So, it seems that almost every time I go to a website on a mobile device these days, I am constantly nagged about installing a new app that will give me all the latest goodies. Please, just stop.
No, really, stop it.
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I don’t need a program to tell me where you stores are in Albuquerque or what the super special saver of the week is. I’m trying to get rid of all the stupid apps I already have. I never use them, and if I need to know something I’ll just Google it, thank you.
In fact, this whole approach to programming is stupid. First off, the amount of space I have on my devices is limited, so I don’t want or need a bunch of useless programs on there. I need that space for cat videos. And which is easier – scrolling through fourteen pages of icons to find the right one or typing “S-Mart” into a browser search. Do you want a hundred tools that do basically the same thing or one tool that does everything? I am not stupid. I know that you think if I have your “free” app I am more likely to visit your store or service.
Oh, and stop trying to link everything to a Facebook account. That dinosaur is already on a path to self-destruction and I want to have nothing to do with it anymore. If it wasn’t for my Goodreads account, I would have deleted it long ago. My mother has a Facebook account (granted, I had to set it up for her). That makes Facebook one step above granny spam.
(While I’m complaining about social media, could someone please make a Twitter browser that scrolls down from the top and not up from bottom. I’m tired of reading everything backwards. I will pay.)
I have a hatred for retail rewards programs, as well. People, these so called rewards programs are all a scam. First off, you have to sign up to join and give them all kinds of personal information, which they enter into a database which they either use to target you with more advertising, or they sell it off to someone else. Second, the return on purchases (usually a few percent) is just enough to keep you interested, but not enough that it’s any kind of bargain. This is the same logic used in casinos and lotteries. And all those so called rewards? They are not free. You pay for them every time you shop there with slightly higher prices on all the regular items. Sounds like a hell of a deal now, doesn’t it?
Don’t get me wrong. I accept that advertising is often a necessary evil to pay the bills and I’m willing to play. But of you are going to be deceptive or persistent or intrusive or just plain stupid, I am going to stop buying your products just on principle. Just like television shows that advertise for five minutes straight and then have banner ads DURING THE PROGRAM, there is a point where people will say enough already and turn off the television. Because there are always other options.
Also, when did I turn into a grouchy, old man. GET OFF MY LAWN!
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Crazed recluse and sociophobe who has taken up writing after failing at everything else. Send pizza.
Verbatim Gibberish 
I think there are rewards programs that are decent out there but unless you know your prices you are right you might not be getting the deal you thought you were. Knowing your prices is key and I’ve gotten back enough to know that. I also agree they take your personal information but then we readily give it up all around us. Thanks for sharing my post.
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