Who is the “them”? Long story short, I had to deal with three different state agencies to get mine. My state has sort of a vaccine passport, and when it first came out, I couldn’t get mine because my record couldn’t be verified with the dept of health. I had been vaccinated at work (state agency) and at first assumed that rather than putting the zip code where I lived in the record that went to the Dept of Health , they had instead either used the zip code where I was actually vaccinated or the zip code of my agency’s central office, but those didn’t work either. The IT agency couldn’t help me as they couldn’t see the actual record. Finally a few weeks later, I managed to email someone helpful at the Dept of Health who was able to see the records, and told me that the problem was that the records were sent to DOH without my address. S/he entered the correct info into my record and I was able to get the pass the next day. Months later, the agency location where the vaccinations were administered emailed everyone asking for their address so it could be added to the DOH record. Why it took months when I told them about the issue right away, I don’t know ( other than "state agency).
So if the “them” who needs your cellphone number is the DOH try to contact someone there ( if there is specific contact info for an immunization registry, that might be the best place) or see if the provider who vaccinated you can amend the record sent to the state.
I asked my doctor to add my cell phone number to the state registry. He can add my vaccines, so odds are he can modify other stuff. I haven’t heard back. To be honest, my mom has covid and I’ve been more wrapped up in dealing with that than with my own stuff.
This is also illegal in the US, AFAIK. It’s also illegal to provide an opt-out mechanism that doesn’t actually work. But I don’t know what the penalties are.
Another valid question is, when you were filling out the 27 forms involved in the CVS customer agreement, did one of them happen to include this use of your information for promotional purposes? Most likely yes.
When I really need my medicine, I speed through dozens of pages signing everything, because it’s a waste of time to read the fine print and discuss with the cashier (who didn’t create the forms and probably doesn’t understand them either). The company knows this and exploits it.
My kid got me a gift card to a cool coffee place (because all of its four cafés are close to bike paths)…
After you pay, even if it’s cash, you get to “sign in” with a member # or phone #. BUT, even if you don’t “belong” to their little club, you can put in “your” phone number to get your ‘bonus points’ texted to you.
Forgive me, O Coyote God of Mischief, but I can’t resist putting in random numbers (I’m confining myself to downtown Manhattan, figuring those are mostly businesses). You can thank me later, Catherwood, Catherwood & Curlington Legal Boutique, you’ve just gotten two bonus points from the boonies… “Up Nort’ uh You Guys”.
I used to do something similar, but it was when I was filling out fake information online. If I needed to set up a free account for a web site (that I didn’t trust), I gave them my spam email address and the phone number and street address of a McDonald’s in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Why there? It was random, I had no specific reason for it.) It’s possible that location got a little more junk mail than usual because of me.
I used to use my office phone number for everything I signed up for*, and when I retired, they didn’t replace me and the number went to generic voicemail, so I didn’t try to figure out all the web sites and stores and pharmacies that had my number…
Well, just for fun the other day, I called myself at work…
Yikes!
There’s an outgoing message by someone, not in my department. They must have reassigned the number to what sounds like a sour older woman…
… who is probably getting odd calls, like "Just a reminder that you have $999 in Platinum Level Kitty Kash! Once you hit 1000, it rolls back over to zero, so hurry on down to the Kitty Kafé, where your 999 in Kitty Kash will get YOU… ONE FREE SHOT of WHIPPED CREAM on your FELINE FRAPPAAAAAAAY!"
.
*No, I never got these calls, because… I never plugged my phone in! Thirty years without a single call… the people who I wanted to hear from knew to use email, or my family could text.
It’s quite possible that the cash registers are filmed by surveillance cameras, and there is someone that checks them randomly to make sure all alcohol sales are carded.
Maybe she wasn’t sour before she got stuck with your old phone number.
Every once in the while I see the results of such a sting in the local papers. Sometimes the business loses their license. The stories don’t always say what happened to the cashier; but I expect that at the very least they got cashiered.
In my state first offense selling alcohol to someone underage can be up to the loss of your job, several thousand dollars in fines, and up to six months in jail.
First offense.
Unless said minor did something like get into a car accident after you sold them booze - then the selling graduates to a major felony.
Whine all you want, I card a LOT of people because I want to keep my job, my money, and my freedom.
I bought these new Bud Light hard sodas at the grocery store last weekend (they are delicious, and have nothing in common with Bud Light other than the name, I highly recommend them).
Anyway, I’m so used to being carded anywhere I buy alcohol so I was shocked I wasn’t asked. I checked my receipt and it had an “age verification waived” or some such language on it next to the entry for the drinks. I almost felt offended but really, I’ll be 45, my beard is almost all white and my hair is going silver so I am clearly over 21.
Still, I’m so conditioned to being carded that it was a surprise.
I use my old landline number that was closed down over 20 years ago. Once in a while I call it to make sure it hadn’t been reassigned to some poor soul but so far it remains out of service.