I had an interesting experience this afternoon – I went into Dick’s Sports at Streets of Woodfield to buy a new waterproof watch. When I approached the check-out to make my purchase, the first thing the cashier said to me was “Can you tell me your zip code”? This is not a particularly unusual request here in the US – some stores actually ask for your phone number. It may well be completely benign, but I generally believe that personal information is not something that should be given away just because someone asks for it. It bugs me a little that stores are so presumptious about this and that people here seem conditioned to not question it.
So my response to the cashier was “Why”? I think she was a little surprised, and asked me to repeat, which I did. When she realized what I had said, she didn’t respond at all, but just proceeded to ring up my purchase. I thought it was pretty interesting that she was unwilling to explain why she wanted the information. All the more reason I think to be cautious about giving away such information.