To want to be able to buy an item in a shop without giving my name and address?

[carlywurly]

This has happened three times this weekend. White company, tk maxx and white stuff suddenly don't seem to be able to let you just pay at the till without giving them your name and address. This is for a straightforward purchase, not an exchange or return.

I really find it unnecessary and intrusive, plus it holds the bloody queue up. Going to politely decline to give it from now on.

[EvenBetter]

In my old job (cafe) our brainless manger decided it would be great if we would all morph into robots and inanely ask the customers a barrage of questions.
Large or regular?
Sitting in?
Would you like a scone or tray bake? (('Because even if they don't want one now, you put the idea in their heads and they might get one next time'. Oh right.)

Soup with your sandwich?
Have you got a loyalty card?

It was excruciating for everyone involved.
Companies shouldn't make their staff do things that piss their customers off. You know it's some fuckwit tucked up in an office with zero people skills who comes up with these ideas, acting like the transaction cannot go aged without your personal details is particularly distasteful, hopefully any companies that do this will lose out on enough customers to stop doing it.

[SpringItOn]

That irks me too Minty, and I'd like to reply 'Yes! Now you mention it I'll have steak,chips, n peas please!'

But I realise it's not their fult, just the stupid company policy.

My 12 year old DS made Starbucks write his name as 'Gandalf' last week.

I was when they called it out. The shame

[LadySybilLikesCake]

" hate this too and am a Starbucks name refuser as well."

You're missing out on the fun of calling yourself 'Lady Garden' or 'Yoda'!

[SpringItOn]

I'm gonna tell the my name is 'Costa Coffee' next time.

[StealthPolarBear]

" Add message | Report | Message poster Mintyy Sun 27-Jul-14 18:30:15
I'd rather not be asked. I don't want to be asked if I want anything to eat with my coffee, either. If I wanted something to eat I would form my requirements into a sentence and speak them out, in much the same way as I did when I requested my coffee."
I was thinking this just yesterday. Why is it assumed you're capable of asking for a drink but not a muffin. It's always a muffin too. In case you didn't realise they sold baked goods?

[GodDamnBatman]

FunkyBoldRibena Really? You don't want to give your name to a Starbucks barista? Time to unclench a little. You're just making their job harder, and really they don't care what your name is.

It makes it so that people with the same order don't accidentally take your drink, or other customers can't do it on purpose. They just need something to call out so you know your drink is ready. Otherwise cups sit there on the counter while customers are oblivious in their phones, and then they claim you never made their drink.

If I was your barista, I'd write "incognito" on your cup.

[HennaFlare]

This happened in Joules last week too. My sister went through the whole thing and then they started with me as well. I was feeling impatient by then, so I just said "no, I don't want to". They didn't care either way, so now I'm not going to stand there spelling my address at the till. I don't know why I thought I had to do it!!

[Bogeyface]

I hate this, TKMaxx are the worst but I have noticed more places have started doing it. The staff in TKMaxx look really surprised and almost offended when I say "No, I prefer to keep that private" like they cant imagine why I wouldnt be happy to hand over my info.

I work very hard to avoid marketing (I worked in the DM industry so I know how they get all your info), so I am not going to blithely hand over my name address and shopping habit info in a shop!

[Sicaq]

I don't like giving my name in Starbucks because it is an unusual forrin name and I don't want to say it seven times, spell it out four times, say it a few more times, and then be asked to talk about "where that name's from?" I just want a bloody coffee before my lunch hour is up.

[Flipflops7]

YANBU.

[whatnoblackshoes]

DH, DS and I were talking about this earlier with general feeling being that we would/do decline (nicely!) post code requests when buying things. However we couldn't decide whether it was still OK to refuse address when returning something. DS seemed to think that because shops don't actually have to accept returns unless things are faulty then they can ask what they like ie address. Does this sound right or load of tosh?

[carlywurly]

We gave our names in a London Starbucks the other week and dp ended up as toucan. His name is nothing like toucan.

I think we should all refuse to give our details in shops until hopefully they get the message. It is clearly not for our benefit that they're taking them, and I don't want to spend any longer in a shop queue than I need to.

[carlywurly]

Shops do need addresses for returns - I once asked and it's some audit thing. I don't object to that. Usually they're happy with a house no and post code.

[Pico2]

Just refuse - it's pretty obvious that you aren't going to want them to have your details. What good could come of them having your details?

Mamas & Papas have been trying this for a few years now. It started as "can I take your post code". When you hadn't bought anything for delivery.

[AnnDaloozier]

i rarely buy coffee but have never been asked for my name

[BravePotato]

If you "just" give me your house number and postcode, I can get your full name and adress :)

[EthicalPickle]

I always refuse. I am cheery and polite but I won't give them my private details for them to spam me

Just as irritating as...

...asking if I want to buy #insert crappy cheapo product/sweets sitting next to till# something else. It's pushy and irritating.

...all three for two type (BOGOF) offers. Just sell me what I actually want at a fair price.

...offering store cards. Pushy, pushy pushy.

...confusing pricing of fruit and veg etc. Eg X price per kilo vs X price for 4. I'm not a bloody mathematician. Make pricing simple and fair.

....special offers. Oh FFS, why of why do they do this. Some supermarket product change price all the ruddy time. I can't keep track and just end up feeling ripped off when I pay full price.

Etc, etc.

It's not rocket science, just sell me what I want at a fair price!

[FunkyBoldRibena]

FunkyBoldRibena Really? You don't want to give your name to a Starbucks barista? Time to unclench a little. You're just making their job harder, and really they don't care what your name is.

No - I bloody don't! I manage in every other shop and I wait nicely by the place where they serve the coffee and I have a brain cell and remember exactly what it was I ordered. I was tempted to give false comedy names but I don't think anyone there would get it. [Maybe 15 years ago, but they crossed over a long long time ago.]

[whatnoblackshoes]

Auditing what or whom though?! Are they checking me as a shopper to see how fickle I am? Or is it to add to their huge information bank (paranoid face). I think I'm going to continue saying no when buying something and giving a made up postcode or saying NFA or I live abroad when returning items. All done nicely of course as it's not shop assistants fault.

[whatnoblackshoes]

I also don't like everyone else in queue hearing my house number and address ( more evidence of paranoia )

[Nanny0gg]

Mamas & Papas have been trying this for a few years now. It started as "can I take your post code". When you hadn't bought anything for delivery.

True, but it was handy when I forgot my receipt for a return.

[Bryonyc]

I quite enjoy giving a ridiculous name in Starbucks. I usually go there with my sister and we try to outdo each other with the pretentiousness of our names.

[MrsSchadenfreude]

Starbucks service is shit anyway - they have one person doing the coffee, one taking the order, two standing staring gormlessly into the middle distance and someone slopping about at the back with a filthy cloth. Which is why it takes so long to serve anyone. I don't want to give them my name either - no-one can spell it and they usually mishear it as well.

[gamerchick]

Your house number and postcode is all they need.. finding he street name is a piece of piss when they have that.

It does irritate me as well.. They really don't like it when you say no

[HalfEatenPizza]

My address is 10, Downing Street, London, SW1A 2AA.