Pete, are you serious? I'll have to print out your reply for my son.

The bit about paying cash...that would work....BUT...

Say I want to profile the 20-something-year-old Middle Eastern men in my neighborhood (and we all know they are suspect...folks please know that this is tonque-in-cheek just for an example) I would pay a cashier a few bucks (wouldn't take much) to swipe the card that he/she saw the suspect in posession of in some kind of instrument which would record the "number," I wouldn't have to have a name, address, or phone number in the database. Then I could sell this information to "someone" who was interested for big bucks. Not too far fetched, not anymore than your statements above. And that's just one way to cast a broad net and link the database to actual persons. Like you stated, think of the possiblilties if you had a specific person you wanted to track.

And JohninKansas, you documented what I had suspected about prices. I think the store makes the most money by selling information (consumer research). Then if a regular card holder forgets their card (doesn't keep it on their keychain as recommended) say once a month, the money the store makes is phenomenal. (a twelve pack of coke is $2.50 with the card $3.79 without) My son's paper receipt is now several feet long for a one-item purchase because of all the messages about what he hasn't bought yet this year.

I just learned that it is against company policy for a Kroger employee to use another's card. Can actually get you fired with no defense from the union.

These stupid TV commercials have people bragging about how much money they save. Why if they spent enough at that store, they could be a millionaire. Like the lottery here in KY, "Somebody's gotta win, might as well be you." Sheesh!

Seriously though, when I started this dialog I was wondering why this bothered me when giving my SS number, etc. doesn't. I think it's just because I spend too much of my life at one store, and that's the only database that has that much info about me in one place.