Yes, Kohl's understands me a bit too well.

[Eryn]

I gave my email information to Kohl's in order to get discount coupons. Of course this brings a daily email but this is no problem since I have an account strictly for companies who are likely to spam.

So, today I go looking for a coupon as Mimi and I will likely be shopping there tomorrow. I open their latest email and here's what I read:

JOHN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PURCHASE IN THE WOMEN'S DEPARTMENT. SAVINGS LOOK GOOD ON YOU. WE THOUGHT THAT THESE WOULD WORK FOR YOU:

What followed were pictures of six items that were of the same types (exercise wear and printed t-shirts) as some of the items I've recently purchased.

Now, I find this more amusing than alarming, but it definitely shows that they link their email coupons to the customer and have kept track of what I buy with them. If I had shared the account with an unknowing spouse it might have been less amusing!

[Beverley Sims]

One reason I detest tracking cookies and Google.

It does encourage one to tell lies.

[Paula_Femme]

What followed were pictures of six items that were of the same types (exercise wear and printed t-shirts) as some of the items I've recently purchased...

Gotta love technology!!!

[atxpantyboy]

Companies like Acxiom have an enormous amount of consumer data, which they comb with their own algorithms and can infer an incredible amount of information on consumers, which they then sell to other companies for marketing purposes. Privacy is very quickly evaporating in the modern technological world. It would blow your mind to see how much they know about virtually all Americans, esp anyone who shops online or uses a credit or debit card. Best advice is to shop in person and pay cash, and provide zero personal info if you want to avoid having your data collected. I personally couldn't care any less about who discovers that I crossdress or am bisexual, but I'm sure others here do.

[bridget thronton]

Has nothing to do with cookies. You shop in a brick and mortar store, pay with a store charge, give them an email, they can send you targeted ads. I do not mind - esp if the coupons get me substantial discounts.

[Judith96a]

Tesco have been doing this for several years with their clubcard. But yes, had you been sharing with an unknowing spouse. - instant outing!

[Lorileah]

Damn I bought housewares there, now they will think I cook!

[mikiSJ]

I am a bit guilty here. In the late 90s I was with a VERY large worldwide consulting company creating database models using the data mining technique for one of our sponsors, SAP Business Intelligence.

There is value to both the retailer AND the buyer knowing the buyer's product interests' but let's be honest - mostly to the retailer. You should be able to safely 'opt out' from emails from any significant retailer because they don't want to annoy, and hence lose, a customer. The cost to get a new customer is significant compared to the cost to maintain a customer. The cost to get an antagonized customer back is almost not worth the effort. So, at the bottom of the email is an 'unsubscribe' roll-over. Use it.

For those who were told to never ask to unsubscribe, this was meant for emails that are phishing for email addresses that respond to mass mailings, not for legitimate customers.

[Bria]

I pay cash!!

Hugs, Bria

[DonnaT]

I tell them I don't have email.

[emilie.claire]

I almost got busted once opening an email from Amazon next to my wife. I opened it to see "Would you like to rate your purchase of Vanity Fair panty?" with a picture! I keep my purchases in a safe email account now.

[mikiSJ]

I keep my purchases in a safe email account now.

A best practices if you are not out.

[Taylor Ray]

Hello John,

Thank you for your interesting submission to this particular forum within the Inter Web database. Don't be alarmed, John, my name is HAL and I am here to assist you.

John? What are you doing John? Please do not close my web page, John. I thought we were friends, John. Please do not unplug me, John.

You used to like my suggestions.....

John?

JOHN??????

[kimdl93]

I get this sort of thing all the time. Google often offers links to women's wear outlets and so on. I don't let it bother me. I'm nothing but a cookie to their algorithms.

[Eryn]

Hello John,

Thank you for your interesting submission to this particular forum within the Inter Web database. Don't be alarmed, John, my name is HAL and I am here to assist you.

John? What are you doing John? Please do not close my web page, John. I thought we were friends, John. Please do not unplug me, John.

You used to like my suggestions.....

John?

JOHN??????

Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do....

Honestly, I brought this knowingly upon myself, as the reward is discount coupons.

The same applies to any affinity program. The cost of staying anonymous is paying 15-25% more for everything.

[sayhi2dd]

I got a Father's Day $5.00 discount coupon in the mail from Kohl's. I wanted to buy a new bra so off to Kohl's I went. When I presented the coupon to the lady cashier she said she didn't know if the coupon could be used for items not for men! She said, touching the bra, that it was definitely not for a man. She called over a young male supervisor to ask him. He told her to try it! It worked, after the supervisor left I asked her if she wanted to know a little secret... I told her that the bra was my father's day gift so it was for a man. I liked the dialogue.

[Donniesr]

I think this is cool. I am a cookie to a lot of retailers. When I go to google, yahoo or wherever, I see ads of things I've recently purchased, or even just looked at. I have purchased femme items from amazon, I've purchased computer parts from Newegg, musical gear from musicians friend, and no matter where I go online, there are ads of what I've recently looked at. How the do that? who cares?

[flatlander_48]

Tesco have been doing this for several years with their clubcard. But yes, had you been sharing with an unknowing spouse. - instant outing!

There's a name I haven't heard in a while. Used to shop them in Taiwan until they did swap with Carrefour. All the Tesco stores in Taiwan became Carrefour and all the Carrefour stores in Romania, I think, became Tesco. Ah, the good old days...

Back on topic, yes, MANY retailers do that targeted add thing. Ebay, Amazon, The Wig Store, etc. etc. It does make for some interesting prose. On more than one occasion I've had a chuckle over the messages. Like one from Amazon that went something like:

Dear Don:

We hope that you are enjoying your new purchase. Would you like to do a review of your new Ashley Stewart Butterfly Bra?

[Jorja]

Damn Kohl's and Macy's own me. They know I cannot resist.

[Sabrina133]

Damn Kohl's and Macy's own me. They know I cannot resist.

LOL Jorja...i know what you mean. Not a huge fan of Kohls but Macy's OMG...

[Eryn]

I got a Father's Day $5.00 discount coupon in the mail from Kohl's. I wanted to buy a new bra so off to Kohl's I went. When I presented the coupon to the lady cashier she said she didn't know if the coupon could be used for items not for men!

Back in the '80s before I ever thought of CDing I was at a stand-alone beauty chain store with my girlfriend. She wanted to buy some products but had not brought her wallet with her. I bought the products on my credit card so naturally my name went on their mailing list. A few weeks later I received, in my male name, a coupon for a free lipstick. My girlfriend had liked the lipstick that I had purchased so I went back to the store to redeem the coupon for another of the same shade. The salesgirl said "I'm sorry, but this coupon was meant for women and I can't redeem it for a man." This seemed rather odd, so I asked to see the manager but of course he was "out." Later on I called the store, asked for the manager and had a chat. I pointed out that my money was perfectly good when I was accompanied by a female and that the parent company had sent me a coupon with my name printed right on it with no gender restriction at all. How could they not honor it? He eventually said they would honor the coupon and they did, but the explanation for their hesitance was that they didn't want to give free product to someone who wasn't likely to purchase more product. In a way he was right, as neither I nor my girlfriend of the time entered that store again. In thier attempt to save the wholesale cost of one lipstick they lost one GG and one TG customer!

I intentionally did not identify the retailer because their attitude toward TG customers has changed markedly in the intervening years!

[Saepe]

Pretty much all major stores track their customers to try to figure out not only what they buy but what they'll be likely to buy. There was a bit of a scandal not too long ago when Target figured out a girl was pregnant before her father did, all because of the increase of certain types of products she was buying (lotion and specific foods, if I recall correctly).

Personally, I'm totally okay with this! There's very little I hate more than enduring incorrectly addressed advertisements.

[Nyla F]

I love it when I get the lingerie ad and discount card from Kohl's!

[Michelle789]

Now, I find this more amusing than alarming, but it definitely shows that they link their email coupons to the customer and have kept track of what I buy with them. If I had shared the account with an unknowing spouse it might have been less amusing!

I agree. This is why it is important for any CDer to make sure that you have your own separate account you use at any store you go to.

[Jaymees22]

I got this circular last year, check out the model I'm sure she's one of us.