To be fed up with shops demanding my email address for no good reason

[Levie]

I am so sick of this in shops! I just want to buy something, pay and walk out with my shopping. I don’t want to share my details with you. I don’t want to have my name & details put into your database. I don’t want to receive details of special offers.
I just tried to use a gift card I’d been given as a present. The sales assistant asked me for my email address. I asked why she needed it- ‘it’s so we can send you an email to say you’ve used the voucher’.
Me-‘that’s fine. I know I’ve used it so I don’t need an email’.
Her-‘if you don’t give me your email address then you can’t use this voucher’.
If I’d thought more quickly I’d just have given a made-up address. I will definitely do this next time! It doesn’t sit right with me that businesses are increasingly refusing to provide goods or services unless customers hand over their data.

I appreciate that in this case she did say you had to, but I find that usually even though it isn't phrased as a question - they say 'what's your email address?' not 'would you like to give your email address?' - I've never had anyone not accept it when I've said, 'oh no, I don't want to do that, thanks'. I think in this case I would have stood my ground, they can't say that you can't use an already paid for voucher without you sharing personal information.

It’s so annoying! I’ve set up a separate email I give out so my normal email doesn’t get clogged up with all their nonsense.

Your data is valuable to them, that's why they use vouchers and discounts to get you to divulge it.

Its infuriating but you don't have to give it to them, although you will lose out on the incentives if you don't.

There is a reason, it’s for marketing. It might be annoying but there is a reason.

Just say no. They can’t stop you using a standard gift card. They may not allow other discounts/vouchers that haven’t been purchased.

I say no, and then if they get arsy I just say abc@yahoo.com. They usually just give in at that point

It’s very annoying! I would rather just pay than be stood there spelling out my email address for all to hear, and then having to get unwanted emails from shops. I suppose it does have the advantages of not losing a paper receipt, and reducing paper use. I took some old clothes into a shop recently as you get an £5 voucher in exchange, but only on email. I was expecting it to be like Oxfam, who give a £5 paper voucher for M&S if you donate secondhand M&S clothes.

If I get round to it I’ll set up a specific email (or HideMyEmail) just for shops and print it out.

Just say you haven't got an email address, it's really simple.

Could you get an email account just for these situations & just never look at it?

can't you just say no like the rest of us?

oh just re read end bit. never come across that i'd have asked them to phone head office while i was there

I just shrug my shoulders and say I don't know it.

I have the same issue when I return items in store. They don't care who I am or what I pay with, but when it comes to refunds they want my name, address, signature.
However shop staff seem unable to tell me why they need all this info. Since the introduction of chip and pin shopping a signature is not asked for at point of purchase so they have nothing to compare my returns signature with.

Just say no, Don't get angry at minimum wage shop workers though. They do not make company policy.

I have a throwaway email address that I never check for just these situations.

I find this really irritating too. I get so many emails, I don’t want any more! I was in Next (I think) the other day, and the sales person said they don’t do paper receipts anymore, so if I wanted a receipt I HAD to give them my email address. This is unconscionable in my view- I shouldn’t HAVE to give them anything apart from the money for the goods I want to buy. Also, if I don’t have an email address I can’t return the stuff if I need to? There must be some consumer rights legislation that deals with this?

I just decline to give it to them (firmly and repeatedly but politely if necessary). In your case OP you could have asked to see where in the terms and conditions the requirement to provide an email address was included and/or asked how this fits in with their GDPR obligations.

They can't insist on getting an email address to let you use a voucher. That's complete bollocks.

But just saying no would have meant that she wasn't able to use her gift card, since they said ‘if you don’t give me your email address then you can’t use this voucher’.

I just say no thanks I will have a paper receipt. They only want your email to bombard you with advertising obviously so just say you dont want to give out that info..

OP if you order clothes /train/plane tickets/ anything online
with or without a voucher, you must be using an email address
Have a decoy email account, ie exasperated @ whatever
for this and other email demands, beat the system !!!

I did initially say very politely that it was confidential and that I didn’t give it out. She then went off to consult someone then came back and said I couldn’t use my £50 voucher unless I complied.
I had a train to catch so I left it- and didn’t complete the transaction. I will go to another branch and give them a made-up address.

But I don’t see why I should have to do this. It can’t be right that they refuse to honour a voucher because I don’t want to hand over details.
I had a similar thing recently when I wanted to buy a theatre ticket at the box office. They wanted my name, address, email, phone number before selling me a ticket. They claimed they needed this in case the show was cancelled and they needed to let me know. Even when I pointed out that the show was starting in 30 minutes and was most unlikely to be cancelled. In this case, the manager put his own email address in. But it looked like the booking system would simply not allow a sale without an email.

I give them my second email address that houses all my receipts and I occasionally go through them, unsubscribing and/or blocking as appropriate. It IS time consuming though.

I've never heard of not being able to use a voucher unless you give them your email address though. That's just daft. However, like my job on London Underground most big retailers use mystery shoppers who report their "experience" back, and if the staff didn't do something (like this daft policy) it's usually followed up. There's no point losing it with the poor soul on the till. They haven't decided this. Have a go at their central Customer Services instead.

Distance selling and transactions made at the point of sale are not the same.

The obvious difference is that the email in those cases is needed for proof of transaction and to send you the confirmation. OP is there in person. She can obtain a receipt for return purposes and she doesn't need confirmation that the transaction has taken place because she is there and can see that she has obtained goods or services in exchange for payment.

It's as bad as Tesco Clubcard and its clones. Don't wish to participate, thank you. But if you don't, you are penalized, of course.

Dunelm and Screwfix do this every single time. It's very annoying.