TMI

So there I am buying a belt at a department store and before he tells me what the price is with the tax, the nice boy behind the counter asks me for my phone number. Now the belt I was buying did not match my shoes so I knew he was not hitting on me. So I asked him; "Why do you need my phone number?" "It is just to track our customer base"; he returned. So I told him that I don't give out my phone number because I hate telemarketer calls. To which he assures me that my information would not be used for marketing purposes. So I informed him that was was what the last person told me and now I get messages on my answering service about "Exciting Sale Opportunities". "If you are already getting messages then what does it matter?" he asks. "Exactly"; I retorted. Then he tells me that he has to enter a phone number in order to get to the screen that allows him to ring me up. So then I said; "Are you telling me that it is physically impossible to come in here and buy a belt without giving you a phone number?" Click, Click, Click and he was ringing me up.
Kramer had it right on Seinfeld when he questioned why you have to give your address to buy batteries at Radio Shaq. I mean how many of us have key chains heavy laden with in store sale cards? Remember the good old days when stores tried to put out a good product at a competitive price in order to earn your patronage? Now they force you to give up personal information for them to sell (no matter what you hear otherwise) for the privilege of saving a dollar off four dollars worth of shredded store-brand cheese. So in addition to department stores and grocery stores making money of the sale of your personal information, the telephone company makes money off their call filtering services so that after answering your phone, you do no have to hear that familiar: silence...click... "Hello, is this Mr. So-and-So?" (add the foreign accent of your choice).
I usually delete all forwarded emails, but my friend who knows this sent me a great one. Next time you get a telemarketer call tell them: "That sounds great, but hold on a second..." Then go mow the lawn. If you are not interested and say "no", they still know that is a live phone line and still call. If you wast their time, they take you off their list. Hate junk mail? Try using the pre-approved envelopes they send you to send them back some of your other junk mail on their dime! (four dimes actually) Thank-you Beth!