Okay the title is a bit exaggerated, but honestly not far off. This post is very mundane and a bit long, but thought it fits the community.
I’m visiting my home country and went shopping for pants, there were “30% off everything!” signs with a tiny text underneath that said “member discount” (don’t have membership). Not a problem, did not notice and I don’t care for such marketing tricks to get you into the store but okay.
Picked up couple of pants, went to the cashier and they asked me “do you have our membership?” - I answered no and expected the follow up question whether I’d like to join, but, to my positive surprise the cashier just happily responded “okay, not a problem!” and continued to bag my stuff.
I stood ready to pay and then the cashier said “now I just need your phone number and you can pay”. Hold up. What. I did not expect that, I honestly had a burst of anger inside me (never gonna take it on a cashier, they are just doing their job). I asked nicely why do I need to give my phone number and I was told that to register me as a member so I can get the discount.
I declined and said I don’t want to join and would like to just pay.
The entire interaction after questioning why they need my phone number was awkward, as if I had been the first person to decline, the weirdo, aluminum foil hat wearing hermit.
This was just one of many interactions in the recent years that make me feel as if I was a weirdo for not sharing all my info around. The worst is when everyone keeps telling me “its just an app, just download it and use that why do you make things complicated” or “just sign up you don’t need to pay anything”.
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I was looking at ISPs yesterday as my current contract ran out so they’re taking the opportunity to wring me for all my money. One place I looked at has a regular price and “members price” for every plan. I go to see what a membership entails and it points me to download an app. No clue if the membership is free or not because I don’t want or need an app for every utility and purchase I make. People like you and I are not the norm but from my viewpoint you’re being reasonable and the world has lost all sense of normalcy and reason.
Maybe just an awkward sales agent, or they thought you were mad at them for in their mind trying to help. I decline phone number and zip code all the time. Also been using someone else’s phone number at grocery stores for years – started by mistake. I don’t care about accumulated points or whatever but discounts at grocery store are pretty significant for me.
But I understand your frustration in general. Keep up the good fight :)
Any time a store asks for a phone number, I use the local area code followed by 867-5309, and 9/10 times it works
Yeah, I think this was just a hard sell, and it works. My friend and I were apartment shopping and had already checked out a few places. Then we arrived to look at another complex and after meeting with them, we said we’d let them know if we’d like to move forward. They were very friendly, but pushy, saying “no, you don’t have to do that”, “you’re moving in here!”, that kind of stuff. Being naive and lazy, we just said okay and took the path of least resistance. Oh well, gotta live somewhere!
I had this experience once in an Ikea, of all places. I calmly told the clerk that according to local laws (which I cited), it was illegal for them to demand that information from me (phone number and post code) to sell me anything, and if the computer wouldn’t let them do it, then they should call a manager for an override.
When the manager came, the clerk said “this person refuses to give me their info” — to which I added, “your computer refuses to comply with the law; please override and then notify HQ that they are in contravention of the law and liable for significant fines.”
The next time I went in, they still asked me for the info, but the clerk was able to override. I suspect they just put in fake info for everyone who refused to supply it.
Well done for taking a stand. The problem, as ever, is that most people prefer to comply obediently even if it feels wrong. And then next thing we know, it becomes standard practice.
BTW I have been in your situation and responded similarly. Usually it ends in the clerk inputting dummy info, sometimes after I irritably tell them to do so.
Give fake information every time. Waste the cashiers time with questions. Make them pay for it.
Why you assume your have to be rude? They are all underpaid by the hour…you think the cashier gives a damn about answering dumb questions when they themselves ask for personal info that IS NOT REQUIRED.
Waste their time…cashiers don’t give a shit
I didn’t say to be rude to the cashier. They make hourly wage, doesn’t matter how many people they check out.
Make the company pay. Cause less product to be sold per hour. Cause more cashiers to be required. Make it more expensive to have the data collection program than to not have it. Be the change you want to see in the world.
Or just let them get away with it. Your call.
Cool assumption bro. Hope that works out for you.
I am never rude to the poor people that have to work retail. I know the pain; I have been on the other side of the counter.
What I’m talking about is malicious compliance.
They tell the cashiers to push the program and be helpful? Fine. I will let that cashier be the most helpful employee ever and at the same time gum up the company data collection system with fake information.
At the same time as more punshment to the company they will see reduced sales and throughput requiring additional cashiers (more hours/pay for those people).
But please bring on the fake internet point brigade.
Yeah, that’ll teach a lesson the minimum wage employee who didn’t make the rules.
It doesn’t waste their time. They are getting paid by the hour. As long as you are friendly it doesn’t hurt anyone to give a wrong phone number to get a discount.
I am absolutely not advocating rudeness to the cashier.
Give them the opportunity for malicious compliance.
Allow them to answer every question and have a pleasant break from the monotony, knowing full well that they are being cheerful and helpful just like the training videos and handbook demand they be.
I asked nicely why do I need to give my phone number and I was told that to register me as a member so I can get the discount.
I declined and said I don’t want to join and would like to just pay.
I’ve just said “I don’t have one” when asked this for awhile. This never seems the phase the cashiers, I’m guessing they know what that really means. Half the time I still get whatever discount, though I’ve never tried to sign up for a membership saying that.
If it’s an online form my phone number is just (local area code)555–5555. I’ve never had that not take, except for one case where it automatically enabled 2-factor auth and I had to create a new account.
