I recall getting asked for my mail address at a UK retail electronics store some time in the 2010 to 2015 time period. They wouldn't complete the transaction without it. I walked out and bought it from Amazon UK instead. I figured if I was giving my mail address away I might as well get the benefit of the cheaper sticker price.

I've not been very sympathetic to the demise of bricks & mortar retail since then.

It's better to rely on a distant and unaccountable corporation than on the people in your community.