Why are people so uppity when it comes to putting their bags behind the counter?

[ThePhoneGoddess]

It is not apples and oranges, both types of business have instituted these rules for the exact same reasons. There are still gas stations that don't require prepay, you just have to seek them out. If having a business assume that you are stealing bothers you so much, then why don't you boycott gas station that also assume that you are stealing by requiring you to prepay? If you're going to boycott stores that don't allow you to bring your bag in with you, then you should, logically, boycott gas station that won't let you pump your gas and then come in to pay. The principle behind both policies is identical.

So if all stores suddenly start requiring you to leave your bags at the front desk/counter/customer service desk, would you suddenly start obeying, simply because there is no choice in the matter?

[marasbaras]

Really? In my area ALL stations require pre-pay. Period.

And, yes, if all stores required me to leave bags at the front, I guess that's what I'd have to do.

Apples and oranges. No matter how upset you get about it, it's different.

Plus, as many have pointed out, if a store has a theft problem ... how are we, as people trusting the store with our bags which they normally DON'T watch, to know that the theft problem isn't an employee? That's asking a lot of trust on our part, too.

I'm not going to go into a store and show receipts to rub it in their noses, I'm simply not going to shop there. Why? Because I don't like it. And, since it's MY MONEY TO SPEND, I'll spend it where I choose.

I won't make an issue of it, I won't yell at a cashier, I won't demand to see a manager, I won't send a letter. I'll simply, quietly shop elsewhere.

Why is this so bad?

[ThePhoneGoddess]

I'm not upset about it, I was just surprised how many people were so up in arms over a policy that is very comon in some areas. It is instituted for the same reason that gas stations have instituted prepay rules, because they have to in order to prevent rampant theft. I just find it illogical that someone would absolutely refuse to frequent a store that 'assumes they are stealing' but doesn't think twice about doing business with a gas station that makes the exact same assumption----prepay gas station are 'assuming you will drive off' without paying. I don't see how it is different at all.

As I said, I understand if you don't want to leave your bag unattended, but saying that you are offended because the store is 'assuming you are stealing' simply doesn't fly with me. If that is the reasoning behind your choice, then by the same reasoning you should get equally upset at having to prepay at a gas station. The logic behind the policies is identical.

[marasbaras]

I just don't trust the store with my bags. If they're losing product, they'll lose my bags, too.

What sometimes annoys me is when I leave a store and they insist on checking my receipt. It's not so bad if they have sufficient staff and there's no waiting, I just quietly going along with it because I know it's a function of LP. But, if there's a bloody line to leave after I've paid ... that's one line I don't wait in.

[ThePhoneGoddess]

As I said, I completely understand not wanting to leave your bag. Both reasons given in the thread are completely valid---1) worry about theft, and 2) having necessary medical equipment in your bag. I don't know where you are from, but here in the states this is a nearly universal policy in college campus bookstores.

[Boozy]

So if all stores suddenly start requiring you to leave your bags at the front desk/counter/customer service desk, would you suddenly start obeying, simply because there is no choice in the matter?

Of course. We would have to do our shopping somewhere. If you think I'd starve myself over this issue, then I've come across as far more vehement than I mean to.

But if I have the option, I choose to support stores without the bag policy. Maybe one day it will become impossible, but in the meantime I choose to vote with my feet.

As for the gas stations - mandatory prepay is, once again, extremely rare in this area. I don't know of a prepay-only station in my area.

I feel its a bit different, although you're entirely right when you say that the presumption that you're a thief is more or less the same. But I don't mind certain precautions. For example, the mere existence of LP in a store assumes there are thieves around. If LP looks at me, I don't freak out and say, "I am being watched! They think I'm a criminal!" Because an LP guy looking at me in a public place is not an invasion of my person or privacy.

Neither is paying in advance for gas. And if you're paying by credit card or debit, the stations around here allow you to pay at the pump. They've set it up so its easy and comfortable for the customer.

But being asked to give up my personal property to strangers feels like a privacy invasion. And given the number of people here who feel uncomfortable with this policy, I think its asking too much of customers in the name of loss prevention.

[ThePhoneGoddess]

Thank you for the well thought out response, boozy. I didn't mean to make a stink, I was just very curious how well people had thought it through.

As far as non-prepay gas station go, I have discovered that they are more common in very rural areas. A lot of small towns still have them, because they know 99% of their customers. I suspect that you live in a rural area, while marasbaras lives in a more urban or suburban area, like I do. Prepay only stations are very common in town, and less common as you travel out into the country.

As I said, the bag policy is nearly universal in college bookstores here. Most of them have open cubbyholes to place your bags in before you walk through the thingamajig (whatever the heck it's called) that beeps if you try to take merchandise though it. I've worked in two different college bookstores, and been in at least 5 others around the country, and every single one had this policy.

The only other store I knew about that had it was the grocery store down the street from my junior high. Even with the no bag policy, they still had an incredible amount of shrinkage, judging from all the things I saw kids steal from there on a constant, daily basis. Unfortunately for the store, they could not simply ban the junior high schoolers from coming in, because it was considered age discrimination and people screamed bloody murder. So the store had to find other ways of dealing with all the theft.

[Boozy]

As far as non-prepay gas station go, I have discovered that they are more common in very rural areas. A lot of small towns still have them, because they know 99% of their customers. I suspect that you live in a rural area, while marasbaras lives in a more urban or suburban area, like I do.

I live in a city about the size of Pittsburgh. I think Canada just seems to be a bit different about things like this. I'm now curious as to how the stores in Toronto do things; its been a while since I've shopped there. That city is metropolis-sized, so it wouldn't surprise me if they've changed a bit.

As I said, the bag policy is nearly universal in college bookstores here. Most of them have open cubbyholes to place your bags in before you walk through the thingamajig (whatever the heck it's called) that beeps if you try to take merchandise though it. I've worked in two different college bookstores, and been in at least 5 others around the country, and every single one had this policy.

I'm pretty sure my university's bookstore also had this policy. And of course I still had to shop there. Where else was I going to find a book titled "Fundamentals of Keynesian Economics"? This was a few years before online shopping was an option.

[Sableonblonde]

I would not feel comfortable leaving my purse or bag behind either, and it's for that reason mainly that I never carry a purse into in store, or if I do it's a tiny one. How can you really trust the store employees? You don't know them. And not everyone is honest. But like I said, that is why I don't take big bags into stores.

I had a friend, back when I was a teenager, who shoplifted big time. She would go into one of the big name bookstores, cram a whole crapload of books into this HUGE bookbag that she carried, then take the books and sell them to a smaller, independently owned bookstores. So it is true that you can't tell what a shoplifter looks like. I don't know how it was she didn't get caught. Her bookbag would be BULGING.

I "unstole" something once, actually. This is really stupid. The above-mentioned friend had stolen this beautiful journal for me and gave it to me as a present. I really wanted it, but I was not comfortable knowing it was stolen. I didn't want the journal to have bad karma LOL So what I did was, I went back to the store and bought the exact same journal. After paying for it, I turned around and returned it to the shelf. Then I went back home and was at last able to enjoy my journal. I'm such a dork.

[poofy_puff]

And, yes, if all stores required me to leave bags at the front, I guess that's what I'd have to do.


I won't make an issue of it, I won't yell at a cashier, I won't demand to see a manager, I won't send a letter. I'll simply, quietly shop elsewhere.

Why is this so bad?

I have this idea (I'm not to the end of all the messages so maybe someone said this already):

Don't bring bags from other stores with you. Leave them, and your briefcase and backpack, etc. at home, in the car, wherever. I KNOW that sometimes this is unavoidable, such as, if you live in a city and use public transportation only. But it doesn't have to be taken to this extreme. Diabetics, you can keep your gear in a smaller pouch or purse - most places don't try to make you leave these smaller personal bags. Otherwise, a little pre-planning is all you need to do. It all depends on how badly you need that item in the store NOW, or go somewhere else, or bring your crap home and come back and get your DVD's later. It's all about being adult, making your choices, and that's what makes [this country] great: it isn't FAIR, but you are FREE to go elsewhere.

Personally, I don't like leaving my shit with strangers for the same reason(s) people have already mentioned; but if I need that item RIGHT NOW, I'll play along and get the hell outa there ASAP.

[Gabrielle Proctor]

I was in Midtown, Atlanta, one day. I walked into a bookstore that asked me to put my bag behind the counter. I admit, I was suprised, but not sucky.

I grew up in a small town where theft isn't a big problem, but when I remembered where I was, I happily gave him my bag and he gave me a number. That way no one can say, "oh that's my bag over there" and make off with someone else's things. I was glad they were so considerate about keeping my things safe, which would be a definate concern of mine if I actually had anything of value in my bag.

[aurelemsrealm]

Maybe this is just my sense of logic, but I don't understand why someone would be carrying a large bag, bookbag, or whatever with them while shopping. I can understand having a shopping bag or two from other stores if you're shopping in the mall or some kind of enclosed multiplex, but it just seems easier not lugging extra crap around the store otherwise. If I go somewhere like Wal-Mart or a strip mall with a few stores I like, I just leave all my excess crap locked in the car as I tend to be real protective and paranoid about my stuff. The only extras I carry generally are my cell phone, and maybe my dayplanner if I know I'm going to need the checkbook or lengthy shopping list. The only other logical reason I could see for lugging around a bookbag or something of that nature is if you're walking or riding a bike rather than driving. Then again, that's just my way of thinking.

[Gabrielle Proctor]

As for the gas stations - mandatory prepay is, once again, extremely rare in this area. I don't know of a prepay-only station in my area.

I feel its a bit different, although you're entirely right when you say that the presumption that you're a thief is more or less the same. But I don't mind certain precautions. For example, the mere existence of LP in a store assumes there are thieves around. If LP looks at me, I don't freak out and say, "I am being watched! They think I'm a criminal!" Because an LP guy looking at me in a public place is not an invasion of my person or privacy.

Neither is paying in advance for gas. And if you're paying by credit card or debit, the stations around here allow you to pay at the pump. They've set it up so its easy and comfortable for the customer.

I LOVE to pre-pay for gas! I'll tell you why, because I can control how much gas I get! Like, if I only have $20 and by accident I get $21.50 in gas. Then I have to scamble around for change in the car to avoid an akward situation. But, If I pre-pay $20, that's all the gas I get, I don't go over at all. And if my tank fills up before I reach the amount I have already paid, I just walk into the store and they give my the remaining balance. No big deal.

[Record Store Tough Guy]

Maybe this is just my sense of logic, but I don't understand why someone would be carrying a large bag, bookbag, or whatever with them while shopping. I can understand having a shopping bag or two from other stores if you're shopping in the mall or some kind of enclosed multiplex, but it just seems easier not lugging extra crap around the store otherwise.

And this weighed heavily in our reasoning. A Macy's bag would usually raise no red flags, but a bag that seemed out of place? Warning bells. And, like I said, it was discretionary. We didn't require people to leave purses, etc., behind the counter, because a klepto housewife or typical teenager is not going to steal the entire store. It was used largely to deter professional shoplifters. We had other methods of deterring the casual shoplifter.

I also should point out that the assumption of guilt on the part of people who left rather than comply was really done more out of typical record store clerk snarkiness than any genuine suspicion.

[wagegoth]

Pre-paying for gas IS different. The car is right there. If you can pump without pre-paying, you could easily fill it and drive away. You can't really do that in a store. Pre-paying where I live has been standard for years. I love the convenience, as Gabrielle said. I run my card, pump and go. No going inside, waiting in line, way fast.

Again, if the owner of the shop requires the shopper to place their possessions in the care of the employees, then the owner has accepted liability for those possessions. This means if anything happens as a result of this, the owner is liable. The assumption that the customers are dishonest and the employees are honest is not valid. There are more customers than employees, so you will get more dishonest customers, but there are still dishonest employees. We all know that from working retail. Besides, if someone is not specifically set there watching the bags and checking them, then things are going to go missing, either by employees or other customers.

If the owner hasn't cleared this with his insurance provider and something happens, his insurance company will probably not cover the loss and he will have to cover it personally.

Going back to the store with a receipt showing what you bought somewhere else may be a bit SCish if you only show it to the employees, but I think there's nothing wrong with making copies of it and mailing it to the owner or manager's attention. Showing the CSRs isn't going to change anything.

Yes, I carry a large bag sometimes. I'm a mom, and I have found I just carry a lot more stuff since I became a mom (hand sanitizer, bandages, etc.), also I carry several personal medications at all times (migraines, back problems). It also has room to toss in a bottle of water and a paperback book (very handy in waiting rooms and McDonald's play areas and parks). When I go shopping on my own (a glorious brief occasion), I carry a much smaller bag.

And I never go to college bookstores. Much cheaper to get my books online.