> Yep. That's why the clerk might friendly ask to show the inside of the
> backpack/bag and that's also why there often are lockers available (free
> or something like 50 cents) for storing the bag in front of the stores.
> But no clerk or other staff member has ever looked down at me because
> having a backpack. They have always considered me as a real, paying
> customer by default.

Yeh it's pretty common here especially for people on bikes that they use 
a backpack to carry the stuff they bought. In the UK I've never seen 
anyone ask to look inside, although it happened quite often whilst I was 
living in Germany (even just normal shopping bags that you brought 
yourself they wanted to look inside sometimes).

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On Tue, 23 Oct 2012 08:51:39 +0100, scott wrote:

>> And there are always enough people willing to try stealing something if
>> they think they can get away with it.  Back in the late 80's when I
>> worked retail in a mall, I had a onetime friend try to steal something
>> from my store *while I was on duty* (and when the alarm went off, he
>> returned the item and claimed he was "just testing" the system - hence
>> the "onetime friend" status).  On a second occasion, we caught a guy
>> red-
>> handed using a bag with a shoebox in it (with the end cut off) to dump
>> expensive merchandise in and had him hauled away by the cops.
> 
> And if you wrap a few layers of tin foil around the inside you don't
> even need to worry about removing the security tags in-store :-) My
> sister works in retail and has seen all this sort of stuff too, it's
> amazing how ingenious the thieves are.

Yeah, I forget the name of the shoebox device (but it actually does have 
a name).  The guy didn't remember/know the tags were on the items, 
though, but I remember it was some sort of network device (this was in 
1987 or so, so it was worth a few hundred bucks).

I ended up stuck in the store's office with him waiting for the cops to 
show up.  *That* was fun.  17 years old with an older thief under my 
supervision.  He asked to use the phone to call his wife, his lawyer, etc 
- and I told him that the police would take care of that when they picked 
him up.

The cops, in the meantime, got lost on the way to pick him up.

I worked for "B. Dalton's Software Etc." - the mall had a B. Dalton 
Bookseller in it as well.  So the cops came to the mall and went to the 
wrong store, and it took them a bit to realize that they'd gone to the 
wrong store.

Jim

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On Tue, 23 Oct 2012 17:51:42 +0300, Eero Ahonen wrote:

> Jim Henderson wrote:
>>
>> In the US we have that thing as well, but we also have this thing
>> called "shoplifting", which stores wish to prevent, which is why many
>> will not let you bring a backpack into the store (or will ask you to
>> leave your bag with someone at the front of the store).
> 
> Yep. That's why the clerk might friendly ask to show the inside of the
> backpack/bag and that's also why there often are lockers available (free
> or something like 50 cents) for storing the bag in front of the stores.
> But no clerk or other staff member has ever looked down at me because
> having a backpack. They have always considered me as a real, paying
> customer by default.

And some customers would think it insulting and outrageous to have their 
bag searched, as if they were being accused of committing a crime and 
having to prove their innocence (which in theory is presumed in the US).

There's no solution that's going to satisfy everyone.  Some stores do 
have lockers, some stores have a bag check, some do a search....And in 
each case, someone's going to be pissed off.

The solution that works consistently is to not bring it in in the first 
place.  Then there's no problem.

Jim

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On 22/10/2012 10:25 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
> On Mon, 22 Oct 2012 21:14:57 +0100, Stephen wrote:
>
>> On 22/10/2012 5:16 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>>> That, however, is sometimes true.  Parking spaces are generally part of
>>> the shop property,
>>
>> I will say one thing about parking spaces in America, from my
>> experience. There is enough space to park and open your doors on both
>> sides. In the UK you sometimes have to do a snake dance to get in and
>> out.
>
> I need to visit the parts of America you have, because I find usually
> there's some idiot with a gigantic 4x4/SUV/Hummer who's decided to park
> right next to me, and invariably I need a can opener to get into my car.
>

Go south young man, go south.


-- 
Regards
     Stephen

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On 22/10/2012 10:24 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
> Clearly, you don't have enough American tourists.;)

Please don't send any more of the usual suspects from your state.

-- 
Regards
     Stephen

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Jim Henderson <nos### [at] nospamcom> wrote:
> And some customers would think it insulting and outrageous to have their 
> bag searched, as if they were being accused of committing a crime and 
> having to prove their innocence (which in theory is presumed in the US).

In Finland (and probably in many other countries) your ID has to be
checked whenever you pay a purchase in excess of 50 euros with a debit
or credit card (even if you know the correct pin number.) This is, of
course, to deter stolen cards from being used to make big purchases.
(I'm not sure if this is by law or stipulated by the card issuers, but
it's always enforced.)

Some idiots get all offended when the clerk asks for their ID. Like if it
was an insult, a suggestion that they might be using a stolen card (even
though the exact same rule is applied to everyone.)

The day they get their card stolen they will be thankful that stores check
IDs for big purchases.

-- 
                                                          - Warp

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On Tue, 23 Oct 2012 15:58:00 -0400, Warp wrote:

> Jim Henderson <nos### [at] nospamcom> wrote:
>> And some customers would think it insulting and outrageous to have
>> their bag searched, as if they were being accused of committing a crime
>> and having to prove their innocence (which in theory is presumed in the
>> US).
> 
> In Finland (and probably in many other countries) your ID has to be
> checked whenever you pay a purchase in excess of 50 euros with a debit
> or credit card (even if you know the correct pin number.) This is, of
> course, to deter stolen cards from being used to make big purchases.
> (I'm not sure if this is by law or stipulated by the card issuers, but
> it's always enforced.)
> 
> Some idiots get all offended when the clerk asks for their ID. Like if
> it was an insult, a suggestion that they might be using a stolen card
> (even though the exact same rule is applied to everyone.)
> 
> The day they get their card stolen they will be thankful that stores
> check IDs for big purchases.

See, that doesn't happen in the US - and asking for ID on large purchases 
would be considered highly insulting by many people.

In fact, on the back of all my cards, I have written in indelible marker 
"ASK FOR ID", and it's amazing how few places actually ask even when the 
signature so clearly doesn't match (as I don't sign my card, I print that 
in block letters in the signature space).

Whenever a merchant does ask for ID, I thank them for doing so. :)

A few places that we frequent note it and if the cashier knows us, 
they'll say something like "I'd ask, but you're in here all the time and 
I know it's you".  That works for me as well (as the staff usually is 
well known to us).

Jim

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On Tue, 23 Oct 2012 20:40:45 +0100, Stephen wrote:

> On 22/10/2012 10:24 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>> Clearly, you don't have enough American tourists.;)
> 
> Please don't send any more of the usual suspects from your state.

Hmmm, maybe I should pull a Rob McKenna and offer to keep them here for a 
fee. ;)

Jim

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On Tue, 23 Oct 2012 20:38:14 +0100, Stephen wrote:

> On 22/10/2012 10:25 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>> On Mon, 22 Oct 2012 21:14:57 +0100, Stephen wrote:
>>
>>> On 22/10/2012 5:16 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>>>> That, however, is sometimes true.  Parking spaces are generally part
>>>> of the shop property,
>>>
>>> I will say one thing about parking spaces in America, from my
>>> experience. There is enough space to park and open your doors on both
>>> sides. In the UK you sometimes have to do a snake dance to get in and
>>> out.
>>
>> I need to visit the parts of America you have, because I find usually
>> there's some idiot with a gigantic 4x4/SUV/Hummer who's decided to park
>> right next to me, and invariably I need a can opener to get into my
>> car.
>>
>>
> Go south young man, go south.

I went to school in Florida, doesn't get much farther south than that. ;)

Jim

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On 23/10/2012 10:03 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
> On Tue, 23 Oct 2012 20:38:14 +0100, Stephen wrote:
>
>> Go south young man, go south.
>
> I went to school in Florida, doesn't get much farther south than that. ;)
>

No it doesn't and I found that the parking spots there were large enough 
for me to park in. I hired a Lincoln town car and drove to Key West, a 
drive I will always remember especially the bridges between the Keys.


-- 
Regards
     Stephen

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