Paranoid about stores and restaurants keeping track of you

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Having worked on their data systems, I agree *completely*. If they can connect your name to a purchase or any other information that might indicate a market segment, they will do so, and then they will sell that information. It's just good business, you see...

Right up there with "Just following orders".

What I find funny is that the the new 'norm' is completely self inflicted. It seems nobody can go anywhere without their phones. They can't read maps (GPS has ruined that) and feel as if they cannot connect with people immediately, then something is wrong. I miss the days when, if you left your home, nobody could bother you until you got back. Your time was your time.

I wonder how people think we got along without cell phones and computers all those years?

Something is seriously wrong with Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest etc and the people who spend their waking hours using them.

They could say the same about us here. What I resent is the notion that something is wrong with me if I don't participate. I've had enough of that crap in real life. I like to be alone. I don't like to be in crowds or around people for the most part. So, catch crap in the real world because you don't like to do 'those things' and now, catch crap in the virtual world as well.

I had someone, much younger, tell me how mean people could be and how bad cyber-bullying could be. I just looked at her and asked why she stayed if it was so bad. I just got a blank look, as if she could not fathom refusing to pariticipate. I mean, nobody was making her bend over and take one in the hazing rituals..."Thank you sir! May I have another!!"

Nobody will get that unless they've seen "Animal House".

I like when restaurant and store people recognize me. I've actually made some friendly acquaintances that way.

It's good business to recognize and be friendly with regulars. For most people, it encourages them to keep going there, because in addition to buying stuff they can also socialize.

Restaurants/stores never kept track of me. They don't even remember my face.

I wonder what happens if someone had one of those but barely had anything on them? mmmmm

I realize before social media, people wanted recommendations and references before hiring. They even wanted resumes and cover letters. They want to know who they are hiring. Now it's social media they are starting to require.

For office / white collar, a good resume and cover are still required. But they are often used first for computerized weeding in/out based on specific terms, skills etc., so it is important to craft them with that in mind. If someone passes that first level and have reached the point where HR is considering them as an individual, that's when having a professional internet presence is important. Linkedin, then the rest usually. I'm not convinced about the necessity of a Facebook profile though, as from what I've seen it is primarily used to look for red flags. There was also that bit of an uprising a few years back when companies required applicants to hand over their FB password if they *really* wanted the job (so the account could be thoroughly checked out) - quite a few people simply stopped using FB the same way after that & it lost some usefulness to HR.