They can take all the information they want from customer buying habits. All retailers do it.

If they start distributing personal information without your consent, then that's a violation of privacy.

Take a look at the original article - here is a quote from a Target executive:

“And we found out that as long as a pregnant woman thinks she hasn’t been spied on, she’ll use the coupons. She just assumes that everyone else on her block got the same mailer for diapers and cribs. As long as we don’t spook her, it works.”

It concerns me that so many people are okay with corporations having this type of mentality in regards to their customers.

This is what happens when you give your information to every scumy business that asks for it. Why do you think facebook wants you to verify your real name now. This data is gold to scumy marketers.

This is known as "life stage analysis" by retailers. Modeling customer demands and product elasticities has been going on for decades.

If you want to keep a purchase a secret dont sign up for their Target debt card and when you make purchases pay in cash, never give your real phone number, also don 't use big name pharamacies, use the small mom and pop ones that are owned locally.

I am done having children and I got signed up on that Target pregnancy marketing campaign. I think it was because I used my credit card buying diapers for my niece. My husband is on a retirement AARP list, he gets items for senior citizens ALL the time and he is only 32. I think companies are paying big bucks for a list of our buying habits that have a lot of bad information.

As a nation we should really take a stand against collecting information that is attached to a name and address. Pretty soon our health insurance companies are going to link up with Giant Eagle Grocery and see I bought way too much bacon and transfat last week---they will up my rates :)

Target did nothing wrong here folks. How did Target get her address? She must have given Target her address to receive promotions and adds. I don't think Target or any other entity has the technology yet to scan a person's face at the register and figure out who they are and what their address is. This information had to come from the girl with her permission.

She should not have been old enough to get a Target Credit Card (if such a thing exists). If she did have a Target Credit Card, then I'm sure it is like every other store brand card which states 'you agree to have them send you promotions and advertisements' as part of the privilege of using the card.

Even as an adult reading this, how many of you have read the fine print before you've signed up for a store credit card? I'm guessing not to many of you.

Certainly gives one pause. Maybe "cash" isn't such a bad idea after all.

"I don't think Target or any other entity has the technology yet to scan a person's face at the register and figure out who they are and what their address is."

The technology exists, and it's actually being used by law enforcement in some cities. But it hasn't really been rolled out to the general public.

"Even as an adult reading this, how many of you have read the fine print before you've signed up for a store credit card? I'm guessing not to many of you."

The problem is it doesn't matter if you read it or not. The language they use is intentionally confusing so that you can't be entirely sure of what you're signing up for.

This is one reason to avoid many of those affinity credit cards. By using the card you are authorizing them to track your buying habits and send you marketing material. If you are going to use one, use one from a bank that gives you cash back or one from the airlines that gives you points. They both allow you to restrict them from sending any information to third parties and all you will get is ads for trips from the airlines which, if you are amassing airline points, is obviously something you might be interested in. I have a cash back card from my bank and have not been bothered any marketing mailers from that.

The same problem goes along with those discount cards from grocery stores, big chain pharmacies, and the like. They track your buying habits in order to target the ads they send you. Many allow you to preclude them from sharing the information with third parties, but many do not. The way many cover the costs of those discounts is by selling the information to other companies for them to use in marketing to you.

It's obvious that companies like Target, Kohls, Belks, etc. that give discounts for using their card are saving you money by not having to pay Visa, Mastercard, etc. the fees they charge for handling the money side of the purchased plus getting money from interest if you don't pay in full every month. What you save at the store in discounts you may be giving back in credit card interest. Credit cards are a big money making business so everyone wants in for a piece the pie.

They have your name and address, they know what you're interested in buying, and will send ads to your house and email account. If you don't want that then opp out and stop using the card. Simple. Use the card for the discount or don't use the card and pay the full price.

if people only knew, how much they are spied on, profiled,and put in a category; they would not even believe it, ever give blood, get a blood test; well if it is a public institution, your DNA is profiled and put in a data base, been in the armed service, been a government employee, same; privacy is only in your mind, traffic tickets, application for a credit card, bank account, all in your data base, there is no real privacy anymore, 9/11 took care of that.

You all know those little tags that you can get at most stores that you use for the discounts (discounts hahahaha) Remember filling out the form and rge reward points you were told you would earn ? And the phone number you gave with address? And you need to ask how they got this information , first off you all gave it to them , second when they scan your card what you bought goes straight to the computer. Oh and Sam's Club and Costco? Their cards that you use to prove you are a member at the door , but more importantly at the check out? Quess what it does? Rightttt sends to computer what you and everyone else buys. and that's how they know what items are not selling, oh and Sam's it's both a try out place for certain items to see later in Wal-mart, or the dumping place for what did not sell there. We give out to much information for free to companies and many times pay them to be able to do it like Sam's and Costco.

Don't get me wrong I did it for too long also, but not any more

Keep saving those pennies at the big box shopping heavens. Suckaaaaaaa!

I have a discount card for my grocery store. Yes, they track what I buy, and I get personalized coupons printed at the register. Most are for things I actually use. I can also load coupons online that automatically discount things when I shop. If you're using one of the store's credit cards or discount cards, I don't see how guessing what you'll need next is a problem.

The fact that corporations are using personal buying habits from their d-bases to determine a person's present state of being is cause to give concern. This is the same tactic used by federal agencies to spy on the public to make assumptions about a person's future actions. Personal privacy seems to be non-existent these days with the collection of data in huge d-bases that are used for modeling to make assumptions of people or predictions. Orwellian days are here.

"

"Even as an adult reading this, how many of you have read the fine print before you've signed up for a store credit card? I'm guessing not to many of you."

The problem is it doesn't matter if you read it or not. The language they use is intentionally confusing so that you can't be entirely sure of what you're signing up for.
"

If you don't understand something, perhaps you shouldn't be signing it.

Hey Webster, no violation, just plain and simple profiling. It's the American thing.

taking great pains to understand their customers better,

Yeah, right. Did you ask the customer if she wanted you to understand her better?? Violation of privacy, BIG TIME. Shame on you, Target!

Sigh....yet another liberal media slur aimed at those "evil" big box stores. You know what?.. if you don't like their marketing tactics, simply don't shop there.

Ive bought diapers and baby food at Target. Does that mean i am pregnant?

Diapers were for a relative, baby food was for a sick cat.

Don't try and deny it. If Target says you're pregnant why should we believe you when you say you're not?

Agreed. All retailers track what customers buy.

This article is trying to create a conspiracy where there is none.

they have to know WHO you are to make it usable. That's the privacy angle.

yes they have to know WHO and WHERE...you have to give them this information.

They need to be able to couple transactions to a user. When you pay using a credit card, check or use a loyalty card they get that information.

Almost all retailers do this. And generally, it provides for a more competitive market.

Consumables have average lifespans that retailers are usually aware of. Coupons are usually targeted for when your consumable is likely to run out based upon your transaction history.

Or is could be coincidence.

There is an odor sensor at the register.

They go looking for the almost imperceptible scratches on your underarms from the plastic at the bottom of the deodorant. The worse they are, the cheaper the product they offer coupons for.

You just did congrtaulations,and expect to be bombarded by coupons for condoms in about 10 months.

To clarify, I mean the headline that links to this article.

robinlynn-1006115: Good for you! That was the first thing that hit me also.
I see "your" in lieu of the correct "you're" continually in various internet postings. Or, even worse, "ur." Guess there are too many students (?) texting instead of paying attention in English class these days. Didn't your "schoolmarm larn you nuthin'?"

The variation of "your" is correct in this posted headline. "You're is a contraction combining "you" and "are" and if you undid the contraction the headline would read " What Target knows about you, and perhaps you are pregnancy". "Your" is possessive and a pregnancy is, albeit, a possession.

Sincerely,

A person who did not sleep in elementary English.

Hey really it would actually read: "Store knows you are pregnant" where as it used to read "Store knows your pregnant".

And there I was trying to be intellectually superior. It always escapes me why the term ‘elitist’ is used to describe those such as myself – a wholly inaccurate description.

"You are pregnancy" makes no sense.

The head line is correct, it speaks to an individuals pregnancy.

You'd better. A friend of mine bought whipped cream and strawberries at a Super Target in his area and the cashier remarked, "Oh, it looks like someone has a romantic evening planned!"

He said to me, as he was recalling the incident, that he was really glad he stopped and got his condoms at Walgreens earlier.

Retailers can still use your purchases to gather valuable information, despite your use of cash. They track what items are purchased together, and use that to find any patterns. One example is that it was discovered that diapers and beer were often purchased together.

Yeah, but if you use cash, they don't know WHO was buying the beer and diapers together, therefore, no targeted ads, which what the article is about.

Yes, but doing cash-only transactions has its own set of problems. How long would it take the average person at $50-$70/year salary to save up $150K to buy a house? Assuming they were able to pay for four years of college without any loans. Is that person married and had a family in that time period, there would be additional saving requirements for the child's college, retirement, life insurance, medical bills, etc. Experts estiate the average Gen X or Gen Y-er needs at least 1 million to retire. How in the heck are you going to save for a house, a new car (b/c at some point yours will die), retirement plus any 'luxuries' like furniture, electronics, vacations, etc with - at most - $1000/month. Not happening.

The point is, most people do not have the ability to buy everything in cash, especially big ticket items. But to buy the house, college, etc. you need credit. Can't get credit with cash purchases. It's an awful cycle. Plus, some things are designed to need credit. Rental cars, hotels are the first that come to mind that require a credit card. Many jobs (heck even banks, cell phone companies do a credit check. Ourelectric provider ran our credit to set up a new account.)

Cash only is not the only option but I do agree we should ditch credit cards and use bank cards or 'protected' cards rather than store/rewards cards

Um paige, I assume you mean $50 to $70 thousand per year, otherwise...... If this is correct, then it will not take nearly as long to save $150 thousand as it will to pay off a mortgage of the same amount. The interest will work for you, rather than against you.

We may not be sitting around, but yes, as a Commie Pinko Liberal I and my comrades do spend an inordinate amount of time fussing about the state of our union and the brave new world our republican business coalition is putting in place for our children. Just Google TimfromSeattle0 for chuckles.

wje ... Some well said tongue-in-cheek commentary ... comrade. If George Orwell were alive today he would have cringed to find that the spectre of 'Big Brother' that he predicted now exists far more nefariously than even he could have ever imagined. As a society we are definitely on the precipice of total control for the benefit of the power / elite. Thanks for your post.

Peace

Penny I think the problem is that people are concerned that it will lead to higher cost.

Example: Lets say your employer charges more money for employees that smoke regularly---you are a non-smoker but say you are buying a carton of cigarettes for a friend on your credit card.

This purchase gets picked up and your grocery store is linked with your pharmacy ( which happens at TARGET) which links to your health insurance so you buy a case of cigarettes and now "magically" you find on Monday morning your health insurance has labeled you a smoker and your rates go up. Not only do your rates go up but now they will not cover lung issues or lung cancer on your policy. These type of issues have happened , albeit not wide spread yet, but I think these type of big brother issues is what people are afraid of.

people have illusions that they go about their lives unobserved...wrong

someone is always observing & noting...even Neadrathals in the next cave

listen to mamma & wear clean underwear...

use the "round file" for unwanted coupons...or play with a shredder

makes great compost !

I doubt that anyone is wasting much time looking over my shoulder, if they are, they are likely more bored than the maytag repairman.

Kallie, you have a fundamental misunderstanding of what data mining is. One pack of cigarettes is not a trend. Even multiple packs of cigarettes might not be a trend.

If, on the other hand, you buy a pack of cigarettes twice a week for three months straight AND you also buy lighters regularly AND you buy products that may not be related to smoking, but are similar to other smokers who live in your area, then, yes, you might get labeled a smoker. In that case, though, it seems very likely that you would be, in fact, a smoker, and your insurance should go up.

It's amusing to me that people are complaining so much about what Target did that they miss the greater point that Target was right. The father was indignant because he thought they were slandering his precious daughter's reputation by calling her pregnant. But she was pregnant! You can argue about the ethics of the situation, whether Target should be doing this or not. But saying "no" because you're afraid they will label you incorrectly is not a reasonable stance. Data mining works.

Not that hospitals aren't violating it as well. Case in point, I was seen at an ER several times at the beginning of my pregnancy for complications. Like magic, I began receiving coupons in the mail for diapers, formula, baby-food ect. Note that it couldn't have been from a store as I hadn't bought ANYTHING baby-related yet because I wasn't sure there was going to be a baby, the only way they could have known I was pregnant is to have gotten that information from the hospital I was seen at. Also, if they had been following MY trends of buying baby-products, (or anything really) they would not have sent me coupons for formula, or disposable diapers (I give those to a local church for their food pantry).

I get them daily.

I, myself would rather you'd lower the price by eliminating this marketing crap. You (mr. business owner) may find it useful....but it doesn't work at our house. Your junk mail ends up in the paper recycle bin, your crap emails and electronic advertisement are ignored, and your telephone calls/texts are hung-up on or deleted.

I know where things are, and their approx prices. I do research when I purcase something large or complicated. And I talk with friends about their choices and experiences with products and services. Seriously, you're increasing your costs, just to put a fake price on them temporarily, and it doesn't work here. Quit with the games, already.

Pay with cash and don't be a sucker for those "value reward programs" when you get a "discount card" from the store. It's just another way for them to spy on you.

- Edge

If people like you are boycotting a place it makes shopping there much more pleasant.
Thank you.