On Lying to Privacy Pirates

We made a trip to Safeway today. On the bullshit part of the receipt, where they tell you how much you supposedly saved by shopping there, plain as day was my name. This shouldn’t be, as the “value” card we use is registered to Joseph P. Schmeau. How do they know who I am?

Many people resent Safeway asking personal questions that are none of their business so they can track our shopping habits. So they give them false names or trade the loyalty cards with other people. It never occurs to Safeway that they are invading our private space. They are marketers, after all. Privacy means nothing to them.

To be fair, Safeway does try to make it seem like they are giving up something in return for our personal information. We don’t have to pay their regular prices, which are at the level of convenience stores. Some deal.

How did they get my real name? That question was answered here, down in the comments. An employee of one of these chains actually brags they they wait for you to use a credit or debit card, and then they match the information on the credit card to your “value” card. There’s no hiding from them unless you deal strictly in cash.

Of course, a better way is simply not to shop at Safeway, or any other store that uses loyalty cards to glean your private information from you. David Crisp wonders if it is OK to lie to them. I have to confess, it never occurred to me to tell them the truth. No more than if someone asked me about my bank balance or cocaine habits. Lying is OK when one is dealing with information pirates. It’s almost a patriotic duty. The very idea that we owe our private information to a marketer is almost an insult. Feeling an obligation to be honest with them is what is weird.

Anyway, we are stuck away from home today, and Safeway was the only option available. When at home we never darken their doors. A nice little store down the street sells us groceries at a reasonable price without the prying eyes. They only seem to care that we pay at the register. And they are easily the most popular store in Bozeman.