BTW, the zip of Intercourse, PA, is 17534
My last job was with RadioShack as a store manager. I always hated that name and address crap. They actually kept track of your N&A percentage and would give you grief if it got too low. It made a certain amount of sense in cases of large purchases and was required for check purchases and returns, the latter being a security precaution to cut back on fake return cash thefts. But for people coming in to buy a fuse or a pack of resistors it was ridiculous. We got to watch a satellite broadcast the day the company president, Len Roberts, announced the new policy change, and we were all pretty happy the rest of the day, I tell you. In any case, don’t be suspicious, be relieved. It is real. It’s over.
I recently encountered this bullshit at the local CompUSA. The guy who rang me up was the manager of some sort–he was a “big cheese”, at least in his own mind. Not a bad guy, just an old fuddy-duddy type.
When he asked for my zip code, I asked, “Why do you need it?”, kind of getting annoyed. (I’d already been annoyed already by encountering a store full of employees who did everything to avoid customers.) He said, “We have to have it, I can’t ring you up without a zip code.” I then said, “91214” (Glendale California, my hometown.) He typed in a number and said, “I just put in the zip code of the store, because I know you were making that up.” I got pissed and said, “NO, that is my hometown, Glendale California.” I rambled on a bit about my hometown, just for effect. (And because I was annoyed already, having been unimpressed with the lax service at the store.)
No, I no longer live in Glendale, but he didn’t know that. It was irksome that he bothered me for a zip code and when I gave him one, he disregarded it.
(Now I’m on to them, so I give them the 91214 up front.)
I had a similar problem during my most recent stint in retail, during the christmas rush. When the register would require entering the customer’s date of birth before selling certain items. (Violent video games, rap music, Nyquil, stuff like that) When I was pretty sure the customer was old enough (Well-most of the time. It WAS pretty busy), and it wasn’t something that could kill someone (Like medication, etc. I never waivered on that part.), I’d usually just enter 12/07/1941, 08/06/1945, or even an occasional 10/04/1957 or 11/23/1963.
You have to find ways of being creative behind a register, if just to keep sane.
I think that just for the hell of it, you should also put in a Florida ZIP code, for instance Fort Pierce; 34947, and 34946.
Heh. When I worked at OrificeMax and managed (… er, supervised, since I wasn’t officially a “manager”) their Business Center (same gig as yours in Maples), they tried getting phone numbers and mailing addresses from every copy customer no matter the job.
All of it was part of their Business Center overhaul (now called PoppyMax–except, you know, not spelled that way). Of course, like any good employee who resents that his favorite and least favorite customers alike would start getting junk mail, I refused to play along. I told the employees under me that, unofficially, it was up to them to ask the customers for the info, but I sure wasn’t pushing it.
With a few exceptions, asking people for personal information so as to complete a sale is rude, intrusive and a horrible marketing ploy. It’s almost as bad (IMHO) as Best Buy asking to see your receipt as you walk out their door. But that’s another bitch in another thread.
hmmmm…
Pearl Harbor
Hiroshima
???
and JFK
someone help me out here, what the hell happened in 1957?
Sputnik was launched on October 4th, 1957.
I don’t have any problem with providing my zip code to a store – it’s anonymous enough that it doesn’t violate my personal space. What bothers me is that I don’t see how you can get any useful data from it. I live just a mile from a Hechts department store, but I travel 10 miles to shop at a different one. I do this because my local store is dark, dirty, and poorly staffed. So in this case, the fact that I am avoiding the nearby store means something is wrong. There is also a Borders about 5 miles from me, but I always shop at a further away one. In this case it’s because I happen to be near the second one on a regular basis, so it’s actualy more convenient. It says nothing about the nearby store. How can the companies tell the difference, though?
Best one I ever used was when buying batteries in a Radio Shack near Boston, MA:
Cashier: “What is your zip code, sir?”
Scruff: “No thank you”
Cashier: “We have to have it, the computer says so…”
Scruff: “LE9 9EB” 
The Zip code for Longview? That’s just silly, they’ve already got a “Maples”. You should use the Zip Code for Winnsboro, TX (pop. 2900 & change) 75494, they don’t have a Staples. Duh.
If you are really serious, I work right across the street from Staples World-Wide headquarters here is Massachusetts. My wife’s Godfather is the former President and CEO and I have tons of other friends there. I can just ask them what is going on and pass on your plight. I’m sure they will get right on fixing it.
I just moved, so I tell them that I can’t remember it yet. I guess they put in the store code or something at that point. And since most of my shopping is close by, they’re probably right. And yes, I DO know the zip code.
What REALLY bugs me is when Borders asks me if I want to be on their spam email list. NO, NO, AND NO! I now just tell them, “Before you ask, NO, I won’t give you my email address.” A couple of them have apologized, telling me that their job is on the line if they don’t ask. And once they knew me, they quit asking. But since I just moved…sigh…I’ll have to retrain a whole storefull of employees!
Damn.
I just wanted to say you’re my hero. I wish all cashiers would stand up to those corporate stuffed-shirts, (or at least passive-aggressively resist them). Those losers who have nothing better to do all day than sit in their office and dream up ways to annoy customers really chap my hide.:mad:
Actually, they don’t. The nearest one is an hour away in Mt. Pleasant. There used to be one in Marshall, but it’s closed now. (However, if they notice my ZIP code playing, and decide to open one in Longview, I’ll be pleased as punch, because it’ll mean a shorter drive to work for me after I move.)
I don’t mind the zip code. I figured they use it to see if people are travelling from far away so they know where to open future stores. Thus, if they decide to open a store closer to me it’s all good, makes my shopping easier.
My phone number is a private thing though, and I always say “no thanks” even though they didn’t offer me anything. “No, you can’t have it” is kind of rude, I know the cashier is just doing her job and I don’t like being rude to them. I’ve watched, and usually they just enter all 9s instead, although some places hit a button to skip it altogether.
Anyway, your gesture is appreciated by us shoppers.
Here’s syncronicity for you: I just went to Big 5 Sporting Goods (oh, sorry, I mean Mig Mive Morting Moods) on my lunch break, and they asked for my zip code. I thought about saying: “12345”, but I chickened out and just gave them my real one.
Wait, You mean to tell me that there’s not a Staples in Longview or Tyler, but there’s one in Mt. Pleasent (which has about half the population of either)? That ain’t right.
Well sheee-it! Who’s gonna watch the cows whilst I’m drivin’ the pickup all the way to Mt. Pleasent?
In one of my retail jobs we were required to ask for zip codes. There were a few reasons why we did this:
-
We were the first store to open in the market. Corporate wanted to know how far customers were travelling to visit our store so they (corporate) would know where to open future stores.
-
Once the store was established we used zip codes to establish a larger customer base. If we had no customers from a certain zip code the advertising dept. would target that zip code in the hopes of getting more people into our store.
-
It gave us an idea of who was buying what. If the people in zip code 12345 were buying more expensive items than the people in zip code 54321 we could customize our advertising for those areas. At the same time it gave our buyers an idea of the products that people in our area were interested in, which allowed the buyers to customize the products we carried in our store.
It was still a pain in the ass to ask for zip codes, and many of our cashiers did not ask for them. That is, until the company V.P. called and wanted to know why we had so many customers from Arizona (we were in Illinois).