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.

Give them a fake Email In future

[email protected]

I’ve heard of this before. You did right. I always want a paper receipt in case I shop elsewhere that trip. Also it’s easier to work out later which receipt I need if I need to return something. I could set up a separate email for shopping receipts but doesn’t everything link up anyway and with businesses being flawed more of my details could end up being hacked. Such Shops should have to declare no paper receipt on their entrance doors, so can avoid wasting time on both sides.
also a pain if they mistype or the system goes down!

As long as that doesn't inconvenience someone who may actual own/use that email address. With hundreds of billions of email addresses in existence (plus the potential for an almost unlimited number that may not bounce) you'd have to be sure.

I just say that I don't give out my email address and then I get a paper receipt. I've never had an issue.

Yanbu. I would have walked out too. Let head office now if the failed sale. I'm paying with cash everywhere now after a sales assistant struggled to count 10p in coins. We need cash

The issue is, you should have a choice as to whether you hand over your personal data as well as money for your purchase. You talk of 1999, as if people are clinging to the past, yet all indications are that data theft is increasing, not improving. Corporations are owed money for your purchase, no more than that. It’s about the right to have a choice.

Get screenshots of your successful unsubscribe and report them to the ICO. I hate these companies harvesting data.

Exactly! Surely almost everyone has shopped online at some point in their life so I don't understand the reluctance to give out email addresses. I've had a separate email address for shopping for years now to avoid too much spam in my inbox. I'd rather have an email receipt than a bit of paper I might lose.

I'm sure a big high street retailer isn't going to miss your custom so I'm not sure what you think you have achieved here.

Set up a new Gmail just for shopping. I have two email accounts now. I also periodically unsubscribe from everything

But now you don't have the stuff you wanted. I get it's a bit irritating but emails are given for any website you want to shop on, aswell as websites like this so it's not sacred information.

I’m pretty sure a company like dunelm knows the law.

Then you wouldn't get a receipt.

Then give his email… you can also opt out of the marketing ones.

How much recompense do you get for having your privacy violated and your time in having to get it corrected ?

The answer to that question is the answer to how serious data protection is in the UK.

my name is complicated to spell. If i stand there and spell it phonetically (and don't get me started on shop assistants who write, for eg "sierra, india, romeo" and then get huffy when i say - no "s - i - r" but then when i get to the last letter (l) they have to be told 26 times... And then, you ask if you can see it to check it's right, but that's not possibe.

It is a waste of their time, my time, and everyone in the queue behind me's time.

so it is easier to say: no i want a paper receipt. No? Now i want a refund because i don't want these things.

Do you have a job ? If your manager TOLD you you HAVE to do something what would you do ?
Maybe you are a manager. What would you do if you TOLD an employee they HAD to do something and they refused.
Do you really think shop assistants have anything to do with any decisions a company makes ? Really?

Exactly and these are the customers who moan when they can’t get a refund because they have no receipt 🙄

I assumed it was Dunelm when I read your first post. My local branch always tries to get my email address off me but they do eventually give in when I tell them that I don’t have one. If they ever refuse to give me a paper receipt then I would do the same as you and walk out.

Tell them your e-mail is persiankittens (at) mailinator (dot) com

Mailinator is (among other things) a free service for e-mails that you don't want to get. You give out the address and forget about it, but you can also log in and collect the mails without a password if you really want them. They are auto-deleted after a few days. It's perfect for situations like this.

I bet it was New Look or Dunelm! I’ve been completely bullshitted by them in the past and I always stand my ground, then complain to head office about the particular store. I gave Dunelm the benefit of the doubt a couple of months ago as I had bad morning sickness and couldn’t be bothered to argue, she typed my email in wrong so I didn't get the receipt, went back to say it hasn’t come through and the next thing I know I’ve been subscribed to their email list!! It’s all to meet in store targets and it really pisses me off!

Thank you for clarifying! It really annoys me customers think I have made the rules to ask for a bloody email! I hate asking as much as the customer (not all) hates been asked.

This can be a credit card voucher or cheque stub or anything that indicates when and where the item was bought.

The problem is that if you buy 6 items totalling £150, a card receipt for that amount of money doesn't indicate that this was when you bought the £45 hair straighteners or whatever. Maybe you bought them a year earlier as part of a purchase of 5 items totalling £110, and now you're trying it on after the guarantee has expired.

I don’t think you’ve made the rules? I’m aware that it’s instructed from above. But assistants make out there is no other option, when there is. That’s a choice.

Good on you. You absolutely can refuse to give out your email address as ifs classed as personal information under the GPDR act. Personally I would be complaining to their head office and reminding them of the fact they have no right to demand personal information under law.

I never push if they want a paper receipt they are more than welcome!