Am I vaguely on topic by moaning (maybe ranting) about Screwfix and their preference for customer accounts?
I'm doing some DIY and find myself there almost weekly. Every time I go to the counter they ask for my surname, which I don't give, mumbling something like "Just sell me the thing". They ask if I have an account and I say I don't want one. Then the person has to go and get the 'anonymous' code: they have to insert a special code for customers who wish to remain anonymous.
One guy really huffs and puffs about this, making a big show about having to ask Dave for the code, coming back and finding that the code doesn't work, and then having to check it again with Dave (I'm not sure there really is a Dave: I've never seen him).
Anyway, eventually, he gets the code right and the transaction continues.
But they always issue the warning: "You'll have to keep your receipt if you need to return it" (because, if I had an account, I wouldn't need the proof of purchase for a return). But they say it like it's a really complicated concept, like I haven't had to do that, EVERY FUCKING WHERE ELSE, EVER!
(Ah, made it to a rant)
I suppose the database of customer accounts has a value to the company but so, presumably, does the actual money I spend there, even if I do it anonymously?
Screwfix is nearer to me, and cheaper, than most of the alternatives, but I still sometimes consider shopping elsewhere, just to avoid the the above.