Don't Surrender Your Privacy Just Because a Store Clerk Asks For Your ID!

Well the Christmas season is upon us and we're all out there shopping for presents for our loved ones. Just recently I was shopping at Best Buy to purchase some computer components, but when I got home I found that one items was broken.

So of course the next thing I did was to go back to Best Buy and return the defective merchandise for replacement. What I was surprised to learn during the exchange process was that I was expected to hand over my driver's license to verify my identity. The store clerk actually requested me to remove my driver's license and hand it to her so she could scan it into their computer system.  I refused. She then pointed out that on my receipt it clearly states "When you return or exchange an item at the store we will require a valid form of photo ID. The information from your ID will be stored in a secure, encrypted database of customer return activities that Best Buy and its affiliates use to track returns by our customers." Again, I refused to hand over my driver's license. She insisted that my personal information would be safe.