My own personal survey

Is it just me or do you feel this way also?
There are 2 things lately that bother me when I go shopping, and they both mainly happen in grocery stores.

1. I do not like it when the clerk looks down at my receipt and then looks up and says, "Thank you Ms Shelley." This happens in one grocery store in particular (VONS). I rarely go there but when I do they always call me by name right at the end, just as I am leaving. Do they really think this is going to make a customer feel good? I do shop at stores where they really do know my name, and then I love it when they use it...but not in the fake way I just described. I don't know why it bothers me so much but it does.

2. I do not like it when I am asked, at the very end of my purchase, if I would like to donate a dollar to charity. If I want to donate to a charity I will do it on my own, not because they have just asked me in front of everyone else who is in line with me. I always say no. Especially when I heard the store gets a kick back of some kind by doing this. That's just not right. Or, the other popular thing many stores have begun doing is asking, "Would you like to round that purchase off to the next dollar to donate to breast cancer research (or whatever charity they are sponsoring) ?"

I know there are worth while charities to donate to. I just don't like the way they are going about it.

Am I the only one this bothers?

Or is this just a California thing?

23 comments:

Travis LeMaster said...

# 2 bothers me as well. They are playing on "false guilt" to raise money.

Connie said...

That's funny. I thought I was the only one bugged by both of these things.

Heather said...

The name thing doesn't really bother me, but the donation thing does. We were leaving Walmart the other day and an older man asked us (still inside the store) if we wanted to help our troops. When we said no thank you (very politely) he replied in a snotty voice "No donation?!" I respect and appreciate our troops, but when we donate money we like to talk about it first then decide to donate, not just be made to feel bad in a public place when we had just spent a lot of money buying necessities for our family.

Fisher Family Fun said...

I hate when they say my name and I hate when they ask for donation! Really bugs me!

Susan Anderson said...

Number one doesn't bother me, although I don't love it either.

But number two totally bothers me!

=)

Becky Jane said...

I guess I don't go shopping enough...or maybe they have learned to leave this woman alone, or I must have an angry looking face...lol

I don't get called by my name or asked for donations...

Stephanie Cozzens said...

No, these are just California things.
But my beef is a little different. I don't like having to give my phone number to the clerk before he/she will ring up my purchase. A few days I ago I refused to do so at Kmart and they still allowed me to make my purchase, but it took more effort to refuse than it would have to just tell them. (Incidentally, it's a market research tool, so providing them with that info only benefits the store.)

Oh well.

Donna Tagliaferri said...

I hate both things!! You are so right....it isn't just California...I don't like it.

Grandma Honey said...

Hey Steph~ Your phone #?? I've never had anyone ask for that. That would really bug me. Such an invasion of privacy.

Travis~ Exactly!

grandmapeg said...

Neither one bothers me, and no, it's not just a California thing. It happens here too. I try not to let these things bother me and if I don't want to give to the charity, I just say, "no thank you". It doesn't bother me to say no just like I don't judge the person in front of me that might say 'no'. I just figure that maybe they donate through other ways.

Anonymous said...

I've never been asked for a phone number. I wouldn't like that.
I don't mind them saying my name. I think they just want you to notice that they are checking to see if you are the person on the card. People do steal cards. I actually appreciate it For the same reason, I appreciate it when they ask for my ID, and I tell them so.
I do not donate to anything at the checkout counter. I give them a firm "No", and never feel guilty about it. They don't seem to care one way or the other. They are just doing what they are told to do from higher up.
darlene

threelittlebackseatdrivers.blogspot.com said...

I've never had them use my name. I do hate when they ask for donations, I always say no. THe last post from Darlene is right. When I worked at Albertsons we were just told to ask as a cashier-nothing personal from the actual cashier.

I ALWAYS get asked for my email or phone number and if I do say so myself, I have gotten really good at saying, "No, thank you," very well! :) And quick! Move on with my purchase please! I'm not giving personal info and while it is an effective marketing tool, I find it invasive and annoying. :)

Anonymous said...

It's not just a CA thing. I think the name thing is supposed to make us feel like they are trying to know you on a personal level but it is totally fake and annoying. And I never donate at the checkout either. I've never been made to feel guilty but I have had comments made by people sitting outside of stores at a table asking to "help support our veterans" or whatever they have going at the time. I've had more rude comments aimed at me for saying no. And also, with the telephone number thing... that's mainly at clothing stores at the mall. I always ask them to skip it and they always do without a fuss. I think they just enter in all zeros. I have never given my phone number to any store, it's for marketing and I refuse to lay their games!

Logan and Amy said...

#1 doesn't bother me, in fact I prefer it, but I don't like it when they make eye contact. I prefer they look down at the floor and have a quiver in thier voice saying, "thank you Mr. Heasley sir, thank you very much, you are so kind."

#2? I love it when they ask me for money to donate. By policy I always say, "No, but would you like to donate to my charity? I accept cash only....what, no donation?"

Logan Heasley

Grandma Honey said...

Thank you so much for all the feedback! I really questioned if I was in the minority in my thinking, but apparently not.

Grandma Honey said...

And Mr. Heasley, sir~ For some reason, this reminds me how back in the 6th grade you use to sign your name with quotations around it: "Logan Heasley" I once asked your teacher why you did that and he said, "Because he knows he's important."

And people probably think you are kidding about asking for donations right back, but I can totally see you doing that. :)

Rebecca said...

I don't like those things either. There is one store here that will always "thank you Rebecca" and I do not like that when they don't know me, just got my name off my credit card. The other thing I do not like is when they do not even acknowledge me when I am right there at the check out. Don't even say hello, just go right on checking my groceries. I asked the girl at Walmart if she could see me because it seemed I might be invisible.....!!!!

Grandma Honey said...

Rebecca~ I wonder if you woke up the Walmart clerk by saying that! I've asked clerks before if they were feeling okay when they seemed so out of it. I once even asked that of a waitress and she ended up sitting down with us and talking about her problems.

Richard said...

I like it when they call me Mrs. Shelley...

Carly said...

I always punch in my mom's phone number at Von's since I don't have my own card so they call me Mrs. Kennington. It always gives me a double-take. Its like I'm a part-time criminal taking on false identities. I like to live on the edge, lol.

Stephanie Cozzens said...

I think you touched a nerve!

And my comment should have said that it ISN'T just a California thing.

I guess I keep shopping at the same stores, so it must not bother me too much.

Lisa said...

The charity thing bugs me & I always say "NO."

@ the name thing. I had to laugh because the last 3 times we went to Costco, I was with G & each time a worker would say to G, "HI! You are Lisa's husband right?" LOL Walking around with that white cane makes me easy to spot & the workers there know me because the work in the eye care & hearing center where they would have to see my name ALOT. : ) It was very amusing.

As for the passing out in Sac., he used to get nervous & didn't eat. After 6 times, he figured out that he needed to take a candy bar with him & that seems to do the trick!

Ry said...

My pet peeve are the shopping cards. Talk about invasion of privacy! People mindlessly fill out the application with all their personal info (or enough to cross-reference their data in other databases, e.g. Phone number). Then let the company build a massive profile of purchases over months or even years - all to save a few cents on groceries. You don't have a clue how available all that info is to whoever wants to know it.

I also don't like the "did you find everything OK today?" question. Too late now... I'm checking out!

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