Using Shopper Data to Get the Word Out About Recalls

Written by Nickel - 2 Comments

Now this is brilliant. Instead of simply using their customer’s shopping history data for marketing purposes, grocery chain Meijer has decided to put their Orwellian insights to good use… They’ve started printing product recall information on the bottoms of receipts when a customer that has previously purchased a recalled product comes through the checkstand. Now that’s what I call customer service! If only someone would’ve notified us of the fact that we bought a bunch of potentially metal-laced bread… Instead, we ate it, oblivious to the potential risk. Oh well, it tasted good. And besides, our intestines weren’t sliced to ribbons, so we really don’t have anything to complain about.

[Source: The Consumerist]

Published on August 23rd, 2007 - 2 Comments
Filed under: Customer Service
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About the author: Nickel is the founder and editor-in-chief of this site. He's a thirty-something family man who has been writing about personal finance since 2005, and guess what? He's on Twitter!

Comments (scroll down to add your own):

The first question that comes to mind is whether this would open them up to some kind of lawsuit.

Notifying you that you purchased a recalled item is good, but if you didn’t come shop for a month, and they are PROVING that they knew you purchased the product, would someone try to sue them for not notifying you earlier?
Comment by CreditWithdrawal — Aug 23rd 2007 @ 1:29 pm
Metal laced bread? That’s scary…
Comment by retirehappy — Aug 29th 2007 @ 5:13 pm