If you walk into a store

[AmpedSilence]

Hold the phone, its cool to distrust a store employee or the store for fear of having YOUR bag stolen but when the store sets a policy to protect themselves from shoplifting ( some view this as distrust) its wrong?

 

[AmpedSilence]

Why should you trust people you don't know to "check" your bag? Would you give your bag to a stranger on the street and say; "Hey hold, this while I go check this out?" Of course you don't, so why should you trust someone you don't know simply because they work in a store? You don't think they'll rob you?

I never check my bag and I don't let them check it on my way out. If they want to check my bag they'll need probable cause i.e. a valid reason as in they think I stole something.

Aren't they trusting you not to shoplift when you enter the store in the first place?

 

[slobake]

That they want my Reese's Peanut Butter Cups I have stashed in there. I usually just shout "Okay but those peanut butter cups better be there when I get back or things will get ugly."

 

[Phil Smith]

I find myself wondering if this thread isn't based on someone working really, really hard to find an excuse to be offended about something.

Often times these same stores will never ask a woman to check her handbag regardless of the size. The reason for that is that they know it won't go over well.

 

[Phil Smith]

Aren't they trusting you not to shoplift when you enter the store in the first place?

A persons personal property is not a store. If they're worried about shoplifting, they need to hire people to keep an eye on things, that's the cost of doing business. There isn't a single major department store that asks you to check your bag and they probably lose more to shoplifting than any store that asks to check your bag.

 

[Phil Smith]

Hold the phone, its cool to distrust a store employee or the store for fear of having YOUR bag stolen but when the store sets a policy to protect themselves from shoplifting ( some view this as distrust) its wrong?

If you have valuable things in your bag, why would you allow someone you don't know to look after your bag?

 

[macaroni tony]

Hold the phone, its cool to distrust a store employee or the store for fear of having YOUR bag stolen but when the store sets a policy to protect themselves from shoplifting ( some view this as distrust) its wrong?

It's a glaring discord, isn't it?

 

[Relic]

If you have valuable things in your bag, why would you allow someone you don't know to look after your bag?

Yep.
Plus a store is a public place. They're job function is to have people physically walk in and buy things.

My backpack is my own personal private property and I don't like the fact that I have to hand it over to a stranger if even temporarily.

 

[Marial]

It's a glaring discord, isn't it?

Ring ring.

 

[neo 7]

Hold the phone, its cool to distrust a store employee or the store for fear of having YOUR bag stolen but when the store sets a policy to protect themselves from shoplifting ( some view this as distrust) its wrong?

If everybody that walked in with a bag had it checked in a manner like the one Relic mentioned then I wouldn't have a problem with it. I have never seen a woman asked to check her handbag. Also, I get out of work at 11:30 pm, many times I like to buy groceries after work. At this time of night the store is not busy and cashiers are busy doing something away from the register, but they leave my backpack unattended on top of a closed checkout line. This also means that they don't always see me enter the store, so don't always get the chance to ask me to check my bag. I think you can figure out the potential dispute that could arise from that.

 

[Steve]

If you walk into a store and you're carrying a back pack or any other carrying bag of sorts and a store employee asks you to check your bag,

What message are they sending you?

If they check me on the way in..they think I'm a jihadi.
If they check me on the way out, they think I'm a crook.

 

[HaMMerHeD]

I think it would be quite foolish for anyone trust every stranger out there with his or her own personal possessions. Retailers lose a lot of money due to shoplifting. Many have video cameras, so it wouldn't be difficult to determine how much shoplifting might be prevented by having a store policy about backpacks, satchels, etc. At the same time, I certainly wouldn't hand my backpack over to some stupid pockmarked minimum-wage worker. As a result, I just don't carry bags into stores.

 

[Bloodhammer]

I'm thinking there could some way to exploit this precaution and use it in a grift, but I would have to think about it.

Like somehow arrange to leave your bag full of worthless stuff, and steal everyone else's......

Oh wait, I didn't just say that out loud as I walked through the door, did I?

 

[macaroni tony]

As a result, I just don't carry bags into stores.

That's a great solution.

 

[Ziltoid]

I frequent three or four shops that do this, I usually just hand them my bag before they even ask. I don't really care to be honest. The staff is nice, the places are nice, it's just a minor inconvenience.

 

[JAUQO III-X]

The same message that many stores send you.

There are too many thieves around, and carrying a backpack makes it easier to shoplift.

The annual losses to shoplifting are significant.... "According to the survey, total retail losses cost retailers $33.5 billion last year, down from $36.5 billion 2008." (National Retail Federation, Invalid Link Removed)

I'm very familiar with that.

It's not personal, it's business. I don't see any issue or problem. If you find it offensive, first, don't shop there; second, get a life. This is not worth expending energy on.

Please, I have more than a life.

I find myself wondering if this thread isn't based on someone working really, really hard to find an excuse to be offended about something.

I asked a question and you did not have to respond or make your snarky comments.

 

[Phil Smith]

So theoretically, you don't have to submit to such checks unless you're at Costco and don't mind getting your membership revoked.

Many consumers may not realize this or figure it's just easier to hand over their receipt and open up their bag. One question is, do store clerks and security people respect this?

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[neo 7]

i never enter any store with a bag. or a large jacket.

last time a had either, the worst "Theft Prevention Officer" followed me around. as i turned to walk out, i reached in my pocket, yanked out a stack of C-Notes, and used them to wave "Buh-Bye!

the funny part was watching him pretend to shop!!!

Yeah, these guys are awesome. I like to go up to them and say, "excuse me fellow shopper. Would you recommend product X or product Y?"

 

[Phil Smith]

Are Door Bag Searches Legal?

Yes, as long as the inspection is voluntary. No, if the bag check is involuntary or coerced. This is a rather fine legal distinction that is subject to misunderstanding and abuse. Basically, nothing in the law gives the merchant the right to detain a customer for the purpose of searching a shopping bag unless there is a reasonable suspicion of retail theft. See my web page on Shoplifting: Detention & Arrest for more details

A customer can refuse to have their bag checked and simply walk out the door past the bag checker. Hopefully the bag checker has been trained to know that they cannot force anyone to submit to a bag search without cause. This is important because the expectation of the bag checker is that all bag contents have been purchased. The worst thing that could happen is that an aggressive bag checker would forcibly detain or threaten a customer who refused to comply with the voluntary search

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[slobake]

Yeah, these guys are awesome. I like to go up to them and say, "excuse me fellow shopper. Would you recommend product X or product Y?"

I always ask them questions about the store. "Excuse me, can you tell me where I can find the blacksmith deparment?"
or "Are Cocoa Puffs going on sale next week?" or "Have you seen my wife? She is a small hispanic women with curly hair and a back back the size of an Edsel." They never know and usually leave me alone after that.