Color me shocked!!

[Blonde Granny]

I posted on WIR about buying some Corelle dishes, went to their website to look at them and then decided to go to the Walmart website................

At the top of the page was a block of items and it was asking me if I was ready to reorder the items shown.  What was there were pictures of the things I bought at Walmart in the past couple of weeks.  I don't use a Walmart credit card, usually if I don't pay cash it's a credit card from someplace else.  So....I'm just amazed that a purchase is now showing up on their website.  There really is no privacy is there?

[resolution]

Those dishes are probably going to follow you around for a while unless you clear your browsing data/cookies on the tools menu. I guess it depends if you would rather look at them rather than the random stuff that will be generated until you get enough cookies to have targeted advertising again.

[Blonde Granny]

It wasn't the dishes that caused it.....it was grocery items I purchased at WMT within the last 2 weeks. Somehow from my credit card these purchases showed up on the Walmart home page of mine. I do have an account with WMT for my RXs and I've ordered from them in the past.....but taking this info somehow from a credit card purchase at one of their local stores then having it show up on my homepage is just a little too creepy for me.

[taz157]

Do you use the Savings Catcher with WMT?

When I go into my WMT app, I get recommendations that way.

[Blonde Granny]

Nope, no savings catcher. I've never ordered grocery items online for pick up either.  This also makes me wonder about what info is being given out from the pharmacy.  I fill an RX for Xanax every 90 days......

[taz157]

I've never ordered my groceries either but I do use the Savings Catcher.

No clue then.

[NoNamePerson]

Were you checking out some of the walmart items online before heading out to store. I do that before heading to Target sometimes and then start getting ads or similar ads about those items. Now I will probably start getting walmart ads since typing this post and I don't shop there!!!!

[Blonde Granny]

Nope not that either NNP. I usually have a small list then add a few things while wandering through the store. Last time I was there I picked up an RX for Xanax (had to pay for that at pharmacy) then a few other items. There should be no reason other than the use of my CC.  My weekly good cost is around $40-50 and I budget $200 for the month.

I fully understand online tracking, but doing it from my CC use is beyond what I think is safe and acceptable.  Guess my CC stays in my wallet from now on and I'll go back to paying cash like I do when I'm not being lazy about it.

[zibazinski]

I pay cash almost everywhere now but particularly Walmart and Target Some restaurants as well.

[Tiny]

It's not just Walmart linking your purchases to you via your credit card.   Meijer does it too.  My local "small format" Miejer's is closing - I had used mPerks (their loyalty program) in the past - so I wasn't too surprised to receive a very customized mailing of coupons (things I've purchased regularly in the past - a long as 6 months ago -as a teaser to get me into one of their other stores.   Their other stores are nearly 25 miles away - so there's no way I'm routinely going to any  of them.  I'll switch back to the local brand name stores. 

The thing is - a friend barely uses the internet and never used mPerks but shops at Meijer's with a credit card. She got a very customized mailing of coupons.   

Meijer's obviously mined their archived data to link credit cards to purchases so they could send out their coupons for this special event (local store closing - how to get shoppers out to one of their other stores). 

I'm sure all "chain" type stores (or stores owned by a bigger entity) track purchases - OR have that information in their database(s). 

Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if Cell Phones are tracked behind the scenes by stores - your cell phone is always "looking" for connections or having apps send out information... even when you aren't directly using the things. 

There is no privacy... it's like living in a tiny village with thin walled huts - everyone knows everyone else's business - except now our neighbor's are Big Corporations and "security stuff" ie "government" or who ever is in charge of an area. 

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

When I use Fred Meyer's Click list to order groceries, most of my previous order comes up when I open the site.  I never considered it a problem, only because I probably reordered about 50% of what was up.

[NoNamePerson]

I rarely shop WM but do on ocassion. I use my Sam's MC for all purchases other than Target. 

Imagine my surprise when I pulled my statement online and everything I had purchased at WM was listed individually on my statement. One sweet potato, one onion and so on. Had never seen that on my credit card statement before. It doesn't list individual items except at WM.  

[kittensaver]

Get a separate, new email address and a credit card that you use exclusively for online shopping, and use them and ONLY them when you are online.

Clear your computer cashe completely after every online session: browsing, sites visited, cookies, EVERYTHING.

If you stick to using only these for online activity and run into a problem down the line, your corrections are limited to these (and can even be deleted/cancelled), not to your whole "life."

This won't solve all of the invasiveness, but it will help cut it down considerably. Good luck.

[countrygirl2]

Amazon shows me all the stuff I have bought for years, I hate stuff like that.

No there is no privacy.

[ilovedolphins]

I noticed the same thing the last time I shopped at a Walmart.  A few days later I was checking the website for a price for something and along the top was some of the items I had purchased in the store and asked if I wanted to reorder.  I used my Chase credit card for the in store purchase.