Exactly, them cows ain’t gonna watch theyselves. 
smirk I tell the customers I HAVE to ask your ZIP code, and leave it at that. Most of them give it, and the others I can just leave blank and skip through.
Whiterabbit? If you have to ask to be on it, it’s by definition, not spam.
**[QUOYE]
NO, NO, AND NO! I now just tell them, “Before you ask, NO, I won’t give you my email address.” **
[/QUOTE]
I’m sure what you meant to say was “I don’t WANT to give you my E-mail.” Since that’s what they were asking. Do you want to. And some people do want to. They get sent dicount coupons and information about upcoming releases of people like Tom Clancy. Which is useful information to some people. Who am I to judge?
Everybody else is faced with the daunting task of forming the word “Nope” before he can proceed with his purchace.
**
I’m sure that condescending attitude will make you popular at your new Borders- as I’m sure it’s made you wherever you go :rolleyes: .
That’s fine betenoir as long as the cashiers accept the answer “no.”
[Hijack]
I’ve gone to a Borders where they were trying to hawk that frequent readers card thingie. Now, I’m a B&N girl, I just happened to be near a Borders when I went in there and saw a book I liked.
I politely declined, but this cashier wasn’t havin’ it. She went on and on the entire time I was writing the check, “are you sure? It’s really a good deal! We’re so much better than B&N! It’s really no trouble!” She went on and on until I grabbed my bag and ran out of the store, never to enter another Borders again. What the hell is up with that? I understand she probably had a quota or something but come on that’s bordering on harrassment.
Same thing happened to me when I was waiting in line at the movies. Some girl was trying to hawk a frequent movie watching card or something and after I politely declined, she stood in line with me and the b/f, and proceeded to try and make a “sale” (quotations because it was free, as would all of the junk mail I’d be getting if I signed up, I’m not stupid…) I had to give her a nasty look and say “I said NO!!” before she would go away and stand with her friends to give me dirty looks. How are people getting away with being able to harrass you when you’re trying to give their company money???
[/Hijack over]
I once got told ‘the computer needs that information before I can proceed.’
My response? ‘Then it looks like your computer just cost you a sale.’
I fully expect the next civil war will be caused by advertising.
[Slightly Continued Hijack]
Yeah, I like the costs of those cards, too. Twenty-five smackeroos just so you can save 10% on each purchase. Sure, I buy a lot of books, but don’t tell me how much of a deal I’m getting when it costs me over $250 just to get the money back–from what I spent on the card–and start saving.
That’s not much of a deal. YMMV.
[/Slight Continued Hijack]
That’s like at Victoria’s Secret. Every time I went in there, they would try to force their credit card on you. If you say no, they go on and on about it. I understand sales people having quotas and what not. But don’t be rude. I don’t buy anything there because of it.
I understand that companies like to do reserch and stuff. But they should be understanding that not all customers want to give out personal information. Instead of setting the computer up so you can’t compleat the sale, it should be optional. I don’t understand why they do things that way unless it’s on a return for an expensive item like Q.E.D. said
Coming from someone you has actually used this info for my job…
There’s not a huge amount you can do with a zip code but it works great for finding where to advertise. If a store draws many from a community not obvious then it helps to know to advertise there.
It is also useful to see where you are not drawing from and where would be a good place to expand.
Thirdly, by monitering over time, you can see if you lose many from a certain area meaning competition and/or change of environment has occured.
A business that doesn’t do research is running blind. They can only react and then its usually too late. Do research to be proactive, not reactive.
They did the ZIP code thing just a few months ago (and also found out whether it was Personal or Business use). I don’t know why they’re doing it again. They didnt’ even ANNOUNCE it. We didn’t know they were going to do it until we walked into the store on Monday and powered up the registers and were faced with a ZIP Code prompt on the screen.
I played along the first time, but I’m drawing the line now. People were getting really annoyed with it last time we did it, and I don’t see any reason to annoy them again. I’ve abandoned the 75605, though, and reverted to entering the store’s ZIP code for all transactions.
[mild sort-of hijack but not really]
My favorite Radio Smack address was 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. In all my years of using it, I got constant questions about what I was doing so far from DC, but only one person realized what the address was. She thought it was hysterical and kept it.
[/mild sort-of hijack but not really]
Hmm - we got on this subject on another message board & I mentioned if the cashier’s being a jerk about requiring a zip - I use 02134 ( send it to ZOOM!)
Any Alaskans or Hawaiians with easy-to-remember ZIP’s we can start using instead?
Oh, I areee entirely. Like I said earlier, anything beyond just asking is obnioxious. And putting cashiers in the postion of being either annoying or dishonest is obnoxious. And cashiers who go along with it and are annoying are obnoxious (or perhaps, just woefully lacking in imagination :)) So I applaud racinchikki’s creative corporate sabotage.
**
S’funny. I’ve had the same experince in reverse (and from the other side of the counter).
I used to work at BN, now I work at Borders. The branch I work at doesn’t even DO discount cards (praise jesus). When I worked at BN everybody was supposed to mention Readers Advantage cards every time you talked to a customer. At Book Information, at the cafe, I guess you were suppoesed to work it into directions to the bathroom. Fortuantly most of the employees were so demoralized they rarely did anythnig management asked them to.
At the register people usually confinded themselves to “Do you have a discount card to use?” “No” “'Kay”
or maybe
“Do you have a discount card?” “No, what is that?” 'Well here’s what it is…"
Except for this one woman who though it was her mission in life to sell RA cards. I would watch helplessly as she would sink her theeth into her next victem and hang on like a bulldog. I would occasionally talk up the card if someone were spending $200 at a time. If you spend a lot on books it can be a good thing. But she would try to convince somebody spending $20 that the two buck they would save could justify the $23 they would never recoup (once they told her they just don’t spend that much there.)
I have no idea why she did this. It’s not like we got commisions. When she won highest sales for, like, the 6th month in a row (regretably they don’t keep records of the customers like you that she drove away entierly) they gave her…a coupon for free coffee.
So, hey, don’t NECESSARILY blame Borders…
i, too am on the “other side” of the counter. zip codes let you know your shopping base. we also have LOTS of customers from out of town both buying and returning. the zip also helps return the correct tax amount. it also sends a red flag in the case of a stolen credit card and with the zip and a quick look at the drivers licence, we can look an in house credit card without it being in the customers hands.
if it is a big deal to them, i just put in the stores. the customers preference is always first.