Just bought a 2m section of flexible tube for a gas stove, and the sales clerk asked first for my phone number, to which I replied “I don’t have one”. Then she asked me for my name, to which I replied “I’ll pay in cash”. She then insisted it was so “the cashier will call you by name”, to which I replied “I’m not giving you my name, I’ll pay in cash”. [Edit: she apparently got a bit upset when I refused to give info, but ended up entering “no name” according to the receipt]
Am I wrong for not wanting to give personal data for an item paid in cash, in person? No other hardware store ever asks me for my personal info.
I’m just about certain you are way overreacting to this. Stores sometimes ask for your phone number to see if you’re in their system (if you’ve been to one of their stores before) so they can do things like track your purchase history and send you promotions. I don’t know why they asked for your name but I doubt it’s anything nefarious.
A purchase should be a one time thing. Especially with cash. You give me whatever I need, I give you whatever you ask for. No more interaction. Certainly not asking for my phone number without a valid reason. You wanting to track my purchasing history possibly to sell to third parties is no valid reason.
And if we don’t want to be in their system tracking purchases and stuff?
That’s a completely valid concern about privacy and anonymity and every opportunity we have to not provide information in these scenarios is a reasonable response. But be aware of all the other ways you’re already “in the system”. A cellphone, even if you aren’t using it, communicates thousands of times a day with outside systems. Then let’s talk about inference. It means deducing something about a person without getting direct information from them. You leave so many disparate pieces of information in your daily activities that it’s possible to infer a number of things about you with a high enough degree of accuracy that it’s useful. This information should be private and should only be available to others if we choose to allow it. But it’s not.
And if you find yourself in a situation like OP you don’t have to say something ridiculous and obviously untrue like “I don’t have a phone”, you can just say “I don’t want to provide that”. And it’s probably fine to give someone your first name in a situation like this.
I use Cape on a GapheneOS phone so neither my cell provider or my phone knows my name.
I understand that people can only limit the data that gets collected and Incognito/Deleteme etc. can’t get all the rest. In my opinion the only way to prevent the further exploitation of our data is for people to just not play.
My new use name is Wojtek, pronounced “Voy-tek”.
Should have given your name as Skibidi, James Skibidi.
James T. Skibidi
“So the cashier will call you by name” means they don’t care if it’s your real name, just react when they call it.
This is in a Spanish-speaking country, so maybe should’ve said “Aquiles Baeza”
I often use Turd Fergusson
Bruce Alfonso McGuinty
Raúl Diaz
John with a W
The other option is “Jon Withanhache”. You can then complain they spelt it wrong too.
Jawn your order is ready!
Smug achually-voice
“It’s pronounced Yawn”
You win.
I used to say ridiculous names to acknowledge their policy and politely rebel against it. It’s fun when the hostess calls out “Batman, party of 4”
I can just use my own name while traveling. They have no idea how to spell it. And even if they ask and get the spelling correct, the next person has no idea how to pronounce it.
How else would you pronounce it? It’s H-F-U-H-R-U-H-U-R-R, isn’t it?
And my companion is Anne Uumellmahaye
Sitting here drinking my coffee and seeing someone got this reference is brightening my morning.
As a webdev, I’m proficient in coming up with names to test the limits of the interface. I would probably have to stick to ‘Konstantin Konstantinovich Konstantinopolsky’, since they are unlikely to accept the last name of ‘O’er-thirtythree-thirtythreefootfences-Idostretchmyleg’.
I usually turn the tables on them by asking for their personal phone number.
Same with telemarketers, because I like to practice languages. Tell me about your insurance policy? What? Why aren’t you with your employer if they have the best deals?
“There’s a conflict of interest concern with that.”
I’m helping
no you’re not wrong. if they super persist, your first name is the name of their store.
I have a custom email domain with a catch-all email. So everything sent to the domain hits the same inbox, and I can filter things based on which address they were sent to. I sometimes get some very confused cashiers when they see my email is
{Store I'm currently shopping in}@{my email domain}. I’ve had everything from “Oh do you work for corporate or something” to “Wait are you trying to hack us?”On the bright side, if I start getting spam addressed to
walmart@{my domain}I know they sold my info and I can automatically filter everything addressed to that account directly to spam.Ugh, I love this idea so much. It makes me wish I could have my own custom domain. Alas, there are far more urgent things in life that need to eat up my meager paychecks.
I do the same. Already got a VIP treatment once for the reason your named, although my reason I’m doing it is not that but the same as yours.
Why the heck did they ever need to call your name? For stuff like starbuck, sure, but then it’s entirely unnecessary since number can works too. These practices are unnecessary as heck and work as a way to gather data. Unless required by law(pharmacy, for tax reason, etc), If any shop asked for name/phone i would’ve just say no, if that’s unacceptable i would walk.
Why is it needed for Starbucks?
They call out your name when your drink is ready.
There’s a whole cottage industry of influencers now who still think it hasn’t been overdone yet to try to get them to shout something ridiculous, unpronounceable, or impossible to spell when they write it on the cup.
The one and only time I went to Starbucks, I was the only one in line. I waited right there as they made the drink. There was absolutely no need for my name. I get that it’s just what they do, but it felt weird.
This reminds me of a strange encounter I had at a Starbucks in a train station in Paris: I order, pay, give my name (for the cup) and start to wander off to wait. A random super concerned dude starts explaining to me that I need to stay in the “waiting for drinks line” till my drink is ready. I was like “um, that’s why they write your name on the cup and call you?” But no, he was insistent that the propor protocol was to wait in the line, the other folks in line seemed to agree. Super weird. I succumbed to the peer pressure but AFAICT the 2nd line was 100% stupid (maybe they have too many people w/ the same 1st name there?) and it’s kinda wild being from Seattle and having a random French dude mansplain Starbucks to me.
try to get them to shout something ridiculous, unpronounceable
I’ve always been partial to Heywood Jablomi
I’d dare say not even Starbucks needs to know your name. You should get an order number/code like everywhere else.
I tell people the name is “batman” and then when they yell it out I look flustered and say “oh please call me Bruce”.
Idk if they find it funny but I get Starbucks like twice a year maybe.
With Starbucks, they just need a name - not necessarily yours.
My of my uni friends used to pick ever more ridiculous names just to hear them call it out when his drink was ready.
No, they really don’t. Order number is more than sufficient.
Give a number if you prefer a number. Batista will not care if you say “just write ‘123’”
Its not your problem.
Sure, but they’re trying to present a less cold and impersonal atmosphere. Order numbers are for computers, names are for people.
not even Starbucks needs to know your name. You should get an order number/code like everywhere else.
I’m standing right here, I’m the only customer in the place right now - you don’t need my name.
Elwood Blues, 1060 W. Addison St.
I use the local Papa John’s phone number, because I hate everything about it.
… Some of the comments here are ridiculous. People, I get this is annoying, but some of you are acting like there salespeople are “in on it.” Just make up a name.
Aren’t they literally a member of the company? Quite literally “in on it.”
No some shit is stupid. I once took 20 minutes on phone trying to cancel ADT because “I had to give a reason” to which I refused.
“Because I don’t want it anymore” should be reason enough.
You shouldn’t have to provide a reason at all, period.
Absolutely. ‘Please cancel my account’ should be enough, on the first try, always.
In every situation it should be just as easy to cancel a service as it is to sign up. If you can sign up online you should be able to cancel online.
Because I don’t like that you asked me for a reason.
“Because I’ll stop fucking paying you if you don’t"
My name is Sargent Slaughter and my phone number is 867-5309.
You can give them a fake name, or you can dead ass stare at them until they feel awkward and continue the transaction. But there’s definitely no reason they need that info.
I’ve never gotten pushback with “I’d rather not”.
I do occationally, especially if it’s a new cashier who is still worried about pleasing the boss.
My usual workaround is:
First name: cash
Last name: sale
Yeah, i always refuse phone number or email when they ask and have never had a problem. Just say no when they ask
I now use 8675309 because I’m old and the people taking my “info” don’t catch on or don’t give a fuck.
I also give the name “Nünya” and tell them its French
They don’t care either way.
They are working retail jobs and harassing you for personal information is just one in a long list of things they have to do to get paid.
I myself just go with a “no thanks” , “I’m good” or sometimes a “I don’t believe in (thing they are asking for)”
If you gave me that i would but your name down as Jenny
