Ikonboard » Printable Version of Topic » "Could i have your name, please?"

Forum: Rants
Topic: "Could i have your name, please?"
started by: hyperponic

Posted by hyperponic on Sep. 20 2000,04:15

Is anyone else annoyed when you go to buy something at your local radio shack, best buy, etc and they ask you for info (name, addy, zip code, etc)? Has this ever even happened to you?? I realize this isn't _that_ much of an inconvenience (except if/when the clerk is an ass about it), but its been really bothering me lately. Probably because I've gone to radio shack so much lately to pick up random adapters for my equipment, and keep getting hassled by these people. I'm also curious about what they're doin' w/all this info...after all, radio shack seems kinda desperate for money lately, with all the beepers/cells/comps they are pimpin' out now...

Best buy isn't so bad. They haven't lately, but they used to ask for a zip code each time i bought shit there, so i'd just say 90210 and it was all good

Posted by whiskey@throttle on Sep. 20 2000,04:21

Marketing, marketing, marketing. Everyone's got a have your address so they can send you loads of crap in the mail about special offers and once-in-a-lifetime deals. Sometimes I just give them a bunk address.

I also hate when websites and software distributors do that. I hate being asked what my email address is every time I d/l a program I need, or have my IP/info logged for the purposes of spam. I'm sure our addresses just wind up getting sold.

Posted by Sithiee on Sep. 20 2000,08:23

of course they do, havent you ever gotten those spams?... "1000 ADDRESSES - ร.99!!!"
and yeah, i dont really mind those things, cause my parents are in the databases, so i just give them their names...

Posted by kuru on Sep. 20 2000,10:18

i don't mind the ones that just ask for a zip code, because basically what they do is when enough people from one area shop there, they send out their weekly (or monthly) flier advertising all their sales etc to the whole town. that's not so bad, it's one flier a week and hey, sometiems i find out that wal*mart has orange juice on sale.

i rarely give out my home address because i don't my mailbox to have 16 copies of the 'you may have already won a 35 mm camera.... just send us ฤ' in it every damn day. same with email. i usually give a fake address, or if someone i know has really screwed me over, i use their address.

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kuru
'if your children ever found out how lame you are, they'd kill you in your sleep.' -frank zappa

Posted by TonyDennis on Sep. 20 2000,10:20

I love putting 'webmaster@company.com' for my e-mail address.

It's also fun to sign them up for the weekly newsletters :)

-Tony

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< w00t >.

Posted by Greedo on Sep. 20 2000,10:40

ohhh lord, yes... i feel the exact same way.

i go in there to buy a few lousy batteries, and the guy wants my street address, etc.
grr
are you going to DELIVER these batteries? no? then leave me alone..

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"Yes, I am an agent of Satan, but my duties are largely ceremonial."

Posted by Althornin on Sep. 20 2000,11:28

Hey, i know that its irritating but:
I used to work at Radio Shack.
And I HAD to ask people for their addresses. They check and see what your percentage of getting names+addresses is and if its not high enough, you're fired.

So dont blame it on the poor clerks who are just trying to keep their jobs. It aint their fault. Blame Len Roberts- RadioShack CEO.

Also: RadioShack, at least, does NOT sell your name and address. We can and will give you written proof of this- so if we did sell it, you could sue us. WE? WTF i dont work there anymore.

anyways, its just as irritating to the clerk as it is to you. nothing worse than a pissy customer-and asking for their name, address, etc. creates a pissy customer.

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Because email can be altered electronically, the integrity of this communication cannot be guaranteed.

Posted by hyperponic on Sep. 20 2000,15:38

quote:
Originally posted by Althornin:
They check and see what your percentage of getting names+addresses is and if its not high enough, you're fired.

All i can say is "What the fuck?"

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"It's not peer pressure, its just your turn." - Unknown

Posted by Lordbrandon on Sep. 20 2000,15:43

i used to be annoyed by this to until i learned this fraise:

"give me my RCA adapters or I'll punch you in the throat until you die."

works every time.

Posted by kuru on Sep. 20 2000,16:19

you know, i don't give a damn if radio shack doesn't sell my address.. they send me enough god damn junk mail of their own that it makes up for what i'd get if they DID sell the address.

sorry, but invading my privacy isn't something i'm going to tolerate because some radio shack manager is going to get pissed. there are plenty of other stores i can go to where they WON'T interrogate me for buying a Ū phone line splitter. i love the look on their faces when they ask me if they can have my name and address and i just say "no."

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kuru
'if your children ever found out how lame you are, they'd kill you in your sleep.' -frank zappa

Posted by RenegadeSnark on Sep. 20 2000,22:25

Haha.. if its a female working there, kuru, you should say "i don't swing that way" and if it's a guy say "not hot enough!" and stick your hand in his face.

No, that would be mean...

quote:
Originally posted by kuru:
you know, i don't give a damn if radio shack doesn't sell my address.. they send me enough god damn junk mail of their own that it makes up for what i'd get if they DID sell the address.
sorry, but invading my privacy isn't something i'm going to tolerate because some radio shack manager is going to get pissed. there are plenty of other stores i can go to where they WON'T interrogate me for buying a Ū phone line splitter. i love the look on their faces when they ask me if they can have my name and address and i just say "no."

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Webbie/EIC
< http://boomgames.com >

Founder < http://tucb.com/ >

Posted by iso9k on Sep. 21 2000,04:44

I just ask the sales person for his/hers. And tell them that I will sign them up for some "put comapny here" mailer. It really ticks them off that you would have the gual to invade their privacy. The confusion generally makes them angry and they just dont want to deal with it.

Posted by Observer on Sep. 21 2000,05:57

I, too, used to work for RS, and I think the people who pester the customers the most are the new people. Most people who have worked there for a while have learned that some people just don't want other people to know that information, so they let it slide. And I think it also varies with different areas of the country.

My only real complaint against them is that the database is not centralized. So if you visit 3 or 4 Radio Shacks in a given area, you get 3 or 4 mailings each time from them.

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A good programmer is someone who looks both ways on a one-way street

Posted by kuru on Sep. 24 2000,00:25

i do that to telemarketers. i ask 'em for their home phone number and tell them that i'll call them back at a time that is convenient for me, like between 2 and 8 am, or whenever i've decided about whatever it is they're selling.

they hang up.

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kuru
'if your children ever found out how lame you are, they'd kill you in your sleep.' -frank zappa