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.
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 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.
My name is Sargent Slaughter and my phone number is 867-5309.
I’ve never gotten pushback with “I’d rather not”.
my name ? Seymour Tit, Biggus Dickus, Donald Trump etal
Mike Hunt.
Elver Galarga in my case
I use the same name that I use here.
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
“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”
Raúl Diaz
I often use Turd Fergusson
Bruce Alfonso McGuinty
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.
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.
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
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.
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
??
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.
Local area code? Hell no --> 805
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.
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
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.
Local walmart assigns the most pathetic people to the receipt checker job. Its always either the frail old lady or the 3ft tall guy.
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.
I remember Barnes and Noble asking for my phone number to buy a paperback copy of 1984.
I was like nah man.
That’s some top notch irony 😄
If only there was a book on the topic of the dangers of mass surveillance…
Any recommendations?
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. 🤷♀️
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.
Order for Nunya Bizniss, phone# 123 456 7890
