Retail Performance Stores asking for customer name.

Sam Yorko said:

Went in to my local Performance to buy a Topeak Mountain Morph pump (they're on sale). At the cash
register, they demanded my name to complete the purchase. Only after I almost walked out did they
relent on the demand.

The excuse offered: in case I lost the receipt, they could look up the transaction if I wanted to
return my purchase.

They apparently think it's better to insult their customers by assuming they're idiots than to admit
they want to collect info for their marketing database.

Quoted message said:

Well, OK, that's the story being offered to the customers. And, even believing for the moment that
that >is< the only reason for getting the customer name, that doesn't preclude some marketing
dweeb within Performance in the future deciding that there is all this nice customer data just
sitting around, and it's time to mine it for marketing purposes.

No thanks.

Radio Shack used to ask for a phone number, even for the most trivial purchases. But they were
always nice about my refusal to give them any info. Once enough people refuse at Performance they'll
probably quit being obnoxious about it. If not, you can always vote with your feet. Or make up a
name and address and let them waste the cost of mailing their innumerable catalogs.

--
Ray Heindl (remove the X to reply)

It's your name dweeb. They do so at a lot of stores including CompUSA so that they do indeed have a
way to reference your purchase and it's date and price if you need to return it or it is defective
and needs to be exchange so that you aren't SOL and they don't have a ticked off customer who they
have no proof of purchasing through them.

What is the worst thing they could do with your information anyway? Send you a catalog or sales
announcement? Geez, stop being so paranoid and by the way, try being polite to salespeople in stores
instead of an arrogant, self-righteous weenie. The guy making $8 an hour is told to ask for certain
information. Want to buy an extra phone at your local cellular phone shop, well you'll have to give
your name. Oh and by the way, if a retailer can track it's customer's purchases, they can develop
purchase pattern information which can help them to stock product that you want or would be inclined
to purchase versus something the buyer "thinks" people like because that person does and they can go
back to their data and say, well you know we sold 5 times as many Continental tires in red as we did
in the generic tan and black, let's make sure we order appropriately so that we don't disappoint you
Mr. Customer when you come in to buy another couple sets of red and gee, we ran out 2 weeks ago and
we won't be able to get any for another 2 weeks...they lose a sale, you leave frustrated, have to go
elsewhere, you've wasted time and accomplished nothing and spend half the rest of the day finding
someone else locally who has the tires in the color you want for your ride tomorrow. Isn't that a
better way to run a company than your way? I'm sure you aren't in sales and you are not in a
decision-making role whatever you do. And one last thing, if you were the norm, they wouldn't ask
the question. Maybe you would be more relaxed if you left down your guard, relaxed a bit and got off
your high horse. I'm sure you pay taxes dude, so uncle Sam already knows who you are and where you
live. I'm sure your sense of importance is self-importance and I'm sure you are nothing more than a
cog in someone else's wheel at best. And by the way, try shopping for stuff at a locally owned pro
shop and support your local merchants for a change. I'm sure you don't mind telling them your name,
particularly when you drop your bike for some servicing! Or your local cleaner or where you make an
appointment to get your hair cut or lawn mowed or car serviced. Such inanity! Dan

"Sam Yorko" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Went in to my local Performance to buy a Topeak Mountain Morph pump (they're on sale). At the cash
register, they demanded my name to complete the purchase. Only after I almost walked out did they
relent on the demand.

The excuse offered: in case I lost the receipt, they could look up the transaction if I wanted to
return my purchase.

Well, OK, that's the story being offered to the customers. And, even believing for the moment that
that >is< the only reason for getting the customer name, that doesn't preclude some marketing
dweeb within Performance in the future deciding that there is all this nice customer data just
sitting around, and it's time to mine it for marketing purposes.

No thanks.

Sam

Sam Yorko said:

Went in to my local Performance to buy a Topeak Mountain Morph pump (they're on sale). At the cash
register, they demanded my name to complete the purchase. Only after I almost walked out did they
relent on the demand.

The excuse offered: in case I lost the receipt, they could look up the transaction if I wanted to
return my purchase.

Well, OK, that's the story being offered to the customers. And, even believing for the moment that
that >is< the only reason for getting the customer name, that doesn't preclude some marketing dweeb
within Performance in the future deciding that there is all this nice customer data just sitting
around, and it's time to mine it for marketing purposes.

No thanks.

Sam

If you don't want to give a name and the person behind the register is being told by management that
s/he must get names, give a fake name and address.

If it is for warranty purposes only, all that counts is you remembering what name you used at
that store.

x-no-archive:yes

Quoted message said:

If you don't want to give a name and the person behind the register is being told by management
that s/he must get names, give a fake name and address.

If it is for warranty purposes only, all that counts is you remembering what name you used at
that store.

Yeah, unless they ask for a driver's license to make sure you're the right person!

Pat in TX

Sam Yorko said:

Went in to my local Performance to buy a Topeak Mountain Morph pump (they're on sale). At the cash
register, they demanded my name to complete the purchase. Only after I almost walked out did they
relent on the demand.

The excuse offered: in case I lost the receipt, they could look up the transaction if I wanted to
return my purchase.

So what are they going to do with only your name? Without an address it isn't good for much, other
than as a way to control returns.

Don <donwiss at panix.com>.

"Dan O'Brasky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

It's your name dweeb. They do so at a lot of stores including CompUSA so that they do indeed have
a way to reference your purchase and it's date

and

Quoted message said:

price if you need to return it or it is defective and needs to be exchange so that you aren't SOL
and they don't have a ticked off customer who they have no proof of purchasing through them.

That's what receipts are for. If Joe Customer is too incompetant to safely save his receipts, he
deserves no support from the retailer.

Quoted message said:

What is the worst thing they could do with your information anyway? Send you a catalog or sales
announcement? Geez, stop being so paranoid and by the way, try being polite to salespeople in
stores instead of an arrogant, self-righteous weenie. The guy making $8 an hour is told to ask for

certain

Quoted message said:

information. Want to buy an extra phone at your local cellular phone

shop,

Quoted message said:

well you'll have to give your name. Oh and by the way, if a retailer can track it's customer's
purchases, they can develop purchase pattern information which can help them to stock product that
you want or would be inclined to purchase versus something the buyer "thinks" people like

because

Quoted message said:

that person does and they can go back to their data and say, well you know we sold 5 times as many
Continental tires in red as we did in the generic tan and black, let's make sure we order
appropriately so that we don't disappoint you Mr. Customer when you come in to buy another couple
sets of red and gee, we ran out 2 weeks ago and we won't be able to get any for another 2
weeks...they lose a sale, you leave frustrated, have to go elsewhere, you've wasted time and
accomplished nothing and spend half the rest of the day finding someone else locally who has the
tires in the

color

Quoted message said:

you want for your ride tomorrow. Isn't that a better way to run a company than your way? I'm sure
you aren't in sales and you are not in a decision-making role whatever you do. And one last thing,
if you were the norm, they wouldn't ask the question. Maybe you would be more relaxed if you left
down your guard, relaxed a bit and got off your high horse. I'm sure you pay taxes dude, so uncle
Sam already knows who you are and where you live. I'm sure your sense of importance is
self-importance and I'm

sure

Quoted message said:

you are nothing more than a cog in someone else's wheel at best. And by

the

Quoted message said:

way, try shopping for stuff at a locally owned pro shop and support your local merchants for a
change. I'm sure you don't mind telling them your name, particularly when you drop your bike for
some servicing! Or your local cleaner or where you make an appointment to get your hair cut or

lawn

Quoted message said:

mowed or car serviced. Such inanity! Dan

As far as tracking their sales, they don't need my name to track the quantities of each product sold
in a given period; they can do that by scanning the barcode on the product and updating their
database accordingly.

Cellular phone service represents an on-going business relationship; of course the vendor has
both a need and a right to know who I am. Buying a bicycle pump, for cash, is a one-time
encounter and the vendor has no need, and therefore no right, to know anything about me. You're
comparing Apples and PCs.

Personally, I don't really care who tracks what information about me (I don't know about the OP). I
do get annoyed with companies who want my name and address and phone number when I'm making a small
cash purchase. They are making a big production, and wasting time, over a trivial sale. Information
that they don't need they don't get.

Actually, given the rising number of identity thefts each year, we probably ought not be cavalier
with our personal information.

"Ray Heindl" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Sam Yorko said:

Went in to my local Performance to buy a Topeak Mountain Morph pump (they're on sale). At the
cash register, they demanded my name to complete the purchase. Only after I almost walked out
did they relent on the demand.

The excuse offered: in case I lost the receipt, they could look up the transaction if I wanted
to return my purchase.

They apparently think it's better to insult their customers by assuming they're idiots than to
admit they want to collect info for their marketing database.

Quoted message said:

Well, OK, that's the story being offered to the customers. And, even believing for the moment
that that >is< the only reason for getting the customer name, that doesn't preclude some
marketing dweeb within Performance in the future deciding that there is all this nice customer
data just sitting around, and it's time to mine it for marketing purposes.

No thanks.

Radio Shack used to ask for a phone number, even for the most trivial purchases. But they were
always nice about my refusal to give them any info. Once enough people refuse at Performance
they'll probably quit being obnoxious about it. If not, you can always vote with your feet. Or
make up a name and address and let them waste the cost of mailing their innumerable catalogs.

Heh. Yeah, I like that idea. We should all use the same name, just to cause a huge, inexplicable
spike in the data.

-Barry

Barry,
Could I be a Barry too, but with an "e"? Maybe?;-)

K.

Dan Daniel said:

Sam Yorko said:

Went in to my local Performance to buy a Topeak Mountain Morph pump (they're on sale). At the
cash register, they demanded my name to complete the purchase. Only after I almost walked out did
they relent on the demand.

The excuse offered: in case I lost the receipt, they could look up the transaction if I wanted to
return my purchase.

Well, OK, that's the story being offered to the customers. And, even believing for the moment
that that >is< the only reason for getting the customer name, that doesn't preclude some
marketing dweeb within Performance in the future deciding that there is all this nice customer
data just sitting around, and it's time to mine it for marketing purposes.

No thanks.

Sam

If you don't want to give a name and the person behind the register is being told by management
that s/he must get names, give a fake name and address.

If it is for warranty purposes only, all that counts is you remembering what name you used at
that store.

You don't mind lying about who you are just to get a cashier out of your face? Sorry. I won't do it.
Radio Shack used to be prretty insistent about name, etc. blablah,. The proper thing (IMHO) is to
decline to give up the information and keep your receipt. Why do they need to know? Bernie

"B. Sanders" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Heh. Yeah, I like that idea. We should all use the same name, just to

cause a huge, inexplicable spike in the data.

"Fabrizio."

Bill "personally don't mind getting catalogs and sale flyers" S.

Quoted message said:

Went in to my local Performance to buy a Topeak Mountain Morph pump (they're on sale). At the cash
register, they demanded my name to complete the purchase. Only after I almost walked out did they
relent on the demand.

The excuse offered: in case I lost the receipt, they could look up the transaction if I wanted to
return my purchase.

Well, OK, that's the story being offered to the customers. And, even believing for the moment that
that >is< the only reason for getting the customer name, that doesn't preclude some marketing
dweeb within Performance in the future deciding that there is all this nice customer data just
sitting around, and it's time to mine it for marketing purposes.

Sam: You probably wouldn't like our store either. For anything but the simplest items, we like to
get a name into our computer... for the very same dumb reason Performance claimed. You have
absolutely no idea how many times people have purchased something that's gone bad and no longer have
a receipt. With their name in the computer, no problem, we've got the info. Another useful purpose
is to look up something they purchased previously, for example, the size of a particular clothing
item, so they know what to get again.

If all you're giving either Performance or us is a name, you really don't have much to worry about
from a privacy standpoint. There's *nothing* they can do with it, unless they want to
cross-reference it to a data bank that has names and addresses, but since there are many, many
people with the same name, the likelihood of useful data as a sales tool is very poor.

One more, entirely self-serving reason for a business to have customer names attached to purchases.
We live in the real world, and in that real world, people shoplift items... sometimes, they're so
brazen that they just go into the store, pick something up and bring it to the counter, saying they
want to return it but don't have a receipt (we've observed this happening, believe it or not). Stops
them dead in their tracks when you explain that your system keeps track of names & purchases.

By the way, we do get some customers who are very sensitive to our asking for their name. Not many,
just some. We have no problem with those customers assuming an alternate identity, if they so desire
(but would encourage them to keep the same alternate identity to make it easier for them to remember
in case they *do* have a problem and no longer have a receipt!).

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles chainreactionbicycles.comchainreactionbicycles.comOpen ↗

"Dan O'Brasky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

It's your name dweeb. They do so at a lot of stores including CompUSA so that they do indeed have
a way to reference your purchase and it's date and price if you need to return it or it is
defective and needs to be exchange so that you aren't SOL and they don't have a ticked off
customer who they have no proof of purchasing through them.

What is the worst thing they could do with your information anyway? Send you a catalog or sales
announcement? Geez, stop being so paranoid and by the way, try being polite to salespeople in
stores instead of an arrogant, self-righteous weenie. <snip>

That's pretty good coming from a guy who wrote that he would tear down a commercial ad from a
bulletin board in a grocery store because it wasn't "selling as a service or from a new home based
office." Who the hell are you to decide what can go on someone else's bulletin board? That's the
behaviour of an arrogant, self righteous weenie. PKB.

Quoted message said:

"Sam Yorko" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Went in to my local Performance to buy a Topeak Mountain Morph pump (they're on sale). At the
cash register, they demanded my name to complete the purchase. Only after I almost walked out
did they relent on the demand.

The excuse offered: in case I lost the receipt, they could look up the transaction if I wanted
to return my purchase.

Well, OK, that's the story being offered to the customers. And, even believing for the moment
that that >is< the only reason for getting the customer name, that doesn't preclude some
marketing dweeb within Performance in the future deciding that there is all this nice customer
data just sitting around, and it's time to mine it for marketing purposes.

No thanks.

Sam

Quoted message said:

Yeah, unless they ask for a driver's license to make sure you're the right person!

I don't have a license, that's why I'm here, I ride a bike...

"Pat" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

x-no-archive:yes

Quoted message said:

If you don't want to give a name and the person behind the register is being told by management
that s/he must get names, give a fake name and address.

If it is for warranty purposes only, all that counts is you remembering what name you used at
that store.

Yeah, unless they ask for a driver's license to make sure you're the right person!

Pat in TX

In article said:

What is the worst thing they could do with your information anyway? Send you a catalog or sales
announcement?

Sell it a thousand times for a penny and god help you if you gave them a phone number.

"Bernie" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

You don't mind lying about who you are just to get a cashier out of your face? Sorry. I won't do
it. Radio Shack used to be prretty insistent about name, etc. blablah,. The proper thing (IMHO) is
to decline to give

up

Quoted message said:

the information and keep your receipt.

In most cases, clerks are told to ask and then record the answer given. They are not told to
ask for ID.

At places where I find this obnoxious, I used to give my name as Bill Clinton 1600 Pennsylvania
Avenue Washington, DC 90210

and my phone # as 202-555-1212.

They laugh, I wink, and we both accomplish our objectives.

This still works. When an observant sales clerk asked me if that really is my current address, I
responded, "It's the old one, but they'll forward the mail. I don't want Hillary to know where I'm
living now." It's a lame joke, but the standards for humor aren't high in the checkout lane.

So, my advice is to have fun with it. It's generally better to laugh than to get mad.

example.com said:

Quoted message said:

Yeah, unless they ask for a driver's license to make sure you're the right person!

I don't have a license, that's why I'm here, I ride a bike...

NY State issues an non-driver ID card that looks almost exactly like a driver's license. You also
get them at the Motor Vehicles Dept. More info here:
nydmv.state.ny.uslicense.htmOpen ↗. Then follow link to "brochure" for picture.

Don <donwiss at panix.com>.

Sorni said:

"B. Sanders" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Heh. Yeah, I like that idea. We should all use the same name, just to

cause a huge, inexplicable spike in the data.

"Fabrizio."

We should all buy ugly cycling clothing on closeout sale using the name Fabrizio Mazzoleni. 😉

Tom Sherman - Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)

Mike Jacoubowsky said:

Quoted message said:

Went in to my local Performance to buy a Topeak Mountain Morph pump (they're on sale). At the
cash register, they demanded my name to complete the purchase. Only after I almost walked out
did they relent on the demand.

The excuse offered: in case I lost the receipt, they could look up the transaction if I wanted
to return my purchase.

Well, OK, that's the story being offered to the customers. And, even believing for the moment
that that >is< the only reason for getting the customer name, that doesn't preclude some
marketing dweeb within Performance in the future deciding that there is all this nice customer
data just sitting around, and it's time to mine it for marketing purposes.

Sam: You probably wouldn't like our store either. For anything but the simplest items, we like to
get a name into our computer... for the very same dumb reason Performance claimed. You have
absolutely no idea how many times people have purchased something that's gone bad and no longer
have a receipt. With their name in the computer, no problem, we've got the info. Another useful
purpose is to look up something they purchased previously, for example, the size of a particular
clothing item, so they know what to get again.

If all you're giving either Performance or us is a name, you really don't have much to worry about
from a privacy standpoint. There's *nothing* they can do with it, unless they want to
cross-reference it to a data bank that has names and addresses, but since there are many, many
people with the same name, the likelihood of useful data as a sales tool is very poor.

One more, entirely self-serving reason for a business to have customer names attached to
purchases. We live in the real world, and in that real world, people shoplift items... sometimes,
they're so brazen that they just go into the store, pick something up and bring it to the counter,
saying they want to return it but don't have a receipt (we've observed this happening, believe it
or not). Stops them dead in their tracks when you explain that your system keeps track of names &
purchases.

By the way, we do get some customers who are very sensitive to our asking for their name. Not
many, just some. We have no problem with those customers assuming an alternate identity, if they
so desire (but would encourage them to keep the same alternate identity to make it easier for them
to remember in case they *do* have a problem and no longer have a receipt!).

Oh, dear, and I was thinking of coming in to Chain Reaction and trying out the new and 2003 Trek
bicycles to replace my old Trek 930. Seriously.

And, if you were to pop in my (real) name into Google, my personal web page is the first one to pop
up. And it hasn't been updated in over five years. So, I would question your assertion that my name
is anonymous enough.

And, I have >all< my receipts for >everything< for the past 14 years. Yep, it's anal.

And, I'm the security expert for the company division I work for; most of the other Google hits on
my name will be on papers I have submitted to the standards committees I work with to develop new
security standards. I >know< what can happen with insecurities and information theft.

Sam

Quoted message said:

NY State issues an non-driver ID card that looks almost exactly like a driver's license. You also
get them at the Motor Vehicles Dept. More info here:
nydmv.state.ny.uslicense.htmOpen ↗.

I'm not REQUIRED to get a non-driver ID either (and I live in NY State)...

"Don Wiss" <donwiss@no_spam.com> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

example.com said:

Quoted message said:

Yeah, unless they ask for a driver's license to make sure you're the

right

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

person!

I don't have a license, that's why I'm here, I ride a bike...

NY State issues an non-driver ID card that looks almost exactly like a driver's license. You also
get them at the Motor Vehicles Dept. More info here:
nydmv.state.ny.uslicense.htmOpen ↗. Then follow link to "brochure" for picture.

Don <donwiss at panix.com>.