Not to give my postcode to the Mamas and Papas shop

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I bought a few maternity clothes and they asked if they could take my details for marketing and refund purposes - I said no as I don't live anywhere near a shop so will be unlikely to go again (I had tried them on). The sales assistant then said she needed my postcode to process the sale. When I asked if they were refusing to sell me the clothes she had to call someone else over to show her how to process the sale without my details. I'm quite happy to be asked but I don't see why it should be assumed that I'll give all my details to this shop.

YANBU they only want your postcode to bombard you with a load of junk mail.

You did the right thing. I wish I was brave enough to say no, I usually just make up an address

YANBU , I would not have given my details either. And I would just take my custom elsewhere if to much fuss was made of it.

I've had exactly the same row with them and with Next. Ridiculous.

yanbu
good for you for standing up to them, it is randomly assumed we will hand over any and all information asked for

lol smugmarried you should check the postcode for buckingham palace and give that next time

Clarks do this and i refused (nicely)

YANBU

Just state that for data protection laws you are not allowed to give out your postcode

ps if said with a straight face and in a solom manner they usually dont have a clue that you are taking the p

YANBU of course

But we're all different - I'm usually happy to give details like that.

I remember a friend of mine refused to open a bank account becuase one of the questions was 'what is your salary', which she didn't want to answer.

I know I'm in the minority but I don't know why people consider these type of details to be intensely personal. The things I'd consider to be personal would be things like my medical notes, my knicker drawer, my emails and web browser etc.

But of course it should be a matter of choice, which in this case it was anyway.

... as a total aside, I have found that you can say anything to most sales assistants with a straight face and they will accept it.

My friend works in a department store and I meet him in there for coffee quite regularly. He said the last time, 'If you get there first, order me a latte, and don't forget to get staff discount'. So I ordered the two drinks and said 'I'm to get staff discount' and the girl cheerfully rang that through without question.

I don't actually work there - am tempted to try this one in other places!!

I always say they may have it, but they may not send me any literature or marketing- they usually say 'oh, it doesn't matter then'

YANBU. But this is typical of crappy training they give sales assistants. they're so obsessed with getting our details, they don't train them to remember it's voluntary. A shop once tried to force me to pay with a credit card because their chip and pin machine wasn't working and when I pointed out that it wasn't my problem and they should now please let me do it manually, she was having none of it. I still can't work out why they'd rather I paid by credit card but whatever...

Pumpkin Patch do it too.

I am getting more and more bolshy with this sort of thing.

I felt awful in Build a Bear when they asked for all the details. When I indignantly refused and the girl quietly said no problem, DD1 started crying saying "but mummy, if I lose my bear and someone finds it and hands it in, they will not be able to post him back to me" Grrrrr! I felt like a real moody cow!

YANBU

this is such bollocks, and happened when I rang my local NEXT store about a maternity cardie - she said without my postcode she couldn't check the stock. WTF?

I didn't want the thing delivered, I was going to go in and buy it - I politely explained I am bombarded with junk mail and calls and didn't see how it was relevant, she seemed flummoxed like she's never been challenged on this before, than admitted they were out of stock anyway! So she was perfectly able to tell me without it.

If places insist about postcodes (for some reason, Wacky Warehouses used to ask for your postcode - don't know if they still do) I just tell them to input this:

SW1A 1AA

It works in the postcode doobrey, will completely screw up their marketing data and it's the Queen's postcode . Win-win in my book!

SS1 LLY

I am sure you can think of some rude ones to input

I always refuse. In the same way that I always tick the box so that I don't get junk mail.

They have absolutely no need to know where I live.

Ivy: not sure that will register as a genuine postcode Most computer postcode systems will check that it's a valid postcode address before you can confirm it.

Yes a computer system will check the postcode - but most shop assistants will write down the postcode and then it will be sent of to head office to be entered in the pc system... leaving them hopefully feeling a little S1lly which was the idea.

Or you just explain it is a new build