But don't worry, citizen. The government will never use your shopping loyalty card to monitor your purchases and consumption. There is absolutely nothing to worry about and no reason to feel any concern at all, so please continue to surrender all your personal information along with a permanent, searchable record of everything you buy in exchange for 25 cents off that pack of Ho Hos.

Once the gov't runs health care they'll be able to monitor if you do a good job feeding your family. I can see mandatory classes for a number of shoppers at my supermarket.

Pocket Ninja: But don't worry, citizen. The government will never use your shopping loyalty card to monitor your purchases and consumption. There is absolutely nothing to worry about and no reason to feel any concern at all, so please continue to surrender all your personal information along with a permanent, searchable record of everything you buy in exchange for 25 cents off that pack of Ho Hos.

I never give real information for those cards. Kroger thinks I drive 120 miles in each direction to shop.

Now if only the FDA could get its act together and prevent these things from occurring in the first place.

There are websites where you can post you shopper's card number and/or grab a random one. That messes with their marketing.

EvilEgg: There are websites where you can post you shopper's card number and/or grab a random one. That messes with their marketing.

Unless you pay cash, it doesn't really matter. They can just sort transactions based on your checking account number or credit card number. I suppose you could use lots of different credit cards, but most people probably don't.

labman: Unless you pay cash, it doesn't really matter.

New bills have the RFID chips embedded in them, though, and while it hasn't been confirmed yet there's no rational reason to believe that these chips aren't also mini-GPS units that can be used to pinpoint your location. So if the government is tracking you, they'll know you were in a grocery store. And from there it's basically child's play to track your movement into a checkout lane and pinpoint the moment at which the bills pass from your hand into the cashier's. Cross-referencing the timestamp with the electronic register listing all your purchases becomes an afterthought. There's really no way to win.

There was a woman in front of me at the checkout a few days ago who was told that there had been a recall on something she'd previously purchased. First time I'd heard that.

The other really scary thing I've heard is that, under one of the less-well-known clauses in Obama's health care plan, all consumers will be required to not only have a shopper loyalty card, but tie it to their mandatory health care plan. Then, the insurance companies will be able to monitor your purchases against the government-approved lists of "nutrional" vs. "non-nutritional" food. If you buy too much from the non-nutritional list, your rates go up. If you buy cigarettes or beer, your rates go way up. Also, if you buy something that would seem to indicate you're getting sick (like cough medicine), your rates go up. If you don't buy enough vitamins, your rates...well, you get the point. It's a scary world we're about to enter.

Pocket Ninja: labman: Unless you pay cash, it doesn't really matter.

New bills have the RFID chips embedded in them, though, and while it hasn't been confirmed yet there's no rational reason to believe that these chips aren't also mini-GPS units that can be used to pinpoint your location. So if the government is tracking you, they'll know you were in a grocery store. And from there it's basically child's play to track your movement into a checkout lane and pinpoint the moment at which the bills pass from your hand into the cashier's. Cross-referencing the timestamp with the electronic register listing all your purchases becomes an afterthought. There's really no way to win.

That's why I microwave my cash and all of my purchases.

Most terrifying, though, is the "shopping loyalty card equals citizenship" plans that are being talked about at the highest levels. I don't know if anybody here saw the leaked footage of the secret meeting Hillary Clinton had with the Wegman's executives? They didn't last very long on the 'net...CIA, I think, or maybe FBI. But they were talking about ways to tie your voter registration to your shopping loyalty card, so that all registered voters would have to swipe their cards before they voted. And maybe order some milk and eggs and stuff too, but can you imagine what it would mean if your voting history was linked to your shopping and health history? We may be entering a period where political parties become supermarkets, and we organize ourselves not around our beliefs, but around who has the better sale on chicken. I don't know about you, but I'm not looking forward to that day.

EvilEgg: That's why I microwave my cash

Dude...destroying money? That's Federal property. Two words: Black helicopters.

Pocket Ninja: Most terrifying

You're having way too much fun in this thread and it hasn't even gone green yet.

Ok, Pocket Ninja, I've just moved my family to the basement and crushed the suicide pills into the pancake batter, is there anything else I need to do before the shocktroops get here?

Pocket Ninja: The other really scary thing I've heard is that, under one of the less-well-known clauses in Obama's health care plan, all consumers will be required to not only have a shopper loyalty card, but tie it to their mandatory health care plan. Then, the insurance companies will be able to monitor your purchases against the government-approved lists of "nutrional" vs. "non-nutritional" food. If you buy too much from the non-nutritional list, your rates go up. If you buy cigarettes or beer, your rates go way up. Also, if you buy something that would seem to indicate you're getting sick (like cough medicine), your rates go up. If you don't buy enough vitamins, your rates...well, you get the point. It's a scary world we're about to enter.

Citation please.... and Glenn Beck transcripts don't count.

SpaceyCat: Pocket Ninja: Most terrifying

You're having way too much fun in this thread and it hasn't even gone green yet.

really? I just skip his posts. mostly because I'm too lazy to put him on ignore. He hasn't been entertaining for at least a year.

blackheart666: SpaceyCat: Pocket Ninja: Most terrifying

You're having way too much fun in this thread and it hasn't even gone green yet.

really? I just skip his posts. mostly because I'm too lazy to put him on ignore. He hasn't been entertaining for at least a year.

You are so hip and edgy. I wish I had your ability for identifying unfunny.

The two places I shop most often for food (Walmart for staples, a local grocery a few blocks away for most perishable stuff) don't have them.

/Not panicking, though I guess I'm supposed to
//You shop at Walmart, too, potential pretentious repliers. They sell Arugla now.

pounddawg: Pocket Ninja: But don't worry, citizen. The government will never use your shopping loyalty card to monitor your purchases and consumption. There is absolutely nothing to worry about and no reason to feel any concern at all, so please continue to surrender all your personal information along with a permanent, searchable record of everything you buy in exchange for 25 cents off that pack of Ho Hos.

I like ho ho's.

I'll split 'em with you. I just like ho's.