More 'invasion of privacy' stupidity

[Jester]

Amusingly, that strategy doesn't really work in Key West, where the entire town has the same ZIP code (33040), and yet, they still ask customers for the ZIP code in the local Shack. Sure, there can be tourists in that store, but what is knowing where the tourist customers come from going to help the folks at the Shack?

[Slave to the Phone]

What makes me laugh is that most of the people who blow up at the cashier over something like asking for a zipcode will probably go to their facebook account...which often includes pic, email adresses and PHONE NUMBER to complain about the invasion.

Me...I give zip code without flinching. If asked for a phone number and I know its just the prompt, I give my exbf's. There are some places I give my real number to, but that's because they can use it to look my account up and apply discounts or know how I like my hair cut.

We really have no expectation of privacy anymore. This site is pretty secure, but has my email addy. If evil powers wanted to find me just from here, they could. Someone would have to be totally off the grid to be totally private. That would mean camping on public land and riding their bike to go to the public library to go online.

Just give up the zipcode and go away.

[Andara Bledin]

It's not the card, it's the security on the card reader.

It could be some of that, too, but as the credit card processor for the company I work for, I've gotten pretty familiar with the different ways cards can go through the system, and it's really haphazard as to what will do what.

We don't get charged more if the address doesn't match, just the random Do Not Honors. We do get charged more if the expiration or CVV don't match, but those won't necessarily decline, either, which bothers the heck out of me. And if we take a foreign card, it doesn't matter if the CVV matches or not, because they're still going to charge that extra 3%. That is, if the issuing bank doesn't auto-decline because it's a foreign charge. >_<

^-.-^

[EricKei]

Stores that use ZIP's for tracking also use the info for advertising purposes -- e.g., we're getting lots of people from this ZIP who spend lots of money, let's do more ads there (because they're obviously responsive to them) and maybe give them some coupons that we don't give to the other areas (to increase loyalty chances)