And lo on Sun, 10 Aug 2008 17:48:40 +0100, Darren New <dne### [at] sanrrcom>  
did spake, saying:

> I get annoyed at people who pay with a personal check for that sort of  
> stuff, myself. Altho I understand that's usually not their own fault.

Becoming less of a problem here. A lot of stores, especially petrol  
stations, don't accept cheques anymore.

-- 
Phil Cook

--
I once tried to be apathetic, but I just couldn't be bothered
http://flipc.blogspot.com

Post a reply to this message

On Mon, 11 Aug 2008 09:28:39 +0100, Phil Cook wrote:

> Becoming less of a problem here. A lot of stores, especially petrol
> stations, don't accept cheques anymore.

Yeah, it seems most restaurants here won't accept cheques either....

Jim

Post a reply to this message

On Sun, 10 Aug 2008 21:58:45 +0100, St. wrote:

> Heard enough horror stories about them.

Such as?

I used to work in IT in the food/drug retail industry (but I don't any 
more).  So I'm curious how people think that data's being used.  I don't 
have a complete picture myself, but what I've seen of it in the chain I 
used to work in, I don't think it's anywhere as bad as people think.

Understanding customer spending habits allows a store to better stock up 
on the things I need/want.  In general, it would be impossible for a 
large chain to use that data to track individual shopping habits - the 
data is much more useful in determining things like aggregate products 
purchased by the local population and a better understanding of how 
customers use multiple stores in the same area.

I wonder what kind of stories Starbuck's data would give you, for 
example....

Jim

Post a reply to this message

On Sun, 10 Aug 2008 02:13:53 -0400, Sabrina Kilian wrote:

> The only time I've seen automated utility payment done right, was when
> it automatically billed a credit card. Cash back bonus, ding the utility
> company for the service fee, and have that extra month to pay it.

Where do you think the utility company gets the money to pay the service 
fee?

We're all paying that fee for the customers who do it through an increase 
in price....

Jim

Post a reply to this message

And lo on Mon, 11 Aug 2008 16:34:38 +0100, Jim Henderson  
<nos### [at] nospamcom> did spake, saying:

> On Sun, 10 Aug 2008 21:58:45 +0100, St. wrote:
>
>> Heard enough horror stories about them.
>
> Such as?
>
> I used to work in IT in the food/drug retail industry (but I don't any
> more).  So I'm curious how people think that data's being used.  I don't
> have a complete picture myself, but what I've seen of it in the chain I
> used to work in, I don't think it's anywhere as bad as people think.
>
> Understanding customer spending habits allows a store to better stock up
> on the things I need/want.  In general, it would be impossible for a
> large chain to use that data to track individual shopping habits - the
> data is much more useful in determining things like aggregate products
> purchased by the local population and a better understanding of how
> customers use multiple stores in the same area.

Yet I get vouchers from the supermarket tailored to correspond to items  
I've already purchased from there. I doubt anyone's picking over the data  
individually more a case of X purchases within Y days of product type Z  
all ranked with the top five being assigned corresponding vouchers.

It's also something to remember that such stores are branching out into  
other areas such as insurance etc. and that some cards can be used in many  
participating stores. In theory if I used a store card everywhere I could  
the company could know what I eat and how often, what type of clothes I  
buy, the books I read, the movies I watch, where and how often I buy  
petrol. Sure it's all automated until someone in the government decides  
they want to know more about a suspicious individual's habits.

> I wonder what kind of stories Starbuck's data would give you, for
> example....

At the very least it could reveal your work hours.

-- 
Phil Cook

--
I once tried to be apathetic, but I just couldn't be bothered
http://flipc.blogspot.com

Post a reply to this message

"Jim Henderson" <nos### [at] nospamcom> wrote in message 
news:48a05c0e$1@news.povray.org...
> On Sun, 10 Aug 2008 21:58:45 +0100, St. wrote:
>
>> Heard enough horror stories about them.
>
> Such as?

   Ok, re-reading what I said, I'm not sure if we're talking about the same 
thing. ;) I thought Sabrina was talking about what we call here 'store 
cards' - it's like a major retail store credit card, which in turn have 
really high interest rates, (that's the horror story, people have had high 
debt using them).

  So what's a 'customer benefit' card other than what you've already 
explained?

   ~Steve~




> Jim

Post a reply to this message

On Mon, 11 Aug 2008 17:06:28 +0100, Phil Cook wrote:

> Yet I get vouchers from the supermarket tailored to correspond to items
> I've already purchased from there. I doubt anyone's picking over the
> data individually more a case of X purchases within Y days of product
> type Z all ranked with the top five being assigned corresponding
> vouchers.

But is it a problem to get discounts targeted at the products you buy?

> It's also something to remember that such stores are branching out into
> other areas such as insurance etc. and that some cards can be used in
> many participating stores. In theory if I used a store card everywhere I
> could the company could know what I eat and how often, what type of
> clothes I buy, the books I read, the movies I watch, where and how often
> I buy petrol. Sure it's all automated until someone in the government
> decides they want to know more about a suspicious individual's habits.

Overlap with insurance would be troubling for me; and government 
intrusion also would be.

>> I wonder what kind of stories Starbuck's data would give you, for
>> example....
> 
> At the very least it could reveal your work hours.

It'd take some pretty good forensics to get that for people who this 
would be a problem for, though.  I suppose it could be a problem for a 
security guard working a solo shift....

Jim

Post a reply to this message

On Mon, 11 Aug 2008 17:10:39 +0100, St. wrote:

> "Jim Henderson" <nos### [at] nospamcom> wrote in message
> news:48a05c0e$1@news.povray.org...
>> On Sun, 10 Aug 2008 21:58:45 +0100, St. wrote:
>>
>>> Heard enough horror stories about them.
>>
>> Such as?
> 
>    Ok, re-reading what I said, I'm not sure if we're talking about the
>    same
> thing. ;) I thought Sabrina was talking about what we call here 'store
> cards' - it's like a major retail store credit card, which in turn have
> really high interest rates, (that's the horror story, people have had
> high debt using them).

*Oh*, if it's a "store credit card", yes, I hate those things as well, 
would never sign up for one myself.

>   So what's a 'customer benefit' card other than what you've already
> explained?

So-called "customer loyalty cards".  Around here the biggest thing that's 
a "problem" with them is that to get the "normal" price, you have to have 
one, otherwise you pay a premium.  That's pretty common knowledge, though 
- that the "discounted" price is a price that gives them a profit 
margin.  In f&d retail, it's all about volume, so the profit margins are 
pretty thin to begin with.

Jim

Post a reply to this message

On Mon, 11 Aug 2008 12:19:30 -0400, Jim Henderson wrote:

> them a profit margin.  In f&d retail, it's all about volume, so the

By which I mean on the food side -the drug side profit model is clearly 
different....at least in the US.

Jim

Post a reply to this message

St. wrote:
>   So what's a 'customer benefit' card other than what you've already 
> explained?

Think of it as "automatic coupons". If you present the card, you get X% 
off from various products.  Of course, the card is tied to your identity 
or at least a pseudo-identity, so they can tell that people who buy Y 
also buy Z a lot.

I like the coupons on the back of the receipts better, myself.

-- 
Darren New / San Diego, CA, USA (PST)
  Ever notice how people in a zombie movie never already know how to
  kill zombies? Ask 100 random people in America how to kill someone
  who has reanimated from the dead in a secret viral weapons lab,
  and how many do you think already know you need a head-shot?

Post a reply to this message