Pushy sales assistants asking you to take out "loyalty" or "points" cards

[nutelladreams]

This has happened to me a couple of times recently. Each time in a shop just buying something really mundane like shampoo or tea.
Today I was buying a coffee gift set for a friend and got to the till.. Assistant asked if I had one of their "points" cards and would I like one. Thinking it would be something quick and painless I said "ok", expecting it would be the kind of thing where your card just gets stamps each time you shop there or something.
Assistant wanted my name (fair enough), but then also my address, email, phone number and DOB.
It was a busy shop and I'm uneasy about giving out so much personal data just for the sake of saving a few pence off my next purchase.
I asked the assistant to stop processing my "points" card and just let me pay for the item and leave in the end as she was faffing around asking for so much and struggling to spell my name, address and email. Sigh.
Other people get frustrated by this kind of stuff in a shop?

@elelel

You said when you ask them and they say no when you read out the legal bit, so yeah, you interpreted people as not paying attention when they may have communication issues which mean they don't pick things up straight away

I'm a psychologist and have autistic people within my family also people with depression and people who are irresponsible with credit and are vulnerable. At the time I was very aware of identify people were paying attention to what I asked, or if they didn't understand due to other issues. It's two completely different things. They would look confused and ask questions. There body language would change. I would I would have to ask would you like to save 10% off today by opening a Debenhams credit card. People would say yes and then go and fill application after numerously being told what it was. You can always tell the difference between somebody not understanding and somebody who isn't paying attention, was very obvious it was my job for years I know what I'm talking about. I've even stopped others opening cards on people when I've seen staff crumbling to pressure and the person isn't 100% confident in that there doing.

@DerAlteMann

Personally, I reckon this was one of the major causes of Debenhams going down the pan.

Yes. This thread brought back the day I agreed to sign up to a Debenhams store card to get 10% off a coat. Took ages to go through the process and the 10% off really wasn’t worth the hassle.

Much prefer the loyalty programmes where you can sign up by them scanning a temporary card while you do the rest at home. A long-winded process and form-filling when you just want to pay and leave puts me off signing up to these.

@DerAlteMann

Personally, I reckon this was one of the major causes of Debenhams going down the pan.

100% agree

There was to much focus on credit cards when I worked there. They were painful to do. I was really good at them, so the pressure was really high to always deliver. It was really hard tbh. You had to be really careful as there were a lot of vulnerable people out there too! I've seen some crap

I’m pretty sure the retail staff hate it as much as customers do but it’s a target-driven directive from ‘on high’, nothing to do with the customer facing people who deal with the blowback. Complain to head office.

Seriously? It's been the same for 20 years. You are naieve if you don't know that they require this info. Just say no.

They don’t want to be doing it either, so just be as patient as possible about it and politely and firmly say no.

I had to ask people to do a survey at one of my old jobs, and I hated it. I was brilliant at my job but the managers refused to see it because I wasn’t brilliant at pestering people to do a survey they didn’t want to do.

I'm a psychologist and have autistic people within my family also people with depression and people who are irresponsible with credit and are vulnerable.

What has that got to do with my ability to pick up what you say to me?

At the time I was very aware of identify people were paying attention to what I asked, or if they didn't understand due to other issues. It's two completely different things. They would look confused and ask questions. There body language would change.

This is so bloody rude. It's not a lack of understanding, it's a slow processing issue. I'm autistic not fucking stupid.

You can always tell the difference between somebody not understanding and somebody who isn't paying attention, was very obvious it was my job for years I know what I'm talking about.

No you can't. And it's irrelevant because it's neither a lack of understanding or a lack of paying attention I'm talking about. Sometimes it's just takes me longer. I'm paying attention and I understand, it just takes longer to get there which means In a typical paced conversation where I don't get time to process I will need to hear it again a

I've even stopped others opening cards on people when I've seen staff crumbling to pressure and the person isn't 100% confident in that there doing.

You really rate yourself don't you?

It's a shame you are so quick to jump at the defence and show off at how wonderfully observant and clever you are, rather then listen to a shopper and realise what they are saying is possible. It's people like you, that's don't listen, that cause me the most problems.

It's not a lack of understanding, it's not because I don't pay attention, it's because I have disability and with that comes communication deficits. Please don't think your 2 possible reasons are the only options. They are not.

I once worked in a retail job where if you didn't sell enough of a (utterly shit and overpriced) product, you would get warnings. 3 of those and you've lost your job. Occasionally if the cunt of an area manager was feeling especially mean, he'd make people that had sold under the average attend a "training" session at a remote location. (Unpaid, no travel expenses) Sometimes when you got there you'd be greeted by a note on the locked door telling you to up your game.
Absolutely soul destroying stuff.
This is a massive national chain.
Be kind to retail staff, they get treated like absolute shit on all sides.

@elelel

I'm a psychologist and have autistic people within my family also people with depression and people who are irresponsible with credit and are vulnerable.

What has that got to do with my ability to pick up what you say to me?

At the time I was very aware of identify people were paying attention to what I asked, or if they didn't understand due to other issues. It's two completely different things. They would look confused and ask questions. There body language would change.

This is so bloody rude. It's not a lack of understanding, it's a slow processing issue. I'm autistic not fucking stupid.

You can always tell the difference between somebody not understanding and somebody who isn't paying attention, was very obvious it was my job for years I know what I'm talking about.

No you can't. And it's irrelevant because it's neither a lack of understanding or a lack of paying attention I'm talking about. Sometimes it's just takes me longer. I'm paying attention and I understand, it just takes longer to get there which means In a typical paced conversation where I don't get time to process I will need to hear it again a

I've even stopped others opening cards on people when I've seen staff crumbling to pressure and the person isn't 100% confident in that there doing.

You really rate yourself don't you?

It's a shame you are so quick to jump at the defence and show off at how wonderfully observant and clever you are, rather then listen to a shopper and realise what they are saying is possible. It's people like you, that's don't listen, that cause me the most problems.

It's not a lack of understanding, it's not because I don't pay attention, it's because I have disability and with that comes communication deficits. Please don't think your 2 possible reasons are the only options. They are not.

You're not understanding a word I say!

So not gonna bother arguing with you. Last time I'll explain it to you, each application or explaining it with someone would be different for each person. There was people you would take the time with and support, and there were some who were not paying attention. I'm not calling you stupid. You did. I don't see you as that. You assumed people would be assuming you wasn't paying attention. You had to be careful with each application. Everyone was different. Some staff had no morals. I did. So yeah. Bye

You're not understanding a word I say!

Quite the opposite, but you think you are better then me. When I posted about communication problems being a factor you took it as a slight against you personally and decided to tell us all how wonderful you are, what with your psychology and autistic family If you were anywhere near as good as you think you ate you would have listened and taken on board what I was saying, because it's a legitimate issue that people face every day.

The posts speak for themselves though, and I'm happy with that.

@elelel

You're not understanding a word I say!

Quite the opposite, but you think you are better then me. When I posted about communication problems being a factor you took it as a slight against you personally and decided to tell us all how wonderful you are, what with your psychology and autistic family If you were anywhere near as good as you think you ate you would have listened and taken on board what I was saying, because it's a legitimate issue that people face every day.

The posts speak for themselves though, and I'm happy with that.

I really don't at all. That's how you are viewing me. I told you my background so you were aware some people knew not to take advantage of people or assume some weren't paying attention if there were other issues. That's just clearly how you view me. You don't even know me, yet you judge. I haven't judge you. I actually agreed with you in areas and explained what was done for other situations. Sorry you feel this way. Please don't paint everyone with the same brush.

I really don't at all. That's how you are viewing me. I told you my background so you were aware some people knew not to take advantage of people or assume some weren't paying attention if there were other issues. That's just clearly how you view me.

I view you as the person you are presenting to me. I have only your words to go on. Even there above you think you need to make me 'aware' - o have my own awareness, I don't need anyone to tell me this very basic information. What I do need however if that if I say there is another factor at play, please listen; is that you listen. Im not sure why you are so desperate to argue this one out and defend yourself. Im literally giving another very relevant perspective and if you truly were the person you claim to be you wouldn't even need to have it pointed out, let alone be told several times to take it on board.

You don't even know me, yet you judge. I haven't judge you. I actually agreed with you in areas and explained what was done for other situations.

You have absolutely judged me. You are supposed to do that though, making judgment is normal; you yourself have suggested you do just that in order to do the job when offering cards, so let's not have a go at me for making a perfectly reasonable judgment based on what you have said. That's a normal part of everyday life.

Sorry you feel this way. Please don't paint everyone with the same brush.

I'm not. I'm talking to you, about you.

Someone made a thread in here the other day about what autistic people would like others to do/say when around them and for me the biggest one is to at the very least try ti be more understanding. If I tell you that I can understand and I am paying attention but there is another reason I may need you to say something to me twice, why can you not understand? Why the need to jump to the defensive?