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Today bought soup for lunch at Giant Eagle Express and the express checkout would not process transaction without the Advantage card. This is a relatively new policy and an invasion of privacy.

When I complained to two store managers, I was told that it was to deter theft. For the life of me I cannot see how tracking an individual through their Advantage card will actually deter theft. It does not deter and it seems questionable to me that it is even a valid way to catch thieves, either. (Probably the evidence gathered is inadmissable!)

Theft is something that grocers have had to deal with since they were general stores or even before that. I do not condone theft, but intruding on all customers' privacy to track down a relatively few criminals is overstepping appropriate use of technology.

This on top of the revelation that major retailers are now able and do track customers, while in the store by signals from their cell phones. They are apparently able to id who is where in the store... yet another intrusive use of technology for invading privacy or marketing or both.

Another complaint about Giant Eagle has to do with their requirement that you provide your zip code when using a credit or debit card. When I ask about it, I am told it is for security... to protect the customer from someone else using their credit/debit card. Being a bit of a contrarian, I entered the wrong zip code and another time zip code "00000" seems any 5 digit number works, so much for it being for security. It is really their way of keeping track of demographics and purchasing habits. It is keeping track of what kind of toilet paper you use and whether you have hemorhoids, incontinence, poison ivy or the flu; whether you are lactose intolerant, what magazines you like to read, etc.

I trust the federal government more than Giant Eagle, but I a don't want even them prying into my phone records, and I am certainly not happy that Giant Eagle is mining data on me!!!

Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Guest

Not only is scanning partial orders a problem, there's a lot of people who ring everything up and then leave without paying, they use fraudulent coupons on them, stolen credit cards, etc., and this is the only way they can catch them. The problem with entering 00000 in the keypad is that it does NOT work in the system-you'll get a message that says you have to enter your zip again.

Too many people tried it and had their cards kicked out the system.

I do know companies do sell info to other companies to track your shopping, but for the most part, the only time GE would send something in the mail to a customer is if they noticed they haven't shopped there in a long time and all they get is 10 coupons in the mail to get them back. I have never seen the people they sell their info to get anything else in the mail.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1006665

00000 does work for debit card transactions.

Guest

Unfortunately you can blame all the shoplifters who would partially scan orders then walk out for the change. At least when a cards scanned we have that information afterwards. After the change was made our loss from the SCO's was drastically reduced.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-805226

Obviously you are a GE employee. You ignore the intrusiveness and inconvenience.

I would maintain that your stores first eliminated jobs by placing scanners and automatic checkout processes in place, so an added cost of doing business becomes that there is less personal and direct observation. It was your business decision that created the greater opportunity. Now you have eliminated the convenience and speed of checkout and lost a lot of the benefit you sought to gain. You also have lost the greater part of my business.

I don't buy at WalMart either.

I am in the position that I can pay for better service and quality at McGuiness Sisters or Whole Foods. If Publix ever expanded to PA, you would have a hard time competing.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-805226

And right on cue, today MSN leads on their home page with the 10 Worst Supermarket chains. Surprise, surprise....

Giant Eagle is 10th. But since there were 4 chains that had the same high score of consumer dissatisfaction, that #10 means tied for 6th. Probably could make the case that discriminating shoplifters would prefer to go elsewhere due to low quality. MSN also listed the 10 Best Supermarkets with names like Wegman's, Publix, Trader Joe's and others.

It is interesting that Giant Eagle is having a hard time competing with WalMart, and they came up with the worst consumer rating of the 10 worst list.

Woulodn't it be great for a company to compete with the ones that are better than they are.

To raise their standards? Instead of sinking to the lower standards of a WalMart.

Guest

If you purchase something and there was something wrong with it or unsatisfied, you would want to return it right..no receipt? they can look on you advantage card and find it to refund you, it stops people from throwing a fit when they are told they can't get a refund because they don't have a receipt..can't prove you purchased it from there why should you get one

Guest

Well I 100 percent agree. I don't carry any cards.

No need to keep track of my personal life.

Would just as well pay more. Simpley put I will not return.poor business decision .

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