My store is NOT for you to advertise in!

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

I've had several run ins with folks who are trying to use my store as a means to reach customers for their businesses. I've noticed a couple of variations.

A) People who leave stuff around my store

I've come across flyers for contractors, chinese restaurant menus, business cards for lawyers. One guy even stuck religious tracts on to a bunch of games on our shelves.

Had someone stick flyers for some kind of cleaning service on the outside of our windows.

B) Folks who work are, essentially my competition and trying to steal my customers.

I've had customers offer to buy other customers trades for more than we offer. While we can't stop this, we do have to tell the involved parties to conduct business outside of the store.

There was one guy who stood outside our shop for a couple of hours pimping his Xbox 360 repair service.

Had another guy stand near my counter and continually tell customers where they could get X for cheaper (where X was whatever product they were purchasing), my manager kicked him out pretty quick.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

We used to have a problem with the payday loan place in our strip mall sticking fliers on cars in our parking lot. I guess it's finally registered in their brains that they don't have the right to put fliers on cars in our part of the lot.

My supervisor has a brother who lives in the Miami area, and he told her that down there, putting fliers on cars is a popular car-jacking technique. The flier gets stuck on the rear window, the driver gets in their car and starts it, notices the flier on the rear window, and exits the car to remove it. That's when the thief, who's hiding nearby, jumps in the car and takes off.

[rerant]

I get a similar version of this at my work.
Salespeople are constantly coming in and trying to sell things. Usually crap like Mighty Putty, those annoying dolls that dance and sing something like La Bamba, knife sets or cosmetics.
When I tell them I'm not interested and that we prohibit soliciting they then turn to any customers in the store and try to get them to buy something.
I've kicked out many people for this.

The two most annoying guys are the psychic and the Eco Lights guy.
Eco Lights guy will never take no for an answer and when I tell him about the no solicitation policy he counters with, "I'm not trying to sell you something, I'm trying to save you money."
Yes, by SELLING me something. Ugh.
The psychic is just annoying and thankfully a customer put him in his place one day so I didn't have to.
He asked her if she wanted a ($50) reading and said he could tell her things like her mother's name (because everyone needs to spend $50 to find out something they already know) and, if she gave him her birthday, when she would be married.
"If you were a better psychic you'd know I'm already married. And if you were a better observer you'd have seen my wedding ring."
Snap.

[LillFilly]

Gah, we get people like that all the time! Once the lot was covered with flyers that someone had left on cars, that the owners didn't want, and just threw on the ground. Yeah, I had to pick those up.

I really hate the people who leave religious pamphlets in stores' displays; It misguides customers into thinking the store affilates itself with one group or another and someday I'm sure someone is going to get offended. The problem is, it's one church doing it, and we know which people who come in are leaving the stuff, BUT WE NEVER CATCH THEM DOING IT!!!

[Bloodsoul]

I have to admit, I have had the urge to go through the library or local book store and stick some of my "Foamy Card Cult" cards into books.

I'm too lazy to go through with it, though. <_<

[Android Kaeli]

Have a lot of people leave different religious pamphlets and cards around, especally in the bathrooms. However, since management put up a "No Solicitation" sign on the entrance/exit door, we haven't gotten any new menus or coupons from food places down the street lately.

[Mr Hero]

I'll admit I committed part B once. I guy was trading in an SNES game, Super Castlevania IV. I loved that game, and I would love a copy, so I offered the guy in store $20. I was asked in the store not to do this, which I obeyed. Even funnier is that the store itself had like 3 copies for $15 each. Hehe oops.

[Naaman]

My supervisor has a brother who lives in the Miami area, and he told her that down there, putting fliers on cars is a popular car-jacking technique. The flier gets stuck on the rear window, the driver gets in their car and starts it, notices the flier on the rear window, and exits the car to remove it. That's when the thief, who's hiding nearby, jumps in the car and takes off.

I heard that as well (from a chain e-mail, which is why I checked), Snopes says otherwise though.

[depechemodefan]

I'm always finding religious tracts on the shelves, and ticket stubs in books.

We have meeting rooms we rent out, but they can only be used for non-profit meetings. You can't charged people to come to your meeting.

So this guy contacts the meeting room person who tells him the rules, and he knows he can't charge people to come to his meeting.

So 1/2 hour before the meeting, he asks to put up flyers for his seminar. Learn comedy (or acting, I forgot what), $20 a person.

I tell him I'll have to get approval from a manager, since me telling him "no" would no doubt led to an arguement I can't win.

Of course, it's 6:40 pm and I cna't find a manager since they all went home at 5pm. The night manager is at dinner and can't be found. Finally I got a cw to help me and she suggested the chief of Central, who was on the phone with another manager of a district. And he calls the person in charge of the meeting rooms at home. Seems this guy also talked to someone in adminitstration (I hate when people try to go around us) and who know what that idiot in administration told him.

So I told t he chief the guy was waiting downstairs. But the dude booked to the meeting room so I didn't get to see how it was handled.

[LionMan]

I heard that as well (from a chain e-mail, which is why I checked), Snopes says otherwise though.

That is probably not true, but I have found there is a very high correlation between flyers being placed in windshields and cars being broken into.

[hotelslave]

What irritates me is when I park my car at work and other stores/businesses in strip mall stick flyers on my car. Come on now I don't trust Hair Assasins to flat iron my hair let alone put chemicals but hey you stick the coupon on my window and I have changed my mind.

[mattm04]

We had a restaurant on out plaza that constantly put flyer on cars. I swear they must have had a person who did that all day. By the end of the they day the lot was completely covered in flyers, thousand of them sometimes. I don't know who, but i suspect the sweeper service guy filled up over a dozen bags of parking lot trash and left in in front of their door.

THey closed down for a while and then reopened under new ownership a month later. No more flyers.

[Rapscallion]

Used to get leaflets left all the time. Posters as well. We set up a system of 'as long as you put something in the charity box', which most were happy with.

When the circus came through town, they only had free tickets to give away, so to keep the better customers sweet we gave them to their children, so that was fine. However, there were some who thought that they were owed space in our window.

"I'll come back and put some in later."

"Sure! We'll put it up later, then."

They went out to their car, sat there, stared at us not putting their poster up, then stormed back in and snatched the poster back.

"But it's for a good cause!"

"So's the charity box."

Saw a few CBFs with that one.

Rapscallion

[Jay 2K Winger]

Once got these guys hanging out in our vestibule outside, trying to sell people on the really cheap sports tickets they had to offer through their company. I noticed them outside, wondered briefly, and when one of them came inside later to get change for a soda from the vending machines, I asked him "What are you guys doing out there?" He starts in on his spiel, but once I realize he's selling something, I interrupt: "Is this being done through [store]?" "No." "Then you guys can't sell your stuff in our vestibule."

He stares at me with a slightly shocked expression, gets his soda, and goes back outside. I don't see him or his partners for an hour or so, but then they come back. So I call the MOD, who tells them to get lost. They finally did.

[Sparky]

I was shopping for clothes one time and found flyers for someone's alterations business taped up in the fitting rooms. Asked the saleslady if she knew they were there. She hadn't known and they came down in a hurry.

Wonder how long that person got away with it?