Out of a reflex of distrust, I refuse to participate in any kind of loyalty program of the outlet of the large retail store around the corner.
I tell myself that by refusing to join the loyalty program (which basically comes down to scanning an anonymous loyalty card every time I make a purchase), I prevent them from adding my correlations (what products I buy, in what combos, at what time) to their data.
But since I normally pay by card, I guess they can (and do) already do that with my bank account information?
If I would pay with cash, they can still see those correlations per purchase, but they can’t track my purchases over time?
I always answer “no thank you”. It’s polite for the worker yet direct. I’ve never once had someone insist
The latest version of this I’ve seen is fucking fast fashion of all things asking for your phone number to send invoices to, as part of their “digital sustainability initiative”. If they really gave a shit they’d set fire to everything the company owned.