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"I don't have to give my information so I don't feel like I am being tracked." Uhhh, you for sure will. First - BB is very aggressive on getting this stuff fr

"I don't have to give my information so I don't feel like I am being tracked." Uhhh, you for sure will. First - BB is very aggressive on getting this stuff from you cleanly, i.e. name, addy, phone number - so they can 'track you'. Second - VISA/MC transactions will absolutely be used for that and they'll try to match up their in-store with online experiences. FYI - Visa/MC/Amex will literally sell your transaction data to almost anyone. I went in to do a deal with Amex, their only concern was selling us all sorts of your buying data. But it's nice to get stuff 'same day' :)

kop316 8y ago
I am curious how they are "very aggressive". What happens with me is they say "what is your phone number?" and I say "no thank you", and they just skip it. Though it may just be my experience with them. You are correct with the credit card, they will most likely track you, but you have the option to use cash if you wish.
- 3rdAccount 8y ago
  Yea, I politely say no to everything. Boy, do they have a lot of questions though.
  - twothamendment 8y ago
    I love the puzzled looks of clerks when they ask for my phone number or address and I decline. I've only once had to resort to "I can make up a phone number if you really want one".
    - 3rdAccount 8y ago
      Haha, or when they tell me the data will be kept confidential. I can't help but laugh at that.
- pm90 8y ago
  The only way to be free from tracking is to: 1. Not provide your email address 2. Pay in Cash 3. Don't give your home address That is literally the only way you can't be tracked. But there are so many times you are prompted to provide that information: * would you like a receipt to be sent to your email address? * would you like to sign up for our debit card and get $40 in savings? * would you like us to home deliver this free accessory which is unfortunately not in stock at this time? You have to have Stallman level of rigor if you are serious about not being tracked.
  - larkeith 8y ago
    ...or you pay with card, politely decline a membership and email receipt, and provide a trivial amount of tracking data compared to the amount Amazon gets from you merely visiting a product's page.
    - pm90 8y ago
      Isn't your credit card information something that can be used to determine your identity?
      - larkeith 8y ago
        Yes, but unfortunately credit card transactions get sold to third parties by the CC companies regardless, so it's quite possible Amazon gets to track me with that either way.
  - kop316 8y ago
    I have never had the third one happen to me honestly. But really I just politely say "no" each time. It really hasn't been a big deal for me, but your experience my be different than mine.
SamReidHughes 8y ago
I semi-regularly buy stuff from Best Buy with cash without problem.
trash_panda 8y ago
You can pay cash and give fake data.
reaperducer 8y ago
Visa/MC/Amex will literally sell your transaction data to almost anyone There was an article linked on HN last year which indicated that Google gets 80% of all card transactions. My guess is that it's more by now.
- superflyguy 8y ago
  "gets"? You mean processes? Or obtains, like from buying the information, reading emails etc?
  - reaperducer 8y ago
    Gets a copy of. Not processes; that's still done by the CC processor. But your transactions are sold. Your name, item purchased, price paid, where, when, etc...
  - sonnyblarney 8y ago
    G, along with so many others, will buy your transactions from VISA/MX/AMEX. So even with Visa/MC/Amex - 'you are the product'.
jamra 8y ago
Why are you putting ‘same day’ in quotes? Are you not getting products from Best Buy on the same day?
- sonnyblarney 8y ago
  Because without quotes it would just be improper English and poor grammar; 'same day' is a term, not proper language. I would have to write "It would be nice to get stuff without waiting" or "nice to get stuff on the same day that I purchased" etc..
  - kss238 8y ago
    Or you could write "same-day"?
    - superflyguy 8y ago
      Yes, 'same day' and "same-day" both convey the same meaning.
gdulli 8y ago
You always have the option to pay with cash at Best Buy, don't you? I assume all credit card transactions are sold to third parties no matter the retailer. The only exceptions are large enough companies like Amazon/Google who are in enough categories that they can make more money using your information first party than they can by selling it. It's not that Amazon/Google respect your privacy more than other retailers, they're just sharing it with other departments instead of other orgs.
394549 8y ago
> FYI - Visa/MC/Amex will literally sell your transaction data to almost anyone Any way to opt out of this? I try to opt out of all the sharing I can with my bank, but if it's being sold at the Visa/MC/Amex level, I'm skeptical that helps.

kop316 8y ago

I am curious how they are "very aggressive". What happens with me is they say "what is your phone number?" and I say "no thank you", and they just skip it. Though it may just be my experience with them. You are correct with the credit card, they will most likely track you, but you have the option to use cash if you wish.

3rdAccount 8y ago
Yea, I politely say no to everything. Boy, do they have a lot of questions though.
- twothamendment 8y ago
  I love the puzzled looks of clerks when they ask for my phone number or address and I decline. I've only once had to resort to "I can make up a phone number if you really want one".
  - 3rdAccount 8y ago
    Haha, or when they tell me the data will be kept confidential. I can't help but laugh at that.
pm90 8y ago
The only way to be free from tracking is to: 1. Not provide your email address 2. Pay in Cash 3. Don't give your home address That is literally the only way you can't be tracked. But there are so many times you are prompted to provide that information: * would you like a receipt to be sent to your email address? * would you like to sign up for our debit card and get $40 in savings? * would you like us to home deliver this free accessory which is unfortunately not in stock at this time? You have to have Stallman level of rigor if you are serious about not being tracked.
- larkeith 8y ago
  ...or you pay with card, politely decline a membership and email receipt, and provide a trivial amount of tracking data compared to the amount Amazon gets from you merely visiting a product's page.
  - pm90 8y ago
    Isn't your credit card information something that can be used to determine your identity?
    - larkeith 8y ago
      Yes, but unfortunately credit card transactions get sold to third parties by the CC companies regardless, so it's quite possible Amazon gets to track me with that either way.
- kop316 8y ago
  I have never had the third one happen to me honestly. But really I just politely say "no" each time. It really hasn't been a big deal for me, but your experience my be different than mine.

SamReidHughes 8y ago

I semi-regularly buy stuff from Best Buy with cash without problem.

trash_panda 8y ago

You can pay cash and give fake data.

reaperducer 8y ago

Visa/MC/Amex will literally sell your transaction data to almost anyone There was an article linked on HN last year which indicated that Google gets 80% of all card transactions. My guess is that it's more by now.

superflyguy 8y ago
"gets"? You mean processes? Or obtains, like from buying the information, reading emails etc?
- reaperducer 8y ago
  Gets a copy of. Not processes; that's still done by the CC processor. But your transactions are sold. Your name, item purchased, price paid, where, when, etc...
- sonnyblarney 8y ago
  G, along with so many others, will buy your transactions from VISA/MX/AMEX. So even with Visa/MC/Amex - 'you are the product'.

jamra 8y ago

Why are you putting ‘same day’ in quotes? Are you not getting products from Best Buy on the same day?

sonnyblarney 8y ago
Because without quotes it would just be improper English and poor grammar; 'same day' is a term, not proper language. I would have to write "It would be nice to get stuff without waiting" or "nice to get stuff on the same day that I purchased" etc..
- kss238 8y ago
  Or you could write "same-day"?
  - superflyguy 8y ago
    Yes, 'same day' and "same-day" both convey the same meaning.

gdulli 8y ago

You always have the option to pay with cash at Best Buy, don't you? I assume all credit card transactions are sold to third parties no matter the retailer. The only exceptions are large enough companies like Amazon/Google who are in enough categories that they can make more money using your information first party than they can by selling it. It's not that Amazon/Google respect your privacy more than other retailers, they're just sharing it with other departments instead of other orgs.

394549 8y ago

> FYI - Visa/MC/Amex will literally sell your transaction data to almost anyone Any way to opt out of this? I try to opt out of all the sharing I can with my bank, but if it's being sold at the Visa/MC/Amex level, I'm skeptical that helps.