Shops pushing for your email address

I made the mistake many years ago once of giving my email address to a local hairdressers. I was deluged with rubbish from them and the only time it eventually stopped was when they closed for good.

Just unsubscribe.

I tried many times but it was ignored.

If asked in a shop for my email address, I say I don't have one. So far as I'm aware, it isn't yet compulsory! I don't give my phone number, either, unless there's a good reason it might be needed, e.g.: to arrange delivery, etc.

I love receipts by email. I never mislay them, they’re easy to file and store , long may it last I say.

If you use hotmail you can unsubscribe from any email lists your on, often with one click or at worst use the block button and that stops them dead.

You can just say no thank you or if caught up in this unsubscribe. DH likes to subvert the system by giving them wrong numbers/addresses

Just say I don’t want to give it. Simple. It’s an intrusion which is only for their benefit, just say no!

I have an email address just for this, rbearshopping@... All the receipts and junk go in there, and it’s easy to delete the stuff I don’t want.

Me too, RustyBear - I keep one email address just for prospective junk.

Have never had a receipt emailed to me or heard of this practice.

More and more shops are doing this - I too always decline because I am not sure how it will work if I need to return the item as I don't keep all my emails on my phone. These companies already have my email address as I also order online from them so I am not bothered about that. In fact, the marketing side of things didn't occur to me. I do think, in the longer term, e receipts will become the norm. Is it not more to do with cutting down on paper, like e bank and financial statements are more the norm now and you have to opt in for paper ones?

Just say "no" ......

Easy to take a second to say you don't have an email address and that ends the conversation. Having said that it always annoys me to

I gave Argos my email without thinking about it but he wrote it down wrong. I don't think I will if I buy from them again. The less personal info corporations have the better.

Just invent an e-mail address to be used on such occasions, the same with phone numbers!

When the conversation about the receipt comes up simply say you want a paper receipt there and then. If a separate conversation then arises about email addresses you have three options - say you don't have an email address, say your email address cannot receive personal emails (a business one, or tell the truth and say you think it's an intrusion by the company to ask you for this personal information and to involve you in another layer of administration which is simply to the company's benefit - i.e. it doesn't spend the money on the paper receipt, and it gains marketing information. You will find no answer to this. If you know of particular shops/companies that always ask for your email, stop the request dead before it's even made by saying you want a printed receipt on the spot.

Like Teetime's DH I give false email address, usually something like [email protected], but should I have to give my real email for some reason, and then it doesn't let me unsubscribe, or they ignore my unsubscribe attempts, I use their email address as a spam dump, they then assume I have a virus sending emails out from my address and then they rapidly unsubscribe me.

Silverhippy, love that one! Well done

What a great idea, Silverhippy!

I just say I havent an e mail address, or NO sometimes, depending on what mood I am in!

What I think many of you will be unaware of is company’s insist their staff collect emails.
I worked for a nursery/toy shop that “offered” e-reciepts and if staff didn’t get a 40% take-up they would be subject to disciplinary action.
False e-mail addresses can’t be delivered and are recorded as “hard bounces” and the assumption is you have miss-typed the address and so you have a disciplinary meeting if you have too many.
I’m presantl unemployed

There is no doubt that the company would use it for marketing purposes afterwards. I am amazed that companies can get round the Data Protection Act in this way.

Yes, you can no doubt unsubscribe but it may be too late - the email address may have already been shared.

I also never complete marketing surveys. A few years ago I started completing one with an offer for those who completed it to be entered into a draw with a very attractive holiday prize.

The questions were highly intrusive - what is the household income, how many children do you have, how many cars in the household, where do you like to go on holiday, etc.

It rapidly became obvious that the information would be perfect for marketing purposes. The double negatives and wording of the opt-out for them sharing the information was very confusing and I wasn't sure whether to tick the box or not.

The message is the same as that for all scams: be very wary of giving out personal information that identifies you and never provide your contact details.

Had never heard of this until last year when doing some Christmas shopping.....New Look and Burton's both asked for it. I was taken by surprise but did,nt give it. Just said I prefer a paper receipt please ...and got one. Now I know this am forwarned in case asked anywhere else.

If you can still get a receipt on paper, opt for that and say you are not interested in giving them your e-mail address.

Many receipts if printed out from a cash register these days fade so badly that they become quite illegible in a very short time and are quite useless, if you have to make a complaint. I get round this by taking a digital photo of the receipt and storing it on my computer.

If you can only get a receipt by electronic means, I would follow the suggestion already made to have a gratis e-mail address only for this kind of thing. And delete all the bumf they send you that you don't want.