Many folks have written with perfectly plausible explanations about why
merchants take my phone number on a credit card charge.  What these fail
to address, however, is that if I'm perpetrating a fraud in the use of
this credit card, I'm not about to give out a correct phone number.
They make no effort to validate the phone number before I leave, so what
they're doing is collecting the phone numbers of a bunch of honest
people.
 
Now then...Why are they collecting the phone numbers of a bunch of
honest people?
____________
 
and:
____________
I once asked why you are asked for your phone number when using your
charge cards.  The clerk explained that thieves have been caught because
they stupidly put down THEIR home phone number, not the phone number of
the person who "owned" the card.
 
__________________________
someone told this story:
 
I got a call yesterday from your typical sales rep.  Actually, she wasn't
so typical...
 
TELEPHONE: RING!
ME [picking up phone]: Hello?
SALES REP: Hello.  I represent such-and-such a company.  We make products
           for children and _
ME: Excuse me.
SALES REP: Yes?
ME: I don't have any children.
SALES REP: Do you have any grandchildren, then?
 
I gave up at that point...
 
__________________________
 
A man dies and is getting his tour of heaven.  His guide is pointing out the
various features and landmarks when the man asks, "What's that cliff?"
 
"Oh, you don't wan to look down there.  That's hell!"
 
The man creeps up to the edge and looks over.  He sees lush, green valleys,
verdant farmland and trees everywhere.  "This doesn't look so bad," he says.
Puzzled, the guide comes over and looks down.
 
"Dang!" he snaps, "Those Mormons have been irrigating again!"