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RadioShack Stops Being Nosy
jackbang writes "One small but positive step in the gradual erosion of personal privacy and increase of corporate intrusiveness - RadioShack will no longer ask for your name and address when all you want to do is buy some batteries. Now if only they would agree to remove the motion sensor that rings a bell every time someone walks in or out of the store..." Always freaked me out being asked my address just to buy some solder or something.
....this will piss the Pentagon off. Just when they were all set to track consumer purchases...
This is my post. There are many others like it. If you don't like what you read here, go try one of the others.
You could always just tell them, "No". I always did.
09F911029D74E35BD84156C5635688C0
Jesus loves you, I think you suck
When they asked "Can I have you last name, please?" I just said "No." They'll still sell you your batteries, they'll just look offended while doing it. :)
I've refused to give out my info to numerous retailers.
Now if they'd only start selling cables for a reasonable price. Can anywone explain to me why a six foot audio costs $10 while the twenty foot cable costs $13. who needs 20 feet of cable for headphone extension anyway? oh yeah, Last time I was there, They didn't sell the 3 foot cables anymore either.
Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
Now the poor sap named Dick Hertz who lives at 123 Main St will stop getting thousands of Radio Shack catalogs each week in the mail.
If you wanna get rich, you know that payback is a bitch
So, what does Radio Shack carry these days? Anything worth the bother of going there for a look?
If all this should have a reason, we would be the last to know.
The main reason I hated giving my address was because I was afraid I'd get stuck on a mailing list, although I rarely got anything from radio shack. They probably sold it to telemarketers anyways. If they would have ever asked for my e-mail address then I'd probably have to give them my spam account.
I want to receive the free RadioShack superb catalog with all the tecky thing on it !
Ceci n'est pas une Signature !
I mean, what are they doing with this info, I've heard from higher ups at the local store that the info is purged every month and all the info is used for is marketing on large demographics (still doesn't explain why they need a name, most stores just ask for a zip code)
Ayways, data mining isn't cheap, does Radio Shack have the time, resources, agenda, motives, and money to invest in an ellaborate conspiracy?
If they're trying to track what people are buying for illegal uses, those people are probably smart enough to lie. Even if I'm buying batteries I always gave them fake BS, and I'm usually just buying watch batteries there.
This isn't "good" news it's just news, and hardly. I still have to ask "So What?"
-Doug
Q. What's it take to get a story posted on
For a while, when working with my video capture/playback setup, RS was the only place where I could buy cables and connectors like I needed. This is no longer the case now that Best Buy carries a wider selection of this sort of thing. At the time, however, I would get an ATM withdrawal before going and pay for the cables, adapters, and one time wall-plates with cash.
"What's your phone number?" I would always be asked.
"You need to have that for a cash purchase?" I replied.
"Uhm..."
Since RS employess get a comission. (Do they still?) They were always quick to try to keep me from leaving. Most of the time I could see that they would type their own or dummy information into the computer when I refused to give them mine.
The next Slashdot story will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and slashdot the links early!
Also, I remember when they put up the privacy policy in late 2000. It didn't seem to allay customers fears. Instead, I would tell them to just give me fake information
13 year old white supremacists are shitty web designers.
They traded as Tandy here in the UK then all of a sudden shut down most of their stores. I just wish they'd re-open their branch in my hometown. Now I have to get all my components by mail order which is just dumb when all you want is a 555 and a few resistors.
The reason I had a problem was not because of privacy. The thing about Radio Shack's policy was that they never required it if you were paying cash. If you were using a credit card, they always required it. My problem, thus, was inconvenience. The fact that they have my credit card information means that if they wanted to be unscrupulous with my information, they could call up and find out my address anyway. It's on my credit card billing information.
No, I was instead pissed because all I wanted was a $9 cable for my $ELECTRONICDEVICE and they made me give them my info every time. Even though they already have it, both from my cc number and from the last time I was there!!!
El Karma: excelente(principalmente la suma de moderación hecha a los comentarios de los usuarios)
But I had fun introducing myself as Richard Nixon With a phone number of (123)456-7890.
I had even more fun when they argued with me.
It's too bad that they started being pains in the asses about this. I really wanted to get their catalog, but I'll be damned if I'll give them a name and address.
All Troll + "offtopic" mods are meta moderated as "Unfair", because you abused the system.
I just got tired of giving them all of my friends addresses... Hehe... I guess they got all the junk mail!
-Magiluke
Earl Grey, Hot.
Sex - Find It
I'd like to buy 10000000 batteries please. And no, that isnt a lazer gun in the back of my truck outside. *gets batteries to power the gun that will allow him to take over the world!!!!* And I didnt even have to tell them where I lived. How kind. :)
Jk, this is really a good move. I mean if you're buying an 600$ piece of hardware they might want your name and number, but if you're buying 2 batteries for 2$ there would be little harm in it.
Now if only they would stop asking for the money...
It's gone to a higher juristiction now, Nobody likes duplication of effort.
-- 'The' Lord and Master Bitman On High, Master Of All
When places like Radio Shack ask for my name, I usually make up a really long name, like Aturoasmaronger Jagglemanterhold, especially if I notice ahead of time (usually while waiting in line) that the person is not a touch typist.
Always freaked me out being asked my address just to buy some solder or something.
RadioShack was selling people trained for war?!?!?! Oh wait nevermind, wrong word... =P
...do they still have the FREE BATTERY of the MONTH club? Gez, I used to work in a RS store while in college and this little kid would come in with a battery card, get a D battery, go home, change into his little league outfit, come in and get another D battery, go home put his cubscout outfit on, and come in....and so on. He'd have like 4 FREE BATTERY cards.
Smart kid, but shame those old red RS batteries would last about 1/4 of the time a normal batter would. I used to just laugh and go along with it.
Relive the BBS Past - One Byte at a Time! www.ssabbs.com
They have all our addresses now.
With this news, radioshack has killed my purchasing alter-ego, John Shamus of 200 Arroway Lane. See, I created a whole personality for use in radio shack. Besides a fake name and address, my character John spoke in a funny voice, had an interesting career (limo-bus bathroom attendant), and even had a wife with a kid on the way (which made it easier to justify my purchases of children's toys). He also had about a dozen cuecats.
Screw it, I'm going to keep going in to Radio Shack as John, anyway. It's not like my life was going that great to begin with...
Anonymous Luddite: "What do you think of the dehumanizing effects of the Internet?"
Andy Grove: "Not Much."
RadioShack has gone through different phases which seemed, to me, to be pretty much directly affected by which President was installed at the moment. In the mid-90's, your rate of success in obtaining the name of a customer, IIRC, was supposed to be in the high 90th percentile. Also, I've had managers that were super anal about the whole thing, some who didn't much care.
Personally, I'm glad to see this tossed to the curb, but I'm sure it was prompted by the fiscal realization that it was actually making people not buy things there rather than some sort of new respect for privacy. There is a difference between a good decision being reached by moral analyses and otherwise. Some people just aren't comfortable with saying, "no," so rather than being made to feel uncomfortable, they didn't get it or got it elsewhere.
Or maybe, just maybe, the information obtained by CueCat is giving them far more valuable data?
My
Limekiller
Now John Smith at 123 Main Street, Anytown, CA 95555 won't get the radio shack catalog courtesy of yours truly anymore!
political_news.c: warning: comparison is always true due to limited range of data type
The name/address question was redundant, since they're now doing retina scans as folks enter the store. The bell actually indicates a database match.
Ding!
It's true! RadioShack stops being nosy. At first I didn't believe it, but a devil ice-skated by selling a Linux that was ready for the desktop and said it was true.
A Government Is a Body of People, Usually Notably Ungoverned
Did you ever have a RadioShack saleperson get real pissy with you over not giving them your name? When you tell them no they act like you just bitch slapped them. I don't want your catalog and whatever junk mail from companies your going to sell my name and address to. Go ahead and stand there like your going to cry RadioShack sales geek. You know who you are!
What are the chances I'll ever step foot in a Radio Shack? They could start giving me their home address and phone number, but unless she's cute, I'm still not shopping at Radio Shack.
I made a purchase at Toys R Us one day and gave them my info. I got a call about a week later. They wanted feedback on my shopping experience in exchange for a $5 gift certficate. I spent the time with them, but never got the certificate.
I don't think they were trying to mislead me, but they blew an opportunity there. I'm happy to share my info as long as they reward me for it, but failing to send me the gift certificate changed my mind about that. Now, when I go there, I decline to give them my info when they ask for it and I explain why.
Companies like Radio Shack need to realize that they have to reward their customers if they're made to jump through extra hoops.
Or rather didn't notice it. /me takes a deep soothing breath. Usually I try to get out of it, this time there were no worries. Thanks RS for actually listening to your customers even if it took several years and some bad decisions /*cough ... CueCat ...cough*\
Need a radio? You can get better ones, cheaper, elsewhere. Toys? Ditto. And their parts end of the business is going downhill, fast.
I mean, for chrissakes, I went there looking for a book of radio frequencies (shortwave... found the WRTH at B. Dalton). They don't carry them. RADIO Shack? Puhleeze. I don't know what market they're going for these days, but radios have got very little to do with it.
They probably just built a device that scans your brain and extracts your name and address, while simultaneously implanting the desire to buy little remote controlled cars.
You see? You see? Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!
All of my friends get several copies of every Radio Shack flier, addressed to names like John P. Sartre, J. Wilkes Booth, J Philip Sousa, P Dadi....
I guess that with the new TIA database tracking all of your purchases, it's just redundant data anyway.
I always just told em my name was Elvis Presley and I lived at Graceland in Memphis. Always got plenty of laughs, but they keyed it into their POS terminal anyway.
i guess John Doe at 1234 Maple Road won't be getting any more stuff in the mail.
Yeah, did they really need my name and address when all I wanted to buy was a phone dialer and a television colorburst crystal?
It's very nice to see that RadioShack finally notice that privacy invasion is not a good politic to deal with consumers, as we are not keen on giving away our privacy just to buy a pair of batteries.
Infortunattly this was an isolated attitude, and I think we should not count on the entreprises's goodwill. It urges a federal specific law
I just always told them I wouldn't tell them my personal information and it didn't seem like that big of a deal to them. Or, if you like, you could always have fun making up fake addresses. Even so, my Dad refuses to shop at RatShack because they always ask for your address.
That does not affect me in anyways... Do you really give your *real* name, address, ... in cases like this? No wonder why soo many people get that much spam!
From now on whenever you're at a store that wants personal information just give them the info of either the spam queen or king featured recently here in SlashDot.
Personally, whenever I'm asked to provide an email address I just type in billg@microsoft.com.
--- I wish I could hear the soundtrack to my life. That way I'd know when to duck.
I always used:
"Raymond D. O'Shack", you can call me Ray!!
Ha ha
M
I've never seen such an animal ....
Always freaked me out being asked my address just to buy some solder or something.
It always freaked me out being forced to provide my email address just so I can block Timothy stories and be notfied when someone responds to my comments.
When your information is in their system it only takes a second to check out... However, the problem lies when they start asking if you want to buy a cellphone or perhaps the 47 in. tv behind you because it is on sale for that day only (or the next day when you walk in) and they only have one left. Or when they ask you to sign up for a radioshack credit card so I can recieve huge discounts on future purchases. so next time I walk in to purchase my dollar IC that is on sale because it is going to be no longer sold at radioshack I'd be lucky to save a penny.
There is no
That they ask you your info to aid authorities when tracking down supects. I actually know someone who was question by the police in regards to a bombing in my town because he had bought a number of items at the local Radio Shack that coincided with what the bomber used.
I planned on inserting something witty here but never got around to it.
Back when I was a kid, and Tandy Corp. was Tandy Corp. we used to go into Radio Shack all the time, my dad and I. And the staff there knew each of us by name, and knew how to help us find what we were looking for there.
Sometimes when companies know your personal data it can be to your advantage. Of course now I wouldn't trust them nearly as much.
N4st0r, trixx0r h0bb1tz0rz! Th3y st0l3 0ur pr3c10uzz!
I used to work for a Radio Shack dealer store and the pressure to get the addresses was constant because we got money from Radio Shack for each address we provided. When I was taken to task about my low address count one day, my buddy was offered up as an example: HE got over 90%. So I asked him how he did it. His secret? He used to copy random names down from the phonebook when the store was slow!
Same goes true for Best Buy wanting your ZIP code.
About 25% of the time I'll get a surprised "Really?", half the time they don't care, and the other I'm not even asked because the drone doesn't want to ask.Me: I'm looking for an RF Modulator so I can plug my DVD player into a TV without AV inputs. (Don't get me started...)
Shack Sales Clerk: Uhmm... That's like a VCR, right? We've got all our VCRs on that wall right over there.
Me: Uh, no. It's a signal adapater. (Surely someone who works around electronics every day should understand this, right?) It converts composite audio/video signal output to rf signal for a coaxial cable input.
Clerk: It's an adapter?
Me: (Thinking the light has finally turned on) Yes! It's got a coaxial output on one end and RCA style audio-video inputs on the other.
Clerk: Here ya go! (He hands me a RCA 'Y' splitter.)
Me: *Sigh*...
I did manage to get the guy to give me an RF modulator, but only after I retrieved a Radio Shack ad from behind the counter and pointed at it in the ad.
The next Slashdot story will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and slashdot the links early!
Step 1: More privacy
Step 2: Less freak-outs
Step 3: Profit!!
My father used to always reply to their request for last name by saying CASH.
That motion sensor at the door won't be going away anytime soon. Some time just before the announcement, the all the motion sensors were replaced with an infra-red laser bar coder/reader. Just happens to coincide with the Shacks upcoming "Feel the burn" spring campaign.
If you pick up an over-priced Tandy Infra-Scan, you will find a small barcode somewhere on your midsection. Some of you geeks will need to reach for the ceiling to stretch the fold where it may be hidden. Time to pick up some Old Navy tin foil cargos.
'tis that simple, really. I *never* gave my personal info to a Radio Quack employee. And if they gave me a hard time about it (rare), I'd leave.
You b*****d I found you at long last!!! Love, Dick
Is this such big news? I would always just say no. The practice I would prefer to see them end is the one where 7 high school dropouts run up to me to try and help me find what I need but then have no idea what I'm talking about if I ask for anything other than a battery.
If only the link to this story would also stop asking me for 10 cookies to track me...
They just want your address so that they can serve you better. It's not like they are profiling you so that they can steal your secret projects.
Man, this thread is getting harsh. I mean, nearly ever sane retailer has SOME means to let employees know when someone is the store. yeah, the dinger SUCKS, but I'd rather know when someone is coming in.
The CueCat was a stupid venture, to be sure; but at some point in their lifespan, every retailer does something stupid at some point.
Yes, Radio Shack has morphed from hobbyist products and radio gear to basically a smaller, less well stocked Best Buy. But can you blame them? While many slashdotters may in fact still need diodes, Joe Average doesn't. The death of the electronics hobbyist almost killed the company. They are trying to stay alive in the face of serious competition while retaining what used to make the Shack a place to buy stuff. If you have a better idea, a way to make the company really stand out, get a job there and tell the boss. They might even listen.
And no one is really commenting on the fact that a high-profile retailer like the Shack taking a step like this may, in fact, influence others to drop their mailing. I can't buy anything anymore without a request for zip code, or some other deal.
Also Note: the Shack has one of the most tolerant, liberal intellectual property waivers ever. Unless you invent a new point-of-sale system, and do so on the job (or using work-provided materials), they don't give a crap. I mean, Best Buy would probably try to make you turn over your latest patch to BitchX but the Shack doesn't care.
ZOMG I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS ON MACINTOSH VERSUS WINDOWS, VI VERSUS EMACS, AND HOW YOU'RE NOT A DORK
C. Ash, and the salesperson 'got it' and stopped asking questions...
I tried that once and they asked for my address, so I pointed out how slow they were and that's when they stopped asking questions...
Last time I was at Home Depot ( Canadian one ), they asked "..and can I get your postal code?", to which I replied "No." Without missing a beat the clerk continued about her business of taking my money and sending me on my way, without even questioning my reponse. Guess they don't really need the info after all.
Place witty comment here.
I would just give them some random last name, they would find a match and I would say that was me. Not that I shop there much anymore, their prices are so bad it is a joke. And the brilliant sales staff is always helpful, especially when you are looking at the resistors, etc. I don't think they know what a resistor is, let alone know what it does.
What bothers me more are those supermarket shopper cards, do they really need to know what I buy? And why should that save me money? Good thing I recently moved to 123 Fake St.
sort of ot here, but one of my friends worked at a radio shack that jeffrey dahmer frequented. the police went throguh dahmers receipts and what not and tracked him town to radio shack. seems he bought batteries and was a member of the battery club as well.
members are seeing something, your seeing an ad
People should resist giving vendors ID tracking numbers.
Let the sales person know you will not buy from them if they require a tracking number. A annoying trend is for supermarket to want to sign you up to a "loyalty card". My local albertsons just switched to the use of a card. I complained bitterly, leaveing the goods I was buying on the counter and walked out. I also sent an e-mail complaining to their corporate office at:
absfeedback@eds.com
I recommend you do also.
Also a little google searching found an organization dedicated to fighting the use of shopping cards at:
No Cards [nocards.org]
Surpisingly there are other folks [nocards.org] who do not like the use of cards or tracking devices such as your phone number.
I imagine you have a lot of fake information collected, I never give my correct information when I go to RS.
The CEO looked kinda stunned at first, like he got belted in the head with a brick, then rather annoyed. He didn't say anything about it but I got the impression he was rather surprised to hear that this was common pratice. Or maybe surprised it was being discussed on TV while a bunch of his investors watched.
Judging by the comments here me and the Squawk Box guy weren't the only ones doing it. What's next, Radio Shack management discovers that pushing extended warranties on 50 cent batteries is considered somewhat amusing?
I thought the title read "RS stops being NOISY".
I suddenly imagined a Radio Shack without all the loud toys with blinking lights that you trip over trying to get to the useful stuff on the back wall. THAT would be cool.
Oh well, I guess it's a start. Now let me write checks for over the amount (especially if I already wrote the check for 3 cents over) and don't ask me what I'm building if you can't figure out why I'd need a transformer, capacitors, rectifiers, and a voltage regulator.
There is no reasonable defense against an idiot with an agenda
:wq
I never did, and the clerk never refused to sell me something just because I wouldn't give my name. The refusals, along with fake names, probably consumed a fairly large chunk of their database.
At least thats what the guy at radio shack told me back in the day (when I was ten and would come in to drool over the ... CB radios). I don't remember what it was, but apparently the employees have a quota (that I remember being really high) for each customer that walks through the door.
There goes another source of entertainment. I would give the Radio Shack corporate address every time I shopped there. One time, a manager overheard me and asked what I see when I look out my window. I replied "Some shitty electronics store".
He left me alone.
At least there's still Microcenter. I go by the name of Salman Rushdie there.
Where does the school board find them and why do they keep sending them to ME?
Laugh, it's a joke! :)
TRU always asks, "May I have your telephone number, starting with the area code." An answer of "No." seems to flabbergast them. Why wouldn't I want to give them that. "We only use it for marketing analysis." My reply to that is, I'm already buying your products, you've got my money, you're not getting anything for free from me.
Design for Use, not Construction!
Many times they would say they couldnt sell to you without this information if you tried to use a check or credit card. They tried to pull this on a friend of mine who had his checkbook out. I whipped out the cash to cover it and told them "It's legal tender, you have to take it."
We have the best government that money can buy.
I don't believe all radio shacks do it, but in a number I've been to (Fairfax VA area) the employees (or somthing) is fitted with a microphone and this transmits the conversations into the back stock room.
It always freaked me out to be looking for LEDs and hear a disembodied voices saying:
"can I help you?"
"yes do you sell power adapters?"
"we sell all sorts of power sir."
I always declined to give my personal information. At MicroCenter they already had my information on their screens after they swiped my credit card. If it was a nice chick I used to give her the good address.
I myself have been victimized by this. They keep track of what you have bought and returned. If you returned too many things that costs a bit ( The stuff they make commision on ) they will stop selling you anything and have that manager tell you that you can't buy the item. I have had this happen on more than one occasion.
I can assure you that this is totally commision related. The last time they told me NO they looked up my history and said "You return too much stuff". This is what is so bad about tracking your name is now the salesman can check your name to see if your someone he should waste his time on.
cashier: Name? ...
guy: Cash.
cashier: *First* name?
guy: CASH! I'm paying with cash!
cashier: Ok. I'll need to get your name and address. What's your full name?
guy: GOD DAMN IT You don't need to know my name and address!
It always made me wonder what kind of marketing genius is willing to piss off some of their customers that badly.
In Canada you can always buy solder at Crummy Tire instead.
They send my this beautyfull catalog with a lot of guzzy techky bidules.
Ceci n'est pas une Signature !
I was just in there 2 hours ago and went through the usual name/address procedure. Did somebody forget to read the memo this morning?
I always decline to give any personal info to sales clerks - either that or I just lie. I was at Border recently, and as I was waiting in (an extremely long) line, I noticed that they were asking for customers email addresses. I wish I had the guts to carry out my devious plan that I thought up - "Why, yes I would like to recieve your spam. My email is L-I-C-K-M-Y-B-A-L-L-S-at-I-R-A-P-E-D-Y-O-U-R-M-O-M -dot com. Thanks!"
When they asked me for it (Radio Shack and everyone else) I say "Why?". Then the employee starts stammering. They have no idea why! Then I tell them "I have enough junk mail already, thanks. I know where you are when I need you." Maybe I should ask for THEIR address! And what is with people asking for your phone number now? AS IF!!!!
It just goes to show that if enough comedians complain about something, the world will change
I refused to give my name once, and on the receipt, it said "Thank you Dick Dick, for your purchase" (or something like that).
I noticed before I left, and was sure to thank the Dick helping me.
... but since when are you *required* to give Radio Shack or any other store any personal information for anything other than confirmation of who you are? Everytime they ask for my info, I politely tell them no, and that I'd rather not get their catalog.
Only once have I had someone push the issue (not at Radio Shack). I never give my address, but routinely give the main number for SWBell CallNotes as my phone number (512-302-1111). They can reach me there, providing they know my mailbox number, which happens to coincide with my actual telephone number.
Its like when you shop at Fry's and they want to check your bag when you leave - you're not *required* to give into them, and there's nothing they can do to force you otherwise.
Cruising the internet on my TI-99/4A @ a whopping 300 baud!
goto www.radioshacksucks.com great site, read the forumns and boycott rshaft
That way they got Radio Shit catalogs up the wazoo.
I honestly don't know how Radio Crap is in business to begin with. I cant imagine anyone buying anything expensive from there, like stereo's, computers or TV's; thats what Best Buy, Fry's or in desperation, Wal-mart is for.
Do that many people need solder and LED's to keep them in business?
python -c "x='python -c %sx=%s; print x%%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))%s'; print x%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))"
I remember a few years ago, when Radio Shack was the talk of the takeovers and such. The customer data base was valued as much as the rest of their assets combined.
Unfortunately, given what happened today (Homeland Security Bill), it isn't all that funny.
Last week I went in to radio shack to buy some VGA extention cables, and they asked me the name/address questions, so i gave them the info for my office. I had to go back on Friday to buy some PS/2 extention cables, and I was all set with a nice speech that I was going to give them about how I didn't want to give them that for a stupid cable etc. and then the guy didn't ask me. I was kind of dissapointed, but now I feel much better after reading this article
Maybe I should foist my new address on them anyway...
ALAN M RALSKY
6747 MINNOW POND DR, WEST BLOOMFIELD, MI 48322
amen. Before I quit, I was nearly fired for not keeping my Names and Addresses percentage high enough (because I hated invading people's privacy). Now if they would just insist on being less lenient with returns, I could feel better about buying things from them again.
ijust had a complaint about this last week. I'm sure we all have that ONE Radio Shack that we have been going to for a long time. But has ANYONE been asked thier name and then NOT asked for their address. Its like they don't keep it on record.
Every time i walk in there they ask me for it again....
"Shack. S-h-a-q."
"And your first name?"
"Rat. R-h-a-t-t."
"And your address?"
I then proceeded to give him the address of the store I was in. Only then did he get the joke.
On another occasion when I was asked for my last name I said "Cash" and I looked over at the screen as he entered "Cash" into the last name field and up popped the "Johnny Cash" account.
Error:
Many stores I go to ask for a phone number as an ID.
All I say is "I'd rather not, thanks." It always works.
The only time I have to give them information is when I make a return to a store. Then I have to tell them all about me, where I live, etc, and at some stores I have to let them copy down my driver's license number.
This is all to thwart shoplifting rings, or similar kinds of theft-and-return scams, I suppose. But don't they have my credit card number on file that I bought it with to track that already?
Maybe some entrepeneurs(sp) or small businessmen will pipe in here and let me know if that sort of information (e.g. billing address) is accessible when swiping the Mastercard, VISA, Amex, etc. Billing address is asked for quite often when buying online.
Is there any law (U.S.) that says they can't use any of that information, if accessible, for tracking purposes? Maybe they figure that enough people pay with credit card or check (which also has you address on it) that they don't need to ask because they can get it another way. Just a thought.
Seriously, Don't take anything I say seriously.
Follow this example, one of the winners of the 1991 rec.humor.funny comedy awards
Q&A at Radio Shack
Has it been over a year since you last donated to the Electronic Frontier Foundation
... now people won't get this joke anymore.
Many people might not know this, but Radio Shack employees get fired if they don't keep their Name/Address percentage up. My store required at least 80% of all purchases to have it (when I worked there). Naturally, MUCH less than 80% of all people would willingly give it. Everybody always thought they were so frickin' smart ("Cash; Johnny." "Simpson; Bart"). Radioshack didn't even use it for mailing. ^_^
Anyways, so myself and the other employees started entering these people as a 'Mr. Customer' who lived at (our store's address). After 3 months of this, our boss called a meeting where he printed a 28' long list of everything 'Mr. Customer' had purchased there from the reciept printer.
The moral of the story? I dunno, but I sure like being modded down!
---- I'll take you in a Hunt deathmatch any day.
they asked for my information. It was pretty funny because they have a sheet of paper with bold print stating they no longer ask for information. I was reading it while the guy was asking for my address, etc. Then I read it here when I get back. Maybe it was because I was buying 2 9v power supplies and not batteries...
Well there goes my weekly Jedi mind trick.
Clerk: Phone number please...
Me: You don't need my phone number
Clerk: I don't need your phone number...
Me: You will thank me and wish me a nice day.
Clerk: Thank you, have a nice day!
My local stationary store has started asking for my phone number as well... I tried the above tactic but they just ignored me... must be Toydarian.
- Jimbob
Once upon a time, you could assemble Evil Ted from things that you bought at Radio Shack. But in the last several years, their stock of real electronics stuff has declined steadily. I'm not much of a hardware hacker, but I've started to notice that Radio Shack no longer usually has what I need when the soldering gun comes out. Now they just sell crappy computers, overpriced crappy stereo equipment, etc. They expanded to the point where there weren't enough geeks to support their original business plan, and the response was dropping those customers to the floor. I would've diversified the kinds of stores I had (maybe Radio Shack and RSNERD), but what do I know?
I live in the ZIPcode that's "just a bunch of sixes, ma'am."
timothy
jrnl: http://tinyurl.com/c2l8yr / foes: http://tinyurl.com/ckjno5
.. from all Radio Shacks in North America (long story - but that's what the manager told me with a straight face), I can honestly say this sucks.
The policy of annoying customers, combined with the policy of overcharging for every single useless item in the store, was *THIS* close to driving my most hated of retail franchises into extinction.
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
Now if only they would agree to remove the motion sensor that rings a bell every time someone walks in or out of the store..."
Yeah, cause there's absolutely no reason whatsoever that an employee at a relatively small, yet cluttered, business might need to know when someone enters an exits the store.
Nope, they have absolutely no right to know that you've entered their store, even if they might be the only person on duty at the time, and currently helping a customer in the back look for some obscure AV connector. Since, you know, no possible way a two-man team could distract the employee while simultaneously stealing thousands of dollars worth of merchandise right out the front door.
Jeez people, I like my right to privacy too, but let's not go off the fucking deep end here.
It hurts when I pee.
I worked in a Radio Shack one summer back in college...this was before they had computer registers; we had thick carbon receipt pads we carried in our ass pockets like cops all day. It was SO much fun asking an old lady for her name and address when she was buying a hearing aid battery, let me tell you (yes, about 60% of our customers were old ladies needing batteries or their phone fixed).
Working at the Shack was endless fun and retarded antics:
-Our boss was a complete stoner; he would nip off into the bathroom twice a day for a spliff. In fact, he hired me as a walk-in after a two minute interview.
-One morning, the boss must have partaken of particularly righteous Thai, as he stumbled out the door and never returned. On that day we had a new trainee, who of course had no idea wtf he was doing. After about an hour training the guy (with no customers having come in at all), me and another employee decideded to split for a few hours for lunch or beers or something. We left the store alone with the trainee, the keys, the lock codes.
-Another time, as our Shack shared a wall with a movie theater, we turned the biggest ass speakers towards the wall, and cranked Ozzie or something, while the kiddie matinee was seeing the He-Man movie.
- Anytime an electronic purchase was returned that was damaged it couldn't be resold. This included idiots who clipped wires on stereos, etc. So that summer my car had a killer sound system, courtesy of "broken" returns. And of course I can't count how many blank tapes, cables, etc were "liberated"
Ah, the good old days of petty larceny...
As it has already been said you can just say no anytime your asked for your personal info. But what you may not know ( or may not have thought of) is WHY they ask you in the first place. Ok yeah, tracking statitics and what not, but that's not what I mean. The reason this still goes on in many retail stores is because people don't say no. They figure it's part of the process of purachasing whatever. If people would start refusing to divulge information, companies would be less apt to attempt to get it from you.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. It's just that yours is stupid.
Umm...Donuts.
for the last time people, I am "frodo from middle eaRTH", not "middle eaST".
While I think that the 'Savings cards' represent nothing more than false advertising, you can get the Albertsons card without giving any information whatsoever. All you need to do is check the box on thier form that states, "I do not wish to give out my personal information", or something like that, and that's it. No name, phone number, or address. If I remember right, they also have either opt-in or opt-out checkboxes that are very plainly worded.
I gave out ONLY my phone number, because you get a handy key fob that states, "If keys are found, please return to your nearest Albertsons Store". If they get returned, Albertsons will call you and let you know they have your keys. Without any other information, phone numbers alone are a pretty innacurate way of tracking people.
Unfortunately Albertsons felt they had to offer one of those cards, fortunately, they're not asking anything from you for it. All you accomplished by being rude and not bothering to ask any questions or read the form, was to make some poor schlub put your groceries away, and you got to shop somewhere else.
*r*adio *s*hack always sucked anyway. Will they ever go out of business?! Please help them out and don't buy anything from them. Digikey is the way to go if you want anything and fast service!
To tell you where I'm coming from, I used to work for the company - and am still a stockholder.
The company has NEVER sold it's mailing list to ANYONE. EVER. Damn near every comment on here is bitching about it - but in the initial few days of this going on, from what my friends who are still in the company say, at least half of their customers are choosing to Opt In to the list.
(Obviously, no one who's responded has actually READ the article that was linked to, since everyone's still bitching)
The point of it all was marketing - targeted, invidual marketing. Not broad marketing. Broad marketing would lead to stupid shit like Best Buy and Circuit City. Individual marketing - You advertise things that you sell to people who BUY THINGS THAT YOU SELL. TV, Radio, and Newspaper campaigns are for getting new customers. Mailing lists are for people who already know what you sell.
I figured the line about not selling mailing list information was crap, too,b ut it wasn't - I kept myself in my store's mailing list, with a different name, but my address. I never once received ANYTHING but a RadioShack sales flyer with that name on it.
All the replies on this thread just goes as proof towards the positive, that the vast majority of slashdot posters are totally paranoid.
-End of line-
He asked me for my name, address, zip code.
You need 2 forms of ID, one can be your licence or passport and the other has to be a major credit card or a SS card.
If I had a Credit Card, I would use it. An my name is on my check. Hope they calm that policy down as well. I try to avoid RS as much as possible, other than to go in and annoy the sales people who know very little.
Step 1: Collect names and phone numbers of everyone buying batteries
Step 2: ????
Step 3: Profit!!
If you return enough stuff to make the list they've got every reason not to want your business...
This seems to me a valid and reasonable use of a database. They are, after all, in business to make money, not to provide you with toys that you can play with for a few days and then return.
ps--yea, yea, I can feel the libertarian flame beginning already, but I don't remember coming across any constitutional right to a liberal return policy
I thought Evil Robot Ted came from the future, but the Good Robot Us'es came from Home Depot?
Fascism starts when the efficiency of the government becomes more important than the rights of the people.
It is just as freaky when they ask you for your phone number and won't take no for an answer. I usually give them my area-code, 555-1212. That gives them an answer and gets them off of my back...
I have to use this cause I can't afford a real sig...
I always just gave them a fake name and address. Or that of an enemy. I used to sign my next door neighbor up for the Fox 51 Kid's Club over and over again. Also, you can subscribe people to magazines ( like pr0n ) with no money. All you need to do is fill out the business reply card and no CC# is necessary! Imagine subscribing your badass biker neighbors to Cat-Fancy. Subscribe your boss to Hustler and have it sent to him at the office.
Eat at Joe's.
"Customers tell us the practice of asking them for names and addresses is time consuming and annoying and is not something that endears them to us," Leonard Roberts, chairman and CEO of Fort Worth-based RadioShack, said in a statement.
DUH!
Laws affecting technology will always be bad until enough techies become lawyers.
"would you like a brand new sprint pcs cellphone to go with your, uh, coaxial cable and AA batteries?"
i swear to god...
"Where are we going, and why am I in this handbasket?"
I looked up the address to the local jail, and then I give then teh name William Gates the 3rd. The really do not need that information if all you are doing is buying batteries, sodier, floppy disks, a cable etc.. but remember if you use your ATM/CC/CheckCard/etc then they gotcha.
Scott
Scott
janitor
sdn website family
email: scott at sboss dot net
Do you resemble Ellen Feiss by any chance?
Help fight continental drift.
As a former store manager for the Shack, I can tell you that we never, ever sold that info. It's very valuable, and one of the Shack's primary sources of product awareness. I personally ran a minimum of 95% name and address, and only rarely did I get complaints about it, because I was polite, and not insistent.
I, however, quit at around the time that they started wanting us to ask every customer (not because of it, necessarily, though I was relieved I didn't have to start hearing about it from the DM, who I didn't like anyway):
No, it was the sixty-hour weeks for about $23,000/yr that drove me away from the Shack. (I took a big pay cut going from assistant store manager to store manager -- there were a number of sales reps in my district who were avoiding management because they'd lose too much money.)
"May I have your telephone number, area code first?"
It works best in a flirtatious tone. Regardless of the gender of the cashier.
I am very suprised to see so much radioshack bashing here because this is a very Pro-linux community. Radioshack uses linux and openserver 5.1 in its 5000 company owned stores. It has been running linux servers in over 5000 stores for years. They are very stable, and almost never have problems, They have the kind of reliability that a retail store needs to run every day. Oh, and the names and addresses, the company has filtering software, they never send flyers to those fake addresses, and they actally have fired employees over entering fake information. The reason that the return rate on the flyers from Radioshack IS significantly higher than most retial is because most people (about 85%) surrendered their name and address, and the lists were very accurate. Now that the manditory asking is gone, the names and addresses are not. The company still wants to collect them, but instead of asking every customer for their info, you ask them if they want flyers with sale information. As retail goes, Radioshack isn't that bad. Some of the products aren't that great, but the company's practices are better than most. (assuming you don't run into a sales associate there that has no brain, as there are a few)
It's not the problem is your are asked for your name, address, or zip code. You can always say no and they will sell you anyway. (That's negotiation, right?) The real problems are customers cards. For example I shop in a grocery shop chain Kroger, and I do have Kroger Plus Card. The prices on some products are marked twice w/ and w/o card. So, something is $3 w/o card and only $2.5 w/ the card. They have inflated the prices and now are claiming that you save with the card. Every time I got the receipt I can see how much I saved that day and also year to day. (I've save something above $300 YTD and that is the price for which I sold my privacy to them). Now eveyone else is following. So you have a choice - privacy or not - but the choice may cost.
If enithin kan gow rong it whil. (Murfey)
cashier: Name?
me: none
cashier: that's your name? None?
me: yep
cashier: OOOk what's your last name?
me: none
minutes of fun
last spring , there were 3 other people behind me waiting to pay and the same mgr-bonehead was still playing the game with me, but he knew I didn't want to give my name, or ANY name.
following verbatim (as I remember it)
cashier: You know, we don't make any money off your name. .....Fine...you don't want me to make any money.... (actual words)
me: then why do you bother?
cashier: it makes it alot easier if you want to return this item.
me: I'm not returning it, I'm paying cash and never coming back
cashier (rings up sale),
me: What did you just say?
cashier: nothing
me: You just said I didn't want you to Make Any Money!!!! I'm in your Store, I'm BUYING an item. I'm paying YOU money. Are you telling me that if I DON'T give you MY NAME, YOU don't make any money? It's MY NAME! You don't make money with MY NAME! That's MY JOB, not YOURS!
cashier: next
How hypocritical is it that Slashdot runs stories critical of RadioShack for asking information about their users (easily denied, by saying "No", or providing phony information), but forces its own users to register and provide a working email address, in order to post or moderate ?
The solicitation of email addresses by Slashdot is not excusable by reference to bots harvesting phony logins, or somesuch, because they have ANOTHER mechanism to do this (displaying images and asking users to type the text contained in the image).
This seems a classic case of the self-righteous pot calling the kettle black.
How fast will this get modded down, I wonder ?
Well, one day (this must have been 1989) I went in and bought something minor and the shop assistant asked for my name and address. Well, I knew darned well what they wanted it for, because I was getting three Tandy catalogues all with different variations of my name and address so I told him "no".
He said: "But you have to give me your name and address."
"Why?"
"Because I can't sell you this without it."
"Rubbish. You just want to put me on your mailing list."
Well, the argument proceeded and he wouldn't sell me the stuff and frankly REALLY pissed me off big time.
This was a bad move, because in the UK you're not allowed to collect personal information to store on a computer system without a) making it clear an b) registering that you are going to do so.
I checked Intertan's (Tandy's parent company) registrations details. It turned out that they hadn't registered properly. BIG mistake number 2.
So, I complained to the Data Protection Registrar that I believed that Intertan were breaking the law. They tried to contact Intertan. Intertan refused to talk to them. BIG mistake number 3.
Eventually this escalated and finally Intertan caved in and stopped asking. Well at least for a couple of years. I stopped shopping there in the end. Mind you, so did everyone else and they shut down :)
Never email donotemail@WeAreSpammers.com
They should have done that years ago-- its sad that it took this long for Radio Shack to realize that this practice was a bad idea.
I wonder how much business was lost?
Your experiences may vary, but I've never been to a Radio Shack store that complained when someone told them "No, I don't want to give you my name and address". The salesman politely explains that this is just for their mailing list, and the customer again refuses. At this point, I've never seen a salesman do anything except say "OK".
Again, your experiences may be vastly different from mine, so let's hear 'em. Gimme your best RatShack name/address refusal stories.
"A terrorist is someone who has a bomb but doesn't have an air force." -William Blum
Wallmart always ask me for my phone number and ssn every time I shop there. They almost* always take no for an answer, but one time the lady was amazed. "why not, most people have them printed on their checks?" I guess most people like to have x copies (# of checks out at one time) of thier address, phone number and ssn out in the public.
It amazes me how annoying that store is. I bought something there *once*. It was 1994 and it was my first CD player (I was a bit behind the curve, yes, but I like my records...) After leaving the store, I decided I would never again shop at a place with such high-pressure sales people (it was a cd player, for pete sakes, not a car). And they had that horrible DIVX thing. :)
Whenever Best Buy/Radio Shack/Grocery Store/ etc. ask for a name or address, I give a fake address. I bet if you look at their records, it'd be amazing how much stuff John Doe has bought. If enough people did it, it would screw their demographics and they would a) give it up or b) require id.
Anybody else give false info for this reason?
-John Doe
salesdroid: Your phone number!
me: 912-555-1212
salesdroid: Last name!
me: Jackson
salesdroid: First name!
me: Janet
(long pause)
salesdroid: Well if you didn't want to give it out you should have said so!
me: (thinking of the attitude they usually cop when I tell them no) Here, why don't you just put this back on the shelf for me? (exit stage right)
They probably just stopped the interrogation because it took up time better spent hawking cell 'phones. Fuck 'em.
"In a hierarchy every employee will rise to his level of incompetence". The Peter Principle
--true story. Been shopping at ratshack since..well, since allied electronics I guess. Anyway, I lived for years and years metro atlanta. Sometime shortly after the olympics-and the unfortunate el kaboom occurrence there, I get a personal visit from the fibbers! Now I am a little spooked, this is right after they tried to frame richard jewell. I am an internet freedom issues loudmouth, this is a duh given. This agent comes by when I'm not home but sees my girlfriend and leaves his card for me to call him back up. Of course she's freaked out, who wouldn't be? So, I call him up, shazzam! It's that stoopid radio shack taking your information. Foolish me had previous had given it to them, innocently and before I was as concerned as I am now on this merchant/information issue. Turns out I had-along with thousands of other people-purchased the same/similar battery they allege was used in the olympics blast. LUCKY FOR ME I still had it at home to show him. He came by the next day, I showed hom the batt- a 12 volt drycell I got to use for my tiny 12 volt b/w tv during storms and electrical outtages, so after that was outta the way we spent a little time talking about his job and cases he had worked on etc. I figured what the heck, might as well milk the opportunity a little, was interesting.
Anyway, I went back to the same store I got it from, talked to the manager, told her I was not amused over this incident. I mean, what if I had milked the batt dry and had tossed it?
From then on I always refuse this info when asked at ratshacks or wherever, latest was at some car parts store, I tell them it just slap ain't happening, they can enter any name or whatever to make their cash register work, or "no sale".
This data mining stuff I can see two sides of, but my default is it's too likely to be misused and as such I'm against it now.
It also happened to me once some fool at a job I worked snagged my soc sec # and used it somehow (probably gave or sold it to someone, I never found out exactly) to get some utilites turned on, like a year later I get this bill for gas service at someplace I never lived at. No amount of arguing would make them drop the bill, and the threat was pay it now or lose gas service at the place I lived. What a crock, I HAD to pay it or lose use of my hotwater heater and stove and furnace, not an option at the time.
Can of worms, society needs some sort of ID to go about your day to day business, but too many ways it can be misused or stolen. It's totally fubared now, because no solution addresses privacy concerns. Caych 22 "Danged if ya do danged if ya don't" deal there.
Just say:
Alan M Ralsky
6747 Minnow Pond Dr.
West Bloomfield, MI 48322
- "That's just the kind of fuzzy-headed liberal thinking that leads to being eaten."
>Always freaked me out being asked my address just to buy some solder or something.
I am not paranoid, but I believe it's nothing but a conspiration ruled by the FBI. How it works ? EVERY eletonic equipment you buy, everytime you buy some solder, some wires, any kind of wire, in every store, when you are checking out, they get a machine, usually gun-like, that produces laser beans, and pretend to price scan.
But hey are not. That equipment actually scans your iris, and all your purchase data is beamed to a FBI satellite, and archived in a secret database. You won't remember they scanned your iris, because of its sofisticated Neuralizer (YES, contrary to popular belief, it does exist and can be found here).
Now they associate your recorded purchase with your new purchase. Say you bought some fireworks on July 1st... And some solder and wires now, Dec 25th. You obviously will be suspected of building a bomb, and should be arrested.
They are not asking your address anymore simply because they already have it, on this database, associated with your iris.
I've always told the clerk, "no" when they ask for personal information that I don't want to give. Tell them to put their information in. You're not required.
It's humorous the first time you tell a clerk "no" when they've never heard it before. Sometimes they'll even have a manager come over. Just keep telling them they can't have the info.
If for some reason they insist on asking for the information, provide obviously false data:
Seymor Butts
123 Stickit Ave
Floobybooby, IL 12345
(911) 911-9111
What are they going to do? Say it's not real information? Have them test out the phone number.
- Sighuh?
...it's about expenses and database cleanliness. They finally realized that they were incenting their customers to lie to them, and then they were expending a fair amount of money sending junk mail to nonexistant people. Worse, they didn't even know how many unique customers they had, since people offer the same bogus info twice (some do, and make a point of it, but they're the exception).
Someone finally wised up and realized that they have a hugely polluted customer database and that, for a mail-order house, that's pretty expensive.
How they spin it for public consumption is their business, but I'd definitely take it with a grain of salt. That's my take on it, anyways.
-b
If I wanted a sig I would have filled in that stupid box.
1600 pennsylvia avenue
name:
Andrew Jackson
here's my ID on this $20...
Here's one I like to use; I used to always go to Radio Shack on Halloween with horns and a red leather jacket just so I'd have an excuse:
Lucifuge Rofocale
Damnation Incorporated
1313 Los Diablos Boulevard
Pandaemonium, HELL 00666
Where you would have someone that you could ask "I'm trying to do x with y and z" and they could point you to component Q.
Now it's just:
"Dude...do you want a phone?"
No thanks...I just need a cable from x to y
"you can hook a cable to the phone"
etc...
A new store is opening near me, and I'm praying for it to be good - though the cards are stacked against me.
I took some business law many years ago in high school. It was discussed that a sales recript with both party's names and addresses was a form of contract, whilst a normal receipt is not. I don't remember what all the ins and outs where, but felt it pertinant to this discussion.
It doesn't matter. I made a decision years ago never to visit Radio Shack because of their policy of asking for personal information. My boycott of Radio Shack is for life. To patronize Radio Shack now would be tantamount to "forgiving" them. But forgiveness does nothing to help win the battle for privacy. Companies must be made aware of how high the stakes are. Only a lifetime boycott can convey how serious I am about privacy.
When asked, I declined to provide my personal information. But my boycott is not for myself -- it's for the millions of people who don't have the stubborn resolve that I do, and end up losing their privacy because of it. Radio Shack took advantage of people who were unaware of the importance of safeguarding their privacy -- and that was clearly abusive behaviour.
Radio Shack's change of policy does not change the fact that the abuse took place, and that it lasted for decades. Like most forms of abuse, it cannot be undone. And that's why my boycott cannot be undone.
The place sucks so bad. Do you know why the associates attack you when you just walk in the door? You make $5.15 an hour and your commission is roughly about 5% and on larger items, it's like 3.75% (on computers, etc.) People would give us cell phones to donate to women's shelters, so we tossed them in a box and the manager never did anything with them. He probably sold them old Nokias to the flea market or something. You know what they do with the personal information? The manager would remember a good looking girl's name and get their personal information off of the computer. [It's too easy to do]. He'd call her up, ask her out, etc. She'd remember that they conversed in the store and think little of it, but little does she know the the manager actually got her phone number from the store. HAR HAR HAR#@%@#, WHAT AN IDIOT. P.S. If you buy a cell-phone in Radio Shack, the associate gets $20. No wonder they hawk Sprint PCS phones in my rural, wooded, anti-cellphone area.
customers are required to look up at the camera and simply say cheese. The facial recognition system coupled with the DMVs driver license picture / address database will do all the rest.
RadioShack, willing to go a step beyond to make the customers experience simpler.
come on fhqwhgads
When a retailer ask for personal information, like my area code, or name and address, I tell them that demographic information is valuable and a quid pro quo is offered. In exchange for the information they want about me, I'd like the name and home address or home telephone number of the store manager or a company executive.
I don't need no estinkin'
Jeepmeister
They used to abreviate the first name to just the first letter, so I always gave Fread Ucker. I would always forward the offensice mail to the postal inspectors. RS stopped using the first initial soon there after???
No wonder we get stupid laws like the DMCA and the "confiscate nail clippers on airplanes" one passed. Nobody will stand up for their rights.
Is this really so difficult:
Radio Shack employee: "Could I have your zip code?"
Radio Shack customer: "No."
Trust me, it's not hard. I've done it. I would recommend though that you not try "I can make something up or you can leave it blank - your choice", as the employees tend to get pissy.
High-speed Road Trip (18.000KPH)
... We've got blank stares...
I usually just asked them to put in their own address into the form. I presume that they never did, but I'd still get my point across...
Free Online Dark Fantasy RPG - http://www.blackmud.com
They asked me for my social security number once when I was buying some batteries... with cash! I actually started telling him the number as if on some dumbfounded autopilot, then I became very annoyed.
I might actually shop there again if they stop asking stupid questions... better yet if they actually start selling useful quality stuff I would be impressed
The adress is not available to you but there is something as an AVS check (adress verifiction system, not AGE verification system as it is used by some 'less reputable' sites), where you supply the address info and the processor then gives you a go/no-go on the address. So you can't access it but if it is given to you then you can use it to verify the persons identity.
:)
small entrepeneur ? yeah, I probably qualify
MP3 Search Engine
Thanks - I needed that. :)
"That's Mr. Cash Purchse. No telephone. No permanent address.
"Here's my cash."
They can deal with it. Really.
I love it when people ask me for a name for some stupid purpose such as this.
:-)
I simply tell them that my name is:
"Malcom [pause] Peter [pause] Brian [pause] Adrian, telescope, rock-stoat, frog-gobbler fertang fertang, ole' biscuit-barrel, don't sleep in the subway, incubator-Smith."
By the time they get to "Brian" they start to smell a rat -- and once you've memorized that little Monty-Pythonish bit of babble you can rattle the last bit of impressively quickly -- leaving them with their mouth open and eyes wide
Another of my Monty Pythonish favorites:
As I was walking past St Pauls
A lady grabbed me by the [pause] hand.
She said: Young man, you've got some pluck...
Come with me and have a sandwich.
When Radio Shack was an electronics parts supplier and not a corporate whore? Remember when you could go into the store without immediately being intercepting by someone asking you if you wanted Sprint cell phone service, MSN internet access, Dish Network, etc.? How I miss those days. :)
It wouldn't bother me so much if they just sold those things, but they actively try to force them upon you half the time. It's very annoying.
The other annoying thing is that the employee always seems to think they know more than you. I could go into radio shack and tell them I need a certain resister for a bilinear transdimensional flux capaciter and I SWEAR they would try to convince me that I needed another one instead. As if someone with a degree in bilinear transdimensional physics would be working for minimum wage at Radio Shack! Umm..well you get the point.
I make a point of going into radio shacks, loading up on expensive things, and then, when asked about my name and address, looking VERY peeved and saying, No, and I don't like that kind of treatment and walkign out of teh store without buying anything at all. That really gets thier attention.
"Radio Shack: You've Got Questions, We've Got Blank Stares"
of fake names like this
If they hadnt tried to weasel out personal information out of me, i probably would have happily filled out a subscription card or something. AS it is, i woulnt give them my real name if my life depended on it. Fuck them, i dont like pushy people being nosy about stuff thats none of their busisness.
All Troll + "offtopic" mods are meta moderated as "Unfair", because you abused the system.
RadioShack has stopped printing catalogs. (2001 was the last year). It's all online now.
I've always used
george orwell
1984 europa dr.
oceana,
for radio shite or the grocery 'member' card. And although I've gotten a few "thank you for shopping at , mr orwell," I find it sad I have not seen so much as a guffaw of recognition....
Yup, it is indeed the 'era of lessened expectations.'
Radioshack didn't keep your information in some DOD database in the pentagon to monitor your battery buying habits. They kept the data for 6 months so they could send you an occasional ad in the mail.
Every person on this board that says they used to say they were Bill Clinton, or CEO of Radio Shack is a liar. We are all wimpy geeks who like to pretend we have the balls to stand up to the greasy haired RS asshole.
Whenever I encounter a point of sale asking for my information such as Name/Address/Phone etc, I simply request "Cash Sale Please."
Most businesses understand that you do not wish to relay your personal information, and thus expedite the sale immediately without question, regardless if you are using cash or credit.
I got tons of mail for a bogus name I gave to RS
Radio Shack: You've got questions, we've got blank stares!
--Jim
This usually works on the weak-willed. If they don't have a weak will when they start working at RS, a couple of months on the job will give them one:
Me: I'd like to buy these batteries
Sales: I need your address
Me: You don't need my address (wave hand -- this part is very important)
Sales: I don't need your address
Me: You serve your master well and will be rewarded.
JET Program: see Japan, meet intere
Note that Legal Tender is only required for DEBTS. I can refuse to sell my item to you if you offer cash but after I have sold it to you and you have promised , in writing, I must accept it. It is not a Debt until I have sold it to you and you have the item in your possession.
Slashdot, home of supporters of free software, free music, and free speech.Except for Moderators that disagree with you.
That's funny, I was just in RS last week, and here's how it went:
cashier: will that be all?
me: yup.
cashier: may i have your name and address?
me: no!
manager (not far away): NO?!
me: no!, i hate fliers, and mailing lists...
cashier: OK?!...
me: thanks.
what are they gonna do, refuse a sale?!
If some place I'm paying cash really insists on a name, and they're not Radio Shack, that's usually what they get. Zip code 00000, or 90210. Or 1600 pennsylvania ave, washington dc, 20006.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
Since Radio Shack always used to (I don't know since I haven't been to one in years) send catalogs addressed as (LastName, First Initial) I always used names like Sam Peni (Penny) and Sandy Clitori (long I) and used my friends address.
I have to wonder... it seems poeple often feel a great reluctance to speak up or question when some information is asked of them they would rather not give.
Any time I've walked into Radio Shack, they've asked for my name and address, of course. I say "You don't need to know that", politely, and they say "No problem sir" and then continue to ring the order through.
Even buying a pay-as-you-go Cantel phone from radio shack... not only did radio shack want my name/address, but of course, they want it for the Cantel activation as well. Nevertheless, a polite "Well why do you need that if I have to pay everything up front.". "Well sir, you don't have to give us your name, we can just put it in under John Doe, but that will cause a problem should you forget your PIN or should your phone be stolen and you want it deactivated. In this case, we wouldn't be able to help you."
Thanks, that made perfect sense, I can accept that. Right on sir, here you go, have a nice day.
You see... often that's all it takes, is some polite, non-confrontational intelligent questions.
Supermarker convenience cards? Lie. I'm serious. Just make some crap up and put it on the card. If you want to be really nice at the same time, keep the demographic information the same, but not your name/address/phone number. That way the store gets honest demographics, with no privacy violations. When tehy ask for ID, they usualy want it for cheque caching purposes.. just say you don't want that.
There is a difference between violations of privacy and straightforward information gathering; complaining about privacy is one thing, but taking a proactive stance towards it is another. If a majority of people refused to give information out at retail stores, fairly soon retail stores would stop asking.
They must have mailed a million flyers to Mike Hunt and IP Daily. Poor guys.
GetTheJob.com : Nothing but Real Jobs.
He always got the flyers as Kevin Thunderpus anyway.
:(
Kevin, I hope you do an Internet Search and see this someday... Our fun days are over...
I've been John Smith living on Nosy Boulevard, Sometown, USA (12345) for almost 20 years now!
Clerk: Hi, a couple of batteries huh? Can i have your name and address?
Joe Blow: Uhh, Stevens?
Clerk: Address?
Joe Blow: It's probably already in the computer, try under Dick, my girlfriend's cousin..
Clerk: ahh here it is, that'll be $2.14 please
Joe Blow: Here ya go, thanks
Of Course, Joe's ex-girlfriend, Jane, who just broke up with him 3 hours before because he's been beating her for the past 6 months, is hiding at her cousin's house. Joe is now walking out of the store with her cousin's street address on his receipt so he can go over and "tell her how sorry he is" with a 9mm handgun...
> One small but positive step in the gradual ... RadioShack
> erosion of personal privacy
> will no longer ask for your name and address...
I'd call that a _negative_ step in "the gradual erosion of personal privacy".
> Always freaked me out being asked my address
> just to buy some solder or something.
I've never had any difficulty saying no.
Warning: this article may contain humor, sarcasm, parody, and perhaps even irony. Read at your own risk.
Now I have to be the one to break the ice at the Radio Shack Parties(TM). I've gotten quite a few good responses back when I ask for their address and phone number back.
"Comon over, and we can listen to my new clock radio!"
Being the sort who appreciates some security in my everyday transactions, I actually like it when the Radio Shack people ask for my zip code. (They've never asked me for a name, is that unusual?) The fact that they have some idea of where they sell more batteries is fine by me -- it allows them to build market demographics without a notable loss of my privacy, and I get improved availability of products I like.
:)
Likewise, I've been very encouraged to see some of those automated gas pumps now requiring that you key in a zip code from the billing statement -- not just possessing a credit card. Since I'm already providing my name and billing information through the credit card, this is not the invasion of privacy that some folks think it is. Yay authentication and authorization!
On the other hand, it used to be particularly irritating when I wrote a check and a clerk would insist that I provide a home phone number or even two phone numbers instead of some useful authorization info. (They're permitted to ask in my locale, but not allowed to require it.) After a particularly nasty incident at Ikea a few years ago -- when I declined to provide the number an assistant manager looked up my name in the phone directory and wrote the info on my check anyway, accompanied with a lot of foolish and insulting comments -- I decided to print TeleCheck's local phone number on the checks as a home phone. It doesn't stop the bad practice, but at least it protects my privacy a bit without wasting my time. (And it never comes up as a bad number
Most frustrating of all (recently) was an encounter with a certain large bank. To make a long story short, they informed me that electronic funds transfers can be executed by any merchant with my bank routing and account numbers. When I pointed out that the numbers are identification and not authorization, they replied (paraphrased) "Posession of the number IS authorization. If you didn't give them authorization, they wouldn't have the number." Can you believe a major bank thinks that possession of your authentication data is equal to authorization? AAUUUGGGHHH!!! When I pressed further and pointed out that the account & routing data is on every check that anyone writes, I was informed that they (the bank) know it's awful, but that's what the US Federal Reserve rules require. Double-AAUUUGGGHHH!!!
IMHO it's disappointing when the local Chevron station provides better financial transaction security than the bank managing my 401K.
-Jon
I think not...(*poof*)
The thing that irritates me is the grocery stores where I live (Virginia). The major chains now have a system set up where they will only give you your savings (stuff on sale, buy one get one free, etc) if you have one of their little bar code cards. Because of the bar codes on the items themselves, they already know what is being sold, why is it that they need to know who is buying it? These grocery store chains are building huge databases of what kind of toilet paper I use and what kind of coffee I buy.
I became really disturbed by this about six months after moving here, when, in my mail, was a flyer from one of these chains with "custom tailored coupons valued at $xxx.xx"...And sure enough it was stuff that my family purchased.
What can we do about this? First, I shop at stores where the shoppers have unused cards that they swipe. (I can just imagine the skew that whoever gets that card is going to put in their demographic...)
Second, depending on my rant, I either mention to the checker the privacy issues at stake, or I go on a slashdot-style rant on the subject. Invariably, the checker just shakes her head with a sad smile.
Finally, one of the stores banned checkers from doing this. So when I go to that store, I tell the checker that I "forgot" my card, so they want me to put in my phone number. I usually try some random phone number, or the number of an acquaintance. I know of a group of 20 or so former coworkers that used to swap cards at random intervals, just to screw with the demographic.
--Storm
It's actually been a long time since I've been to one, but when I was a kid, the free batteries were an attraction. (Some years they were green rather than red, I think, though it's possible that those were the better batteries that cost money...)
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
I just lied to them. How the hell are they going to know?
Oh yea, and if any radio shack people are reading this, my address is:
1600 Pennsylvania Ave
Washington DC, 20500
ad logicam Claiming a proposition is false because it was presented as the conclusion of a fallacious argument.
My online identity is probably being sold to multiple mailings, porn, radioshack catalog's and god knows what else.
123 Sesame St Way, Beverly Hills California 90210 better not be a real address or they're gonna be pissed at me!
Yo Grark
Canadian Bred with American Buttering.
Canadian Bred with American Buttering
Everytime I get asked an address/zip code, I think of the Blues Brothers movie when the cops look for Elwood based on his address. When they got there, they were at Wriggly Field baseball stadium.
I usually give a fake zip code or maybe my work address. I need to memorize a complete fake address, maybe Fenway Park in Boston.
I can tell you that it annoys us to ask nearly as much as it annoys you to be asked.
Having said that, I NEVER made a big deal out of it and answered honestly when asked what it was for: flyers, catalogues and for some items, the warranty. When customers seem upset about me asking for this information, I always tell them they can say, "No". There is no point in upsetting a customer about such a trivial matter. Most customers were good about it, especially when I tell them that saying "No" is completely OK and not a big deal to either of us. I never understood why some employees would make a huge production out of name and address. I would also apply a little common sense; If a customer was in a rush, if it was very busy or if the item was relatively minor I would not bother to ask.
In some cases, we really do need your address for such things as warranty. Some companies, Pana^H err something...will not accept a serial number for warranty, we require the original recepit (or our electronic copy) and postal code. We will not receive payment for the warranty from certain companies without this information. We can also look up your original receipt in the computer (we use SCO Unix in the back computer) and all receipt information is TAR'd and compressed by day. Without your address or at least your name, we have no way of knowing if you bought a particular item or not.
I do have a beef with people who would get upset to the point of anger. I am doing my job, it is a job requirement to ask for name and address. I have no choice, I try to make your shopping experience as pleasant as possible by knowing the products I sell and how to get you the best deal either by suggesting a product that will cost less and produce the same result or if an item will be on sale. Please realize that the person behind the counter is a person too, with feelings and a family and a paycheck (albeit a small one sometimes). Your anger only tranlates to frustration for me and possibly poorer service for my next customer.
Note that all of this information applies to RadioShack in Canada. Our American cousins are completely a different company and have different ownership and management and entirely different computer systems from what we use in Canada.
are businesses allowed to demand your SSN? obviously not many people apart from the government of the bank have any use for it, is there a right to SSN privacy?
I don't understand what's the fuss about this:
I *always* give false names, address, preference,
etc. If it's a web site, it'll also be wrong age,
sex, just about anything.
As long it is not an offence (i.e dealing with
government agencies or other legal stuff), *never*
give true information.
If enough people do that, then, eventually, all
their databases will be crap.
The MicroCenter chain of stores in the U.S. has the same annoying habit. Every time I'd shop there, they'd demand my name and address. I'd say "No, you already have it." The clerk would say "the manager says we hafta ask for it." I'd say "I won't buy anything if you insist on getting my name and address." Clerk says "Uh... OK."
This is more just plain rudeness than it is a privacy violation, since they won't know anything about you unless you tell them. So, don't tell them.
-- Slashdot: When Public Access TV Says "No"
I see I'm not the only camper whom this drove batty. I finally got fed up once, and emailed their top customer service executive about it. (What torqued me was that I wanted to pay with credit, but they HAD to get name/address to do it. I said `eff it` and spent my lunch money to get out of there without giving in).
The exec who replied said basically IIRC, that `the information is always optional, the associate in question must not have known that`. They promised to remind the regional ops people to in turn appraise the franchises about the `optionality` of the data-mining.
Of course now that I have read about the 90% quota thing, that kinda gives me a new slant on what they meant by `optional`.
+
-- Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.
I live in Australia, and I have NEVER been asked for personal information at a store, Tandy (RadioShack) or otherwise. It truly amazes me that this is something you poor bastards have to put up with. What a rip-off. Something tells me if they tried it here, they'd just get laughed at and told to piss off.
Pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will! - Antonio Gramsci.
I was in Hillsdale Mall in San Mateo, CA last weekend and a jewelry store there had signs announcing that all customers (aka potential criminals) must be FINGERPRINTED if purchasing over $300 in merchandise using check OR credit card!!!
I never give any personal information, but I always give ZIP codes. There's nothing to identify me personally, and *maybe*, just *maybe*, if the store I like to shop at sees that enough people from my area are traveling 60 miles (distance to real shopping) to their store occasionally, they'll figure out it would make sense to put a store in by me. Win-win.
Yeah, giving ZIP codes helps the company plan and gather gross demographics. So? The point here is to protect one's privacy, not to thwart the companies' every move.
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
...
"May I have your address?"
"Are you asking me out?"
"Er."
"Well, then you don't need to know."
Marxist evolution is just N generations away!
I also quit using my grocery cards when I found out that the stores use them to track your purchases for marketing purposes. Just last week I went through the checkout and the clerk asked if I had a card and I told her that I don't use the cards anymore. When she asked "Don't like saving money?" I shot back "No, but I value my privacy". End of conversation.
I am buying more things with cash now. When you buy with a credit card at Sears, they got your name & address and poof, more catalogs in the mail. Pay with cash and you're stealth, baby.
Blame the marketing monkeys at the DMA for this mess, they drove us into it.
Eternity: will that be smoking, or non-smoking? I Corinthians 6:9-10
I got a similar response when I asked for an optocoupler.
"A what?"
The funny thing is, they actually had one in stock.
About the RF modulators.... 20 years ago, they cost $2.00 at Radio Shack. I opened one up once, it was nothing more than a little tuned circuit. I go to Radio Shack today looking for one for my nephew's Intellivision console, and now they're at least $20. What is up with that?
That's nothing! Do you have a Hotmail account by the name of DickHertz@hotmail.com? If so, I'll bet you have had more than your share of spam.
From excellent karma to terible karma with a single +5 funny post...
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Think about it. You could have entered hundreds or even thousands of bogus names/addresses, kept your percentage at 100%, and shielded all your customers from being entered into Radio Shack's system.
People say "if everyone gave fake information like I do, the system would be useless" but you could have actually put a dent in it by controlling the POS terminal.
try it on them! clerk: may I have your name and address? me: only if I can have yours!
This is my
Did Joe Everyman ever need a diode for his hobby kit?
I Browse at +4 Flamebait
Open Source Sysadmin
You should read some of the fake names on this online antiwar petition...
reads like a who's who of bogus/joke names; I laughed 'till I cried.
Not In Our Name antiwar group
Even if a man chops off your hand with a sword, you still have two nice, sharp bones to stick in his eyes.
--I tell ya whut, was following this on the teevee same as anyone was, the olympic blast story. After it was obvious what they were doing to jewell then they finally admitted it wasn't him, and then I get the vist I go WTF???? I honestly had a few seconds there I am thinking they are gonna frame me, it was spooky. It's spooky because they CAN if they want to.
Oh ya, homeland insecurity just got signed into law, here come the mega "lists", well beyond the ratshack list. No closing the borders, wide open all over, millions of illegals waltzing in, gonna get given bogus identity cards issued by their consulates, no telling who's getting in and who's here already, but we "need" this law, ya right.
Government speaketh with uber forked tongue on this one.
It stinks and will result in *no good*, IMO.
RS: Name?
Me: Cash
RS: First name?
Me: Justin
RS: Address?
Me: Read the name - aloud.
try this son:
apropos humor
-No
-Why do you need my address?
-1313 Mockingbird Lane
-The address of the Radio Shack you are in
If you're too psychologically fragile to just turn them down when they ask, just make something up. That's what I've done for all those grocery store discount cards. I picked a name (Smedley Cuthbertson for one) and the address of someone who I dislike (so he can get all the proctologist ads when I buy Preparation H) and that's all it took. I get my discount, that jerk gets the Drug Enforcement Administration wondering why he's buying all that cough syrup, and everybody (except him) is happy.
When they ask, say you don't want to be in their database, you just want to buy something. They always give in when I say that.
Odd that, I've never had an employee of Fry's Elecrtonics answer a question accurately. "Where are the computer cases" rep:"we don't sell those, you'll have to go somewhere else"
They don't know where the shit is, they don't know what it does, they don't care if the crap RAM they're selling will FRY your motherboard. If that's how they got their name they could have at least corrected the fricking problem!
I figured it can work for Bond, why not me?
For a moment I though I had browsed onto The Drudge Report or something. El Grande De La Taco has really got his ear to the ground on this one.
Whats next, flashin on the news of discounted blank CD's over at Office Max?
I worked, briefly, for the Shack in the 70s. We got punished if we turned in too many slips w/o names and addys. I got sick of asking on the little sales, so I resorted to pulling random names from the phone book after the customers' departure. No one ever caught on.
Later, when I was just a customer, I used to give a different name everytime but always the same address: Radio Shack Corporate HQ in Fort Worth.
So, a 6-year-old girl picked up the toothpaste for her mommy, and kerblooey - no more right hand. She's lucky to have survived.
Fibbers came by with a few mangled parts for us to look at (being the largest RS store in the area, and close to the blast) and we were able to give them the part numbers. This was in the days of the hand-written sales tickets, one copy of which stayed at the store for all eternity. They spent a few weeks thumbing through tickets to find people who had purchased the components in the bomb. Found him, fortunately for society he'd gassed himself with a running car in his garage shortly after the incident thus sparing the taxpayers the expense of a trial. It was definitely the guy, though, they found a couple more toothpaste pumps that were evidently "trial runs" that he used to work on the technique of fitting the explosives & electronics.
RadioShack doesn't sell their info to anyone. Safeway on the other hand is a different story. Next time you go to a RadioShack why don't you read the signs they have next to the register? There are, of course companies who do use these practices. I know every time I buy something online part of the reason it's so inexpensive is all those ads I'll be recycling but RadioShack isn't one of them. If you don't believe me, fine; but don't come at me with your recorded message about how democracy is falling apart. Give me some evidence. Show me an instance. Go to RadioShack and ASK that they put you in their database - but give them an appartment number with your houses address. That's the way to prove it. That's how I know Safeway thinks I *REALLY* *REALLY* need a credit card. Whatever you do, don't go fucking calling wolf when there's no wolf, these issues do deserve our attention and actions like these will only disenchant the populace.
Whenever I went to radioshack, I'd always pass my hand back and forth over their sensor a few dozen times, just to screw things up. I used to work at a radioshack, and the last time they asked me for my address, I gave them the address to my old store.
Wow, so one of you mentioned an obscure reference to some movie and the other one caught it? Gee, I wonder how much TV I must watch before I can participate in some such exchange!
I was in Milwaukee, WI, at a Radio Shack once and I bought a casette tape adapter. They asked me address as usual, and I gave them it. However, I live in Michigan, and the Radio Shack was in downtown Milwaukee, so when I told them the address they were a bit confused. They asked me what the address I gave them was: An apartment or a condo? I said no, a house. The guy stared at me and blinked. I had to repeat myself again before he realized that I actually lived in a house and not an apartment or whatever.
rm -rf sig
"Do you want MSN Internet Service or a cell phone with that?" This is almost as annoying.
Tag lost or not installed.
I hate it when people complain about things like that, but still go there to be subjected to it. If something a company does, you don't like, stop going there.
I, for one, stopped going to radio shack 15 years ago. There's plenty of other places to get things you need, and I'm from a small town of 25k population.
Plain and simple, if you don't like something a copy does, show them you don't like it with your wallet. That's the only thing money grubbing bastards understand.
You know those "Extra Care", "Shopper's Club", etc cards most drugstores/groceries have nowadays? I've got a bunch... with NO name information.
Y'see, lots of those stores leave the cards out by the cashier's register, to make it easier for the clerk to hand 'em over. Swiped all of them when they weren't looking. Hey, they have no right to my info, but I have a dislike of unneeded lying (which is the other obvious option).
Hopefully, they'll eventually figure out what Radio Shack has: people will figure out what's up and lie, rendering the information useless... so why bother collecting it?
These are *MY* opinions.
They will not be *YOUR* opinions until the Orbital Mind Control Lasers are operati
Is that your correct email address? For some reason it came out wrong.
This should be modded up.
RS started as a mail order business. Names and addresses were essential. As they started opening stores, the mailing lists were still important to them, and to their customers. Tandy continued the practice into a time when it became irrelevant, inconvenient, and suspicious looking.
I've been on their list for most of the last 30 years, and I've worked for them in the past. I've never seen any evidence that they disclose customer information to anyone.
The fact that they are willing to adopt a more casual approach to maintaining their list, in a time where even supermarkets require it, says something positive about their organization.
With the adoption of HSA/TIA, I can imagine that the boys in Fort Worth TX figured that they didn't want to be spies for a foreign country (the U.S.).
I have bought two things at Radio Shock in the past year. One was a radio to listen to Canada beat the USA in Olympic hockey. It couldn't be tune to reach certain frequencies, so I went to another store in another city, explained the problem, and the nice guy there just swapped radios with me. I don't think I even had to show him a reciept, although I had it ready.
Saskboy's blog is good. 9 out of 10 dentists agree.
I worked for a franchise for a couple of years and got out of there when things got right here a few months ago. (don't ask)
Their policy on name collection at franchises are as this: They DO have a collection quota on names, at least about 50-65% of the number of tickets for each monthly period.
The franchise REQUIRED that names and addresses be put on ALL sales when a check was taken, dish sale, internet service, or cell phone sales. Small stuff or cash sales, strictly optional or we simply forego taking the name and cycle the customer out of the way and go on to the next potential dish or cell phone customer.
Now to go on the corporate side (please forgive me).
RADIO SHACK does NOT sell ANY, repeat, ANY of the addresses that they collect at their stores, may they be either franchise or corporate stores.
IANAL, but that is what i've been told by store management, regional mangement, a former RS corporate secretary, and others "on the take".
First rule of holes; When in one, stop digging.
--dang that sad, really. sorry about the girl, too bad for the nutcase.
Goes along with the catch 22 deal. YEP, there's legit uses for data mining, I would never dispute that,as your story shows, our society now has to figure out the "how far" part. We can only go as far as the government itself is trustworthy, deal is, there's no single one "government", it's made up of saints and sinners and blends of each. Sometimes they are good, doing their jobs as advertised, other times, not doing jobs or actually being malicious. Stuff happens. In the US our historical records and major law, the constitution, pretty clearly state we agree to trade off some measure of security for being "free-er" than any other peoples. It's a hefty price but worth it, really worth it in the long run, IMO. That's the plan anyway. The other models of government tried out with more and more "control" have always de-evolved into...well, "not nice" places to live. As arnie would say it's a "bahhhd i-de-uh"
Stores have the right to ask for anything they want to, as the customer has the right to reply in full, partially or not at all and go elsewheres. Where it gets sticky is when ALL of it gets mandated "by law", which I'm afraid might be *soon*. That's prognostication on my part and as such is quite liable to be totally wrong or totally right, most likely though normal law of averages would indicate we'll be seeing a lot more "mandated" then what we are seeing now.
My guess on ratshack's policy is that the data was so flawed that it was worthless to them, plus mailings costs, plus whizzed off customers.
Can't tell ya how many cheap free batteries i got and still got a fre of those crummy "free" flashlights they used to give out, but, I went to their stores and still do for the odd part now and then. it's handy, they got specialised stuff, although it has changed a lot over the years.
My second prognostication is it also won't matter much not too far in the future with facial/body language reading recognition tech, no need to ask you who you are, walk into the store, images captured, they'll look then if they want to. Cash sales won't matter then. They got cams going in on the streets, onstar, tracking cell phones, CC records, most medium and large stores already have cams, and etc, etc. It's not that we have lists or not,that's a gimmee, just how much bigger they will get, who will have them, what they will do with them, and how much you'll even know about them personally.
This was inevitable.
It was bound to happen, as soon as they got the face recognition software up an running...
-- Terry
Yeah, I bought my phone with no 5's and my calendar with no 7's at Radio Shack, too.
The following is an absolutely true Radio Shack dialogue which has occurred maybe a dozen times....
... and no RS clerk has ever, EVER asked for ID or otherwise indicated disbelief.... I often wonder what they do at the White House with all those catalogs addressed to Ben Franklin.....
Clerk (wraps up battery): That will be $2.26. Could I have your name, please?
Me (tenders $100 bill): Ben Franklin. That's
B-E-N F-R-A-N-K-L-I-N.
Clerk: And the address?
Me: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C. 20500.
Clerk: Here's your $97.74 change. Is that a house or an apartment?
One face recognition scanner.
Just sign here
Same thing
Nice, i work for RadioShack (its a good job for a 21 year old college student) and they announced that at our company meeting last week :)
/.ed
Its cool as hell to see this
"Here You Go," said the dullard.
"Why the hell did you just give me Cat5 cable," said I.
"Its what you asked for, RCA cable"
"No this is Cat5, it clearly says it on the box"
"This is what I've been given out for weeks"
"Thats surprising you have plenty of Cat5 cable yet you seem to have no RCA cable
I then walked out, and made my own RCA cable. last time I ever went in a Radio Shaft.Yet I had to reject four cookies just to read the article.
"First you gotta do the truffle shuffle."
...then never bothered to update it when I left :-)
the job
I went to Radio Shack today and realized about 2 seconds after I paid that they didn't ask for my life history. I just didn't feel the same. :(
Not that I ever gave them the correct info before.
Look, I just made you read my signature.
I switched to buying mail-order off the Internet because of those annoying questions.
Doh!
(hint: mailorder, address... bingo)
--- Hindsight is 20/20, but walking backwards is not the answer.
It's because of people with attitudes like yours that I don't ever buy anything from Circuit City. (sure, you didn't say you worked at circuit city, but your attitude is what I've experienced there anyway) Granted, I'll go shop in Circuit City. I'll ask a million questions, hold the item, push all the buttons, and then I'll go across the street to Best Buy and get it, even if it's more expensive (though I'll try the 'they have it for X across the street). I might even go home and buy it on the web if I don't need the instant gratification of the gadget. I will deliberately WASTE YOUR TIME at Circuit City because when I wanted the 21 or the 23" TV and your sales drones thought they'd make more on the guy wanting the 27" - they ignored me. They wouldn't stick around to answer my questions about a $75 phone, but they would on the $400 receiver. So, because of people like you, and those others, I waste YOUR time, then go elsewhere and BUY the item.
Your post has only reinforced my feeling that Circuit City is a money hungry commission driven store. Congrats!
Good god, yes! Thank god they've fixed this extremely aggravating problem! Hopefully, they'll get their cashiers to stop asking me "And is that all, sir?" HOW NOSY!
It's amazing what the people of this country will tolerate and then, at the same time, go crazy over the smallest things. Homeland security act? Well, that's fine with me! But Radio Shack asking for my address? WHAT KIND OF FASCIST DICTATORSHIP IS THIS?
I always countered the request for personal information with a whole slew of questions of my own, such as the clerk's name, phone, address, sometimes I'd ask for blood type or favorite color. Usually managed to get out of the store pretty quickly...
Same goes for wait staff at restaurants who, with forced perkiness, say, "Hi! I'm , and I'll be your server today!", at which point I introduce the whole table, start asking them to tell us a little more about themselves, etc.
In the computer system at Fry's Electronics we have some pre-made customers, including James T. Kirk complete with address and phone number for starfleet command in San Francisco, we can use if the person doesnt want to give up their name.
Well, drat. There goes my Fun with the Shack website.
Yes indeed. The name of "Alfred E. Neuman" never got so much as a batted eyelash from any cashier I ever encountered at Radio Shack. If they asked if I wanted an extended warranty, I said, "What, me worry?".
How can you respect anyone who doesn't get that?
I'd still hit Howie's babe.
My blog can kick your blog's ass
Get real, RadioShack (well it used to be) a great place to get parts from.
That establishment is just like 7-11, it's late at night and you're desperate, Best Buy and Circuit City is closed and you need that darn DB gender bender so you'll pay the 26 bucks for it. We've all been in the situation. I miss the days of living in Sacramento and being able to go to HSC and purchase a needed part out of a bulk bin. But they we're put out of business by bad management and old, bearded, child molesters.
I know we've all seen em, the geeky, computer type, bbs surfin for child porn, lookin' like Charles Manson, stains up and down their two sizes too small grey sweat pants pulling up in the green ford F-100. Perhaps, Radio Shack should go back and employ these guys at least they have a clue about electronics. The last experience I had there was when I was looking for a replacement RCA type cable to go in between my PC speakers (because I lost the original in a move). Damn clueless kid tried to sell me a set of gold-plated RCA cable interconnect with a noise filter. I said Are you stupid? He said Stupid is as stupid does, Mister
The only thing keeping me from jumping over the counter and thumping this kid was the hope that I'd make it home and be able to relieve some stress and visit Cliff's I hate you site! Cliff 's I hate you
reassign null to be the tape device - it's so much more economical on my time as I don't have to change tapes_BOFH
I used to work at my local RadioShack. It was always a fun experience when someone declined to give a Name & Address (N&A) and then proceeded to pay via credit card. What made it fun though, was that in my area we had just experienced a rash of credit card fraud, and my manager had us checking licenses for anyone paying by a CC that we didn't either know personally or had a picture on the card. So, here you have this guy who just refused to give his name and address, and now I had to ask him for his license... But, did you every think about what happens when you buy something online? You're name and address are inherently given to the online site, they have to ship to you after all! Also, I'm sorry to all the conspiracy theorists out there, but is it that bad to have your name and address recorded? I once had a guy and his girlfriend come in and want help in building a cattle prod from RadioShack parts. Also, I can't count the number of times someone came in needed a reprint of their receipt. Don't get me wrong though, I'm glad they stopped. I HATED typing all that in. Not to mention each and every store has their own database. Try explaining to an elderly gentlement that because he gave his name to the store across the plaza last time, I don't have it. And yes, I do agree that you shouldn't have to give your name to get a pack of batteries. You could have said no (in fact they expect 10% of you to). But, I much prefer what they have now, opt in mailings.
CitrusTV (http://www.citrustv.net): the Nation's Oldest & Largest Entirely Student-Run Television Station
Perhaps he's referring to the evil robot Ted played by John Ritter on an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Because some spit-jelled 23 year old MBA came up with the cool idea to ask for Name and Address to try to make more greenbacks.
CitrusTV (http://www.citrustv.net): the Nation's Oldest & Largest Entirely Student-Run Television Station
If you feel a twinge of guilt when a salesperson asks you for your phone number, give them the local weather phone. In Boston the number is (617)936-xxxx (replace x with any four digits). A contributor to PRI's Marketplace radio show recommended that tactic in a funny story a half year ago and it works well.
I always used to just tell them I was homeless. what are they gonna do, argue with a homeless man?
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The only people who ever saw your name and address after giving it to the radio shack sales clerk were radio shack people. Radio Shack never sold, shared or gave away the names and adresses of its customers, all the data was kept within the company for the monthly flyer mailings.
And for people who are offended by the idea of needing the name and address for warranty stuff, well, you shouldn't be. Warranties on most items (other than things like wireless phones or computers) are NOT tracked by serial number, contrary to popular belief. The serial number of that 900 mhz cordless bargin bin phone you just bought is not on the bar code of the box, and therefore it's not entered into the computer when the clerk scans in the UPC.
I work at a radioshack, and I hated asking for names and addresses as much as customers hated giving it out, but it never ceased to amaze me just how many people thought that the shack was in cahoots with the FBI, despite signs on the front of the cash register which say "WE DONT GIVE YOUR INFO TO ANYONE AT ALL."
Anyway, no one ever seemed to mind the whole name and address thing when they wanted to get a refund on those little items like karaoke machines they happened to buy on a friday and bring back on a monday (it's like a free rental service!), but forgot their receipt. Now if someone wants a refund on something but they've forgotten their receipt, they're screwed.
In order to work at the bank I was required to be fingerprinted, drug tested, and had my credit and police record pulled. I always find it a bit disturbing when someone I've had to turn down opening an account for flips out that I've aquired their social security number. I've had people go from polite to wanting to speak to my manager and threatening to get their lawyer on the bank because I had to take a copy of the form that says we are declining their business. I just want to know...What do they think I want their horrible credit record for anyway?
"Your phone number?" "714-636-7433." "OK, your name?" "Bob Barlow." "Address?" "General Delivery, San Clemente, CA." "Um, I'm sorry, I need a number." "No, General Delivery is a valid address." At this time, the clerk becomes puzzled.
This sig no verb.
All you had to do was say "No". I dunno about you guys, but the local Radio Shack people just let it go after that. It's not like you *had* to give your information.
I'm the stranger...posting to
Fry's is like a box of chocolates.
I work for a major gadget retailer in America. It's probably the most well know out of all of them, and it's not Brookstone. Let's just say the initials are, oh... SI. But I digress...
:)
We are "required" to capture 70% of our customers addresses at the time of sale. This is because one of the largest growing areas of the company is catalog sales. The company sends out millions of catalogs every month, and in return, makes a pretty penny on phone orders because someone saw something they couldn't live without.
However, I say "required" because their threats of being written up for not making the quota don't hold up. They can't really do anything because they have no proof that I didn't ask the customer for their name... the district manager isn't standing over me every transaction I make. So, I skirt by most the time with less than the "required amount".
I have a little rule I set for myself as well. I never ask for an address when someone buys batteries, or in general for anything less than $20. It just isn't worth my time. I also rarely ask for it when someone pays in cash unless they are buying something large, like $500 or more. Most of the time with cash I'll simply ask for a name so at least we can look up their purchase history if they lose their receipt.
If I detect any sort of hesitation, I usually say jump in and say "but if you don't want to, that's okay" and just skip past it. I don't agree with address farming practices, so it's no skin off my back to skip an address. The company can take care of the customer perfectly fine without an address.
Another thing that bugs me is that they want us to sell extended warranties. And add on sales like half-off items, batteries, etc. It's to the point that in addition to the one item that the customer actually wants, we have to bother them with like five other things. It is rather ridiculous if you ask me.
The comission is nice, though.
Here in Milford CT they seem to have stopped... and they never had a problem if you just said "I'd prefer not to give you my address". And no, I don't go there enough for them to recognize me on sight
.
All that said, I "Just Say No" myself.
So what? Most people are in the habit of doing what they're told. Your average person isn't aware that their information is being sold without their knowledge. Many people would object if they thought about it, but it's easier to reply than to consider the ramifications...
ME - Hey look, this 3.6 Volt battery supplies 1000mA. Thats 200 more mA than this other battery! RADIO SHACK ANSWER DUDE - Be carful! Too many mA can burn up your cordless phone! That's why you should get an EXACT replacement part. ME - :-O
Recently, I took a job at Home Depot, and during the "training", the teaching lady had some funny stories about product returns, all of which allegedly happened at our site (Portsmouth, NH). The best ones I can remember:
Somebody brought in 4 automobile tires to return. Home Depot doesn't sell tires, but they accepted them for store credit.
Some old woman brought in a half dozen muffins. Previously to Home Depot, a big supermarket wholesaler (CostCo or Sam's Club, can't remember which) was at that location... Several years before, the woman had bought the muffins at this store, then put them in her freezer. So, several years later, she pulled them out, thawed them, and realized that now they didn't taste very good at all, so she brought them back to the store, which accepted the return.
The best one: Some guy brought in a "shrubbery", a shriveled up plant/shrub thing, which was obviously dead, and which he had dug up and put in his truck. This was in the winter time. Its leaves were all shriveled and brown, etc... The manager asked him when he had gotten it, he said a few years before. The manager asked him why he was upset, the guy said because it had died. The manager asked him if he knew what kind of plant it was, he didn't... He asked him if he knew how much he paid for it, the guy said "I don't know, like $30 or $40"... So, the store accepted the return, and actually gave him cash... Later, the manager found out, that there was a nasty hole in parking lot, because apparently this guy had just dug up one of Home Depot's own plants right out of the parking lot and brought it in.
(All of these anecdotes, particularly the third, smack of urban legend, so take them with a grain of salt, but still funny)
Jake: I told him 1060 W. Addison.
Elwood: That's wriggley field.
ALAN M RALSKY
6747 Minnow Pond Dr., West Bloomfield, MI 48322
----------------------------------- My Other Sig Is Hilarious -----------------------------------
1. Collect names/addresses
2. ???
3. Profit!!!
I just give them the following info:
George W. Bush Jr. (or Current US President)
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
202-456-1414
"Computer Scientists can count to 1024 on their fingers" (non-mutant, non-mutilatated, human computer scientists)
That's BS! They DON'T maintain their list. Every time you went in you had to give your name over again. There was NO central database between individual stores. It was all just a big waste of time.
And what was to stop them from selling the names at any time? Nothing. Get the point yet?
"All Your Addresses Are Belonging To Us!"
Mod Karma -1: I sed bad wurds. If I cep my mouf shut, I wud be at riyses.
Hey, the NSA has a monopoly on information anyway right?!
I remember back in high school when a couple of us were messing aroung electronics and stuff, and wanted to try and build our own radio walky-talky type things. We went around to various electronics stores getting the parts we thought we needed, but ended up with like 2 parts that we just could find. The one was a variable resistor or something like that. Anyway, we go to Radio Shack and look all over the shelves and finally ask the guy for help. The employee told us that "the government doesn't allow us to sell those anymore".
"But aren't they a required component of every kind of radio receiver??"
"Yes, they are."
"So those shitty little clock radios that are on the shelves in boxes at the front of the store contain them, right?"
"Yes, they do."
"So you can sell us a complete radio, but you can't sell us the parts needed to MAKE a radio individually?? We ARE in RADIO SHACK right? Where else are we supposed to get parts to make a RADIO besides RADIO SHACK??"
"I don't think you'll be able to find them anywhere. The government considers them a restricted item now, so nobody can sell them."
-----
I don't know if he was completely full of shit and just making up a story to fuck with us or not. But either way, our trek ended there because we weren't about to go buy three radios at $25 a piece so that we could rip out a $4 part and make our own poorly soldered radios out of them. Oh well, there goes another potential engineer into some other area of work...
Sometimes the best solution to morale problems is just to fire all the unhappy people.
I currently work for RS and I, along w/ my coworkers, were extremely happy when we found out that we didn't have to ask such the retarded name/address question anymore. We still have to ask if you want a phone/satellite/dvd player or we get in a helluva amount of trouble. *shrugs* Not all of us are retards, but I will agree..there are a lot of RS employees that are. We don't get ANYTHING for selling all those little parts that RS is so famous for. Most of the higher ups act like they could care less about radio parts. As for the afformentioned RF modulater comment...wow. They drill those into us as much as they do all other high end merchandise. You should give all us little RS employees a break. We don't control what we're supposed to say nor what we carry in the store. I *WISH* we had more of the small radio parts, it would help people out! We're just doing our jobs. "You've got questions...we've got cellphones, you want one?" :D
That's probably because it was a Radio Shack branded radio to begin with. In the interest of customer service, he probably just exchanged it with yours and counted it as a defective part upon receipt. As long as it has a relatively current catalog number, you shouldn't have any problems exchanging *any* Radio Shack branded product.
My sources are unreliable, but their information is fascinating. -- Ashleigh Brilliant
Don't be so cruel to your wait staff - if they are perky they are a rarity; and it is nice to be served food by someone who shows genuine interest in delivering the goods.
On the other hand; if they are *that* perky you should introduce the whole table and then ask what time they get off.
"Has anyone had problems with the computer accounts?" ..."
"Yes, I don't have one."
"Okay, you can send mail to one of the tutors
-- E. D'Azevedo, Computer Science 372
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