Take, for example, the pile of "loyalty cards" and key tags that stores require you to carry around so that you get a supposed "discount" while they collect data for personalizing your promotional experience in the store.

WSJ: The Customer as a God: The Future of Shopping

Nineteen years later, Mandy semi-survived, had three months clean, some fluorescent key-ring tags to prove it.

NEWYORKER: Deniers