Anyone Up For Some Civil Disobedience?

[AZhitman]

A fantastic article, published in bwcitypaper.com... I HAD to share with you guys....

By David Pelfrey

November 16, 2006

Here’s a scenario that is familiar to anyone who has ever set foot in Wal-Mart, CVS, Rite-Aid, or any of a dozen other major retailers. After you have made a purchase, collected your bags, or packed everything into a shopping cart, you head for the exit. Just as you approach freedom an alarm sounds (usually a sequence of ugly, electronic grunts) and a robotic voice (always female) announces: “Please return to the checkout.” Other customers immediately look in your direction, and an employee begins to approach you. What’s your next move?

If you possess an ounce of personal pride or perhaps two ounces of fortitude, then the 100 percent correct move is to proceed immediately out the door. Why? There are many reasons, chief among them being that rational adults should not instantly obey mechanical voices (unless that voice instructs us to exit a burning aircraft). Also, if you haven’t stolen anything and therefore do not require interrogation, there is absolutely nothing that should compel you to linger post-transaction. It’s depressing enough simply being there in the first place. Another good reason to make a quick exit is that you aren’t being paid to assist some giant retailer with its security measures. You aren’t part of the team, and you didn’t clock in. The clearest reason for leaving the store, however, is that there exists absolutely no legal obligation to remain there, and the store has no right to detain you.

Because all of the above constitute my position on the matter, I have established a mildly adversarial relationship with many retail establishments with whom I continue to do business. I don’t mind too much, because so far I have won all the battles in this long and silly war. What does trouble me is that retailers who, as a matter of policy, routinely treat customers like criminals have not changed their attitude about the issue. In fact, some vehemently defend their policies. I began closely paying attention to this phenomenon several years ago. My story begins at Wal-Mart during the Christmas shopping season of 2000.

It’s an unpleasant fact of life that sometimes we must shop at Wal-Mart, but the selection and savings in the pharmacy and auto department are worth braving the depressing atmosphere if you can get in and out fast enough. A speedy departure is exactly what I was thinking about that December evening as I sped my cart, after paying for all nine items, toward one of the exits. I was stopped by a 60-something gentleman who said he needed to see my receipt and check what was in my cart. I smiled and said, “I’m in a hurry to get out of this madness. Can’t help you.”

The truth is that I had no idea where that receipt was, and I wasn’t keen to search for it. The gentleman moved in front of the cart and firmly gripped the sides, saying “Sir, I must see your receipt before you leave.”

“Oh, I see what you mean,” I replied. “I guess we better get one of your security people over here.”

That puzzled him for a second. “Will you wait here while I get somebody? he asked.

“No.” I said. “I’m out the door as soon as you get out of the way.”

This was a spontaneous answer on my part, but in all honesty I was delighted to have stumbled onto a perfect dilemma for this zealous worker. If he stood his ground, he couldn’t see my receipt. But if he went for assistance, he might lose an opportunity to nail the Tylenol/Windex/Aussie Moist Conditioner thief. He then began to work his way up the side of the cart toward me, his strategy apparently being to keep one hand on the side of the cart and one foot on the floor at all times. Finally, he took hold of my forearm, which surprised me, but not in a good way.

“Never mind security,” I said. “Now you better go find a real police officer.” My captor gave that notion a moment’s thought and then began sprinting toward the rear of the building, making a dash for help in an incident that, for him, must have been escalating toward Def-Con 1. He wasn’t scared; he was determined. I stood there for some time, partly because the whole ridiculous scenario had stunned me, but also because I was even more impressed by how fast the old guy could move. Two other employees and a few customers who were observing the scene were impressed in a different way, I concluded, because they were all laughing at the poor fellow. I proceeded to my car, and that was the end of that. I kept the incident in mind for future reference.

ï ï ï

In the spring, a man’s fancy lightly turns to lawn care, and I am therefore a frequent shopper in the gardening department at Wal-Mart, an area that in character and ambience stands in pleasant contrast to the rest of the store. I also have a habit of using the garden entrance and exit. But of course, that’s where the “greeter” invariably interrupts my reverie. “May I please see your receipt?” is the common request. The correct answer, which I also happened upon by accident, is “No, you may not.” What usually occurs next is that the greeter contacts security, because she or he never comprehends that they merely asked for permission that was subsequently not granted. There is nothing in that friendly exchange that hints of criminal activity, so what’s the point of hanging around?

If it sounds at this point as though I’m being an ornery crank about the whole matter, simply consider all those retail establishments at which customers spend vastly greater sums but are not interrogated before their departure. I’ve never been harassed at Pottery Barn or Restoration Hardware, for example. I resent certain measures taken by retailers who don’t check bags or receipts, but who do, by implication, still manage to punish all shoppers for the deeds of a few criminals. A favorite means of combating that takes place at Banana Republic and Macy’s. Just for fun, I’ll browse through the leather jackets or expensive sport coats that are fastened together by a cable that holds an alarm sensor. When a clerk approaches and offers to unstrap the merchandise, I simply inform him that I don’t try on clothes in orange-alert, high-security areas. Yes, I’m being a jerk in a very technical sense, but I’m sending a message to management, I hope. Throughout my struggle, I have assumed that enough of these encounters will eventually work their way up through corporate levels to a decision maker who might implement change. That may be a flawed assumption.

The idea that small battles won might not lead to final victory first entered my mind at Costco. Costco is one of my favorite stores in the world, from a purely fiscal perspective. You do indeed save money there. Moreover, the employees at this well-organized, disturbingly efficient warehouse are consistently cheerful and helpful. The butcher shop is cleaner than those I see at the major grocers in town. You can get a case of Coke in glass bottles for just over $10. No way is anyone going to foul up that shopping experience. But Costco is apparently willing to make the effort.

When you check out at Costco, an employee takes your cart, places items on a conveyor, and then another employee rings up the items. There are no bags here (one of the many cost-saving measures) but you may gather empty boxes from a designated area and organize things yourself, once you have paid. It’s a warehouse, after all. In any event, at this point a customer is at least 20 feet from any merchandise, with no access to the store unless they return through the checkout line. There’s nothing between you and the exit, except another employee who must check your receipt and mark it with a highlighting marker. Never mind that all of the items in your cart, which have obviously been paid for, were also placed there by a Costco employee.

One problem with this receipt-checking system is that on busy days it forces customers to form long lines at the exit. On some of my visits, I decided to roll past this line with my items, now that I owned them, and head straight to my car. The first time I tried this, a woman shouted at me to return to the store. I believe she was still yelling “Sir! Sir!” as I departed Patton Creek and approached the interstate ramp. I wouldn’t know; I was listening to a CD I had just purchased at Costco. It was my CD, you understand. Why not enjoy it?

On another visit, I decided to get the lay of the land before attempting any more non-compliant exits. Perhaps there was a rule or policy about the Costco system that made sense. There on the wall at the exit, I discovered, is a huge sign that reads:

Why is my register receipt reviewed when I leave the warehouse?To assure that you paid for and are not overcharged or undercharged for any item. Also, marking the receipt disallows its reuse.

The completely misleading nature of that message became obvious during my next encounter with Costco security enforcement. As I suspected, there were about a dozen customers in line for “receipt review” at the exit. That represented about six extra minutes that I wasn’t being paid for, and so I rolled toward freedom. The employee “reviewing” receipts left the line and cheerfully said, “I’m going to have to see your receipt first.”

Adopting her happy demeanor, I replied, “And you are going to have to chase me in order to do so.” Sometimes it’s worth being an *** just to see the response on people’s faces. Not only was the receipt lady registering total bewilderment, but several customers in line for the same hassle appeared equally baffled. One woman glanced at me with what looked like total contempt. Her response was invigorating, although I’m not sure why. I continued toward my vehicle, where I was greeted by a man who looked and sounded like “security.”

“Was there a problem at the checkout, sir?” he asked.“No, actually, checkout was great,” I said. “Very efficient. But leaving the store was a little shaky. In fact, there’s definitely a problem there.”“What’s wrong?”“Well, for openers, I don’t like being treated like a shoplifter.”“Sir,” he solemnly stated, “No one is treating you like a shoplifter.”“Really? Then why, exactly, am I having a conversation with store security, who just happened to reach my vehicle at the same time I did?”

Minutes seemed to pass. I thought I noticed a funnel cloud moving toward Vestavia. A faint aroma of cotton candy was in the air. The forty-ish woman loading her purchase into a car two spaces down was wearing tight-fitting, corduroy jeans. She looked amazing. Finally the security guy responded. “Sir, our people checking receipts are doing their jobs. It’s a store policy that we inspect receipts. We’re trying to make sure you paid the right price.”

We get served a lob like that only so many times, and I wasn’t letting this one go. My research was finally paying off. I chose to be polite, because the security guy was actually quite calm and friendly about the whole incident. “This is a warehouse,” I replied. “There are no prices on those items in my cart, so how would they know if I were overcharged? Never mind, here’s another thing you should know. In my last five visits here, I allowed your staff to see my receipts, and they instantly marked them without so much as glancing at the totals. They were simply making certain that I had paid for something, and that I could not come back and use that receipt at a later date. In other words, to stop my attempts, present and future, at theft—you know, as though I were a potential shoplifter. Your sign with the message about ensuring that I wasn’t overcharged is what shoppers like me sometimes call bull****. That’s Home Depot behind us. I spent a few hundred dollars there last year. Just to our right is Sears. I spent almost that much there last Christmas. No one reviewed my receipts at either store. Please tell me what I’m doing wrong.”

The security guy walked away, perhaps wondering if Costco had not fully explained to him all the details of “receipt review.” It’s also possible that he knew, without a doubt, that I was just one more jackass who “didn’t get it.” These are store policies, damn it.

ï ï ï

I contacted management at Wal-Mart, Costco, and other retailers to get some comments for this article about their respective policies. Long story short, no one is budging, and some retailers are downright proud of those policies. Wal-Mart has the most detached view of the issue, it seems. Their explanation of the process has to do with “security detection determining that sensors have not been deactivated; retraining transaction staff, etc.,” but nothing to do with human volition. For Wal-Mart, theft and theft prevention are natural phenomena, much like the weather. No one is being treated like a criminal, you see, it’s strictly a case of “devices detecting active sensors.” There’s really nothing Wal-Mart can do. Except have a greeter rummage through bags of items that legally belong to you. While you wait.

There are some things that shoppers can do, however. First, the deer-in-the-headlights response to security alarms must end. Smile and walk with confidence through the exit. Bear in mind that being suspected of theft is actually a reason to leave the store, not a reason to stay, in much the same way that no one remains at a party after they have been insulted by the host. If a particular retailer wants to play games by insisting that they are merely ensuring that you were not overcharged, then by all means let’s check all 74 items in the cart, poring over the receipt line by line while other customers wait. Another fun approach, if you are detained, is to inform the store that they may indeed inspect your bags or your receipt, if and only if all items are immediately returned for a full refund. That gets their attention. Or just tell them to call a cop. If you’re the theatrical type, adopt a German accent and repeat loudly that your papers are in order (with the same accent you can do the old Berlin Wall bit and say that you have friends at the central committee). The odds of a customer in the store getting the joke are very slim, but anyone who does get the reference will remember you forever. It will feel good to be someone’s hero.

Last fall, while I was waiting for a prescription to be filled, I stood near the exit of my local pharmacy reading a product description on a bottle of shampoo. Two elderly customers set off the sensor alarm as they walked out, but I told them to go ahead, because “that crazy thing had been going off all day, and we had not figured out how to stop it yet.” I also thanked them for shopping with us. When an employee arrived a few seconds later, I waved the bottle and apologized for getting too close to the sensors. All was well. I’m seldom that fast on my feet, but I was having a good week, apart from the sinus infection. With that in mind, as Thanksgiving approaches and the shopping season gains momentum, I hope that my story will be the catalyst for a quantum shift in consumer habits.

[nchopp]

GOLDEN. I'm gonna start doing that.

[TougeMS13]

HAHA, well worth the read. Im hitting Costco tomorrow. This should be fun.

[sensibleS13driver]

Good stuff.

Along those lines I've read some good essays about why we feel obligated to turn around when a stranger yells "Hey, you", very interesting.

[crzycav86]

Wow. Maybe he should stop shopping at all of those places if he has a problem with their checkout procedure.

He reminds me of those dumbass college students who blocked all of the lanes on the highway by driving 55(the speed limit) just to make a point.

it's the same mentality... you're just giving other people a hard time who are just trying to do their job.

[Shift_Alabama]

Wow, I never really thought about it like that...

[NY94J30]

Funny, though I disagree.

A merchant does have the right to detain a customer upon reasonable belief that the customer has converted the merchants goods or that the customer is a trespasser. (See: shopkeeper's privilege)

Maybe that wasn't the point? I skimmed after realizing how long it was.

[DeXteR]

i'm down.

they also do the "mandatory receipt checks at sam's club. it's so stupid.

[nchopp]

Funny, though I disagree.

A merchant does have the right to detain a customer upon reasonable belief that the customer has converted the merchants goods or that the customer is a trespasser. (See: shopkeeper's privilege)

Maybe that wasn't the point? I skimmed after realizing how long it was.

Precisely - reasonable belief. Does the shopkeeper REASONABLY believe that EVERY SINGLE CUSTOMER is a shoplifter? Me thinks someone could make a nice court case out of this.

Oh, and I believe the laws vary from state to state on detaining customers.

[skydragoness]

Funny, though I disagree.

A merchant does have the right to detain a customer upon reasonable belief that the customer has converted the merchants goods or that the customer is a trespasser. (See: shopkeeper's privilege)

I think store owners/shop keepers also have the privilege to kick someone out if they are being beligerant/making a scene too? Do you know?I heard this from a manager I had at an old job I had, who supposedly heard it from a cop.

Wow. Maybe he should stop shopping at all of those places if he has a problem with their checkout procedure.

He reminds me of those dumbass college students who blocked all of the lanes on the highway by driving 55(the speed limit) just to make a point.

it's the same mentality... you're just giving other people a hard time who are just trying to do their job.

I agree. He's not making any point by pissing off the people who do 'follow the rules' and are just doing their jobs. If he's so pissed about the way they do things after a sale then he DOES need to go to upper management and complain about it. There's also that website; the squeakywheel.com or something where someone who was pissed with how they were treated at a business and did something constructive about it. This guy is just being a random d!ck. Idiots like him are like the ones I have to deal with at the health food store I work at when they feel they don't need to display the common courtesy of taking their cart with them after they pay. They insist on leaving it at the register (so no one else can get through) or to block the exit.

This guy must've never worked retail in his life and should just shop ONLINE. A$$

[Bwana]

Good read.

[MaximA32]

That guy is my hero. I always refuse to stop for the stupid security gongs at Wal-Mart all the time. I have yet to be stopped by a greeter. Why should I stop if I'm not doing anything wrong?

[AZhitman]

I gotta disagree.

The Fry's Electronics next to my house does people the SAME way.

It's a cattle call to check out, waiting in a long line until you get to the register. They ask for your phone number, which I refuse (I make one up). THEN, you're in another long line for ONE poor moron to "check your receipt". I'm not doing it. Period.

If that poor person doesn't like their job, here's a news flash: GET AN EDUCATION AND GET A BETTER JOB.

It's no different than being a telemarketer.

Should I be polite and nice to them and listen to their schpiel JUST because "they're only doing their job"? No way.

Don't like checking receipts? Quit.

Can't stand the smell of fish? Don't work at Long John Silver's.

Afraid of fire? Don't become a firefighter.

That's what's so great about America. We have the freedom to walk right out of an establishment without complying with some stupid policy, and the employees charged with enforcing that ILLEGAL policy have the right to quit and get a different job.

[skydragoness]

I dunno Greg. Not everyone working in retail is some idiot who doesn't have any drive or desire to have a better job. Perhaps they are in college, perhaps it's a 2nd job for them on the side? I don't hold that against the employees, hold it against the company, protest, pass out flyers to customers walking into Costco to get their opinion, create a petition. Or like i said in my prev post. the guy who created squeakywheel.com has a good thing going and consumers who complain enough do get the 'grease' since the website was created w/ the '6 degrees of separation' in mind.

There's a fine line between not liking being "bullied" like this guy feels he is, and common courtesy.

I've been to Costco, and we get stopped. It takes 1min. Whoop-dee-do.

[AZhitman]

I'd agree there.

I just know that my time is MINE and I don't like some corporate pinheads taking it away from me.

It's unfortunate that the poor bastard who has to actually CARRY OUT their dumb policy is the one who gets shat upon.

Regardless, I'll still be bypassing the queue on my way out the door.

[skydragoness]

Well no one is forcing this guy to shop at Wal-Mart and at Costco (and stores like it: BJ's/Sam's Club) there's a membership involved-- he has to comply to their rules and if this guy doesn't like it he can shop at the regular grocery store. The company I think has a right to make sure they aren't losing money by taking a minute or two to check people leaving their warehouse. If they aren't careful with their inventory movement that ultimately will reflect in higher prices. Bleh, I don't think the deals are all that great at Costco.. from what I've seen. I've seen the same stuff cheaper online (newegg.com FTW).

I searched for the actual url for the site i was talking about: http://thesqueakywheel.com/It was featured on TLC or Disc channel... can't remember but they get results. Maybe someone should email the article writer the link to this site?
Modified by skydragoness at 3:33 PM 11/29/2006

[sensibleS13driver]

Maybe he didn't read the terms of use!

[Veriest1]

Hilarious.

I never really have this problem (avoiding peak shopping times and not living in a metropolitan area FTW) but the stupid sensors at wall-mart are annoying.

[Veriest1]

Maybe he didn't read the terms of use!

Didn't see your post before mine but terms of use etc. are probably about as legally binding in a store as a liability waiver. Sorry about the double post.

Even if you sign a waiver it won't hold up in court if the store is at fault for having an unsafe area. Actually it won't hold up much at all. You still may not win though. Customers at wal-mart and fry's don't even sign the terms of use so I figure they're about as legally binding as a cabbage. Sams is a bit different but I doubt there is anything about having you reciept marked in the contract you sign.

The idea is you paid for the item so it's no longer merchandise. At that point they shouldn't get upset if you unpackage it right there and throw everything away relating to it. Or (gasp!) take it into the bathroom. I gaurentee you that if you were forced to leave whatever you just bought outside of the bathroom and it was stolen they wouldn't care.

Cops can detain everyone who comes through a road block to check for DWI but they HAVE to stop everyone who come through the road block. Unfortunatly the workers at Wal-Mart etc. aren't cops. They can't detain you against your will reasonable suspision or not.

[SeVa-S13]

I read all of the story (I think, had to do it in stints as I'm at work), but none of the responses. Here's my opinion anyway:

Entertaining, but that guy is just another prick that thinks he knows better than everyone else -- how rare.

I agree the mandatory receipt-checking is innane but not having the common courtesy to wait an extra 10 seconds for kid to disarm the tag that set the alarm off or check that you paid for your stuff, is along the same lines as people who change lanes without signaling, to me.

[ceningolmo]

Well... as a retailer by trade I guess I am obligated to present an opposing point of view.

To start with, let me say the following.

Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES should someone at a retail store detain you unless you actually stole something. And, then, they will only detain you if they have definitive proof of your theft. Since proof of that type is basically impossible to obtain, even in a theoretical sense, you should never be detained. Ever.

Also... the article is correct in its general assessment that most retailers are willing to, at least in some ways, treat its customers like criminals/shoplifters. This is sad. No one likes it, including the retailers, and least of all the customers. It sucks, and anyone who tells you otherwise has lied to you.

Shopping at Wal-Mart is an unpleasant experience no matter what. So, even if this problem goes away...it will still suck. This situation is a drop in a bucket. ***** if you want, but it won't accomplish much.

With that said, i feel obligated to state some facts that support the retailers actions.

More and more retailers and retail categories have condensed and moved toward the "big box" format. This trend can be attributed to a whole boat load of factors, but cost efficiency is not the least of them. Through the consumers shopping habits, voting with their dollars, they have consistently shown support for stores like WalMart, Best Buy, Walgreens, Staples, Target, Meijer, etc. And, with good reason. These stores offer the opportunity to shop for more items with better selection and with better pricing than has typically been available in the past.

Part of the formula that has allowed companies such as Wal-Mart (to choose the largest and most visible) to offer massively low pricing is to operate at drastically reduced margins.

The smaller margins can be compensated for through payroll models that are skimpy, cheaper merchandising, volume purchasing, JIT inventory control, intricately controlled inventory structures, tighter cost controls, and focus on "Loss Prevention" (to use a retail term).

Unfortunately, the theft efforts of the very few ruin the experience for the vast majority. Major retailers such as Wal-Mart lose so much money every year in theft that they are essentially forced to take these types of measures. Even if these measures come at the cost of lost business due to upset customers, the systems continue to pay for themselves due to the volume of theft they deter.

And, unfortunately, each time thieves find a new way around the systems that are in place... it only causes the companies to tighten security. This costs more in payroll and lost business due to upset customers. The deterred theft will continue to outweigh the listed costs... and, also forces a rise in prices to partially compensate for increased security costs and loss due to theft.

Of course, I agree with the articles author in many regards. And, as an honest customer I am always a bit put-out by the fact that I am occasionally inconvenienced by these anti-theft measures. But, I can also tell you that every time someone decides to make a little battle out of these encounters it costs that store more payroll. Maybe its 10 seconds, maybe its 10 minutes for that one argument. But, on a global level that additional payroll cost will be passed along to the customer. In short, the behavior the author is advocating WILL cost you more, either in additional inconvenience or in additional cost of product.

I don't have a good solution for this issue... I don't want honest customers to be inconvenienced. If we could operate efficiently on an "honor" system, I would gladly do it. Sadly, the minor few idiots will continue to ruin things for the rest of us. Additionally, the minor few who do take from these companies don't take in amounts of proportionally small amounts. The .25% of customers who do steal...steal to the tune of nearly 1% of total sales volume in your average retail store. In a large volume retailer such as Best Buy who may be doing volumes in the 50-100 million dollars of sales (not profit!) each year in each store, will typically lose $50-100K to theft. That's $50-100K of theft PER STORE, PER YEAR! If you can't understand the difference that $100,000 makes (even to a large retailer), then this discussion won't ever be relevant to you.

Of course, this assumes only loss due to theft. There are plenty of people out there who know and understand the "rules of engagement" for potential shoplifters better than the average retail employee does. And, sadly, our litigious society allows potential criminals to profit from lawsuits stemming from accusations from retail employees who didn't know how to conduct themselves. One wrong comment, one wrong gesture on the part of the retailer and the "customer" has the grounds for a lawsuit that can cost the company tens of thousands of dollars. Thus, many shoplifters will brashly steal in the open with the hope that an ill prepared retail employee will do something worthy of a lawsuit. Thus, the $100 item they were stealing becomes irrelevant because of the $25K lawsuit they will now bring.

[Alfador]

My favorite thing to do when the little detector things go off is to look around like I'm scared as hell and run through the mall.

As for the whole "they're just doing their job you've never worked in retail." argument:

I've worked in retail and fast food before, and I support anything you ever do to be a d!ck. Anyone who takes either job seriously enough to care needs a hard dose of reality.

Generally the measures stores take towards this so called "loss prevention" are less than effective, at least in part due to their incompetence in administering the process. There is an intrinsic flaw in asking underpaid exploited minimum wage workers to stop theft. Most of them just don't give a ****. So as a result they rely on some 65 year old retiree who is grateful he has a reason to be alive . I would have no problem with detectors if the people scanning were half competent in disabling the tags on finished products. Since they are relatively incapable of that, I'm not going to waste my time stopping because some ***hat doesn't know how to slide a box across a tabletop.

And don't get me going on them losing money to lawsuits. Wal-Mart swallows lawsuits all the time. They have a record on doing various less than legitimate things like illegally cutting costs by denying overtime and hiring illegal workers in order to save money, and when the lawsuits come in they just pay them off because its cheaper in the long run. They can spew loss prevention all they want and I'll tell them just to shove it straight up their ***.
Modified by Alfador at 5:13 PM 11/29/2006

[HashiriyaS14]

Ross: You said you're a retailer by trade, what exactly do you do?

That post read like a Harvard Case Study on retail theft, lol.

I had no idea that theft was so rampant. I wonder what percentage of that is employee theft.

[Alfador]

^ Generally a high percentage. Higher than most retailers realize. I haven't worked a job in retail or sales in which employees didn't take whatever the hell they felt like. If they get caught the worst that generally happens is they get fired, and most of them wind up working there again once the turnover rate comes around.

[lofapoo]

Great read, but I believe someone above posted about how the people inspecting the reciepts are "just doing their jobs". Very true, they are.

But, if some guy, such as the one who wrote the article, came in and refused their reciept-checking service, they are still getting paid. It's not a commission job, so who cares? If I were to be stuck working such a boring job as checking people's reciepts, I'd LOVE for someone to go against it, simply because it'd be a change from the boring routine that I'd be doing for far too long.

Anyway, I love Costco, and I'll never do anything to piss anyone off there, but if any other store clerk asks to see my bags and reciept, they'll get nothing more from me than a hearty laugh and the pleasure of watching my *** move out the door and to my car.

[Dattebayo]

I whole-heartedly agree with everything in that article, AND I have worked extensively in Retail, both in management and and a peon.

Store policies are not law, and once you payed for you merchandise, law enforcement are the only people who are allowed to look at your items.

[ceno]

I just keep walking when the buzzer goes off. I know I didn't steal anything, and in the past when I have waited, its been quite a few minutes before somebody came. So now I just ignore them, just like everybody else. Its just like a car alarm in many ways.

[nchopp]

Ross: You said you're a retailer by trade, what exactly do you do?

That post read like a Harvard Case Study on retail theft, lol.

I had no idea that theft was so rampant. I wonder what percentage of that is employee theft.

Ross = General Manager of a retail store, with his MBA. I.e. smart ba*tard.

[HashiriyaS14]

Ross = General Manager of a retail store, with his MBA. I.e. smart ba*tard.

And thus we see that educational credentials *do*, at times, translate into practical know-how and ability.



Speaking of which....I'm taking the GMATs on the 9th. Wish me luck.

Ross, where'd you go for your MBA?

[Jookmasta]

that was a great read. i will say that i no longer stop for the buzzing either. as a matter of fact, when it does happen, i look at the security peeps and they just shrug their shoulders lol.

personally tho, i can only agree with the alarms going off on high priced items. for instance, with a 70" hdtv or a $1500 digital camera. things that warrant the receipt check do deserve to not be deactivated. unfortunately, those that said it are right. the incompetent people who can't slide something across a pad or remove a pin or care not to report a broken pad are the reasons why people like the author of the article get frustrated. sux for the hard workers that are good at the retail thing but in reality, can u really say that most people working at a register or marking receipts LOVE their company (let alone their job)?

nuff said.