Got asked for my phone number and name on a transaction using cash
Just bought a 2m section of flexible tube for a gas stove, and the sales clerk asked first for my phone number, to which I replied "I don't have one". Then she asked me for my name, to which I replied "I'll pay in cash". She then insisted it was so "the cashier will call you by name", to which I replied "I'm not giving you my name, I'll pay in cash". [Edit: she apparently got a bit upset when I refused to give info, but ended up entering "no name" according to the receipt]
Am I wrong for not wanting to give personal data for an item paid in cash, in person? No other hardware store ever asks me for my personal info.
267 replies
"So the cashier will call you by name" means they don't care if it's your real name, just react when they call it.
This is in a Spanish-speaking country, so maybe should've said "Aquiles Baeza"
I often use Turd Fergusson
Bruce Alfonso McGuinty
Raúl Diaz
John with a W
Jawn your order is ready!
Smug achually-voice
"It's pronounced Yawn"
You win.
The other option is "Jon Withanhache". You can then complain they spelt it wrong too.
I used to say ridiculous names to acknowledge their policy and politely rebel against it. It's fun when the hostess calls out "Batman, party of 4"
I can just use my own name while traveling. They have no idea how to spell it. And even if they ask and get the spelling correct, the next person has no idea how to pronounce it.
How else would you pronounce it? It's H-F-U-H-R-U-H-U-R-R, isn't it?
And my companion is Anne Uumellmahaye
Sitting here drinking my coffee and seeing someone got this reference is brightening my morning.
As a webdev, I'm proficient in coming up with names to test the limits of the interface. I would probably have to stick to ‘Konstantin Konstantinovich Konstantinopolsky’, since they are unlikely to accept the last name of ‘O'er-thirtythree-thirtythreefootfences-Istretchmyleg’.
Not wrong at all. More people need to learn to say no instead of mindlessly complying to every request.
Like the guy at Walmart that wants to look at your receipt when you leave. I just say "no thank you" and keep on walking.
I always found that really weird. Like, what's the point of self-checkout then? Just hire a damn cashier, or two.
They try to do this at King Soopers and I always say, “Not unless you’re giving me recipe ideas from the ingredients.” No one has stopped me yet, or offered any recipes.
They really can't stop you.
If they honestly suspect that you are stealing, and have evidence, (They are recording and watching you at all times) they will take note of what you stole, but they won't call the cops until they've caught you three times, or you've taken over $1000 worth of stuff. (Amount may vary by state) That way, they can easily prove that it was no accident, and that you have a pattern of shoplifting. It's an easier case to win, and you get a third degree felony, instead of a misdemeanor or summary charge.
I thought places that identify as a membership club could ask to look at receipts.
Yes. That definitely is an exception.
The reason you always have to stop for inspection at those places, is because you legally agreed to it in the terms of membership.
If you decline, they can revoke your membership.
Yes. If other stores stop you it's kidnapping
It would technically be false imprisonment in most places. Kidnapping would require taking you away/hiding you.
Depends on if that's part of the membership agreement.
Oooh - now the game has advanced rules! I love it (I mean, I don’t really love anything about it, but am just trynna stay sane and fight the power).
As much as I recommend giving the finger to authority, always make sure you aren't doing something that's ACTUALLY illegal. If you're drawing attention to yourself while committing a crime, you're not accomplishing a damn thing.
I think Target does that also. They simply gather info about a theft until the dollar value is up to a certain amount and then they detain you.
With things like that are, $1000 is like a weeks groceries for a family…
Mine stopped doing it. I always said no but I've seen numerous people flip out on them after just leaving the checkout. Not even the self checkout. I flipped out on them once also after a long day.
Local walmart assigns the most pathetic people to the receipt checker job. Its always either the frail old lady or the 3ft tall guy.
I'm sure it cuts down on shoplifting, just the illusion of someone checking. They wouldn't pay someone to stand there and do that if it didn't work.
Absolutely! Appearing secure is MUCH more effective than actually being secure.
Cheaper too.
A new water company (currently the government want to privatise these) was checking water meters last week. long story short they broke one and the cap on the hole keeps popping up outside my house on the pathway. Rang them today to tell them about it "what's your address?"
I had to obviously give them that - I guess I could've said I was a neighbour, and just given them the location. Wanted my name and phone number. I said "I don't want or need to give that, I am just telling you about the manhole cover."
"I need to get your name and phone number to continue"
"I don't know my phone number, my name is private Jones. I have been put on hold two times already. a lady and a child already tripped over this cover, I don't care if you can't continue. I have given the information, and it won't be me that anyone sues if they break something tripping over it."
I stayed polite and we ended the conversation. but holy shit. You are not wrong to not give it to them. They are wrong for persistently asking for it.
I had the same issue when I called a utility company to report a cable hanging about sedan level on the street. I was on my way to work and got annoyed and said something similar: it's your cable, so if it damages someone's car or decapitates a motorcyclist, I guess the lawyers can cal you. What's your name?
They thanked me for the time and when I got off work, it was fixed. 🤷♀️
Local area code + 8675309. Used it since the early 00's. As an added bonus, many places have discounts set up for that number.
You as a matter of course pronounce the last digit “ni-e-yine”, do you not? De rigueur, I would think.
Why do places have discounts for that number? Guessing you're american, I have no clue what that number is.
It was a popular song in the 80's.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/867-5309/Jenny
I hate that's where the hyphen is, my brain is strongly telling me it should be 8675-309
Thanks. Why would that give a discount, though?
Lots of places have Reward Points for handing over your phone number. I've used Jenny's number for years to get discounted gas. Usually only $0.03 but one time I got $0.40 off per gallon.. been chasing that dragon ever since, lol.
it's the Jenny discount
867-5309 is from a popular song in the 80's. The song is Jenny, by Tommy Twotone. The lyrics are about seeing some "For a good time, call Jenny 867-5309" graffiti on a dive bar bathroom stall. The singer, being drunk and lonely at the bar, decides to call the number on a whim. Since the song was popular and lists the digits as part of the chorus, it is easy to remember... Memes were a thing, even in the 80's before the internet. And basically any GenX person can recite the number, even decades later.
Which means it is commonly used as a fake number wherever you can make a loyalty account with only a phone number. So if the place has a loyalty/rewards system, the popular fake number probably has real rewards to be redeemed. I can usually get a few cents per gallon off at the gas station, for instance. Because with dozens of people using the same phone number all over town, the fake accounts quickly rack up loyalty rewards.
Sometimes called the Jenny Discount by those who use the number. Worst case scenario, you give the store a meme number and nothing happens.
I have used this in gas stations across multiple states over the past few decades. I don't know how much the discounts have added up to over that time but it has to be at least hundreds of dollars by now. It is kind of amazing how widespread that number gets used, it's probably the most popular phone number for these discount schemes by a wide margin.
So, after that song rose in popularity, phone companies de-registered it entirely. Because it's a number that no-one has, my guess is that some stores/businesses use it as shorthand to put a discount under for something like employee discount or for "we messed up, here's a discount" discounts.
I local plumber chain uses that number. YEARS ago they used to run a spot where they recited it with the same cadence of the song, but w/o the notes.
Apparently it's been used for other promotional things like a cancer helpline. I think that's pretty cool.
Interesting.
A bit odd, because the US is specifically the one country that definitely has an area code that's mostly reserved from civilian usage, i.e. 555. Although not all numbers in it are reserved, afaiu they aren't given to randos anyway, and the store's spam system could be set up to never text or call these numbers.
I once looked up if there are numbers that I could safely use for testing purposes in my country, and we only have numbers from old popular songs, which curiously were also later referenced in tv shows. But it's a toss-up as to whether they're definitely unregistered in any particular area code. I'll probably have to use ‘+1555...’ instead.
+1(555)867-5309 :)
In my area code, the number was intentinally bought by a local guy who runs a small ISP. He has it connected to an answering machine that plays the song.
Yeah. Apparently that's a thing. But there was a rise in prank calls that caused phone companies to just remove it from public use. But I guess that doesn't account for people or companies specifically requesting it.
oh, that makes sense
Because so many people use it that it racks up tons of loyalty points.
Companies want you to associate your transactions with a phone number so they have data on who is buying what. For instance if you go to Safeway it's common that the price of ice cream will be twice as expensive if you haven't registered a phone number with them. But you can give someone else's phone number that has already been registered and that will also work, or register a fake number, a number lots of people would have thought of is likely to have already been registered. At least that was how it worked last time I checked, that was a long time ago.
Oooh, not the store you're giving the number to, but you can buy that number from a carrier as a dummy number for a discount because no one wants it due to prank calls?
Tommy Tutone had a hit in the '80s called 8-6-7-5-3-0-9, "Jenny".
Any gen-x can sing it with no effort.
I'm not American; just gen-x.
God damn, I grew up in the '80s and I would have sworn that was a Huey Lewis and the News song.
Its Jenny's number
??
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/867-5309/Jenny
All the major chain stores have loyalty programs. They're really for tracking and marketing purposes, but they give discounts to incentivize participation. Most people just use the fake number for the regular discount.
But, these programs they also give rewards after a certain amount of spending. Rewards like 10c of per gallon of gasoline, or a free candy bar. With enough people using the same number for the discount, there are often a lot of rewards built up just waiting to be claimed.
Where I live that goes to a working number that plays a recording of the song.
Apparently it's owned by a guy who runs a small ISP who did it just for the lulz.
Local area code? Hell no --> 805
It's not your fault, but it's also not the cashier's fault.
Their boss signed up for some shitty customer management app under the guise that you can get online receipts or see high-value customers and sell to them.
Best you can do it no, sorry I don't want to give out my information, If i'm going to be tracked, I'll just buy it online.
Yeah no reason to be difficult. Just say no thank you.
“Sir, the form will not allow the transaction to proceed without this information…”
Well that's when you just read back to them whatever is on their nametag.
It might be reasonable to let the manager know you don't appreciate it. Might change their use of it.
I remember Barnes and Noble asking for my phone number to buy a paperback copy of 1984.
I was like nah man.
If only there was a book on the topic of the dangers of mass surveillance...
Any recommendations?
That's some top notch irony 😄
My doctor's office had a space on the form you fill out when you come in that said nickname. So just for fun I put in Your Royal Highness. I didn't realize that was the name they called when they were ready for you to Go to the exam room. They had to repeat it twice before I noticed.
LoL. I wonder if they were amused or annoyed by that nickname
MD here 100% the staff and provider got a kick out of it. Top notch giggles m8.
No some shit is stupid. I once took 20 minutes on phone trying to cancel ADT because "I had to give a reason" to which I refused.
"Because I don't want it anymore" should be reason enough.
You shouldn't have to provide a reason at all, period.
Absolutely. 'Please cancel my account' should be enough, on the first try, always.
In every situation it should be just as easy to cancel a service as it is to sign up. If you can sign up online you should be able to cancel online.
Because I don't like that you asked me for a reason.
“Because I'll stop fucking paying you if you don't"
no you're not wrong. if they super persist, your first name is the name of their store.
I have a custom email domain with a catch-all email. So everything sent to the domain hits the same inbox, and I can filter things based on which address they were sent to. I sometimes get some very confused cashiers when they see my email is
{Store I'm currently shopping in}@{my email domain}. I've had everything from "Oh do you work for corporate or something" to "Wait are you trying to hack us?"On the bright side, if I start getting spam addressed to
walmart@{my domain}I know they sold my info and I can automatically filter everything addressed to that account directly to spam.Ugh, I love this idea so much. It makes me wish I could have my own custom domain. Alas, there are far more urgent things in life that need to eat up my meager paychecks.
I do the same. Already got a VIP treatment once for the reason your named, although my reason I'm doing it is not that but the same as yours.
I’ve told people “I don’t have a phone number” on autopilot because that’s what I always say when they ask for me email address. I’m sure no one believes I don’t have an email but I KNOW they don’t believe me when I say I don’t even have a phone number. No one has ever pushed back through they’re like oh… uh, ok? Then I just get on with the transaction. It’s not like they won’t sell it to you if you don’t have an email or phone number. I’ve never felt the need to fully decline giving a name I just give them a random name if need be. I think you handled it just fine, if you don’t have to and you don’t want to, don’t! Exercise your agency!
I just flat out say no thank you - most clerks couldn’t care less
I’m like this, a simple “no thanks” has worked for me and I don’t have to construct a whole narrative about being a hermit.
No thanks is the best because it's pretty universal.
"Do you have a loyalty card?"
"No thanks"
Answers both the initial question and the, "would you like to sign up" follow-up. Saves everyone time.
I can't remember what I was buying or where this happened now, but recently I was buying something (by cc) in store and they would not let me pay without providing a phone number
No, not wrong. But I usually give a silly name, like Glutomis Maximus! Yes, there is an exclamation point in the name.
Had a server who laughed at this and retorted, "oh, so it is an ironic name, like they called the bald stooge Curly."
Yes, I have no ass. Bitch. I am going to tip you so hard now. 30%.
Biggest Dickus, I want a Biggest Dickus. /s
Hilariously, I am wearing a Monty Python shirt at this moment,
"I fart in your general direction."
Did I find a soul twin?
Wouldn't say quite a soul twin, but I like it too.
In case you haven't seen it, look up Red Dwarf.
Of course I have seen Red Dwarf. Gentleman's Guide to Knife Fighting?
I now use 8675309 because I'm old and the people taking my "info" don't catch on or don't give a fuck.
I also give the name "Nünya" and tell them its French
They don't care either way.
They are working retail jobs and harassing you for personal information is just one in a long list of things they have to do to get paid.
I myself just go with a "no thanks" , "I'm good" or sometimes a "I don't believe in (thing they are asking for)"
If you gave me that i would but your name down as Jenny
Why the heck did they ever need to call your name? For stuff like starbuck, sure, but then it's entirely unnecessary since number can works too. These practices are unnecessary as heck and work as a way to gather data. Unless required by law(pharmacy, for tax reason, etc), If any shop asked for name/phone i would've just say no, if that's unacceptable i would walk.
I'd dare say not even Starbucks needs to know your name. You should get an order number/code like everywhere else.
With Starbucks, they just need a name - not necessarily yours.
My of my uni friends used to pick ever more ridiculous names just to hear them call it out when his drink was ready.
No, they really don't. Order number is more than sufficient.
Give a number if you prefer a number. Batista will not care if you say “just write ‘123’”
Its not your problem.
Sure, but they're trying to present a less cold and impersonal atmosphere. Order numbers are for computers, names are for people.
I tell people the name is "batman" and then when they yell it out I look flustered and say "oh please call me Bruce".
Idk if they find it funny but I get Starbucks like twice a year maybe.
I'm standing right here, I'm the only customer in the place right now - you don't need my name.
Why is it needed for Starbucks?
They call out your name when your drink is ready.
There's a whole cottage industry of influencers now who still think it hasn't been overdone yet to try to get them to shout something ridiculous, unpronounceable, or impossible to spell when they write it on the cup.
I've always been partial to Heywood Jablomi
The one and only time I went to Starbucks, I was the only one in line. I waited right there as they made the drink. There was absolutely no need for my name. I get that it’s just what they do, but it felt weird.
It's their problem to remember who ordered, not mine. I also like good coffee. Ergo, I never visit such shops.
This reminds me of a strange encounter I had at a Starbucks in a train station in Paris: I order, pay, give my name (for the cup) and start to wander off to wait. A random super concerned dude starts explaining to me that I need to stay in the “waiting for drinks line” till my drink is ready. I was like “um, that’s why they write your name on the cup and call you?” But no, he was insistent that the propor protocol was to wait in the line, the other folks in line seemed to agree. Super weird. I succumbed to the peer pressure but AFAICT the 2nd line was 100% stupid (maybe they have too many people w/ the same 1st name there?) and it’s kinda wild being from Seattle and having a random French dude mansplain Starbucks to me.
This happened to me once when picking up pool filters and other supplies. I was paying with cash and the woman asked for phone number. I told her I didn't have rewards with them or anything and she said they had to get name and number for anyone paying cash. The whole situation was ridiculous. I thought about giving a fake name and number but instead I just decided to leave. It was only a few hundred dollars worth of stuff, and the store won't notice if one person stops shopping there. Though if enough people did what I did, they'd take notice. You never know if you're refusal will be the final straw that will force them to change.
They may have one of those magic regulations nobody talks about where they have to report that kind of thing. Some pool chemicals are pretty reactive and are purchased in large quantities.
If that were the case then they'd be demanding actual ID, not taking your word for it.
More likely: saves on a fight over lost proof of purchase in the event of a return which– if it's a purchase of hundreds of dollars– makes good sense. Just recite the details you gave and they can probably pull up the receipt.
I don't know of a single retailer that doesn't have a POS system, as opposed to the old-fashioned dumb register where totals are entered manually and receipts printed ad-hoc and not saved digitally. I work retail and we used to have a system where if you didn't print your receipt, it was a huge kerfuffle to get one after the fact. Now it's as simple as searching the time, date, and register number... details customers obviously don't always remember themselves so scanning your loyalty card is easier. Which you can of course sign up with under a fake name and mailing address.
First name 'Not', last name 'Provided'. Can spell it if you want.
Just a theory but...
That's probably to aid in the event of a return or refund for faulty goods, but you've lost the receipt. Paying cash leaves no other proof of purchase.
My name is Sargent Slaughter and my phone number is 867-5309.
Should have given your name as Skibidi, James Skibidi.
James T. Skibidi
Don’t you know who I am? I’m John Purchase! Anyway, you’re right to push back. These scumbags always want personal info to use against you. But it’s not the cashier’s fault that someone who makes 1000x more an hour than them told them them they have to ask though. So have a little fun and give a fake or funny name, but don’t be a dick (unless they make you be one). 2 cents worth of advice from some idiot on the internet.
Yeah, I feel kinda bad for lashing out at workers.
In my defense, today is kind of a bad day for me, and I may be a bit confrontational when approaching this particular store for reasons
I work in retail at a small business. Our boss wants us to get the name and email of everyone we can. He's got some belief that it's useful. It is nice to get someone's name just so we can connect a receipt to a name in case of a return. None of us really push it much though, I don't even ask if people are buying something small.
You were not wrong. Fuck them, their scam, and their privacy invasion.
A few years ago, I bought a computer at some kind of Walmart, with my debit card, exactly like cash. I kid you not, the clerk then asked for my IBAN out of the blue. I was dumbfounded. He told me he needed it for the transaction. I refused and he said nothing.
I'm pretty sure this tactic works with a lot of people who don't know better. If I gave him my IBAN, he would have subscribed me to a monthly insurance. The CEOs who force this should be in jail.
No. This is the way.
It's confrontational toeards a person who has no power in this interaction and will only prolong it.
They have a script they're trying to follow so they get get you out of their line and on to the next one. The easiest way out of this is to just lie. It doesn't have to be subtle. Any answer that fits the script works for them. Think of it more like madlibs than lying.
My phone number is 8765309. If they ask an area code, tell them it doesn't matter, whichever is their favorite. If Ludacris's got hoes there, the number goes there.
If they need a name, would you believe it? my name is Jenny. I may be a 6 foot tall Bear looking dude but my name is Jenny.
Yeah you can lie if that's your thing, but that doesn't address or fight the problem, it just passes it off to the next person. Just be honest and up front, it's better.
It's okay to be confrontational. Everybody knows it probably isn't their fault. But they also got mad when op said, clearly, "no", so that's on them at that point.
Another thing to consider: maybe the cashier doesn't know they work for a shitty company. Goons do the bidding of evil people: they may not be evil themselves initially, but they are still the ones doing the actual actions. At the register, designing the database, putting up the servers, serving the companies, processing the data, etc. Everybody's got a hand in this.
Just say no, stop being passive and saying okay. Just say no.
No they're gathering data to sell you shit. Fuck them, the employees may be mandated to ask for it though so don't be hard on them. Feel free to lay into management if they make a stink about it.
Lmao as if the store management has the faintest hint of authority over store policy in anything bigger than a mom and pop shop. That's what's so irritating about dealing with corporations, there's no one to hold to account as a customer
Yeah, but the managers are the ones holding the cashiers to it. They're welcome to pass you up the chain to the person pushing it on them of they want but part of their job is to take complaints and this hopefully ensures the employee isn't getting in trouble for your refusal to give them your information.
I use the name Rick on a lot of forms; as per my username, that’s not my name.
Nice try! That's what a Rick would say
Are you an advertiser? Because if so, yes, I agree, I am in fact Rick.
It's not for advertisements. It's for...uhh...checks notes personalizing your experience. Pinky promise
In all likelihood, her boss gripes at her for not getting name and number from every customer, and his boss gives him shit for the same thing.
I worked at AutoZone for 8 years and our DM and up would hound us constantly about getting people's phone numbers and emails and act like their weren't people who were never going to give that information.
The worst part was that there was no incentive to annoy people like that for the cashier other than avoiding getting bitched out by the manager.
I've never gotten pushback with "I'd rather not".
I do occationally, especially if it's a new cashier who is still worried about pleasing the boss.
My usual workaround is:
First name: cash
Last name: sale
Yeah, i always refuse phone number or email when they ask and have never had a problem. Just say no when they ask
Yeah a simple “no thanks” or “I don’t want to” has always worked well for me.
Well you see now this is just a but embarrassing... my name is actually "Fuck-Home-Depot"
You're not weird or paranoid. They're assholes. I have a catch-all email address for my mail domain, so I test clerks who ask on those rare occasions. "[email protected]."
It's entertaining to see the look they get when they're faced with typing it in or just taking my fucking cash.
Mine is basically [email protected], usually gets a laugh.
Hallo Internet twin! I own a domain that is basically "SucksMyBalls.com" in my native language. If a business demands an email address without cause or they've particularly pissed me off, they get "[email protected]". One of the best investments I've ever made.
I used to work for a major outdoors chain, and since so many cashiers would just skip past the phone number prompt to speed things up, corporate started tracking a cashier's phone number capture rate, and if it fell below like 95% it counted against the cashier in their evaluations.
I just got good at making up random numbers using local area codes.
But have you thought about the metrics?? No, you only think of yourself! /s
Machine Mart (UK) has done this for decades. Back in the day, before the internet was a thing, they would use this database to send catalogues. I became suspicious of it and started providing bogus names. They currently greet me as Yuri Tarded and I say 'not so bad yourself'
My name's Mantis Toboggan, and my phone number is 8647 6767
My Name is Jenny and my number is 867 5309
What a coincidence...
"I'm Devin Null, but I prefer Dev, I live at 777 segfault drive, phone number (192) 168-0101."
Hopefully someone is going to lose a day tracking that down when they validate the database.
https://xkcd.com/327/
John O'Malley. 132 Main St, NYC, NY. 11001.
Its incredibly close to a real address but off enough to be considered someone entered something wrong. Plus I don't live in America.
"what's your email?" "You don't need it"
@aol.com
It amazes me that you worry about possibly being in the wrong for not consenting to have your data collected for a purchase. A lot of this mess we're finding ourselves in this world would have been avoided if people would show assertiveness against such policies.
I don't think you will find someone on Lemmy who thinks you were in the wrong here. Unless you are buying something that is legally regulated and requires you to identify yourself there is no good reason to be demanding personal identifying information. I always just say "no thank you, I get enough junk mail and spam already" and try to keep it friendly. Every once in awhile they might insist and I tell them I am not going to do that and then they give up. I think most cashiers are at best ambivalent about their employer and don't really care about enforcing company policy, as long as you are friendly and respectful they would really rather just drop the issue and move on with their job.
I use the same name that I use here.
We don’t need to bring ink and paper into this. I can’t imagine a scenario where I’d have to prove I bought a donut.
I give you the money. You give me the donut. End of transaction!
Eh you might need the allibi...which is why I charge everything.
my name ? Seymour Tit, Biggus Dickus, Donald Trump etal
Mike Hunt.
Elver Galarga in my case
I would just play the witchy card, true names have power. Plus im onto that fey crap, you may not have my name, you can call me John. Now would you mind holding this iron horseshoe?
And no your not wrong, refusing to feed the infromation economy is the first steps to freeing yourself from it. It is effort, the modern world has too many traps, but you can do it.
if its to call out your name just give what you would to a coffe shop. does not need to be your full name or even your real name.
"I've got some flexible tube ready for pickup for.... Tubey McTubeface?"
tubemaster P.
Mr Tube Acker
this is scrubs inspired. isn't it.
Double espresso for Dr Tube Acula!
Kathy Terr
I use simple names for coffee. Friends do the same. Something easy to hear and understand like Jay, Fay, Lee, etc. They never ask for spelling or ask you to repeat it and it's easy to hear when crowded.
I work at a retail store where we ask customers to give us some personal information. It genuinely does help as a proof-of-purchase if a customer wants to return something but has lost or forgotten their receipt. We can just look it up and handle their refund as usual.
However, I never push back if a customer simply doesn’t want to provide that information. I consider it a personal privacy issue. It’s completely reasonable for customers to be suspicious when data breaches happen every day. You are doing nothing wrong.
No OP, I don't provide info needlessly either.
I have an email alias that starts with annoying@ and the name I use with it is Jabroni Fictitious if someone is being really insistent and I want the thing without walking away.
Last time I bought something at Dunhelm Mill in the UK:
"Can I have your email address so we can send you the receipt?"
"Lol, no."
Edit to add: OP should have said: "Coincidentally, my name is Cash. Johnny Cash."
So turns out thermal receipts have unhealthy levels of BPA on them which can absorb through your skin.
So I'm considering getting proton mail and having a separate email just for receipts and loyalty programs that dont require a login.
I always give a fake name. Tell them your name is Willie Nobody. As for phone number, if you give them a xxx-555-xxxx number, those don't exist.
Relevant Curb Your Enthusiasm clip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mstWOTSEVg4
They don't exist in the US.
Ahh, I didn't know that, you'll have to check which numbers are reserved in your country then
When this happens to me I just thank the cashier and leave
My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius and you can call me at 0118999881999119725 3.
Oceans are now battlefields.
That's such a convenient number! I'll just put it over there with all the other fire.
No not wrong they ask for the information because places like that sell your information. RadioShack was notorious for this back when they were still in business.
Order for Nunya Bizniss, phone# 123 456 7890
Welcome to shopping at Radio Shack 40 years ago.
I subscribed to the RadioShack battery of the month program. Just call me John Hancock of Pennsylvania Ave.
I am John "Spartacus" Smith
I once went into a chase bank to get a $50 bill broken into 3 tens and 1 twenty, and they would not do it unless I showed them id.
I just left and got it broken elsewhere.
Never provide information you do not have to.
Saul Goodman 1 (505) 503-4455
Yes, my name is Mr. Buttlicker and I'm hard of hearing.
You can give them a fake name, or you can dead ass stare at them until they feel awkward and continue the transaction. But there's definitely no reason they need that info.
I use the local Papa John's phone number, because I hate everything about it.
Reminder that these people are just doing their jobs; try not to direct your ire at them.
That's part of the system, though. Corporate doesn't telegraph that they'll do that as you walk into the store because that gives you a chance to take your business elsewhere, and they're banking on basic human decency during the checkout phase to get that sweet, sweet fraction of a penny a fake name and phone number will gain them. I've read the stories about people being fired for not signing enough shoppers up for credit cards, so I don't put anything past the corporations.
That's such a cop-out. Low-level oppressors throughout history have just been "doing their jobs" too, but that doesn't make them any less complicit.
Oh my God. Retail staff are not oppressors.
Clearly OP's store just has a system that relies on calling customers' names... It really isn't that serious. Every fast food place around me asks for a name to call out when the order's ready, but unless they're checking my government ID before pickup, that's literally just so the staff can tell who is who.
I'd wager good money there's security cameras in-store and in the car park; your every move can be traced anyway, especially if you just have a phone on your person.
It is serious. As well as ridiculous. Don't ask people personal information. You don't need it. It's also a complete waste of time. Just run the transaction.
Okay, I’ll just call out “hey you in the corner in the tin foil hat, your coffee is done” instead of “Bob”.
Clearly you've never encountered those webpage forms where you can't click "Next" until you've filled out the form entirely, so they probably can't just "run the transaction" without a name.
"Why do you need my name?! That is PERSONAL INFORMATION!!!!"
"... Sir. This is the post office."
Agreed. As I said in another comment, I was just having a bad day and may have been a bit confrontational. My bad
All good. A reminder for myself as much as others.
I've seen hardware/electronics stores do this. It was to put on the bill/warranty paper.
Their POS software doesn't let them not use a name/account. But most will just use 'cash sale' for one off purchases instead of creating an account
Elwood Blues, 1060 W. Addison St.
588-2300
Yeah, places have done that on and off since the 2000's. Brick and Mortars want your data just as much as online places.
It's always been easy to just say no and move on and if they insist because their managers are corporate junkies, I've always given out random area code + Jenny's number along with any given random name. Dirk Diggler will live on buying things as long as I live.
I don't have a name.
You don't... have a name?
That's right. I don't have a name. I was given a number at birth.
What's your number, then?
1337
Hmm, it seems I can't type digits in the name field. Are you sure you don't have a name?
Yes. Just type it.
But...
I SAID TYPE IT!
Customer name: one three three sevenKinda relevant.
Homer J Simpson
https://www.kalzumeus.com/2010/06/17/falsehoods-programmers-believe-about-names/
Same thing happened to me in Screwfix the other day. I had to put a name in the little touchscreen thing and when I got to the till to pay (cash) they started by asking for my postcode. No. Then my email address. No. Just hand over the goods.
Either the cashier wanted to ask you out on a date or it was all BS pretext for data harvesting.
Normally I just pay the cashier and get a receipt.
However, some stores I've gone to, lately they want a bit of customer information for their database if you're a first-timer, ostensibly for potential offers and discount sales. You can just say no, or go find another store that doesn't ask for more than your payment.
Hair slons are the worst for that in my experience.
One place wouldn't let me past the front counter unless I gave them my phone number and email.
I walked out and got my hair cut somewhere else.
I live near a microcenter and they are like this. I had to pick up an Ethernet cable and I just paid cash. When I didn't want to tell them my phone or email the cashier looked at me like I kicked a puppy.
WTF
... Some of the comments here are ridiculous. People, I get this is annoying, but some of you are acting like there salespeople are "in on it." Just make up a name.
Aren't they literally a member of the company? Quite literally "in on it."
I also work for a company that asks customers names.
Ask me if I give a fuck if you give me a fake name.
This huge consumer electronics chain here does it. It's their default to ask "which phone number should I put it on?", but before they get to the excuse of where to send the electronic receipt, I just tell them "no, you don't need it".
I usually just say "no thanks to any of that" and they just carry on.
My new use name is Wojtek, pronounced "Voy-tek".
Bruno is my go-to name. No matter where I am in the world, Bruno sounds right.
Ya personally I would have just given a fake name and minimized the interaction instead of expanding it.
Phone Number? "no Thank you"
Name? "bob"
Bobby Tables
I mean come on, when are drug dealers going to start asking for your personal information? What's the world coming to?
Rewards/points redeemable for more of their merchandise would be nice
"I overdosed at César's Palace and all I got was this lousy T-shirt"
WOW. That is really invasive. I always refuse to give phone number. I don't need more garbage phone calls. I definitely am not giving some rando my name to help track my purchasing more. Geez. I usually stick to no thank you and I don't give that out. If there is a problem, I will leave the stuff on the counter and go to a different store entirely. I have done this in the past due to pushy tactics. I did tell the manager on duty that this is truly invasive and I will not be back though. I was never back as a result. Apparently normal people don't get any privacy anymore :(
It's for the coupons!
Yep. When I don't want to give certain information away, I simply say no. Regardless of their response my answer is no, I'm not interested. That's it. " I'm not interested", is my explanation. If they don't like it, I can go somewhere else, or I will do without.
First thought was that they were flirting with you.
...I guess not though.
999 999 9999 Adolf Hitler. Sorry, what's that? You don't want to say my name? Weird
For those times I am Rufus Fuzzgrizzle (that's 4 z's ) from a random place and phone number .. or 555- 5565 now gimme my crap.
I know Radio Shack would ask for your zipcode to see if their advertising spending was working.
That's pretty benign.
Yah, people would always freak out over that "Why do they want my zipcode!?"
I make things up. "Name?" "Jimminy." "email?" "[email protected]" etc
How about … we forget the name?
I usually turn the tables on them by asking for their personal phone number.
Same with telemarketers, because I like to practice languages. Tell me about your insurance policy? What? Why aren't you with your employer if they have the best deals?
"There's a conflict of interest concern with that."
I'm helping
Username related?
Can you go with Jean-Luc Picard? [email protected]
Just say you'd rather not give your phone number and give any generic name you want. What you're doing increases burden on store workers and also raises questions which I assume you don't want
So... "If you did nothing wrong, you have nothing to hide" amirite?
That's not what I said at all. Did you make a thread with a sincere question or were you seeking validation? Seems like the latter.
Okay, maybe I put the cart before the horse with my reply. Sorry.
Still, asking someone's phone number for no discernible reason, and then asking them their name when they least expect it may raise an alarm. See my other comments.
I don’t see what’s the big deal, just causing hassle for a minimum wage emoloyee
the store is collecting personal data for marketing, and likely to share itbwith "business partners" along with the list of items you bought. that's the big deal. the shop has no business about any of that.
Give a fake name, not very hard. Yes the store has business trying to know the buy habits of its customers so they can better advertise. To each there own, I could care less if I’m a statistic to some conglomerate. Their ads all end up in the same place at the bottom of my recycle bin
They should not be asking. Period.
But here we are
they don't need person specific data for that, just aggregates. that would be normal. this is not normal.
this is not about flyers and paper ads, but permanent data collection for building a personal profile about every customer sharing their info without giving it a second thought.
I won’t lose sleep over it
yet somehow paper ads in your postbox bother you. weird.
she could have put "no name" the moment he said no but she made a big deal out of it
Or they could have given a fake name right away
I'm just about certain you are way overreacting to this. Stores sometimes ask for your phone number to see if you're in their system (if you've been to one of their stores before) so they can do things like track your purchase history and send you promotions. I don't know why they asked for your name but I doubt it's anything nefarious.
And if we don't want to be in their system tracking purchases and stuff?
That's a completely valid concern about privacy and anonymity and every opportunity we have to not provide information in these scenarios is a reasonable response. But be aware of all the other ways you're already "in the system". A cellphone, even if you aren't using it, communicates thousands of times a day with outside systems. Then let's talk about inference. It means deducing something about a person without getting direct information from them. You leave so many disparate pieces of information in your daily activities that it's possible to infer a number of things about you with a high enough degree of accuracy that it's useful. This information should be private and should only be available to others if we choose to allow it. But it's not.
And if you find yourself in a situation like OP you don't have to say something ridiculous and obviously untrue like "I don't have a phone", you can just say "I don't want to provide that". And it's probably fine to give someone your first name in a situation like this.
I use Cape on a GapheneOS phone so neither my cell provider or my phone knows my name.
I understand that people can only limit the data that gets collected and Incognito/Deleteme etc. can't get all the rest. In my opinion the only way to prevent the further exploitation of our data is for people to just not play.
We're already playing.
A purchase should be a one time thing. Especially with cash. You give me whatever I need, I give you whatever you ask for. No more interaction. Certainly not asking for my phone number without a valid reason. You wanting to track my purchasing history possibly to sell to third parties is no valid reason.