So here’s the thing…

I understand websites wanting to put you on mailing lists.

I get that it’s about the click count and revenue.

What I don’t get is a web site that won’t let me at least do a little “window shopping”

I’ve been to a few websites, the most recent was something called Wayfair. This site bills itself as a Home goods site in the clickthrough ad, BUT they want your email address before you even get to find out if they carry anything that you’d purchase.

For example, I know Williams-Sonoma and Bed Bath & Beyond carry name brand products from Cuisineart, and Keurig, and both sites will sell online.

I don’t know if Wayfair sells quality products unless I give up an email address and they have no way of knowing if the address I’ve given them is legit, or a “Burner”.

Perhaps if they’d let me browse for a bit, or they hid their prices until I gave them an email address, I’d be more likely to cooperate.

As it is, if the first thing I see when I’ve clicked on a retail site from an AD, is “Give use your email address” I’m 100% likely to close the browser window. They’ve wasted their advertising dollar and time. And I’m not going to waste any more of my time looking at their site.

I feel like I shouldn’t be asked to sign up for yet more JUNK mail, before I’ve even had a chance to decide if the retailer carries products I’m interested in.

I know an email address isn’t that big a deal, but I feel like email addresses are to some extent the currency of the internet and as such me being charged an entry fee to a website I know nothing about is kinda like prepaying to eat at a restaurant while standing in line with no menu and no idea what the place serves.

I use an ad blocker all the time. Recently, I’ve been seeing some websites scolding me about my use of an ad blocker and telling me I should open myself to the flood of ads that make trying to get real information from the internet so difficult. I disagree.

When I actually do notice an ad that is NOT popping up over what I want to read, and I do click on it I have some reasonable expectation that I’ll “window shop” and make a decision based on what I see.

I’m not likely to pay for food before I see it, I’m equally not likely to give up an email address just to gain entrance to a “me too” site.

I know I’m in the minority, but a guy has to have some standards!

Since I wrote this piece, Wayfair has apparently removed the email wall. Maybe I’m not the minority I thought I was.

Hmm.