[KingOfCoders]

"I think every website should understand how and by who their website is used"

1. You don't need cookies or profiling for that - use Simple Analytics et. al.

2. You can ask for my consent, but you can't profile me against my will

3. A brick and mortar store does not profile me without my consent.

[tensor]

Yes, a brick and mortar store can absolutely profile you without consent if they wished, and so can a website. The only condition is not collecting PII.

[KingOfCoders]

Difficult, they try from time to time, then they get fake email adresses and fake zip codes in their database.

(Not using loyalty cards or CCs)