Do you know how sometimes you go to buy a pack of gum or some spoons or a pack of washcloths and the person at the register demands that you tell them your ZIP code, in order to be granted the right to hand over money for your purchase? And you’re like “Buh? That is so exploitative. Well whatever, I really need these spoons.” Yes, well, last week that practice was ruled illegal by the Supreme Court of California. And already, “More than a dozen new lawsuits have been filed against major chains that do business in California, including Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Bed Bath & Beyond Inc., Crate & Barrel and Victoria’s Secret” over their ZIP Code-asking ways.
We’ve probably all had this experience, right? We’re purchasing something benign- a penis pump or a ball gag, perhaps- and the clerk at the register asks for our phone number or zip code. If you’re like me, you’ve probably too often provided whatever information was requested, because…well, because all you really want to do is just get the Hell out of the store and on to whatever pleasure emporium your schedule has you headed to next. It’s just a phone number…or a hair follicle…right? Except that if you stop and think about it, it really does seems as if businesses are collecting more and more information from those purchasing their goods and/or services. It’s Marketing 101, I suppose; the more information you can collect about your customers, the easier it becomes to target those customers with products and services they (don’t know they) want. That idea might be a good thing for corporate marketing departments…but what happens when collecting that information becomes increasingly coercive, when businesses become more aggressive and persistent in the information they collect and the manners in which they collect it? Should we have to provide personal information- or worse- in order to be granted the privilege of dropping a few bucks at Bed, Bath, and Beyond?
This being America, of course, someone is actually suing several national chains that in this case do business in California. Last week, the California Supreme Court ruled that the coercive collection of personal information is illegal (Gentleman, start your lawsuits!!). So, I suppose this means that we won’t have to worry about being subjected to mandatory DNA collection when we’re buying that soup tureen at Crate & Barrel?? Or providing a blood sample at Williams-Sonoma when we’re acquiring that latest Cuisinart thing we can’t live without?
Well, at least there’s still eBay….
