we do not usually shop at this family-owned business, except occasionally to go in for a snack or soft drink
I have a complaint about their store policy of not allowing people to shop while carrying a book bag and understand they have the right to that policy
the complaint I have is in the way (method) they communicate this policy to people...there is a hand written sign right inside the store, stating that book bags are not to be carried by the owner of the bag while shopping - the store manager/part owner told me that I had to put my book bag on top of a tall cabinet when entering the store, I said that I don't like leaving my book bag where I am not able to see it and get to it right away and told him this policy is discriminatory and walked out to a sitting area outside the store -
after a few minutes, I went back to the door of the store and asked the manager if he could come outside so I could talk to him and showed him my drivers license ID - he told me that if I didn't like their store policy that I did not have to shop at their store - I then asked him, who is responsible for my bag if it gets stolen while I am shopping? He got irate and insisted again that is their store policy and didn't answer my question - at one point he threatened to call the police and said he wanted me to leave the premises - his brother came up to us and I identified myself to him also - he knows who I am because my in-laws spent $to $per week on groceries at this store years ago before it became very popular -
the second brother/part owner told me automatically that whatever his brother told me, he would go along with it, that he (the first brother) was the one in charge - the entire time I was trying to tell him what my question was, the first one kept interrupting, until I finally told him that he had not answered my original question - who is responsible if my book bag gets stolen while I am shopping? no answer, I got the run around and he told me that he would call the police and I told him to go ahead and call them, I was going to call the police, also -
I tried to reach a compromise and asked them if I would leave my book bag at my bank across the street, if I could then come back to the store to buy what I needed - he told me "no, we don't want you to shop here, go somewhere else and get off the premises", and also added "go ahead and leave your book bag at the bank and see if it's still there when you go back" - I told him that I trust the people at the bank more than I trusted him and his employees - this was getting very personal and we weren't resolving anything - again, I do realize the have the right to turn away persons that don't agree with their store policy, but if the owners are so paranoid in believing that someone carrying a book bag will steal from them, maybe they should look into hiring a security guard to look through people's book bags before shopping and after - I noticed a lot of women going into their store with very large purses and wonder why the owners don't think these women could possibly put items into their purses while shopping - word on the street is that their own employees are stealing items from the store, even with cameras in the store - I had to wait for a city bus at a stop directly across from this store and observed a man with a book bag walking from the side of the building, he got a shopping cart and put his bag in the cart and I didn't see anyone stop him to tell him to put his book bag up - there seems to be a double standard with the policy and targets mostly women - either the policy should have all persons with book bags to comply or not - I was without transportation and had walked to this store from across the street - if I had known that they pick & choose whom they require to comply with this policy, I would not have gone there
we do not usually shop at this family-owned business, except occasionally to go in for a snack or soft drink
I have a complaint about their store policy of not allowing people to shop while carrying a book bag and understand they have the right to that policy
the complaint I have is in the way (method) they communicate this policy to people...there is a hand written sign right inside the store, stating that book bags are not to be carried by the owner of the bag while shopping - the store manager/part owner told me that I had to put my book bag on top of a tall cabinet when entering the store, I said that I don't like leaving my book bag where I am not able to see it and get to it right away and told him this policy is discriminatory and walked out to a sitting area outside the store -
after a few minutes, I went back to the door of the store and asked the manager if he could come outside so I could talk to him and showed him my drivers license ID - he told me that if I didn't like their store policy that I did not have to shop at their store - I then asked him, who is responsible for my bag if it gets stolen while I am shopping? He got irate and insisted again that is their store policy and didn't answer my question - at one point he threatened to call the police and said he wanted me to leave the premises - his brother came up to us and I identified myself to him also - he knows who I am because my in-laws spent $to $per week on groceries at this store years ago before it became very popular -
the second brother/part owner told me automatically that whatever his brother told me, he would go along with it, that he (the first brother) was the one in charge - the entire time I was trying to tell him what my question was, the first one kept interrupting, until I finally told him that he had not answered my original question - who is responsible if my book bag gets stolen while I am shopping? no answer, I got the run around and he told me that he would call the police and I told him to go ahead and call them, I was going to call the police, also -
I tried to reach a compromise and asked them if I would leave my book bag at my bank across the street, if I could then come back to the store to buy what I needed - he told me "no, we don't want you to shop here, go somewhere else and get off the premises", and also added "go ahead and leave your book bag at the bank and see if it's still there when you go back" - I told him that I trust the people at the bank more than I trusted him and his employees - this was getting very personal and we weren't resolving anything - again, I do realize the have the right to turn away persons that don't agree with their store policy, but if the owners are so paranoid in believing that someone carrying a book bag will steal from them, maybe they should look into hiring a security guard to look through people's book bags before shopping and after - I noticed a lot of women going into their store with very large purses and wonder why the owners don't think these women could possibly put items into their purses while shopping - word on the street is that their own employees are stealing items from the store, even with cameras in the store - I had to wait for a city bus at a stop directly across from this store and observed a man with a book bag walking from the side of the building, he got a shopping cart and put his bag in the cart and I didn't see anyone stop him to tell him to put his book bag up - there seems to be a double standard with the policy and targets mostly women - either the policy should have all persons with book bags to comply or not - I was without transportation and had walked to this store from across the street - if I had known that they pick & choose whom they require to comply with this policy, I would not have gone there