Welcome back PAT!
I have yet to figure out why I need to do the market research for the company that I'm doing business with. I'm not getting paid, I'm not getting a price break from them. At least the supermarket affinity card gives me discounts while they track my grocery purchases.
I usually refuse to give information. If they are insistent and I'm not in the mood for a fight my zip is always 90210. Let the company figure out what a Beverly Hills zip is doing among the 146?? numbers in upstate New York. They ask for a phone number I'm at 202-456-1414 (which is the White House). I wonder what happens when they make that sales call? I also use 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for an address. It is amazing what spam I get offering me mortgage deals on my property.
My favorite recently was going to doctor's office. Our local Blue Cross has just changed all the subscriber numbers from the Social Security number to some random number. I hand over the new card so the secretary can copy the new number down for her billing records. I tell her what a good idea this is, how it avoids identity theft. (I did skip my paranoia about the government checking out our medical records). She agrees, and then asks me for my Social Security number so they number my patient file. When I refuse, she got all huffy: How can I fill out this form? The doctor won't be able to see you! I suggested she make up a number, use that, or contact her supervisor because if I was refused service I would contact Social Security and they would have a nice discussion about legal uses of my SS number. Needless to say, they found some way around the system.