CASPIAN was created to oppose a disturbing trend in the supermarket industry -- "club" or "loyalty" schemes. Here's how they work: Shoppers provide their name, address, phone number, and in many cases, their driver's license number, social security number, and demographic information to the store. In exchange, they are issued a numbered plastic card with a barcode on the back.

Every time they shop at the store they are encouraged to use the card so that a permanent record can be made of what they buy. In exchange for providing personal data to the store and allowing themselves and their purchases to be monitored, shoppers receive discounts on selected items as a reward for their "loyalty."

Though supermarkets are touting these discounts as the greatest thing that ever happened to consumers, the fact is that discounts have been around for a long time -- they used to be called "sales" and did not require people to sign away their privacy with numbered registration cards.

Our Purpose
Many of us are uneasy, puzzled, and downright angry that supermarkets seem so anxious to register shoppers. We feel that obtaining a basic survival item such as food should not require the use of a number. We feel that information about intimate details of our lives, such as the very food we put into our mouths, should not be stored in a computer database and subject to scrutiny. If you agree with us, and want to stop corporations from strong-arming us into accepting these abuses, then you've come to the right place.

CASPIAN serves as both an information clearinghouse and a resource for community and national action. On the information front, I invite you to report on the status of supermarkets in your town and to identify and support card-free shopping alternatives. I will do my best to keep you informed of supermarket industry trends and how they are likely to impact individual families. If insiders of the supermarket, consumer research, or "loyalty" card industries are feeling uneasy about their role in herding the cattle, I welcome them to unburden their consciences here -- anonymously, of course.

On the activism front, there are many steps we can take in our own homes and communities to move toward anonymity and away from surveillance. These activities include peaceful demonstrations, boycotting stores that do not respect our privacy, supporting businesses that do, writing letters of complaint and support, distributing leaflets, and telling others that they do not have to tolerate abuse at the hands of their supermarket.

I am glad you took the time to visit this site. Please look around, read the FAQ, do a little thinking, and drop me a line. Even if you disagree with what you read here, I'd like to hear from you. And if after reading all of this you still find yourself about to hand over that little plastic card the next time you go shopping, I hope your conscience gives you a pang. Listen to it, then please come back and join the fight. Together we can take back our dignity and create a secure and private future we'll be proud to leave to our kids.

-Katherine Albrecht
 Founder/Editor

CASPIAN
Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering
An information clearinghouse and resource for community and national action

© 1999-2005 Katherine Albrecht. All rights reserved.