Letter: CLYNK: Too much information for me (May 16, 2008)
Editor:
It’s been a while since I’ve returned bottles to the Standish Hannaford. The last time I did, I loaded my bottles into the machine and grabbed my slip. I then took my glass bottles to the counter and rang the bell. I had a nice conversion with the young clerk about spring training, grabbed my slip and started shopping.
At no time did the clerk ask me for my name, address and phone number. He didn’t ask me for my mother’s maiden name, my email address or the name of the high school I attended. Those days are over thanks to CLYNK and the people that now run the bottle room at many Hannaford locations.
I was told on Saturday that I would now have to fill out an application to return bottles. The application requests all of that information in order to return more than 50 pieces. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. When I questioned the CLYNK clerk, I was told that CLYNK, “wasn’t for everyone.”
I called Hannaford to speak to them and they directed me to the CLYNK headquarters in Scarborough. I spoke to a very nice rep who told me all about CLYNK’s history and philosophy. He talked to me about less bottles and cans in the landfill and the convenience of not waiting in line.
I told him that an anonymous process that everyone was involved with has suddenly turned into a club that is not for everyone. Let’s face it, Hannaford and some other companies have been clumsy keeping information secure. In the last two years, I’ve had my debit cards and credit cards changed twice.
Why then would I be willing to join this new club and put more of my personal information out there? Waiting in line is what we do in supermarkets. We wait in line at the checkout don’t we? We try and go at times when it’s not so busy and if that is unavoidable, we tolerate it. The bottle lines were sometimes long but we dealt with it. It’s not worth giving up personal information and joining a club for this convenience. What is Hannaford’s next move? Will the supermarket itself be an exclusive club accessible only by members like a BJ’s or Sam’s Club?
If you feel as strongly as I do, please voice your concerns to CLYNK and to Hannaford and to this paper. If you feel I’m making way too much of this, please send me your name, address, phone number, mother’s maiden name and the name of your high school.
In the meantime, I’ll be at my local family run redemption center – no mother’s maiden name required.
Chris Clark
Standish
It’s been a while since I’ve returned bottles to the Standish Hannaford. The last time I did, I loaded my bottles into the machine and grabbed my slip. I then took my glass bottles to the counter and rang the bell. I had a nice conversion with the young clerk about spring training, grabbed my slip and started shopping.
At no time did the clerk ask me for my name, address and phone number. He didn’t ask me for my mother’s maiden name, my email address or the name of the high school I attended. Those days are over thanks to CLYNK and the people that now run the bottle room at many Hannaford locations.
I was told on Saturday that I would now have to fill out an application to return bottles. The application requests all of that information in order to return more than 50 pieces. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. When I questioned the CLYNK clerk, I was told that CLYNK, “wasn’t for everyone.”
I called Hannaford to speak to them and they directed me to the CLYNK headquarters in Scarborough. I spoke to a very nice rep who told me all about CLYNK’s history and philosophy. He talked to me about less bottles and cans in the landfill and the convenience of not waiting in line.
I told him that an anonymous process that everyone was involved with has suddenly turned into a club that is not for everyone. Let’s face it, Hannaford and some other companies have been clumsy keeping information secure. In the last two years, I’ve had my debit cards and credit cards changed twice.
Why then would I be willing to join this new club and put more of my personal information out there? Waiting in line is what we do in supermarkets. We wait in line at the checkout don’t we? We try and go at times when it’s not so busy and if that is unavoidable, we tolerate it. The bottle lines were sometimes long but we dealt with it. It’s not worth giving up personal information and joining a club for this convenience. What is Hannaford’s next move? Will the supermarket itself be an exclusive club accessible only by members like a BJ’s or Sam’s Club?
If you feel as strongly as I do, please voice your concerns to CLYNK and to Hannaford and to this paper. If you feel I’m making way too much of this, please send me your name, address, phone number, mother’s maiden name and the name of your high school.
In the meantime, I’ll be at my local family run redemption center – no mother’s maiden name required.
Chris Clark
Standish
While you wait 20 minutes in a sticky smelly filthy redemption center, I'll be over at the immaculately clean and fresh smelling Clynk for all of five seconds.
And Hannaford may be clumsy about keeping information secure, but I'm not worried because everyone knows that Clynk is a completely separate, Maine-based company that merely has a contract with Hannaford. Stop being so paranoid.
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