Door searches at Wal-Mart

[milk man]

Man, just how often are you at walmart? I shop there all the time, way more than the average person and I've never once had the alarm go off. But if it did, you can bet your a$$ that I'd stop and let them check my stuff out.

When the alarms goes off on people, it's normally because a cashier who's not paying attention, didn't disarm one of the little tags in something you bought. It's not the fault of the door person so why give them or the whole store a hassle about it? Go back to the cashier and tell them "PAY ATTENTION!"

It just feels like an invasion of my privacy.

Also if everyone just rolls over what prevents the store's (Not just Wal-Marts) authorities from outright profiling certain groups?

 

[racer72]

It just feels like an invasion of my privacy.

You are in a public place, you should have no expectations of privacy. You want private, stay at home.

Also if everyone just rolls over what prevents the store's (Not just Wal-Marts) authorities from outright profiling certain groups?

Nothing because it is not illegal.

 

[mike_lee]

Also if everyone just rolls over what prevents the store's (Not just Wal-Marts) authorities from outright profiling certain groups?


Nothing because it is not illegal.

It most certainly is.

 

[CdwJava]

It most certainly is.

It depends upon the profiling you are talking about. Most types of profiling would not be unlawful.

But, it is because of those potential problems that they apply these searches to everyone that they can.

- Carl

 

[mike_lee]

If a store can legally profile a race or religious group for increased surveillances (obviously they do) please don't tell me. I don't think I can stand to see another American virtue go up on smoke.


All persons shall be entitled to the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, and accommodations of any place of public accommodation, as defined in this section, without discrimination or segregation on the ground of race, color, religion, or national origin Civil Rights Act of 1964 Sec. 201.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

 

[racer72]

If a store can legally profile a race or religious group for increased surveillances (obviously they do) please don't tell me. I don't think I can stand to see another American virtue go up on smoke.


All persons shall be entitled to the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, and accommodations of any place of public accommodation, as defined in this section, without discrimination or segregation on the ground of race, color, religion, or national origin Civil Rights Act of 1964 Sec. 201.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Did you know that the above only applies to the government, not to the private sector. Try again.

 

[Ohiogal]

Did you know that the above only applies to the government, not to the private sector. Try again.

Did you know that that has been extended by the Supreme Court to apply to private places -- think restaurants, hotels, many stores -- due to the Commerce Clause of the Constitution?

 

[CdwJava]

If a store can legally profile a race or religious group for increased surveillances (obviously they do) please don't tell me. I don't think I can stand to see another American virtue go up on smoke.

I have no idea whether they do or not as I am not in retail security and I never have been. However, if experience has told you that 90% of the shoplifters in your business fit a particular demographic, who do you think you are going to pay closer attention to?

Most profiling is NOT illegal. Where you get into trouble is when you take actions based SOLELY upon race. For instance, if the store ONLY detains people of one particular race and they let everyone else go under identical circumstances, you have a problem. A tendency to follow people of that race more often than another one is not generally going to be unlawful.

It's akin to the criminal profiling done by law enforcement and security personnel elsewhere.

- Carl

 

[BoredAtty]

All persons shall be entitled to the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, and accommodations of any place of public accommodation, as defined in this section, without discrimination or segregation on the ground of race, color, religion, or national origin Civil Rights Act of 1964 Sec. 201.

Did you know that the above only applies to the government, not to the private sector. Try again.

Did you know that that has been extended by the Supreme Court to apply to private places -- think restaurants, hotels, many stores -- due to the Commerce Clause of the Constitution?

Slow down people...

The Civil Rights Act does apply to privately owned businesses that are open to the public. But not because of an extension created by the Supreme Court. It was purposely written by Congress to apply to those businesses -- that was the point! And yes, the Commerce Clause was the authority by which Congress passed such law.

 

[Ohiogal]

Slow down people...

The Civil Rights Act does apply to privately owned businesses that are open to the public. But not because of an extension created by the Supreme Court. It was purposely written by Congress to apply to those businesses -- that was the point! And yes, the Commerce Clause was the authority by which Congress passed such law.

I should have said it was not extended by the Supreme Court but that the Supreme Court RECOGNIZED it as part of the Commerce Clause of the Consitution. My slip of the tongue improperly. Sorry. Didn't mean to french kiss too many at the wrong time. However BA, Congress did not pass that part of the Constitution. As part of the COnstitution it existed before Congress -- at least Congress as we know it. It didn't go into effect until the states ratified it. So... it was not by the authority of Congress but the Authority of the states when they ratified the Constitution.

 

[xylene]

Discussions of racial profiling are not relevant to a valid request to look in a bag when a door alarm goes off, or a policy of searching all bags, or of receipt checking all customers.

All these things are completely legal, and well established in many chain stores.

The correct approach is to write a letter to the store and corporate management and cease shopping at stores whose lawful policies you disapprove of.

Anyone on this forum (ie an internet user) can find deals FAR better than wal-mart by shopping online.

Even if online shopping is not your bag, you can get EVERYTHING you need and want, and still NEVER shop at wal-mart, no matter where live for comparable prices.

Many people are too stupid to understand that wal-marts claims of the 'lowest prices' is based on a bogus formula of the average 'customer' and, unsurprisingly, heavily includes their loss leaders.

In case anyone doesn't know what a loss leader is, it is a product priced at or below its cost. Its a type of promotion. It works. Its a smart way to shop if that is the ONLY thing you buy.

Its REALLY dumb if LOW LOW ROLLBACK prices sucker you into the store and you pay full mark-up (and more than your local grocers everyday price) for the item you are shopping for.

And while you're shopping buy some low priced crap you didn't need....

 

[CdwJava]

Its REALLY dumb if LOW LOW ROLLBACK prices sucker you into the store and you pay full mark-up (and more than your local grocers everyday price) for the item you are shopping for.

And while you're shopping buy some low priced crap you didn't need....

Right now we have to travel almost 40 miles to get reasonable grocery prices, so our monthly shopping trips take us out of town for the majority of our shopping.

Our local Wal-Mart will be a Super Wal-Mart in 18 months - we're looking forward to it. The grocery prices at the other Super Wal-Mart's in the region are much less than our two existing grocers ... so, yeah, I'm looking forward to saving a LOT of money every month with even less driving!

- Carl

 

[VeronicaLodge]

It just feels like an invasion of my privacy.

Also if everyone just rolls over what prevents the store's (Not just Wal-Marts) authorities from outright profiling certain groups?

you have no privacy while on someone elses property, you are free to shop elsewhere if you dont like them.

 

[mike_lee]

Discussions of racial profiling are not relevant to a valid request to look in a bag when a door alarm goes off, or a policy of searching all bags, or of receipt checking all customers.

All these things are completely legal, and well established in many chain stores.

The correct approach is to write a letter to the store and corporate management and cease shopping at stores whose lawful policies you disapprove of.

Anyone on this forum (ie an internet user) can find deals FAR better than wal-mart by shopping online.

Even if online shopping is not your bag, you can get EVERYTHING you need and want, and still NEVER shop at wal-mart, no matter where live for comparable prices.

Many people are too stupid to understand that wal-marts claims of the 'lowest prices' is based on a bogus formula of the average 'customer' and, unsurprisingly, heavily includes their loss leaders.

In case anyone doesn't know what a loss leader is, it is a product priced at or below its cost. Its a type of promotion. It works. Its a smart way to shop if that is the ONLY thing you buy.

Its REALLY dumb if LOW LOW ROLLBACK prices sucker you into the store and you pay full mark-up (and more than your local grocers everyday price) for the item you are shopping for.

And while you're shopping buy some low priced crap you didn't need....

I never shop at wal-mart for all the other reasons. too far to walk, too big to find what you need and get out, horrible meat and produce (up there with Piggly-Wiggly) too slow at the checkout . . . hey, wait a minute. ::LIGHTBULB:: Go thru the U Scan aisle then you'll be in charge of deactivating the alarms. Hee Hee. But anyway the situation is this, you don't own that stuff till you leave the parking lot. They exercise reasonable measures to protect their stores and I don't this case is over the top. I don't like the routine inspection of everything I have such as you get at Guitar Center or Best Buy

 

[milk man]

I never shop at wal-mart for all the other reasons. too far to walk, too big to find what you need and get out, horrible meat and produce (up there with Piggly-Wiggly) too slow at the checkout . . . hey, wait a minute. ::LIGHTBULB:: Go thru the U Scan aisle then you'll be in charge of deactivating the alarms. Hee Hee. But anyway the situation is this, you don't own that stuff till you leave the parking lot. They exercise reasonable measures to protect their stores and I don't this case is over the top. I don't like the routine inspection of everything I have such as you get at Guitar Center or Best Buy

Nobody get their back up, I'm not arguing.

Can you explain what you mean by "But anyway the situation is this, you don't own that stuff till you leave the parking lot. "

I assumed that once payment is tendered and accepted the transaction is complete. Thus the stuff is mine. Am I wrong?