Playing name games

For years, companies like Starbucks have been asking customers for their name. Using a name - as opposed to a generic “sir”, “ma’am” or “miss” - gives the cafe a sense of familiarity, as well as providing a convenient way to match customers with their orders. I find this to be a good system and would rather have my name called out by a barista than have to match a number on a receipt to my order or try to explain to an angry looking octogenarian that my caramel macchiato is not the same as her black coffee. Incidentally, the latter happens quite a lot, since the people who want to fight over drinks are the same people who hate to give their names to the baristas. Needless paranoia, since your first name is not generally considered to be classified information.

But other companies are utilizing the name-calling strategy to enhance customer relations. The Washington Post says that the companies who do this, like Safeway, are attempting to create the personable atmosphere of the coffee shop and encourage feelings of customer loyalty. Unfortunately, unlike the first-name only coffee identification system, some people feel that being addressed by Mr. or Mrs. Smith at the grocery store is not only an invasion of privacy, but a possible baby step towards identity theft. The names at Safeway are read off your club card membership, but other stores encourage clerks to read the names of receipts and credit cards to learn customer names.

Like many others, my card is under name that is not my own, since I did not feel that the grocery store, though they asked for a lot of information, was entitled to anything other than a name with my “club card”. I don’t think I’ll have any problems in the grocery store until people start routinely mistaking my cart for their own, so let’s keep the name games in the coffee house. I’m tired of people taking my drink.

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