Have you noticed recently how each store that you walk into offers you their frequent customer card? The retailer wants you to swipe this card each time you purchase anything so that they can keep track of your purchases. This allows them to make offers on discounts of products you have recently purchased or that they think may be of interest to you. Not only do they use this information for marketing to each of their customers but they can also make this available to the suppliers of their products as well as market it to other retailers for their use. Much of this is done without your consent or knowledge. The retailer feels that this allows the customer to be a better informed customer. This may in fact be the case, but what are the consequences when you swipe your frequent customer card? Many of these consequences are not anticipated by the user. This may give a disgruntled spouse or parent ammunition to use against the other in a divorce or paternity matter.
How can this be done? Each retailer has a record of your purchases that the retailer may be forced to disclose in any court action. Give great thought to what you do not want others to know about you. For instance, some liquor stores in Allen County offer frequent customer cards. Therefore, in a child custody case, a request for production of documents to these liquor stores may give the parent requesting custody ammunition to use in a custody battle. A person can be accused of being an alcoholic. There are also certain religions that prohibit the use of alcoholic beverages. The production of a list of purchases of alcohol by a person of such a religion can be used against them in court. Similar use may be made of records showing purchases of tobacco when a child may have an allergy to smoke. Certain stores even allow a person to charge purchases of lottery tickets. Many of the casinos in this state and other states allow a person to gamble using a charge card. Most of these casinos also have frequent customer cards. Discovery of any of these records could show a wasting of assets in a divorce action and also will show what your winnings may be. All of this can be used in court to establish your income and your wasting of assets.
Many gas stations sell birth control devises, tobacco and alcoholic beverages. Their frequent customer cards will probably indicate the purchase of such an items which upon discovery by a spouse or significant other could cause great turmoil in a relationship. What if through a frequent customer card it is discovered that a prescription for a sexual enhancement drug or a male birth control devise has been obtained by the husband at a pharmacy when the other partner does not know that such prescription was ever obtained. In this computer age where every retailer desires as much information as possible from customers, great danger lurks for those that avail themselves of these precious frequent customer points and cards. Be wary of such offers, be very wary.