Target cancels psych survey of customers

Target stores
Target Corp., based in Minneapolis, has canceled an e-mail survey of customers which asked questions some considered uncomfortable and intrusive.
Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images

(AP) - Target Corp. has canceled an e-mail survey of its customers and apologized that some of the questions made customers uncomfortable.

The e-mail survey was sent out Friday for Target by the research firm Nielsen/NetRatings. Target had canceled the survey by Saturday morning.

The survey included questions such as whether the customers were afraid their lovers might leave them, and whether anyone would notice if they disappeared from the face of the Earth.

Respondents were asked to rate their level of agreement, from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree."

At the beginning of the survey, customers were asked whether they shop at Wal-Mart and Target and which store gets more of the shopper's money.

The survey didn't include any questions that related directly to the in-store shopping experience. A Target spokeswoman said she didn't know the purpose of the questions.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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