[dirtboy]

OTC drug sales...well, if you buy your OTC stuff at the supermarket and use your discount card, there will be a record.

However, most of the time the discount card data is not shared at the purchase level with marketers - so for the government to compel a grocery store to provide them with discount-card data would often be a violation of the agreement between the customer and the store upon issuance of the card. And there is still always the option of paying cash and not using a discount card.

[MineralMan]

"so for the government to compel a grocery store to provide them with discount-card data would often be a violation of the agreement between the customer and the store upon issuance of the card. "

I'm afraid you're a lot more trusting of the government than I am. I have no reason to hide my transactions, so I don't bother. For me, this discussion is an ideological one, not a personal one.

Look at the current relationship between the federal government and the banking industry. Your data is transparently available to the feds under many circumstances, and court orders are easily obtained in any case.

Consider the library situation that has developed.

I'm sorry, but ideals don't seem to be in place any longer with regard to privacy from government intrusion.