Too Much Information.....

[Murphy Slaw]

I ran into Lowes yesterday to buy a stainless screw.

A small one.

I'm running around town doing errand stuff, and this was just one of many.

So I finally get to the cashier and she asked if I had a Lowes card so they could track my purchases. I said no.

The total was like a dollar something, I'm holding a $5 in my hand.

Then she wanted my phone #...............

I said, "You don't need my phone # for cash."

She was almost insulted, and got sorta mad at me. The guy behind me was quite puzzled as well.

I realize she was just doing what she was told, but efficiency is being ruined due to this constant data collection that is worthless. I totally get SOME products "flagging" sales due to bomb making material, or meth head stuff, but Holy Cow Batman........

[Bob Womack]

It's not the clerk's fault. She's operating a register that has been programmed to demand your phone number and has probably already been ridden by management for not getting every single phone number. Yes, companies are demanding our info too much.

The latest is contests. They not only want to data mine you and spam your mailbox horribly, they also sell their data to ten others who spam you horribly. Then they ask you to give up five of your friends to be spammed as well.

Not gonna happen.

Bob

[Mr. Jelly]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

It's not the clerk's fault.

And this is part of the rage in today's world. Systematic no win situations. It comes down to you either play or don't play. It's part of the reason many older people don't have smart phones. It has an effect on the sentiments of our times where people want to tear down all systems. You and everybody else knows that if you don't like it you can't get a screw because every other chain hardware store is going to be doing the same thing.

[srick]

So have any of you been tracked? It's happened to me several times: most notably, walking into Nordstrom's, looking at shoes, and then having shoe sales attached to all of my feeds; then, Best Buy: I looked at an R2D2 robot for a minute or so and later in the day, it was popping up on all of my ads. Coincidence? Nope.

[fazool]

Our 16yo daughter took a seasonal retail job at Sears. Strangely this local Sears is thriving and one of the successful ones.

This was her first job and she was almost distraught and stressed after the first day because they got a very high pressure training that they have to suggestive sell promotional items and try to get credit card signups. VBery high pressure.

After settling in for a bit she got used to it. She's sort of an over-achiever and very bubbly and sociable so she is "knockin it outta the park" - coming home after work all smiles because she keeps getting gift cards and lottery tickets and bonuses (part of the incentive to sell these things).

So they use a carrot AND a stick - they give rewards for this front line stuff but also implicitly threaten you if you don't sell this stuff successfully.

I used to be a very impatient and unforgiving driver. Until I taught alkl our kids how to drive and learned to be understanding. I now tell myself everyone else might be a new kid just learning and scared.

I use a similar approach now with retail workers.

(I worked in retail and fast food during high school and college and it has drastically changed)

[amyFB]

I dislike how the extra questions at checkout turn a 2 minute event into 5 or more. That’s really an unfair take of my time and I have often re-evaluated my proposed purchase and left the store without the item rather than be held hostage by these activities.

[HHP]

My old company used to put a lot of pressure on retail employees to sell add on and related items. The other side of the coin is we had retail employees, non-managers, knocking down 6 figure incomes by doing so. One of the regional people told me the average in some areas for a retail full time employee was just under $70K. Not bad for a "no college required, no experience needed" job.

In my own position dealing with larger business customers, I got some of those same incentives. We had a "credit card" where doing certain things or meeting certain thresholds got you "points", a point being equal to $1. As I neared retirement, one thing I had to do was zero the card out before my last one expired. To do this, I bought a Canon camera system with 4 lenses, two Flatiron mandolins, a 1919 Gibson mandolin, and pretty much all my strings, books, music accessories for the last two years.

So yes, I was pretty zealous in participating in these programs.

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by Mr. Jelly

And this is part of the rage in today's world. Systematic no win situations. It comes down to you either play or don't play. It's part of the reason many older people don't have smart phones. It has an effect on the sentiments of our times where people want to tear down all systems. You and everybody else knows that if you don't like it you can't get a screw because every other chain hardware store is going to be doing the same thing.

You're absolutely spot on.
As I have learned, the more you play, the more the technology you use harasses you. Unfortunately, it's difficult ( not impossible ) to remain outside of it.

[SpiderTrap]

My " NO " Is already OUT Loudly , before they're halfway done Asking .
Yes Im old people , No smart Phone , Dont know how to Text , dont care .
I see people in restraunts eating - Fork in one hand , Phone in the other. It's become an addiction . Table Desk computer only and can barely Work that .

[fingerguy]

My mother purchased her first flip cell phone just few years ago (5 years at most if that and she is 70). That is about all the technology she has. She sometimes get harassed by people when they ask for her email and she honestly says I do not have email and they always reply but you have to have email to which she says she does not. She is right.

But the best is when she asked me if her "TUBE TV" is high definition to which I replied "Mom, you bought this decades before high definition even existed".

Then told her how I can help her getting a flat screen and that will work but she needs to get rid of that entertainment center; she refused.

[RedJoker]

Most stores now have self checkout so you can bypass all these questions. I just do that.

As a side note, my mid-70's parents are very tech savy, both have smart phones, text regularly, have laptops, etc. They find that they get a lot out of technology. They are still active world travelers and were super excited when they first saw the Google Translator.

[MikeBmusic]

Just give a fake phone number - use your area code and first 3 digits, then '1-2-3-4' or something similar.

[cmd612]

Originally Posted by Mr. Jelly

It comes down to you either play or don't play. It's part of the reason many older people don't have smart phones. . . . You and everybody else knows that if you don't like it you can't get a screw because every other chain hardware store is going to be doing the same thing.

I don't play, but it hasn't stopped me from buying a screw (or anything else) yet. I just smile and say "no thank you" when they ask for my phone number, zip code, whatever, and no one has yet refused to ring up the purchase and take my cash. A friend of mine justs makes up a fake number to avoid the possibility of confrontation.

As far as phones, it's not just older people. I know some younger people who have either switched back to flip phones or never got a smartphone in the first place due to privacy concerns.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by MikeBmusic

Just give a fake phone number - use your area code and first 3 digits, then '1-2-3-4' or something similar.

I just say "Beachwood 4- 5789 " and wait for the deer in the headlights . Being retired I am not in hurry and seek to enjoy all the possible little amusements available .

[srick]

Originally Posted by KevWind

I just say "Beachwood 4- 5789 " and wait for the deer in the headlights . Being retired I am not in hurry and seek to enjoy all the possible little amusements possible.

Jenny - I saw your number on the wall...