This morning I was searching for vegan options for hide glue
https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/dr-jekylls-hyde-glue-the-vegans-alternative/
I ended up in that page which I think it's a joke. So then I searched for that in Amazon.
This morning on my work computer I get this Dr. Jekyll thing provided to me by Microsoft's AI driven shit blaster.
You tell me WTF. My phone is not connected to my home computer and my work computer is not connected to either. How the fuck do they figure out the connection. And why? Like I totally I'm not interested in this particular story guy or even the fake glue that was the start of the joke.
You do not have to connect to the WIFI
https://www.crowdconnected.com/blog/people-counting-customer-tracking-counters-vs-wifi-vs-apps/
While I know this is specific to tracking location at a specific venue, if this venue shares its data, you will be associated.
While that's true, modern versions of android/ios require you to enable location permissions for the app in question, so it's probably not true in general.
This is why you get weird prompts from apps needing to know your location when that's not really a functionality of the app. If the app can see the network name or Bluetooth hardware address, then it's considered personally identifiable location information and would be covered under something like GDPR, which is why they eventually implemented these features globally.
This is not about apps or permissions. This is your WIFI radio being unique.
Edit: This is not personally identifiable, but every little bit if data is getting analyzed nowadays.
yeah. I misread your comment. You're very right about that and Google has "wifi hotspots" to track users around NYC. https://theintercept.com/2018/09/08/linknyc-free-wifi-kiosks/
however, modern android iOS also have Mac address randomization on by default, so google has that data but I highly doubt random retailers do. Unless you install an app or connect to the network wherein they do the other fingerprinting I mentioned.