Copyright 1999 The Atlanta Constitution
The Atlanta
Journal and Constitution
August 22, 1999, Sunday, Home Edition
SECTION: Perspective; Pg. 2B
LENGTH: 684 words
SERIES: This
is a weekly report by Cox Washington correspondent Marilyn Geewax on issues
raised by the coming of 2000.
HEADLINE: Y2K: Retailers
blur tradition, Internet;
Interactive stores customize offerings for
shoppers, but some see compilation of data as invasion of privacy.
BYLINE: Marilyn Geewax, Cox News Service
SOURCE: AJC
BODY:
In
recent years, millions of Americans have begun using the Internet to buy books,
music and computer software. But for snug blue jeans or comfortable hiking
books, most consumers still head to the store to find the right fit.
Now
as we move into the next century, retailers are trying to blur the distinction
between shopping on the Internet and schlepping through the mall.
Last
week, Levi Strauss & Co. pushed far into this new retail frontier when it
opened an interactive flagship store in San Francisco. The four-story complex
has a digital nerve center that uses more than 40 miles of cable and hundreds of
speakers to provide customers with a wired way to wrap themselves in denim.
Instead of pulling on pants to see which fit best, customers can step into a
private booth where instruments scan their bodies in three dimensions to
determine sizes. That body-based information is stored in the company's digital
warehouse, along with the customer's fingerprints and other personal data. For
example, at listening stations around the store, the computer system picks up
information about a particular customer's tastes by noting what CDs he or she
switches on.
That trove of electronic data will be used to help create
personalized direct mail campaigns. The body data also will make it easier for
customers to skip the trip to the fitting room and instead buy their next pair
of jeans through the Levi Web site.
A number of other retailers are
looking for ways to blend traditional shopping with Internet cruising.
Recreational Equipment Inc., or REI, has been a leader in putting Internet
kiosks in its outdoor-goods stores. The kiosks allow shoppers to go to a Web
site (www.rei.com) to obtain detailed information on each item the company
sells.
Borders Books, Sears, Gap and others are also adding in-store
Internet connections, both to provide information and extract it from shoppers.
Industry observers say some of the biggest technological changes may be
coming at the grocery store. Early in the next century, shoppers may find
themselves being met at the grocery store door by an electronic greeter that
will check fingerprints to identify customers. As customers move through the
aisles, the voices of electronic ''clerks'' will come out of speakers to remind
them of sale items, explain new products and suggest purchases. At the meat
counter, the electronic ''butcher'' will offer advice on preparing meats, and
Internet kiosks will spit out recipes. By the time the consumers get home, the
store will have sent them coupons via e-mail for new products.
But
privacy experts say consumers may not be so thrilled when they realize
''interactive'' shopping allows retailers to collect detailed information about
alcohol purchases, underwear preferences and medication requirements. Those who
worry about privacy recall how eager White House special prosecutor Kenneth
Starr was to examine computerized records of book purchases made by Monica
Lewinsky.
Ari Schwartz, a policy analyst with the Center for Democracy
and Technology, said his nonprofit organization is pushing for laws that would
make it impossible for the government to seize retail information without a
warrant.
Schwartz said the organization doesn't even attempt to keep
retailers from developing new ways to extract data from consumers, a mission
that would be hopeless in the 21st century. His solution is to fight fire with
fire.
''We need technological solutions to make sure personal
information is encrypted'' and that tough privacy laws
are enforced, he said.
In other words, it's inevitable that the clothing
retailers will know exactly how big your thighs are. The battle will be over
whether they can post that information on a Web site for everyone else to see.
Marilyn Geewax is a Washington correspondent for Cox Newspapers.
ON THE WEB
Looking ahead
For more information on Y2K, visit
these Web sites:
> www.fema.gov/y2k
> www.usda.gov/news/y2000.htm
> www.utne.com/aY2K.tmpl
Washington correspondent for Cox
Newspapers
e-mail: marilyn@coxnews.com
LOAD-DATE:
August 22, 1999 
