Some of this is fairly benign - I find Amazon's recommendations based on books I've bought to be helpful. If it's limited to their website. I loathe having my in-box filled with their recommendation e-mails. If I have time, and if I am looking for advice, having it is good.

In the main, it's annoying. Some of it is ineptly executed. If I buy a TV, why would you advertise other TVs as "something you might be interested in?"

Amazon does it better than most. Well, the folks who do the advertising for political campaigns have to do something once the elections are over.

For the record I get coupons for butter, milk and eggs from Kroger's loyalty program all the time....

The local grocery here had a milk loyalty program for awhile.

I have an email address JUST for loyalty programs and such. I never check it - unless I just signed up for a coupon to be mailed to me, which I then go get. So, all their "advertising" just sits there doing nothing for them, but I get $5 off my hydrangea or whatever.

That said, there are some programs that I've really found helpful. Target has their own credit card (or debit, but I hate debit cards). They give a flat 5% off your bill when you use it. Basically, they don't have to pay Visa/MC/etc a swipe fee, and they toss in 2% off on top of that. Sure, it sounds paltry, but if you shop there regularly it can really add up (buying hypoallergenic baby formula by the case - for instance).

However, I truly HATE being asked if I want to donate toward a store's cause-of-the-month. It is almost totally peer pressure driven (Do you want to donate $5 toward homeless children? No? Are you barbaric?).

Great piece, Amy. I too dislike being asked for information so that a retailer can send me useless coupons for shit I'll never buy. I still do business with the "overpriced" meat shop and convenience store in my town because they know me by name and don't ask me to join their "rewards program".
But I'll also bend over backwards to be kind to the poor soul selling it, because she NEEDS the job and has to do as she's told.
All the better reason to buy from the local business...
I never contribute to the "cause-of-the-month" on principal. I already give of my time and money to causes I believe in, and I hate being asked to fill the pockets of folks I don't even know and can't hold accountable (remember the Red Cross right after 9/11?)

This is part of the malign trend toward scripting and micromanagement of all customer interactions, with the scripts written in many cases, I'm sure, by people who are themselves far removed from front-line sales or customer service.

I discussed this phenomenon in my post Mindless Verbal Taylorism:

http://chicagoboyz.net/archives/8034.html

This does not make me like Rite Aid; it makes me remember to go to some other drugstore when I can.

Unfortunately, this would mean having nowhere to shop for me, since all the local stores do it. Safeway is terrible about this. I have their discount card, so at least they've stopped asking about that, but when I go there, they ask me if I want to round up to donate to breast cancer research, and then they ask me AGAIN if I want to donate a dollar to breast cancer research. Christ. It's not much money, but if every store asks for it, then it really adds up. Besides, I donate money to charity on my own. If I want to donate to breast cancer research, I'll do it separately.

I always decline to give stores my zip code or phone number when they ask for it. They don't need that info.

mmm, guess I've had the safeway and kiing soopers[Kroger] cards for so long, they weren't emailing or anything then... They may be getting together a profile on what the world's boringest guy buys, :shrug, but with a 10+ year old address, and ph#...

OTOH, redRobin was having a loyalty promo, which I was interested in for them, but they wanted everything but my DNA, and I asked them how they were securing the info and who it was sold to... and MAN did they go into this song and dance about their security systems that was complete and utter disingenuous bullsh*t. I finally told the person I was emailing that I was in the IT business, and I thought her dissembling was stupid.

The company doesn't protect info at all, bottom line.

in general if I dun want to put an email on but it is required: noone@sun.com works well.

Who ever told you that you have to give your real name and phone number? Plus you can have an email purely for junk mails. I have got pretty good stuff via loyalty programs(like coupons for free ice cream or for free goats milk cheese). The name on the envelope might be different from my real name, but hey, I still get to use the coupon. Plus in so many stores, all discounted prices are only for people who have the loyalty membership thing. The thing does not take up much space and fits in the keychain of the car and apartment keys, so who cares, it just becomes a routine to put the keys along with the groceries at the checkout counter. At least with all this, you have the option of giving a dummy name and phone number. With costco, you don't even have that option.

The problem is not "loyalty programs" - it's poorly run and designed ones.

Fred Meyer (Kroger) does theirs very nicely - no spam mail (I don't even get specials ads, which actually surprises me), but some targeted coupons* and a discount card (based on previous-quarter purchase total) every few months.

They gently encourage me to take my business there, without getting in my way. Everyone wins.

(And unlike those asses at Safeway, all the in-store prices are what you pay, not a demand that you get a card to get a sane price.)

(* And, yes, for things like "$2 off any purchase of meat over $2" or the same for produce, etc. Not just "expensive stuff you don't want to buy", but everyday purchases.

It's like someone at Kroger knows what they're doing...)

I don't use the loyalty cards. It's a small price to pay to maintain a tiny bit of privacy.

I used to work for a catalog company which included Victoria's Secret...but only Vicki had a secret because the Customers didn't. We had your bra size on file and would sell that info to whoever wanted to buy it. (People who ordered larger size bras had their info sold to other larger size bra companies, etc,etc, ad infinitum.) The data could be sliced,diced, and sold,using parameters as credit limit, zip code, purchase amounts, sizes etc. The money made from selling your info was considerable.

Using a dedicated email makes them work a little harder, but they can and will see through it when a credit card number comes into play. (See recent story about the person whose purchased materials on an e-reader were repossessed for unknown reasons...) There are also codes on the catalog mailings that check and verify.

I don't miss many of the bargains, though. I just say I don't have the card with me, and someone nearly always offers to swipe theirs.

Aren't these kinds of things what one's spam gmail account is for? There's no need to give anyone except for family and close business associates your primary email address.

The only thing I ask, is that if you use a phony name, don't make it vulgar.

Somebody who lived at a rental home we used to live at gave his/her name to somebody as "CHIKNSTUF UDICKHO" (I might have the spelling wrong, but the phonics is just fine). Let's just say I was NOT thrilled to get this person's promotional mail.

I am occasionally known as Queen of Sheba, when I'm calling someplace that wants a name just for asking a stupid question. I actually got one guy to refer to me as Ms. Queen-of-Sheba.

I do as much online shopping as possible, which cuts down on the nosy questions from apologetic clerks. I don't mind the online recommendations for books, shoes, etc.

I despise the constant shakedowns for information and money. Would you like to buy this sugary treat at the counter? It's on sale! How about a warranty? How about a free magazine subscription? Don't forget about Breast Cancer! What's your name, number, address, etc? Don't forget about our credit card!

Once I finally check-out, I then get to navigate the storefront, where petitioners, pan handlers, and kiddie solicitors are hanging out (the kiddie solicitors don't really bother me).

A lot of gas stations now make me sift through a bunch of questions about whether I want a car wash, etc. Some even force me to wait until their advertisements have cycled through before I can proceed with filling the tank.