To be tired of being asked so many questions for even small things in shops?

[Iris65]

I went to ask for a passport renewal form and was subjected to a three minute sales pitch about check and send. When I said no thank you I was asked where I was going on holiday and when, then they tried to sell me travel insurance. I went through the same 5 minute ordeal to post my passport form the next day.
In a department store every time I buy anything I am asked whether I want a store card, what my name and address is, whether I want to give my email for offers advance notice of shopping.
When I buy painkillers form the chemist they give me a three minute speil asking whether I take other medicine, telling me how often I to take them and other advice. Then they ask for me email to send me offers.....
I appreciate that in the chemist they have to give the info and it's fine. I just say 'OK, thank you.' But when did it become OK for every purchase to involve dealing with long sales pitches and dealing with requests for personal information.
I had one assistant ask for personal information saying 'It's not sensitive' and following it up with wanting my name, address, phone number, which bank I used - including sort code and account number! I told her it certainly was sensitive and walked away.

This whole having to give your postcode thing in clothes shops is really annoying too.

you do realise you don't have to give your postcode at all? Just say no!

Bank account? Sort Code? Right...

Our post office assistant always asks what's in my parcels. She insists she has to know to make sure I am not posting anything "illegal".

1. Not true. She needs to know I am not posting anything not allowed by them, of which there is a list to refer to. She doesn't need to know the precise contents of my parcel, she's just a nosy cow.

2. If I was posting something "illegal" I would be highly likely to say it was something allowed anyway.

Upselling really should be banned. Nobody wants it and the staff do not need the hassle.
Gets me down too, must be a pain to have to do it.

Either say no to the requests, or give them a fake post code or email address.

The poor shop assistants. They have to ask these questions. If a secret shopper comes through and they don't, they risk being written up or fired. It's not like they want to aggravate all their customers.

If you don't like it, complain to the marketing department of the store.

Rslsys - is that true about the refund thing? I always refuse everything - email addresses, store cards, I'm very reluctant to hand over personal info - but I thought you had to leave your name & address etc for refunds. I'd much prefer to say No!

Post Office staff come under quite a lot of pressure to "upsell" (hideous word!). I used to ignore it, but I wasn't getting paid anyway so I didn't care (working for parents in return for no thanks and all the insults I could eat!). Loads of PO's no longer get a core payment (basic wage ) so their only income is from commission and whatever they can sell in the shop part.
I haven't been to the proper joined-up shops in 5 years, so I don't know about being asked for postcodes and such. I feel less like bothering in the near future now i know this is a "thing".

rslsys you sound like an arsehole. Do you think the person on the other side of the counter made up the policy? Or wants to ask for your postcode? The address/postcode thing for a refund is usually for the auditors, not because they have a special interest in you and want to stalk you.

I just say no. I do it politely and with a smile, but no, I am never going to effectively invite any more spam emails or junk mail.

Then there's the whole 'extended warranty' thing. If you get a year's guarantee, surely paying for extended warranty means you're paying for the free year's guarantee? Never could work that out.

God, I noticed this when I came back to visit about a year or so ago, it's really ramped up in the last 10 years I've been gone!

When I left it was all "do you want to open up a New Look store card and get 30 pahnds off today's purchase?"

Now its "what's your postcode and address please?" and "Would you like to purchase some chocolate on a BOGOF deal?"

Happily I can say "I live abroad, you don't need my address".

Bought a fancy water bottle with lifetime warranty. Was asked at till if I'd like to double the length of the guarantee

I hate being asked for my address too. I usually just give a false one, but the poster above has just given me the idea to say that I'm just visiting from Australia so they don't need my address.

At the end of the day, the poor sod on the till is just doing what they have to do in order to avoid losing their job. They don't generally have the power to change this policy. I hate it when people are rude to them, because they are having a go at the wrong person!

Either contact head office to complain, or vote with your feet and shop elsewhere (If you can find somewhere that doesn't have the same policy!).

I have to pay quite a large cheque in at the bank tomorrow...im dreading it....i know i will get collared by an over zealous employee who will be desperate to sign me up to a savings review.....i would use the machine but dont want to risk it for the amount of money it is.

With the upselling or the TPC's (till point conversations) the staff are forced into it. For example within Smith's they have to sell a TPC they have to do a 1 in ever 4 customers has to buy one, its not they have to ask 1 in 4 but people have to buy it.

If a member of staff fails to do this, they start being taken down the disciplinary route and ultimately if not improved will be dismissed. For managers if the store is failing to reach the target again they will be taken down a disciplinary route.

The pressure was at one point so bad, managers and staff were buying stock out of their own pocket to hit the targets.

Part of the sales pitch to staff is to point out that if Woolworths had done the same and sold a 99p chocolate to one in seven customers in their last 6 months/12 months/ 18 months than it would of saved them and they would still be trading

Post offices within smiths have the same sort of targets, with check and send they have to get 1 in 3 or something similar.

So please don't take it out on the staff, they have to do it to keep their jobs. I agree with writing to head office and complaining.

There's no need to be rude to the person on the till, but I don't see anything wrong with politely declining to give your details. Why the hell should you give out your personal details just to buy something from a shop?

I just say no when they ask for postcodes. In fact, come to think of it, since I moved to Oz, nobody ever asks here! I wonder why.

Bought a fancy water bottle with lifetime warranty. Was asked at till if I'd like to double the length of the guarantee

I just decline to give any info. I also occasionally complain to head offices if I feel I'm being subjected to too much of a hard sell.

However......one of my DC has a summer job in Clarks and said she was shocked at how many people actually wanted to buy the things she was obliged to upsell (shoe polish). 🤔

I always just say "oh no thanks, I don't like giving out personal info" with a nice smile. No one has ever been offended in fact I think most of them expect it nowadays in this hacking/third party info using culture. You have a right to not give your private information out, especially when buying a toaster in Argos!

So should we all be buying chocolate we don't want in order that till staff don't get taken through disciplinary? I would never be rude to a person on the till, but I don't want to buy things I don't need or give out personal info. Nor do I have the time to be writing to the head office of every shop I frequent.

sobeyond that's interesting. Ironically though, I shop online where possible, and almost never go into WHSmith. Give it 5 years, and someone will be giving a presentation remember WHSmith? Well they pissed their customers off so much they stayed away

I dont give my email out or postcode

But i still have to ask if you would like your receipt emailed out to you or whether you would like to go on the email list

The correct answer is either yes please or no thank you

No need for any other snotty or (to you) humerous comments

Although to be fair i would ignore snotty (and then complain about you for days) and snigger at the humerous ones

But you are right OP its really annoying

Don't think I've ever been asked for my postcode in a shop. I must look like a rubbish catch.