Is it worthwhile for retailers to collect personal customer data?

Are you asked for you zip code or drivers license number when buying groceries at your local supermarket? Retailers have been collecting data from customers for a long time now, but of what use is it really? There have been so many cases where data has been lost, such as Stop and Shop who recently announced that its stores in New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island had been robbed of data by high tech thieves who manipulated the card swipe and keypad machines. While many companies are able to put this data to use, most companies who do collect it are not able to use it fruitfully and end up annoying customers who'd rather not give out personal information.