Corporate Creepers

[ksholder]

Ever had your kids call you a creeper for simply reading what is on your FB wall? Reminding them they put it there does not solve their concerns? Here is a story about a corporate entity that is creeping on its customers with great precision, but ...

How Target Figured Out A Teen Girl Was Pregnant Before Her Father Did - Yahoo! Shopping

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[paaiyan]

I just read that a bit ago. Creeepy.

[Okemo]

Jeepers, Creepers.

[msgt/ret]

Those people chilled by stores’ tracking and profiling them may want to consider going the way of the common criminal — and paying for far more of their purchases in cash.

So they consider those of us who prefer to pay in cash criminals?

[Rock and Glock]

Actually, I think it is very clever of Target and quite hysterical. Poor father - how embarrassing!

There should be no expectations regarding privacy when a credit card is used, so the privacy matter is "put to bed" in my book. Other than that, it is an excellent example of data mining and maximizing the value of corporate assets for the benefit of shareholders.

My attitude may run counter to some individuals here, but I would rather have Target mining my data than the Feds or the IRS for that matter (but I say that facetiously, to be honest). Target will just be trying to sell me stuff.

Think about this too.........You go buy a .223 at Cabela's or BPS and suddenly start getting coupons for ammo or optics or other gear. What's not to like?

Reminds me of an old "Salesman" joke......................

Anyway, that my story and I'm sticking to it.

[Mattmann]

I agree with rock and glock. Could be worse. This is just the tip of the ice berg in my opinion

[Unisaw]

I guarantee you that Facebook and/or Google knew she was pregnant long before Target did.

[Rock and Glock]

Now that I've thought about this thread some more, I not only agree with what I wrote, but Target has found the Holy Grail of Marketing! I had a client many years ago that specialized in selling to pregnant women. Now, if you consider the "window" of, say 9 months, and shorten it by 3 months (6 weeks at each end), it was very difficult to to acquire an accurate target client mailing list. The best bets were to have a lot of free "Motherhood" magazines in OB/GYN's offices with tear-out subscription cards. It was tough, and lists like that cost a ton of money.

So now Target has created their own list (which I can guarantee they will not sell) and hit the jackpot! Bully for them!

[IronMike]

Last Monday I stopped at the local grocery store on the way home from work.I bought a few items including a hand of fresh ginger.When I got home,I had an email from William Sonoma trying to sell me a ginger grater.I know now that the rewards card on my keychain is BIG BROTHER,I'll never use it again.

[gasmitty]

I'm sick of those invasive "care" or "rewards" cards. Tonight the bored guys at Lowes were all over me, trying to convince me how great a "My Lowes" card would be to have. Why, they could even have their system recall exactly which faucet cartridge I'd need the next time I had to replace the one I bought tonight (5 years from now). Whoopee... what they really want is to know my buying habits and email address so they can send more spam my way. No, thanks.

[WHEC724]

Like it or not, we leave a digital data trail almost everywhere we go. The technology to tap into it and turn that data into information is hardly rocket science. How that information is consumed, interpreted and acted upon is where the rubber meets the road.

This is hardly anything new for those of us who have lived in a small town;

Example 1: I go to Walmart to buy 30-30 rounds. Half an hour later, I get a call from a buddy who wants to know if I'm going up to Greenwood to go hunting that weekend (because he spoke to the cashier, who mentioned that I was just in there).

Example 2: My sister works for a Baptist church. Every now and then she gets a hankering for some Kahlua - so she'll send me (a known self-defiling sinner) to the liquor store to get it for her. ('Reminds me of a joke: What's the difference between a Catholic and a Baptist? A Catholic will look you in the eye and say "hello" at the liquor store). (I'm Baptist, btw - before anybody gets riled up).

No fancy data mining required in above examples, no big brother looking over your shoulder, just folks observing each other and drawing conclusions.

[oneshot]

Now that I've thought about this thread some more, I not only agree with what I wrote, but Target has found the Holy Grail of Marketing! I had a client many years ago that specialized in selling to pregnant women. Now, if you consider the "window" of, say 9 months, and shorten it by 3 months (6 weeks at each end), it was very difficult to to acquire an accurate target client mailing list. The best bets were to have a lot of free "Motherhood" magazines in OB/GYN's offices with tear-out subscription cards. It was tough, and lists like that cost a ton of money.

So now Target has created their own list (which I can guarantee they will not sell) and hit the jackpot! Bully for them!

^^^^^^^^So you are saying,^^^^^^^

that for the sake of corporate marketing and Profits by huge conglomerates, you like to be tracked, pestered(with offers to part with even more of your hard earned money) and have your life infiltrated and bombarded with bullcrap, you are for this, just because they can, NOT because its wrong???????

Like it or not, we leave a digital data trail almost everywhere we go. The technology to tap into it and turn that data into information is hardly rocket science. How that information is consumed, interpreted and acted upon is where the rubber meets the road.

This is hardly anything new for those of us who have lived in a small town;

Example 1: I go to Walmart to buy 30-30 rounds. Half an hour later, I get a call from a buddy who wants to know if I'm going up to Greenwood to go hunting that weekend (because he spoke to the cashier, who mentioned that I was just in there).

Example 2: My sister works for a Baptist church. Every now and then she gets a hankering for some Kahlua - so she'll send me (a known self-defiling sinner) to the liquor store to get it for her. ('Reminds me of a joke: What's the difference between a Catholic and a Baptist? A Catholic will look you in the eye and say "hello" at the liquor store). (I'm Baptist, btw - before anybody gets riled up).

No fancy data mining required in above examples, no big brother looking over your shoulder, just folks observing each other and drawing conclusions.

^Laughing, almost too much to type^^^^^^^^^


But seriously, this pales in comparison, unless I totally mistook what you implied.

[Rock and Glock]

^^^^^^^^So you are saying,^^^^^^^

that for the sake of corporate marketing and Profits by huge conglomerates, you like to be tracked, pestered(with offers to part with even more of your hard earned money) and have your life infiltrated and bombarded with bullcrap, you are for this, just because they can, NOT because its wrong???????

No, I did not say that. I did not say anything of the sort.


Target is hardly a "huge conglomerate". They are a retailer, and a large one at that, but hardly close to Wal*Mart. Even if they were, I could care less. Being a profit seeking corporation or business is not evil, not wrong, not morally backrupt. I could care less. We have more choice, more selection, and more opportunities in our marketplace than most of the remaining world. Is something wrong with that? I think not. You can choose where and how you shop, and how you pay. Not a bad system methinks...........

It is a personal decision to use a credit card, loyalty card, or any other digital signature type medium. Personally, I use a few of each, and I don't really care what they track. If I did care, I would use cash. My life is not infiltrated (and even if it is, do I care?), nor am I bombarded. It is a personal choice I make and I will not apologize nor will I wear a tin-foil hat.

Your statement that data mining is "wrong" somehow falls on deaf ears here. That's just a silly, naive and Ludite type concept.

[DMan]

It goes beyond the months of pregnancy! Remember once these parents have been targeted, they are "listed" forever. First they start getting targeted for baby formula then its toddle clothes, back to school clothes, as time progresses they can determine a lot!

[retsupt99]

Does Target trace "old, fat, bald, and ugly," too?
I haven't noticed any special coupons in the mail.