Is it really that big of a payoff?
I’d like to say more, but I’m off to a McDonald’s for dinner. Good luck identifying me there, Ronald.
Posted on 08/13/2026 2:10:32 PM PDT by DFG
McDonald’s compiled a 515-page dossier on one of its loyalty-program customers — using years of fast-food purchases to predict how often he would return, how much he would spend and even what he was likely to order.
Reece Rogers, a journalist for Condé Nast-owned Wired magazine, discovered the extensive digital profile after requesting the personal data McDonald’s had stored about him.
The file revealed a “Minority Report”-style trove of predictions about his future behavior, including that he would visit McDonald’s 2.16 times over the next six weeks and spend an average of $13.49 per order.
The fast-food giant calculated Rogers would spend a total of $29.15 over that six-week stretch, according to the report.
The dossier ranked a Large Diet Coke as Rogers’ most relevant product based on his past behavior, followed by a Spicy Snack Wrap and The Grinch McShaker Fry Large.
It also slotted his eating habits into oddly specific behavioral categories, including “Food-Led Afternoon Snack” and “On the Go Lunch in a Rush.”
McDonald’s also assigned Rogers a “Customer Attrition Likelihood” of zero — suggesting the company’s algorithm saw little chance that he would stop patronizing the Golden Arches.
The massive file contained a detailed history of Rogers’ transactions, the offers McDonald’s sent him and the loyalty points he accumulated.
It even kept track of every time he scanned a code while participating in the chain’s Monopoly sweepstakes — along with the prize he received.
“McDonald’s takes data privacy and security seriously, and we take robust steps to safeguard customer information,” a McDonald’s spokesperson told Wired.
“Like many digital loyalty programs, we use information such as past purchases to provide a more engaging, personal customer experience—like delivering the most relevant deals, offers and messages,” the spokesperson added.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
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“If you study the McDonald’s nearly 10,000-word privacy policy, it notes how the company can monitor a customer’s precise geolocation, their browsing history, their app interactions, and their social media activity,” Nguyen said."
Kroger leverages customer data into a lucrative business; Kroger’s “precision marketing” division sells customer data to other companies for marketing and advertising purposes. Kroger’s “alternative profit” business, which includes the precision marketing division, now represents more than 35% of the company’s net income.
Interesting & disturbing.
Is it really that big of a payoff?
I’d like to say more, but I’m off to a McDonald’s for dinner. Good luck identifying me there, Ronald.
Well, it’s called ‘marketing analysis’.
They give me coupons and discounts, and they know where/when/what I’ve ordered.
It’s not like they don’t already know.
In fact, in the past several months I’ve added Taco Bell, Sonic, and Dairy Queen apps to my phone.
My problem is getting too many offers that sound too good! Bad for my body.
BTW, Dairy Queen wasn’t my idea. Mrs. Kit was seeing all those Blizzard commercials....
CIA will be hacking into the McDonald’s near the Capitol in 3, 2, 1...
As retailers, we’ve done this for decades.
I haven’t touched McDonalds in at least a year.
There is only one I would go to that’s close to my parents house about 90 miles from me.
I stop there almost every day to pick up a fountain Coke for my wife and me. I’m curious as to what the report may say about me.
“loyalty-program customers”
You sign up for it and agree to be tracked.
> I haven’t touched McDonalds in at least a year. <
I’ll now admit to a personal weakness. I like McDonalds cheeseburgers. But they’re not good for me. I know that. Plus my nearest McDonalds can be a violent place (not kidding).
So I’ll roll the dice, and go there maybe once a month. But not more.
🍔
Maybe I’m missing something. But it takes McDonald’s a bit of time and money to compile such a dossier.
Is it really that big of a payoff?
They only produced the dossier because he asked for it. Yes, there is a cost to collect and track the data, but it is mostly used to track trends and identify people to send marketing offers to.
My local gas station started a loyalty program that gave provide a $2.47 cup of coffee (after tax) for $1.07 if you joined and punched in your phone number on paying. I signed up and got an addtional 5 free coffees. I also get points, but I did not download the app to track that. I just want the $1.40 savings. After about a year of offering this they began requiring you purchase at least $3.49 worth of merchandise to get the the $1.40 savings. I stopped putting my number in as I am not ginving them the info, if I don’t get something for it. One of the clerks asks me everytime to put in my number. I made it clear to the regional manager that I was not happy with the change.
$2.47 for a cup of coffee is still cheaper than the Starbucks knockoffs that proliferate my neighborhood. The gas station is almost across the street from my home.
Hamburgers are good for you, don’t be fooled.
E. Coli is not good for you, I think fast food places ought to focus on the basics.
I used to go up there a couple times a month until spring.
Most of the time I don’t have it in me to leave the house by the time the weekend comes.
That’s why I put no apps on my iPhone. The only ones on my phone are the ones that came on it, and the majority of them are turned off.
That discount you get from your favorite store’s customer loyalty program is really them buying your information ... and doing it rather cheaply.
If you don’t want to be the product, then pay full price in cash.
Reece is a little soy boy
The reality is you're not getting a discount from these store cards. You are already paying full price, it is the other customers that don't use the Store card who are paying a surcharge for not letting their information be marketed.
If you don't mind losing whatever freebie from the points, but you would like to have the store card discount, assuming that it is really a discount which I dispute, then what you do is when you go to check out you say you don't have your card and you give them the local area code and 867-5309. I don't care where you're at everybody has set up a card with that number. And it doesn't matter what store or chain.
The problem is they are linking thier business data to YOUR data, browsing history, etc., and then monetizing it with third parties if they chose. They have no business doing that and it should be either red letter up front that is being done or just illegal.
Is anybody surprised by this? Why would anybody think otherwise? What do people think companies do with your “loyalty program” data?
This is just silly and much ado about nothing. If it bugs you to sell your data for a few lousy “points? The points don’t amount to a hill of beams anyway. Just don’t sign up.
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