, Once upon a time in a land far away Vox Humana was alleged to have said:
> "Julia Altshuler" > wrote in message
> news:ffEKc.126594$Oq2.35625@attbi_s52...
>
>>The most benign explanation is that it allows the store to gather
>>marketing information.
>>
>>
>>For example, the store knows that more people will buy a particular
>>brand of orange juice if they put it on sale from a regular price of
>>$2.99/half gallon down to $2.19/half gallon, but they also have good
>>reason to want to know details.
>>
>>
>>Do the people who buy it on sale stock up and then not buy it the
>>following week? Do the people who buy it on sale normally buy a less
>>expensive brand and switch when the more expensive stuff goes on sale?
>>Do the people who never buy orange juice try it when the price goes down?
>>
>>
>>The store can gather all sorts of useful information if they can track a
>>particular customer's buying habits. They can discover if the person
>>who avoids orange juice with sugar added also avoids all products with
>>added sugar or just orange juice. Does that customer ever buy candy, or
>>does the customer also buy diet soda? It tells how well advertising is
>>working in specific ways. Do customers who buy premium ice cream read
>>the ads in the local paper, or do they respond to a promotion at the
>>local school?
>>
>>
>>The information is incredibly useful in setting prices. This way they
>>can discover just how much the customer will pay for orange juice before
>>switching to apple or grape or no juice at all. It helps them discover
>>how high the prices can go before the customer will buy groceries
>
> elsewhere.
>
> They could gather all this information by issuing cards without collecting
> your name and address.
>
>
And Albertsons, at least, allows this. You simply check a box stating
that you don't wish to reveal your name, address, & phone number.