To say No thanks when asked for my post code at the till

[drfostersbra]

I'm always in a rush and I just want them to chuck my stuff in a bag and take my money, I don't want to be on a mailing list, have a store card, catalogue or emails, just fuck off!!

Each time they ask I say no thanks then they go all cats bum mouth with me for the rest of the transaction.

Joules, Jo Jo Maman and white stuff are the worst for this.

The other day I was buying my screaming baby a dribble bib in the Joules sale quickly before a music class and the woman serving told me that they were having a charity day and please could I donate in the bucket, when I said I was in a hurry and didn't have coins on me she gave me an application card so I could direct debit money or something. THEN asked for my post code and was thoroughly shirty with me when I said no.

It's so annoying!!

[CatsRidingRollercoasters]

Mothercare do this. I was asked for my email address when all I was buying was a multipack of those Organix puff things as an emergency snack. I paid cash. Why in God's name would I want my receipt emailing to me? Eff off Mothercare

[BradleyPooper]

I tell them I'm in a witness protection program, normally works....

[Ukelou]

I work in retail, i now work somewhere that doesn't ask for personal info thankfully. i hated asking was always pleased when people refused it was painful asking customers to spell their e mail addresses, names. And now when i do customer orders, which do need this info I always automatically tick the no marketing box as most customers just dont want them.

[thiskittenbarks]

Melj - I have worked in retail as a teen and understand being under pressure to achieve targets - but they aren't going to sack people for not getting enough personal info if everyone refuses, otherwise they would have no staff left.
It's like having a sales target - you can't expect people to buy crap they don't want just because it's helps people hit their target. If you are buying something you want then fine - shopper gets thing they want and sales person is closer to target. But no one (or at least very few people) want their personal data used and sold on - so the store want something from customers but give nothing in return. A lot of people give their info to Boots because Boots points mean you get something in return for them having your personal info.

[liverbird10]

@CoughFartLaugh
Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting people SHOULD give their info if they don't want to.

I'm just pointing out the pressure we are under from TPTB in Head Office. We have to ask, which is why we do.

Therefore that comment of mine you quoted was about the continuous moaning we get from customers for simply doing our jobs. We don't want to record people's bleedin' email addresses all day ourselves.

[melj1213]

you are the one who needs to push back.

And how do you expect store staff to do that without losing their jobs?

We know that customers don't like it. our managers invariably know that customers don't like it but someone in Head Office has decided that it is something we must do and if we don't then we can be disciplined for it.

If you don't like it maybe you should write to Head Office.

The issue isn't people saying no, it's the ones who are rude and abusive to staff who have no choice but to ask when, 9 times out of 10, a simple "No thank you" is more than sufficient.

[SpottedGingham]

I just say no if asked.

[JustGettingStarted]

Make a spam email address at Google or hot mail or similar.

Mine is something like "spamfolder@yahoo... They clearly know what I'm doing, but I oh well

[CoughLaughFart]

God knows we hate spam emails as much as the next person, but have a bloody heart!

But this is the problem - you're expecting the customer to deal with what is your issue. Your manager is breathing down your neck - therefore you are the one who needs to push back. The customer isn't there to give information they don't want to give just to make your life easier.

[Joeymaynardslimegreendress]

Blimey they are ajways so nice, (apart from the BHS brum) I ajways tell them.

[Rufustherenegadereindeer1]

I dont really understand why its so hard to say no

I seem to manage it and im useless at most stuff

[tippz]

No I won't give a postcode - not even of a road 2 streets away from me. (Half a mile,) so that they get roughly the right info (where their customers are coming from.) As has been said, if you gave your postcode roughly - like only 2 streets away, it wouldn't take them too long to figure out your exact address if they wanted to, because your surname is on your debit card. I have a fairly unusual surname, and I am the only one within 7 miles, so no I won't be giving my postcode at all.

Some people are saying 'just give YOUR postcode, what you scared of?' and 'you could get the assistant in trouble.' If I don't want to give my postcode I won't. And I won't have anyone telling me I should.

It's bloody ridiculous asking for your postcode anyway. OBVIOUSLY, the majority of customers live near that store, or they wouldn't be bloody shopping there would they?

I also get pissed off with sales assistants trying to get me to buy extra guarantees that aren't worth the paper they're written on, and make out you're silly for not accepting the offer, (I'm looking at you Argos and Currys/PC World!) And also sales assistants who try and flog me an out of date terrys chocolate orange, or a storecard at the checkout! (Sign up now and get 3% off this transaction..' (No - fuck off!)

I also get pissed off with shops wanting to email me my receipt. I fell for this once, with New Look, and I got spam emails from them EVERY DAY for 3 weeks, until I blocked them. Now if any shop asks, I say I don't have the internet or any email address.

And before anyone says anything, I KNOW it's management telling the sales staff to say and do all of this. Doesn't stop me being pissed off about it.

[Rufustherenegadereindeer1]

We dont ask for postcodes

I hope no one from head office is reading this

ITS A SHIT IDEA...DONT DO IT

[Katyazamo]

I have to do this for my job. It's a new system. At the minute unless there is a manager breathing down my neck I just make something up. Wonder how long I'll get away with it...

[Pigface1]

dad - it may mean they can still harvest postcodes alone - but I think it will stop them from requesting full addresses without making it clear (a) that the customer has a choice about whether to provide the data or not and (b) what the data will be used for. To be honest I think this practice isn't lawful even under the current legal framework but the DPA only provides for very low fines - the GDPR is going to make it a much more high risk issue.

Personally, though, I've never been asked solely for a postcode - it's always been a precursor to asking for a full address and name.

[ForalltheSaints]

Pretend that you come from another country. Mind you, it's de rigour for any museum in France, Belgium or the Netherlands, and if they ask, I take it as a complement that they do not think I am the typical Brit abroad.

[DadDadDad]

ginplease - maybe, or maybe it will force them to ensure that they store your postcode anonymously, ie without connecting it to a customer's name, so that it is clear it only for statistical purposes.

[ginplease8383]

I think the GDPR next year will mean they can't do this. The consent element of the regulations will make it harder

[BandHag]

I just say "I so rarely shop here".
You can give here a hyacinth bouquet emphasis

[MissConductUS]

In my profession I get targeted for a lot of surveys. I stopped doing them unless there was compensation being offered, usually something like an Amazon gift card. I just got tired of people expecting that I would share information so that they could make money off of it with nothing in return for me. Now I'm "on the list" for the companies that do offer compensation for them.

As I mentioned previously this practice went extinct in the states a few years ago. Perhaps the same thing will happen elsewhere.

[liverbird10]

Must add that I have never given any customer 'cats bum face'.

[liverbird10]

I'm a Store Manager and I do agree that it's bloody annoying to be asked for your email/postcode etc at the till.

I can assure you, however, that it is much, much MORE annoying to have Regional Managers and Head Office constantly barking at you for your store's lack of "data capture" on a daily basis, when your customers (quite understandably, IMO) don't want to give emails.

It is a KPI, something we are measured on, and therefore something that any annual potential wage increase is partially dependent on.

God knows we hate spam emails as much as the next person, but have a bloody heart!

[kittykarate]

You are saying that they match the name from the credit card with your postcode, search some address list and work out who you are. That seems a bit convoluted, and error-prone.

Yeah, but the margin of error is small and the actual effort of doing that matching is miniscule. Never mind when they ask for your house number to get it really targeted. There has been a lot of very interesting ( well interesting to me but I don't get out much ) stuff going on in the data mining and aggregation software space which makes crunching this type of data much more cost effective than it used to be.

[Pigface1]

OP, YANBU. And not only NBU - also it's your legal right to refuse.

I'm actually currently writing an article about how retailers will have to change these practices from 25 May 2018 - which is when the EU General Data Protection Regulation comes in. As of that date they'll be facing fucking massive fines for data protection breaches - which I think some of these practices are.

[SingingMySong]

Dad cross-referencing and using giant datasets is where it's at. Big Data and all that. Big data IS messy and full of errors, but that's what cleaning algorithms are for.

I don't think it's about who they send physical, expensive brochures to in the expensive post. It's much more subtle, drawing out customer types and behaviours.