My email address

Like most people I know, I have more than one email address.  I have my work one, of course, and a main personal one.  Then I have the one I created for this blog, one I use for my Mommy Boards, and a couple of throw away, junk emails.  Most of them have the same variations in them, something with my SciFiMama name, my real name, and a different username I created for a board, and at different free email services.  Some are gmail, and yahoo, and an old hotmail or two just floating out there as well.  I can give you an email address at the drop of a hat.  Which email I give you is based on my level of trust with you.  If you have my email with my real name in it, I really like and trust you.

Sometimes though, I think it goes too far.  I did a bit of shopping today when I got off work.  Nothing too big and fancy.  I stopped at the mall for some light shopping.  There were a few necessities at Target to start.  I was headed further into the mall when I noticed the sale sign at Children's Place.  I got Paige her new summer flip flops (on sale 2 for $5) and her bathing suit (on sale for $10).  As I was checking out I was asked for my email address.  I politely declined.  I got a rather nasty look at my "No, thank you."  Oh well, she can get over that, right?  I got my bag and walked on to my next destination.  Picked up a few things and went to check out.  Again, I was asked for my email address. Again, I declined, saying they already had it.  This was met with "Well, if you give me your email we can update with what you purchase and give you more relevant coupons."  I know that's why they want my email address, but to put it so bluntly?  Maybe it was the way I took it.  Or maybe how she said it.  I'm sure it wouldn't have sounded nearly as nasty if she had stopped chewing her gum like a cow.  I don't want my purchases tracked.  Why do they need to know I just bought 2 new pair of panties at Victoria's Secret?  The world doesn't know that; only the part of the world that reads my blog!  I was using a coupon they sent me, so they know enough about me to know my email address and that my birthday is in April so they sent me the $10 off birthday coupon.  They don't need to know what size and colors I bought, or even what I bought.  Knowing I shop there should be enough.

I share my email address with lots of people.  And I could have given them a fake email or one of the spam emails.  But it was the point.  They just don't need it.  When I register at a website then I can give it.  If there's a good reason to give it out to a store, I will.  But really, I don't want someone somewhere to track everything I buy.  My bank knows what I use my debit card for, and I think that's good enough.  Big Brother is watching over us enough as it is.  I don't have to make it super easy for them.