system as thomas jefferson, with an address of 1600 pennsylvania avenue. what's funny is the fact that during checkout, when your receipt is printed, the store uses your name (as it appears on file) in the receipt... a la "thank you, thomas jefferson, for buying at stop and shop. you saved $4.20 with your savings card." more than once i've had register jockeys (attempting to be chummy with the customer) glance at the receipt as it prints and say something like "thanks, tom, have a nice day." one time, a person even said "oh, were you named after the president?" or something. never, however, has anyone commented on the fact that the name doesn't match the one on the credit card i just used.
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