[vulcan01]

> It annoys my wife because she thinks I'm being rude

You are being rude. The innocent cashier is forced to ask you that question and has no power to change the rules. Why not be polite to them? If you really want to change things, try asking to speak to the manager (after you're done checking out, of course!).

[tobr]

> You are being rude. The innocent cashier is forced to ask you that question and has no power to change the rules.

Then the person being rude is the person forcing the cashier to do this. The customer should push back, so the cashier can push back.

[throwaway3699]

Both are rude.

The cashier and customer should both realize that neither of them want to do this, and be polite about it.

The cashier has to do that all day, every day though, so I feel like they get a pass.

[vulcan01]

If you push back, nothing happens to you.

If the cashier pushes back, they may be punished (up to and including getting fired — there's more competition for cashier-level jobs than you think).

[bongoman37]

How is not giving personal information rude? He is just telling them the truth that they don't need that information which is correct. If a cashier were to ask you your bra size would you be okay with it? Why is it okay to ask for phone number which will give you all that and more.

[jraph]

politeness and truth are orthogonal concepts. You can be both right and rude. Watching the Big Bang Theory can provide a feel for this.

you can be both honest and polite.

Politeness is also relative to whom you are speaking to.