I was at the mall with my kiddo today and we wound up in a Sephora to get something my kid needed. When making the purchase, I was asked for my phone number. I declined, and was asked for it again. I declined for a second time. I was then told I could ‘share my points with someone else." I didn’t know what the clerk was talking about and I think my politeness meter had declined somewhat noticably (at least that is what my child told me once we’d left). I realize this sort of retail experience is common. Nevertheless, it seriously grates. Indeed, over the years I have evolved a habit of not sharing my personal info with brick and mortar retailers because I don’t trust them.

When I got home I did some poking around and wouldn’t you know it, apparently Sephora (owned by European luxury giant LVMH), was busted in 2022 by the state of California for mishandling customer data. According to the article linked here, “Sephora failed to tell customers that it was selling their personal information, failed to allow customers to opt out of that sale, and didn’t fix the problem within 30 days as required by the law, even after it was notified of the violation, state officials said.” Shocker.

My experience at the mall was a good reminder that distrusting large retailers is probably a good idea.