Was IBU for walking out of shop at checkout?

[PersianKittens]

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.

But it's a pain in the arse having to give out an email address when they can just print a paper receipt. My first and surnames both have multiple spellings so I have to spell both, usually several times, during which time they could have served the next person.

I was just thinking that.

I reluctantly gave my email address for school shoes but the receipt never arrived. Back to school time in Clarks is a hassle in itself but I'll ask for a paper one next time.

I had a similar, very unpleasant, interaction in New Look, in fact I had a thread about it, and I won't go back...I reckon they must make more money from selling data than from sales for them to be so fixated on it!

I immediately thought “New Look”!

It's bloody annoying. I was in New Look a couple of weeks ago, asked for my email address, I said I'd just like a paper receipt please. "Sorry, we're completely paperless". Rolled my eyes massively and gave my email address, then apologised to the shop assistant for rolling my eyes so obviously, not her fault, after all! Then realised I wanted to look at something just behind the till, as I left I saw her ask another customer for her email address for a receipt, this woman's response was exactly the same as mine I happened to catch her eye (the sales assistant) and she looked away as she succumbed and printed a receipt for the other lady. That didn't bother me, the other customer was older than me and I think the till assistant chose her battle wisely, BUT when, three days later I wanted to exchange my purchase - has I been sent an email receipt?! No, I had not! Cue 20 minutes with me trying to remember which till I'd paid at while in the end the assistant (not the same one as for the original purchase) logged into all three tills to try to find my purchase, me
getting my bank account statement up (so logging into their WiFi in an area that is notoriously shit for WiFi) - a good 20 minutes wasted before we got to the transaction - all of which could have been avoided if I'd just been allowed the bloody paper receipt I wanted in the first place!

In new look at the weekend, I was asked for email, I said that a paper receipt would be fine thanks. Shop assistant said, but we're a digital company now. I asked whether she was able to give me a paper receipt, her response was "yes, but if you lose it you won't be able to return it". I know how receipts work ffs. Left with just paper receipt.

Well your employer needs to check their compliance with consumer law then. You do not need a receipt. You do need a proof of purchase. They are not the same thing.

Q. A consumer doesn't produce a receipt; does the trader have to do anything even if the goods are faulty?
A. There is no legal requirement for the consumer to provide or produce a receipt. If the trader does not remember the consumer buying the item they can ask the consumer to provide proof of purchase. This can be a credit card voucher or cheque stub or anything that indicates when and where the item was bought.

https://www.businesscompanion.info/en/quick-guides/goods/selling-and-supplying-goods#Consumerrightssummary

(love the reference to cheque stub - does anyone even still accept cheques in shops?)

I also love all the arguments being made "but if you lose it you won't be able to return it".

Well firstly, are you saying the item is so crap that I will return it*?

And secondly are you saying I am so disorganised that I will lose the receipt?

*I did once have this years ago when I bought a TV for £200 and the salesman tried to sell me an extended warranty for £80. He wasn't pleased when I said no. I did say that if the TV was that rubbish I'd bring it back under consumer laws.

I've never heard of any store needing my email.

I was foolish enough to give it to Halfords once and was then carpet bombed with marketing emails.

I'm the same. I say 'e-mail? What's that?' I'll have a proper receipt please.

If you spoke to me in that patronising way I'd walk out and I'd hope that you were in more trouble for losing £150 worth of sales than you would be for not getting an email address from me. But no doubt you'd go and huddle with your colleagues and moan dark things about "Karens".

And the OP has already said that it was her husband's email address for the click and collect and in any event she might not have been in there for the C&C first.

Create an email specifically for this purpose. That way you can find your receipts if you need them but ignore anything else. Call it something like annoyingdigitalreceipts or something that will amuse the staff!

(love the reference to cheque stub - does anyone even still accept cheques in shops?)

Oh I'd love to whip out a cheque book in New Look!😂

I’ve been asked if they can email the receipt many times in many stores but when I say no I’ve always been offered a paper one. I do give my email to shops where I actually need the receipt where there’s a warranty on the product eg Curry’s but never in clothing stores

I used to get an email receipt from Dunelm. Then on one occasion the receipt never came through, (the sales person must have entered it wrong). I needed to refund the item, luckily I went straight back to the store the same day. It was a faff, but because they hadn’t cashed up for the day they could find the evidence of the sale. I was told by the sales person that this happens a lot! Since then I always ask for a paper receipt.

Exactly! I'd rather be responsible for a paper receipt than risk the cashier typing my email in wrong and not getting one at all.

Well, especially if it is your main email address with all sorts of important stuff. I have another email which is easy to remember for all the promotional and shop stuff.

A few months back I bought something in Mountain Warehouse and they were insisting on an email receipt. I don’t buy much new stuff so didn’t have an alternative email ready and didn’t want to say my personal email address out loud (it’s not really keeping your data secure and some of us feel the need to be more careful) Anyway, after insisting they gave me a paper receipt. Then I helped a much older lady after me get a paper receipt. I then heard the salespersons discussing if they had reached their email targets for the week. So that’s what the reason is.

My dh would be fucked then. He doesn't have an email address, not the first clue how to use mine.

Not at all. The only time receipts are legally required is when a VAT-registered business is buying somethign from another VAT-registered business. And on a similar note, you don't actually need a receipt to enforce your consumer rights with a retailer, whatever they may say.

I do this. They say 'have you got an email address' and I just say 'no, I haven't' then get a paper receipt straight away. No way I would have left stuff I'd ordered via click and collect and have a wasted journey

"You want my email address? Sure. It's th1s_1s_an_incr3dibly_l0ng-and_d1ff1cult_t0_typ3_3mail_addr3ss@p0int3less.waste.of.t1me.com. Let me spell it for you - tango, hotel, number one, sierra, underscore, number one..."

Could you have bought the shopping without a receipt?

Also, why not just name the retailer?

As I noted, under GDPR there is an obligation on the organisation capturing the data to ensure it is accurate. Usually this translates into "We sent them on a course".