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Retailers Deploy Databases Against Customers

Posted by michael on from the SELECT-bad_customer-FROM-megadatabase; dept.

A couple of people submitted this piece about retailers using databases to crack down on sub-optimal customers, such as those who return too many purchases to the store. Also has a few tidbits about other database blacklists that are available to companies. Customers avoid intrusive practices; although this story was written by the Washington Post and I have the URL to the original story available, I declined to link to washingtonpost.com because of their intrusive registration.

3 of 601 comments (clear)

  1. Related link by A+Boy+and+His+Blob · · Score: 5, Informative

    Best Buy has been accused of doing this.

  2. Good! by RylandDotNet · · Score: 5, Informative

    I think a lot of retail sales workers will cheer for this. I used to work in retail (admittedly a long time ago) at Radio Shack, and I can't count the number of times people borrowed TVs and speakers. Superbowl time was the worst, people would buy a TV to watch the game and then return it a couple of days later. They didn't even have the decency to lie about it, either, they admitted that they only wanted it long enough to watch the game, but Radio Shack policy was to take it back, no questions asked.

  3. Something America WONT bring to the UK by norfolkboy · · Score: 5, Informative

    Thankfully the UK's "Data Protection Act" will prevent this coming here :-)

    info on data protection act: http://www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk/