this post was submitted on 23 Sep 2023
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I have recently started a new position and am required to use an app that has three Facebook trackers, one of them being a Facebook location tracker according to Exodus App Privacy in order to get your food when it would literally work perfectly fine ordering to a real cashier or shit even a website rather than having to download an app.

I have also read many stories of people that live in apartments that require them to use a mobile app for god damn LAUNDRY. All you need, is a card reader, and it will work perfectly fine like it has been for the longest time.

Privacy concerns aside, it is just annoying that you need this app and that app and this app and that app and it just clutters space on your phone. Security concerns too as now they have all of this additional info on you online, such as your phone number your email your real name, instead of just your credit card info like a card reader would have. And I am willing to guarantee that their security model is absolute horseshit because they have such a small team of engineers working on the app and the servers.

Literal enshitification

Magne

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[–] [email protected] 70 points 1 year ago (6 children)

The number of business that just expect that everyone has already downloaded and installed their app has become ridiculous.

Best Buy now demands an app be installed for order pick up. They are so sure you'll have already done that there are no instructions in their parking lot for pick up that don't include the app, no way to call them, and the lot employees say, "Just use the app and we'll get your order." It's like the 20% tips programmed into just about every payment machine these days. No, I won't leave you a 20% tip for handing me a receipt.

Even when going to Best Buy's service desk the reps looked at me like I was crazy. "No, I won't install your app to pick up an order" was met with confusion and open irritation. Fuck that.

And don't get me started on 'Reddit is better in our crappy Reddit app.'

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Dude same here for the Reddit prompt ! I browse incognito without a profile just to see some headlines... and every ten minutes or if I got to a risque sub, it will stop me and ask for the app download or if I want to stay on the browser..... if I wanted the app.. I would have gotten it.. I am on the browser for a reason...

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Just use third party apps. Oh wait...

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Yeah... Miss boost for reddit...

Excited it's coming out for Lemmy though. Right now I am on liftoff and it works well though

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Try to use "request desktop site", stuff may be sized weirdly, but at least you don't get that stupid pop up anymore

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

I find that many desktop sites scale just fine, and as you stated, the most common issue is simply that the elements may be sized a little strangely. The desktop sites tend to be way more functional. I miss my old Windows Mobile PDA with the stylus that could tap the smallest of links without a problem. With most phones I've had in recent history being at least 1920x1080, there's no reason a site shouldn't be able to display in desktop landscape mode.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

When something’s flagged NSFW, you can replace the “www” with “old” (e.g. old dot reddit dot com) to bypass :)

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Fast food is about 30% more expensive if you refuse the app.

Personal experience:

Tim Hortons

Wendy's:

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago

That's always the case in the beginning with those apps. And once they have market dominance and/or the shareholders want their ROI, they increase price and hope people still use it. See Uber for example.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

This is why I hope to god when I'm living in my own we never get to the point where apps become 100% required to purchase shit from a store. I'd rather starve and miss a day's worth of meals than order off an app.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Grocery shopping and food prep is always an option. Cheaper and healthier too.

If you have time to browse Lemmy, you got time to throw some shit in an air fryer/insta pot/slow cooker.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

That I can totally agree, as someone who actually enjoys cooking. If I could get my family on board, I wouldn't mind getting their help making and freezing meals on the weekend for days when we just don't feel like cooking or my mother's back is bothering her or whatever.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

My bachelor days I'd make a tray of lasagna or a pot of beef stew and I had meals for almost 5 days. I will say that I was really sick of lasagna or beef stew by day 4 though.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Looks like you'll be foraging for food in the woods

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Yeah, I hate that. At an old job, sometimes people would go around and take lunch orders before running to Wendy's, Hate Chicken, or Chipotle. I'd way rather give my coworker cash and let them have the bonuses and discounts and crap while I maintain the privacy afforded to cash-only Chads. It's still an L though because we're still giving the companies money.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Jesus, it's like they want you to order online from a third party instead of paying them.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

All the best buys I know of are shutting down. Doing the ol' circuit city.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Weird. I can just go to the mobile Best Buy site, pull up my order from my account, and get the barcode they need to scan from there. No need for the app.

I can do the same with the desktop site.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

IMO people should not have to know a company's policies and go through their website to make a purchase. Anyway, it would have been nice if they put that information on the sign in their pickup area, or their pickup reps or desk clerks mentioned it when I told them I didn't have the app. Instead they made it clear that everyone should either already have the app or install it because they said so.

Way, way too many companies and organizations (like the OP's) are pulling this kind of crap.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Reddit is better in our crappy Reddit app.

Oh fuck reddit for doing that.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I ordered online and picked up in store at best buy without their app. I showed them the email they sent with the info. No problems at all.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Could it be there's more than one Best Buy?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

My goodness, you're right! 😁

I thought all best buys had the same policies for everything? Or do they differ between Canada and the US?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Policies and practices are often very different things.