If the security detector at the store beeps on your way out ... (1 Viewer)

[Sue_New]

This is exactly how I feel, only about Wal-Mart (I will never pay to shop at some ridiculous Sam's Club or sign some 'agreement' to be harrassed in this manner!). A few months back I shopped at Wal-Mart and bought three things in a hurry. I paid for my items and then was stopped to show proof of my purchases. There were several other persons stopped, as well. I inquired as to why, while I ruffled through my list of *many* receipts in my purse, slowing down the process more. To say the least I was irked and I glared at the poor woman a glare that could kill. She stated two of my items were not in a bag. Um, ok, these items are a gallon of milk and a TALL package of T-paper. I remark to this lady that if being bagged is a requirement to get out of the freakin' store, A)there should be training for the casheirs to bag EVERYTHING. And B) the cashier should tell you to keep your receipt out for such checks if that is their policy.
Not to mention there were NO displays of milk or toilet paper between the registers and the door. Hmmmm....

Regardless, I hate being treated like a criminal and will NEVER shop at Wal-Mart again because of this. Likewise for any other store I am treated as such.

For what it's worth, I still shop at Best Buy, but I hate their security/'greeters' and glare at them as I enter and never respond in kind. The whole premise of them saying 'hi' to you so you are less likely to steal is an insult. I'm not there to befriend them. I want to walk in and out un-harrassed by their employees. This includes all the high school geeks who ask you in every department if you need anything (there are far too many clerks there). Wait, it sounds like I need to stop shopping there....

I say to the OP, "go LewB"! Stick up for consumer's rights!

 

[Malcolm R]

Technically, the building is the property of the landlord too. But if the retailer is leasing the property, they probably have some rights over the parking area as well.

 

[Win Joy Jr]

I keep going. Anyone trying to stop me will be paying me until they day they die...

And when Best Buy tries to inspect my purchase, I decline and keep going. The LP guy says anythong and the get the bird...

 

[Cees Alons]

Unfortunately, a colleague once told me this:

His teenage daughter had a temporary job at a well-known retailer (food) and when he was there, shopping, he proudly went to her boot to pay. Of course (as he explained to me), he carefully watched that she didn't make a mistake, like forgetting one of the items.

Later she told him, to his disgust, that family of other girls often did quite the opposite: they specifically chose the checkout of their relative to get some stuff for free, often there even was some moral pressure on those girls to "favour" them (and neighbours and other acquaintances came as well).


So what they're checking there at the exits isn't exactly you: it's their cashiers as well. Or at least they add another layer of security.

True, the world shouldn't be that way, but dishonesty is one of the facts of life.

You and I can help by not being too difficult about it (within reason) and that's why I'm readily willing to open my bag and let it be checked in cases like that. It's not aimed at me (I know I'm honest), it's helping to get society more pleasant. It's about who's side you are on.

At least, that's the way I see it myself.


Cees

 

[MarkHastings]

Cees, great post.

I know I hate when people say this, but to those who feel like they're treating you like criminals, you really need to calm down. As Cees explained, you're not being treated like criminals.

I think (within reason) a little cooperation with these stores is in the best interest for both parties. Those who give attitudes to this process, are the ones who just end up making it harder for the rest of us.

Have you ever encountered a snotty cashier before??? Well that's PROBABLY because of the asshole customer BEFORE you who treated the cashier with disrespect. And you're left with a bitter cashier.

So the next time you treat them with disrespect, just think about what that's going to do for the NEXT person they deal with I'm sure the next customer wouldn't appreciate you hasstling the cashier in that manner.

And yes, there are those who are saying that checking your reciept IS hasstling, but COME ON! Is it really that hard? We're not talking strip searches here, were talking about a glance in your bag.

Again, a little cooperation goes a LONG way. If you think you're ABOVE the stores policies, it's probably people like you who are the ones that make these cashiers (and secuirty guards) bitter and mean in the first place.

 

[Chris Lockwood]

> Most of the major retail stores I've been in usually have quite a lot of stuff at the front of the store between the checkouts and the exits.

But Sam's doesn't, & that's what I was talking about.

 

[EugeneR]

Most states have a law which is generally called "shopkeeper's privilege" which allows stores to detain (but not search) customers they reasonably suspect of theft until the police arrive. An alarm going off is likely sufficient to qualify as "reasonable suspicion."

However, stores like BestBuy do not (unlike Cosco or other membership clubs where this is part of the membership agreement) have the right to search you without any suspicion of theft, including checking your bag at the door as you are leaving. Of course, they count on most people not knowing this and offering their bag up voluntarily. While I will usually let them look in my bag in order to avoid a hassle, there's been many a time when I didn't want to wait in line and I've walked out without offering up my bag for a searche and have never been stopped. Of course, that doesn't mean that they never would, I wouldn't count on those people being real familiar with the law.

 

[Jeff_Standley]

2 suggestions.

1: If they do ask you to stop, let them demagnetize whatever it is because its not that big of a deal.

or

2: Run like hell.

 

[MarkHastings]

I would also hope that people would be considerate enough to allow a quick serach through their bag when the alarm goes off.

As was stated, people make mistakes (in the case of not demagnetizing the item), so why not be cooperative?

You know why cops act like assholes when they pull you over? Try dealing with the thousands of drivers who are uncooperative with the cop and give them attitude in the first place. That would make ME less tollerant of the next person to come along.

 

[Chris Lockwood]

> You know why cops act like assholes when they pull you over? Try dealing with the thousands of drivers who are uncooperative with the cop and give them attitude in the first place. That would make ME less tollerant of the next person to come along.

Using that logic, if one cop was rude when he pulled me over, I should be rude to the next one who stops me.

I don't know why people would "give them attitude". My strategy if I get pulled over is to be nice, since that should cut my chances of getting a ticket vs. me acting like a jerk.

 

[Ted Lee]

lol ... definitely sounds like lew was just having a bad day.

personally, working for said company, i see a lot of people accidently set off the sensors. but sometimes it's just one of those things. we sell a lot of stuff back in ht that are sensored ... but i'm *sure* i've forgotten at least a few times to demag it. also, sometimes people bring stuff from media (like videogames) that have those plastic cases. we don't have the keys in our department ... so we ring them up and tell them to demag it upfront.

the lp (loss prevention) guy is just doing his job. he's just trying to help the company not get ripped off. i don't see anything wrong with him asking you to come back so he can double-check the bag. whoever said they like to make the lp guy chase them is just being a jerk. i mean -- why would you intentionally make life hard for any employee, regardless of their role (loss prevention, cashiering, whatever) ... that makes no sense.

 

[RickER]

I agree 100% Ted. Cut a guy some slack for doing his job. You should see all the A holes i deal with in the Emergency Room. People can be so self centered. We can be working with a heart attack victim, and someone with a hang nail will come in and ask us how much longer it will be...they are in a hurry! Just enjoy life, and let the dude look in your bag...its all good.

 

[MarkHastings]

As was stated previously: If you set off the alarm, 9 times out of 10, you can just stop, turn to the cashier and give them the "what did I do?" look and they'll let you just walk away.

But if the alarm goes off and you keep walking, you've just given the secuirty guard 2 good reasons to assume you've just shoplifted:
1) The alarms went off
2) It didn't stop you

and if the guard calls after you and you still don't stop, that's now 3 good reasons. And if you give him attitude, you're up to 4 good reasons. It sounds like 4 good reasons could have you in front of a cop, explaining the situation, but I guess (in this country) you'd probably sue the store, claiming some kind of freedom of rights thingy instead of just letting the guy do his job. :frowning:

 

[Don Black]

Personally, I stop simply because it's easy. But I fully support those who want to continue to leave. You have no legal obligation to stop and the fact that the company wants to raise profits by 1% by reducing shoplifting should not inconvenience YOU any.

It's the same BS when they ask for my zip code or whatever. I tell them no. Sure, it's easy to give to them. But I don't feel obligated to sacrifice my right to privacy to the store just so they can better profile their customer base.

Remember, the burden of proof is always on the accuser and not the person being accused. It's one of founding principles of this country. The "they were just doing their job" argument is simply a lazy response to improper conduct. It didn't work for Enron, or at Abu Ghraib, and it certainly shouldn't work in a U.S. retail environment.

 

[Ted Lee]

have you ever owned your own business? wouldn't you want to do everything you can to prevent financial loss?

 

[Cees Alons]

Don,

No, it's not. It's a principle in court. You cannot be held guilty by the authorities until proven so in a legal way.
This has nothing to do, however, with individuals checking certain things if there's reasonable doubt. And the alarm going off certainly established a reasonable doubt - in fact a certainty - that the proper procedure is NOT being followed. As I said before: they're not just checking you, they're also checking their staff.

And like you, I'm willing to help them.
There's some similarity with the fight against terrorism: we're working together to fight shoplifting and theft and improper negligence.


Cees

 

[Don Black]

Working together, however, involves an affirmative decision to cooperate. Like you, I am generally happy to grant such a degree of cooperation. However, I again fully support anyone who chooses not to cooperate as well.

And I'm not touching the "fight against terrorism" argument with a ten foot pole...

 

[Brian Johnson]

That's along the lines of what I was thinking.
From now on if the sensors go off I'm going to drop my bags & put my hands high on the wall & spread my legs.
That'd be hilarious.


Seriously, if the alarm goes off when I am walking out then I'll give them a few seconds to come over to me & check. If that few seconds passes and no one is on the way to check then I continue on. Simple enough.

 

[Cees Alons]

Don,

Indeed it would be unwise for me to go argue about the interpretation of the US Constitution and/or its amendments.

But I'm pretty sure that someone kindly asking me or you to share information about the contents of our bags isn't "illegally/incorrectly/improperly disrupting" our lifes. Also, our possible willingness to cooperate wouldn't mean 'giving in' on such a disruption.

In my opinion, that's what this thread is about. Am I willing to help them to help me get rid of an activated tag. My answer is yes, gladly, for reasons given before.

Of course, if they'd threaten me to be kept by four armed men by force and have to allow a full-cavity search, that could make quite a different picture - in the US as well as anywhere else.


Cees

 

[Kim D]

Sometimes I want the security detector to go off!

I bought a pair of Lucky Brand jeans. Incredible bargain. $10.98 marked down from $110.98. I paid my money and walked out the door. No beeping.

I got home. Tried on the jeans. Saw the sensor.

I didn't want to ride back to the store. So I considered taking the sensor off myself. Glad I saw the warning before I tried to pry it off. Something about permanent dye and broken glass.

I would much rather have lost a minute or two of my time on my way out the door than an hour or two because I had to go back.

- kim