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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Was IBU for walking out of shop at checkout?

286 replies

PersianKittens · 12/08/2025 12:26

I'm not naming the shop, but this morning, I went into a big high street retailer to collect a click and collect order and whilst I was there, I had a look around and picked up a few more things.

Went to till, total came to over £150, all fine, sales assistant asked if they could have my email address for the receipt. I said, no thanks, a paper receipt is fine thanks, she said, sorry we don't do paper receipts, we need to have your email address to provide that. I looked at her and said I had never come across any other retailer doing that, but she stood her ground and said in an assertive tone, I need your email address. Again I refused and said, if that's the case, I'll just leave it and walked away. Last time I gave a retailer my email in store, I was bombarded with daily emails, despite unsubscribing via the link at every email received.

WIBU to have walked away as I didn't want to hand over my personal data? Driving home, I did think about creating a separate email account for this reason, but then again, why should I? surely my preferences should be respected.

OP posts:
Datafan55 · 12/08/2025 15:04

B1anche · 12/08/2025 12:28

Was it New Look? Or Dunelm? They are both bad for insisting on digital receipts. I always stand my ground.

Pavers do it too.

Coconutter24 · 12/08/2025 15:06

B1anche · 12/08/2025 12:28

Was it New Look? Or Dunelm? They are both bad for insisting on digital receipts. I always stand my ground.

In new look I always say a paper receipt is fine thank you and they just print me one off no problem

Here2talk · 12/08/2025 15:06

YANBU I NEVER receive the digital receipts from Dunelm and they will not even give store credit without a receipt. It’s a nightmare. So I always take the physical receipt there.

columnatedruinsdomino · 12/08/2025 15:10

Also I don't like everyone in the queue knowing my email address. Matalan and Go Outdoors used to want you to give your address at the till to get discount which I also didn't like. I might use the gofuckyourself.btinternet.com.

LlamaNoDrama · 12/08/2025 15:12

I think Martin whatshisface should do a slot on this on his show

w0nderwall · 12/08/2025 15:13

Didn't they already have your email address if you were collecting a click and collect order?

YouSaidWhaaat · 12/08/2025 15:13

YANBU. How ridiculous. Not everyone has an email address…

BebbanburgIsMine · 12/08/2025 15:13

Laiste · 12/08/2025 14:26

Wrt poster who works there and says they get 'talked to' if they don't harvest enough emails per week - let them talk! It's a marketing ploy and the the person who does the 'talking to' will get a 'talk' from their boss. Who will get a 'talk' from theirs and so on.

Its a load of bollocks. Just smile, nod, ask each customer politely as you've been asked to do and if it's a no give the paper receipt with a smile too.

Not where I worked!

If we didn’t upsell whatever the item was that week, we could get more than “talked” to. We could find ourselves on a disciplinary if it continued.

Staff hated doing it as much as the customer did but I’d rather have kept my job than lose it because somebody couldn’t even make a fake email address.

I feel sorry for retail staff.

SerendipityJane · 12/08/2025 15:14

columnatedruinsdomino · 12/08/2025 15:10

Also I don't like everyone in the queue knowing my email address. Matalan and Go Outdoors used to want you to give your address at the till to get discount which I also didn't like. I might use the gofuckyourself.btinternet.com.

I (very idly) wonder what would happen if your email address was "[email protected].ps ?

VainAbigail · 12/08/2025 15:15

HMV do this too. They seem disgruntled when they’re told No.

Skodacool · 12/08/2025 15:21

Whizzgosh · 12/08/2025 13:45

Quite

OP said her husband placed the order so they had his email address not hers. Several pp have not RTFT.

Talkingfrog · 12/08/2025 15:21

MCF86 · 12/08/2025 14:33

It costs £3 each way for me to get to my nearest New Look, I wouldn't be returning a £2.50 key ring.

Not in those circumstances but for a more expensive item.

Nanny0gg · 12/08/2025 15:22

<idly wonders how many servers there are in the world holding all this personal data>

sweetpickle2 · 12/08/2025 15:24

I generally prefer email receipts, paper ones are so wasteful. I also don't have to worry about digging it out of the bottom of a carrier bag in the bin if I need to do a return, just search on my phone!

As for being spammed with emails - I have a filter set up in my email so that everything with the word 'unsubscribe' in it goes into a folder I never even see. It's bliss.

OnlyMabelInTheBuilding · 12/08/2025 15:24

I also refuse, it’s nonsense. And they can definitely give paper receipts, but they get targeted on email receipts, signing up to mailing lists, so they pretend you can’t.

I have no interest in helping a sales assistant meet nonsense targets; I don’t want spammed with any more shit. Always ask for paper, I’d leave it too if they pretended they couldn’t, and send a complaint off naming the staff member. But I’ve found they always back down, and print one, even if some will glare while doing so.

SurferRona · 12/08/2025 15:25

I head tilt, sympathetic apologetic cooing, I’m so so sorry, I don’t have an email address. Hard stare. I always get a paper one,

JenniferBooth · 12/08/2025 15:26

Ive never had trouble getting paper reciepts from New Look

SurferRona · 12/08/2025 15:26

Nanny0gg · 12/08/2025 15:22

<idly wonders how many servers there are in the world holding all this personal data>

Totally, energy AND water. Just heard a piece about this earlier on R4. Eye opening.

Iloveeverycat · 12/08/2025 15:28

It ridiculous my mum doesn't have an email address. Also online if you want to look at your pension forecast you need both a passport and a driving licence. What if you don't have either. They make things so hard nowadays.

FlippittyFlop · 12/08/2025 15:29

purplecorkheart · 12/08/2025 14:18

Doesn't seem to be such an issue in Ireland or certainly in my experience. There are a few stores that ask for your email but also offer a paper version without prompting.

New Look were the worst for it. Their shops are gone now (from Ireland).

They refused to give me a paper receipt, when I declined to give them my email. The shop assistant then "claimed" they had no printer paper for receipts.

I had a bit of push back once in River Island too.

Clafoutie · 12/08/2025 15:31

Good for you OP. I always refuse my email and ask for a paper receipt and most shops oblige but with varying degrees of willingness. It infuriates me that we are put in the position of having to feel self conscious about this ( as I always feel). I think we’ve got to keep making the point.

SerendipityJane · 12/08/2025 15:33

SurferRona · 12/08/2025 15:26

Totally, energy AND water. Just heard a piece about this earlier on R4. Eye opening.

It's minute, compared to the power-suck that is "AI". All those chatty search results eat up power.

Clafoutie · 12/08/2025 15:35

columnatedruinsdomino · 12/08/2025 15:10

Also I don't like everyone in the queue knowing my email address. Matalan and Go Outdoors used to want you to give your address at the till to get discount which I also didn't like. I might use the gofuckyourself.btinternet.com.

Yes, and also when other people ahead of you in the queue ( and there always is a queue because there is only one till open) are giving their email address, that can take forever because people forget what it is/ the person mishears, etc etc! 🙄

Nchangeo · 12/08/2025 15:36

I don’t like this because you only need them to put in the email wrong and then you don’t have a receipt.

Plus this invasion of personal details is utterly ridiculous. All these cards and apps. It’s mind numbingly irritating. I think the price difference should be banned.

Isthisit22 · 12/08/2025 15:37

You were picking up something from click and collect so they already had your email? Why make such a big deal about giving it again?