6 ms·

I hate tech like this. It ostensibly offers some minor convenience for the end-user, but it's really just a big data grab for whatever company implemented it.

I hate tech like this. It ostensibly offers some minor convenience for the end-user, but it's really just a big data grab for whatever company implemented it. A few years ago, I went to a local Shake Shack and found they replaced their cashiers with kiosks. But placing an order requires me to give them my phone number, supposedly so they can text me when my order was ready. This should have been a very simple transaction: I give them money, and they give me burger. That's it. No need to get tech BS involved in things.

reaperducer 5y ago
I always put a fake number into the Shake Shack kiosk. It hasn't been a problem, since the people sacking the burgers shout out my equally fake name to pick up my order. If Shake Shack is really texting me that my order us ready, it's going to a prison pay phone a dozen states away.
- bnjemian 5y ago
  Poison the data!
- dpifke 5y ago
  I have yet to encounter a loyalty card program where local area code + Jenny's number (867-5309) wasn't registered.
  - TheBill 5y ago
    Also usually gets you plenty of Safeway Rewards @ Chevron.
  - bell-cot 5y ago
    This +10 (if I could). Putting in something clever (and thus probably rare, and maybe unique to you) can make it far easier for Borg-tronic Analysis, Inc. to connect all the little data dots about you. A bit of data that is common to a large number of people makes a far better poison for their dystopian wishing well.
  - smegger001 5y ago
    as someone that had the misfortune of once working for K-Mart, and having management harass us if to few customers gave phone numbers for their rewards account. There were many accounts for jennys number. Also i purchased many pizzas with her rewards account.
- a5aAqU 5y ago
  If there's a camera on the front, might want to wear a mask too.
  - reaperducer 5y ago
    If there's a camera on the front, might want to wear a mask too.. It's still 2021. There's no way I'd go into a Shake Shack without one!
    - a5aAqU 5y ago
      Facial recognition might still work with a COVID mask on. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-56517033 https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-56517033
hyperman1 5y ago
For companies doing this, I tend to give them the phone number of their own service desk.
- bitbang 5y ago
  When they ask for email address, I give them postmaster@hashbang.com
- mixmastamyk 5y ago
  Better to stop doing business, or they’ll never learn.
- chillwaves 5y ago
  On a related? note, local area code + 867-5309 seems to work for most store discount cards.
  - _fool 5y ago
    Safeway no longer accepts that number at least in the 503 area code, I found out upon trying as was my custom, a few years ago. The cashier recognized it and laughed with me as she scanned her own card which they keep on hand precisely for these reasons, as I understand it.
    - chillwaves 5y ago
      Actually, I did have trouble at Safeway with this recently but the cashier kindly gave me a card that scans -- very nice because it has none of my information associated with it. Related, but when I am forced to read the number instead of just typing it in, I consciously say "Eight Six Seven Five Three Zero Nine" instead of "Oh"!
akudha 5y ago
Years ago, I was at a huge electronics store in NYC. I wanted to buy something small, maybe 30 bucks worth. The cashier won’t bill unless I gave him my phone number. I asked him why he needs my number, he said “in case you return the item”. I told him he needs the receipt, not phone number, while returning items. He didn’t budge. I didn’t want to cause a scene, so I left without purchasing. It is not just collecting the information, it is also treating customers like idiots and with total contempt. I never set foot in that store again. There should be a oath (like doctors) for software professionals. I don’t think it will practically change anything, but at least it will create a tiny bit of awareness. People who code shit like this parking app should really ask themselves if it is worth it
- chillwaves 5y ago
  Imo, name and shame.
- mLuby 5y ago
  To be fair to the cashier, they were probably given no choice in the matter. One of those "I'm sorry, the system won't let me proceed without this info." "Required form fields" are one of those great power/great responsibility things.
  - jcpst 5y ago
    It makes me wonder, when I draw a line in the sand with a clerk, how often they just enter junk data into the system so they can get on with their shift.
    - rurp 5y ago
      Many years ago I worked as a cashier (at Trader Joes no less) and occasionally had to ask customers for this sort of information. I had zero problem just punching in fake data if the customer didn't want to provide it, and sometimes I just went ahead without asking, if the customer was clearly busy with a crazy kid/pet/whatever. Some cashiers were diligent about the data collection but many, probably most, had a similar approach to mine.
dogman144 5y ago
“Do you need my phone number to checkout” or “I forgot my phone” always works tbh. Just have to be a little disagreeable.
- rav3ndust 5y ago
  What about a simple "I don't have a mobile?" A lot of folks forget there are still people who don't have one - and many who don't want one. If the store won't transact with someone simply because they don't feel like handing out that bit of information (or simply because they don't have the information to provide), they're not really a store worth transacting with.
  - mcculley 5y ago
    Don’t feel like you need to lie. Just say, “no”.
    - rav3ndust 5y ago
      I didn't suggest to lie, I said, what if the customer actually doesn't have a mobile? Have we reached the point now where if someone claims not to have one, they're lying? I should clarify i wasn't referring to myself - I have a mobile (deGoogled, at least). But there do exist people who don't want or need a mobile device.
      - mgkimsal 5y ago
        sure, but you may still have a landline. but... the whole "we need this for returns" line is just weird.
      - mcculley 5y ago
        You replied to “I forgot my phone” and I thought you were helping that argument.
        dogman144 5y ago
kart23 5y ago
experienced this too recently. i asked to order with a cashier and they gladly obliged.
donio 5y ago
Having to install a special app just to park is not even convenient, it's a pain in the ass.
Blammar 5y ago
This reminds me so much of how Radio Shack used to operate. I'd go there to buy some capacitors or solder, and the cashier would demand my full name, address, phone number every single time. I just said, nope, here's the cash, give me the receipt.
- protomyth 5y ago
  One of my buddy's actually had them refuse to sell him some parts. He had given them his address and all (not a confrontational person) and they denied the sale. I bought the stuff for him. I used cash and did not identify myself. I get the feeling Radio Shack had some other stuff going on.
  - lotsofpulp 5y ago
    For stores with return policies, there is value in knowing who may be abusing them and/or causing them to lose money.
    - ipaddr 5y ago
      When I worked at radio shack we would send catalogues, later fliers. We would ask during a return and require it. When buying anything with cash it was optional. The sales staff had to maintain an 80% ratio per day.
    - protomyth 5y ago
      He never returned anything and was a pretty frequent buyer (he was big into a lot of hobbies that he could build electronics and he built stuff for work). They rung him up and then the store employee said they couldn't sell him these items. He started ordering from catalogs after that. Didn't matter much I guess as Radio Shack stopped selling components not long after.
  - Spooky23 5y ago
    They would sell that information to skip tracers. CVS was big into this as well. These private parking things are similar, there is a network of near real-time alerting about vehicle location for repo men.
_puk 5y ago
The minute tech gets involved it's also another thing to go wrong.. Personal anecdote time: Recently went to a car park that had to pay by phone and no phone signal (in the UK if it's relevant). This was obviously a common problem, so they provided an open WiFi network limited to just the parking website. Unfortunately, I had to create an account to be able to pay to park, and the account creation was gated by a Google captcha that.. wouldn't load as it was blocked. So no way to pay to park, and a crowd of confused tourists all trying to work out how the hell to park without getting a fine. Fun times
- mr_cyborg 5y ago
  Parking in the UK was a nightmare for me. I don’t remember the specifics, but either a 1 or an I is a valid character for a license plate, and the other isn’t valid. The app used standard iPhone fonts such that the one that will never exist in the UK looked exactly like the WRONG character on my phone. I got a parking ticket from the first parking lot we parked in on that trip, within just a few moments of walking out of the lot. I had screenshots and everything that showed that I paid, and the language the company used on its tickets and also appeals process was completely foreign to me, an American. Total nightmare but after many rounds of back and forth I was able to successfully appeal, and then get them to explain to me in more plain language that it actually was successful.
- nicbou 5y ago
  This reminds me of all the QR code menus that rely on everyone having a data connection. International tourists also eat in restaurants.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
h0nd 5y ago
What I mostly do not like about these new techs: dependence. Before you needed simply cash to pay for parking. Now you need a phone with a non-empty battery, mobile internet connection and a digital mean of payment provided by a third party that takes its share.

reaperducer 5y ago

I always put a fake number into the Shake Shack kiosk. It hasn't been a problem, since the people sacking the burgers shout out my equally fake name to pick up my order. If Shake Shack is really texting me that my order us ready, it's going to a prison pay phone a dozen states away.

bnjemian 5y ago
Poison the data!
dpifke 5y ago
I have yet to encounter a loyalty card program where local area code + Jenny's number (867-5309) wasn't registered.
- TheBill 5y ago
  Also usually gets you plenty of Safeway Rewards @ Chevron.
- bell-cot 5y ago
  This +10 (if I could). Putting in something clever (and thus probably rare, and maybe unique to you) can make it far easier for Borg-tronic Analysis, Inc. to connect all the little data dots about you. A bit of data that is common to a large number of people makes a far better poison for their dystopian wishing well.
- smegger001 5y ago
  as someone that had the misfortune of once working for K-Mart, and having management harass us if to few customers gave phone numbers for their rewards account. There were many accounts for jennys number. Also i purchased many pizzas with her rewards account.
a5aAqU 5y ago
If there's a camera on the front, might want to wear a mask too.
- reaperducer 5y ago
  If there's a camera on the front, might want to wear a mask too.. It's still 2021. There's no way I'd go into a Shake Shack without one!
  - a5aAqU 5y ago
    Facial recognition might still work with a COVID mask on. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-56517033 https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-56517033

hyperman1 5y ago

For companies doing this, I tend to give them the phone number of their own service desk.

bitbang 5y ago
When they ask for email address, I give them postmaster@hashbang.com
mixmastamyk 5y ago
Better to stop doing business, or they’ll never learn.
chillwaves 5y ago
On a related? note, local area code + 867-5309 seems to work for most store discount cards.
- _fool 5y ago
  Safeway no longer accepts that number at least in the 503 area code, I found out upon trying as was my custom, a few years ago. The cashier recognized it and laughed with me as she scanned her own card which they keep on hand precisely for these reasons, as I understand it.
  - chillwaves 5y ago
    Actually, I did have trouble at Safeway with this recently but the cashier kindly gave me a card that scans -- very nice because it has none of my information associated with it. Related, but when I am forced to read the number instead of just typing it in, I consciously say "Eight Six Seven Five Three Zero Nine" instead of "Oh"!

akudha 5y ago

Years ago, I was at a huge electronics store in NYC. I wanted to buy something small, maybe 30 bucks worth. The cashier won’t bill unless I gave him my phone number. I asked him why he needs my number, he said “in case you return the item”. I told him he needs the receipt, not phone number, while returning items. He didn’t budge. I didn’t want to cause a scene, so I left without purchasing. It is not just collecting the information, it is also treating customers like idiots and with total contempt. I never set foot in that store again. There should be a oath (like doctors) for software professionals. I don’t think it will practically change anything, but at least it will create a tiny bit of awareness. People who code shit like this parking app should really ask themselves if it is worth it

chillwaves 5y ago
Imo, name and shame.
mLuby 5y ago
To be fair to the cashier, they were probably given no choice in the matter. One of those "I'm sorry, the system won't let me proceed without this info." "Required form fields" are one of those great power/great responsibility things.
- jcpst 5y ago
  It makes me wonder, when I draw a line in the sand with a clerk, how often they just enter junk data into the system so they can get on with their shift.
  - rurp 5y ago
    Many years ago I worked as a cashier (at Trader Joes no less) and occasionally had to ask customers for this sort of information. I had zero problem just punching in fake data if the customer didn't want to provide it, and sometimes I just went ahead without asking, if the customer was clearly busy with a crazy kid/pet/whatever. Some cashiers were diligent about the data collection but many, probably most, had a similar approach to mine.

dogman144 5y ago

“Do you need my phone number to checkout” or “I forgot my phone” always works tbh. Just have to be a little disagreeable.

rav3ndust 5y ago
What about a simple "I don't have a mobile?" A lot of folks forget there are still people who don't have one - and many who don't want one. If the store won't transact with someone simply because they don't feel like handing out that bit of information (or simply because they don't have the information to provide), they're not really a store worth transacting with.
- mcculley 5y ago
  Don’t feel like you need to lie. Just say, “no”.
  - rav3ndust 5y ago
    I didn't suggest to lie, I said, what if the customer actually doesn't have a mobile? Have we reached the point now where if someone claims not to have one, they're lying? I should clarify i wasn't referring to myself - I have a mobile (deGoogled, at least). But there do exist people who don't want or need a mobile device.
    - mgkimsal 5y ago
      sure, but you may still have a landline. but... the whole "we need this for returns" line is just weird.
    - mcculley 5y ago
      You replied to “I forgot my phone” and I thought you were helping that argument.
      - dogman144 5y ago

kart23 5y ago

experienced this too recently. i asked to order with a cashier and they gladly obliged.

donio 5y ago

Having to install a special app just to park is not even convenient, it's a pain in the ass.

Blammar 5y ago

This reminds me so much of how Radio Shack used to operate. I'd go there to buy some capacitors or solder, and the cashier would demand my full name, address, phone number every single time. I just said, nope, here's the cash, give me the receipt.

protomyth 5y ago
One of my buddy's actually had them refuse to sell him some parts. He had given them his address and all (not a confrontational person) and they denied the sale. I bought the stuff for him. I used cash and did not identify myself. I get the feeling Radio Shack had some other stuff going on.
- lotsofpulp 5y ago
  For stores with return policies, there is value in knowing who may be abusing them and/or causing them to lose money.
  - ipaddr 5y ago
    When I worked at radio shack we would send catalogues, later fliers. We would ask during a return and require it. When buying anything with cash it was optional. The sales staff had to maintain an 80% ratio per day.
  - protomyth 5y ago
    He never returned anything and was a pretty frequent buyer (he was big into a lot of hobbies that he could build electronics and he built stuff for work). They rung him up and then the store employee said they couldn't sell him these items. He started ordering from catalogs after that. Didn't matter much I guess as Radio Shack stopped selling components not long after.
- Spooky23 5y ago
  They would sell that information to skip tracers. CVS was big into this as well. These private parking things are similar, there is a network of near real-time alerting about vehicle location for repo men.

_puk 5y ago

The minute tech gets involved it's also another thing to go wrong.. Personal anecdote time: Recently went to a car park that had to pay by phone and no phone signal (in the UK if it's relevant). This was obviously a common problem, so they provided an open WiFi network limited to just the parking website. Unfortunately, I had to create an account to be able to pay to park, and the account creation was gated by a Google captcha that.. wouldn't load as it was blocked. So no way to pay to park, and a crowd of confused tourists all trying to work out how the hell to park without getting a fine. Fun times

mr_cyborg 5y ago
Parking in the UK was a nightmare for me. I don’t remember the specifics, but either a 1 or an I is a valid character for a license plate, and the other isn’t valid. The app used standard iPhone fonts such that the one that will never exist in the UK looked exactly like the WRONG character on my phone. I got a parking ticket from the first parking lot we parked in on that trip, within just a few moments of walking out of the lot. I had screenshots and everything that showed that I paid, and the language the company used on its tickets and also appeals process was completely foreign to me, an American. Total nightmare but after many rounds of back and forth I was able to successfully appeal, and then get them to explain to me in more plain language that it actually was successful.
nicbou 5y ago
This reminds me of all the QR code menus that rely on everyone having a data connection. International tourists also eat in restaurants.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

h0nd 5y ago

What I mostly do not like about these new techs: dependence. Before you needed simply cash to pay for parking. Now you need a phone with a non-empty battery, mobile internet connection and a digital mean of payment provided by a third party that takes its share.