I was looking at ISPs yesterday as my current contract ran out so they're taking the opportunity to wring me for all my money. One place I looked at has a regular price and "members price" for every plan. I go to see what a membership entails and it points me to download an app. No clue if the membership is free or not because I don't want or need an app for every utility and purchase I make. People like you and I are not the norm but from my viewpoint you're being reasonable and the world has lost all sense of normalcy and reason.

Another way they get your phone number is mandatory SMS 2FA login. The Dunkin Donuts app does this shitty behavior.

From a privacy point of view, it makes pefect sense to not share your phone number with a merchant. The only buisness you have with them is a single transaction, they don't need any more information about you other than knowing that you paid.

The last time I bought a Mac was like 10 years ago, at an independent computer shop that specialized in them. The person at the register insisted on getting my personal info "because Apple needed it" but I didn't want to give it. The person at the register very slowly sauntered up to their manager, had a long discussion, and eventually they figured something out because I suddenly didn't need to give my info. It was kind of nervewracking because I was paying cash and I was like: what if I hand it over, and they change their mind? It's not like I could call the cops, I'm the wrong demographic.

Anyway, whenever I thought about getting an Apple system, I remembered that experience and went with something else.

I miss print coupons. Hearing "get the app" or "there's an app for it" makes me flinch these days.

It’s been more than 20y since the first time I remember sternly declining to give either a phone number or postal code to a cashier in a retail shop. It pissed me off then and still pissed me off now.

Best not to overthink it - The sales clerk is trained to ask for this stuff.

Luckily most times I encounter this I just tell them no I don't have a phone number with them & continue checkout like normal. Sometimes that means not getting a sale price on something but usually I avoid those type of member-specific sales anyway.

And worst case - Just make something up. At Best Buy a sales rep absolutely refused to sell me something from the mobile dept without my info. Which didn't make sense because earlier I had bought something at that same Best Buy with a different rep & that rep took my order without my info no problem (she said she had to enter a phone number but just entered Best Buy's).

Yet this particular sales rep refused to proceed without info, so yeah he got an entire fictional name/address/phone/email on the spot.

I asked nicely why do I need to give my phone number and I was told that to register me as a member so I can get the discount.

I declined and said I don’t want to join and would like to just pay.

I've just said "I don't have one" when asked this for awhile. This never seems the phase the cashiers, I'm guessing they know what that really means. Half the time I still get whatever discount, though I've never tried to sign up for a membership saying that.

If it's an online form my phone number is just (local area code)555–5555. I've never had that not take, except for one case where it automatically enabled 2-factor auth and I had to create a new account.

A long time ago they wanted a phone number for me to get a hair cut. She looked at me like I was crazy when I said no.

I realized a few years ago that my GF inadvertently solved this issue for me: She likes registering for anything that provides a discount, so I use her phone number.

"Are you a member?"
"Nope, but my GF probably is..", and 90% of the time I am correct.

Here it's similar. I've found out that if to the question

do you have our membership?

I respond "No, thank you", they often understand correctly and don't assume I want to set one up

They are told to try to convince people to sign up. So they're going to act manipulative in order to get you to. It's just part of their job. Just keep refusing and don't think much of it.

I encountered this in a computer club (I mean the place where you play per hour to play computer games on a good PC if you lack a suitable one at home). The accounts there were using phone numbers as usernames, and apparently if one is used, it would have to be verified. However, after refusing I was just given one-time accounts every time (with a random string of digits as the username), I just couldn't save unspent time for another visit so had to pay precisely. Funnily enough, the host herself the first time mentioned one-time phone number rental services for this reason)