Over the past year, hundreds of you have asked Whistleblower for help. While we can't investigate each tip, we want to share more of what you tell us. In 2009, we started publishing a few tips each week to stimulate online discussion and create ways for our readers to help each other. Unlike our news stories, we have not verified this information, so we do not include the names of the parties involved. If you have a tip, send it to whistleblower@startribune.com.

During two visits to a large national retailer, a customer said he was bombarded by offers to open a credit card. He wanted to know why all of the sales associates he spoke with were so pushy, so he asked whether they received an incentive if they persuaded customers to sign up for a card.

"They told us that if they did not reach a certain goal or number of new credit customers, they would be docked hours," he wrote to Whistleblower. "Their future employment would be in jeopardy if they did not succeed in pushing customers into taking on more debt. As we spoke with a number of individuals, one said 'no comment' in fear of losing her job if she spoke honestly with us."

Are retailers going too far in pitching their credit cards?