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Spotted something creepy at my local grocery store self-checkout
Went to Kroger last Tuesday to grab a few things and noticed the self-checkout screens had this new pop-up asking for my phone number before I could scan anything. Not for a loyalty card, just to "personalize my experience." I watched six people in front of me tap it in without blinking. Nobody read the tiny text below saying it would be shared with third-party advertisers. When I asked the manager about it, he said it was optional but the machine wouldn't let me skip unless I pressed a tiny "no thanks" link in the corner. Has anyone else seen these aggressive opt-in designs popping up in stores near you?
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reese_lee91mo ago
oh man, the same thing happened to me at a Giant Eagle last week. I was trying to scan a bag of apples and this box just popped up covering half the screen, asking for my email address. I pressed the little X in the corner like three times before it let me scan. the manager just shrugged and said it's for "feedback purposes" but i saw the settings later, it was asking to send me targeted ads. i mean, idk about you but that tiny "no thanks" link feels like a trap. it's like they hope you'll eventually get annoyed and just type your number in.
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john_fisher1mo ago
I used to be one of those people who just tapped in my number without thinking because I figured it was harmless. But last month at a Food Lion self-checkout I hit the wrong button and ended up subscribed to like five marketing emails before I even realized what happened. It took me twenty minutes on the phone to get unsubscribed from all of them. Now I actually look for that tiny "no thanks" link and it makes me mad every time I see how small it is compared to the phone number box.
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