[quote name='eastshore4']Was it confirmed that they NEED your license number and/or expire date? I think someone just mentioned that this is what is on your ID, not that it's something the systems scans for.
I think your remark leads to another question... if this is a "huge deal" where exactly do you draw the line? When you go out to eat, do you only pay with cash(so the waiter doesn't snap a pic of your card when he takes it to the register)? What about your privacy here on the internet?
If we're assuming the worst here(in this case we're assuming that Target is storing your personal information on a server or something correct?), then what do you in other situations where your personal information is (hypothetically)at stake?[/QUOTE]
Here is where I draw the line...
Giving the minimum amount of needed information to complete a transaction. In the case of video games, the need to produce ID is for liability reasons to protect the company from law suits. I get that. I am happy to produce my ID to let them visually validate my age which is an acceptable means for me to purchase alcohol, fly, and a myriad of other things that have law defined age requirements.
I don't know exactly what information is encoded on the magnetic strip (do you??), but I am willing to bet there are personal identifiers on that strip. We have no idea of knowing what information is pulled when the card is swiped. Maybe it only check DOB, but maybe it also reads your home zip code and puts that in a database. It might pull other demographic data such as gender. This information may be used by the company to help with their marketing. I am not given any sort of privacy statement when my card is swiped, so I don't know what personal information is being obtained about me and what it is used for. The point being, unless you are highly placed within the organization (Target, in this case) you don't know for sure what information is being pulled.
It may not seem like a big deal to have your card swiped, but that information is valuable information and it is mine to do with as I wish. If someone wants that information then they need to provide me with some sort of compensation (i.e., coupons, etc). This is how the loyalty cards work at different stores. It is MY option to give up information about myself if I choose to join a particular program.
Not my problem if they (the store) can't hire workers that follow their own procedure. If workers ignored the procedure and it is so important to have this information, then make it a termination offense for anyone that doesn't follow the procedure. As a customer, I shouldn't not have to be the one that has to make up for a businesses inability to follow its own procedures.