Posted on 06/27/2010 1:57:46 PM PDT by Daffynition
Let's say you're in a rush after buying a fan at Costco. You look past the line packed with people and carts and spy a lone employee standing by the exit. Do you walk over and show your receipt? What's the worst that could happen? Let's ask Reader Shay.
“ On June 23, 2010 at the [redacted] Costco Center at around 11am I made a quick stop in to return a couple items and to pick a fan. Both the returns process and the checkout went wonderfully as usual. It only took me 2 minutes to get in line and pay for the one item I had.
However when I reached the exit door there was a line of 8 people with baskets of stuff waiting to get out the door. So I went to the other door which does have exit illuminated above it and showed the lady standing there my receipt and one item. She shook her head at me and pointed at the line. When I started to walk out the exit anyways she grabbed a hold of my arm and told me to go to the other line. I told her that I was already running late and the line was moving very slowly, so I continued out the exit. At this point her hand slipped off of my arm and she grabbed a hold of my purse. The first time I politely asked her to let go of me, to which she promptly ignored me. So I continued to walk out the door as she still held onto my purse, eventually grabbing onto it with a second hand and began tugging it. I finally started yelling at her to let go of me when we were in front of the exit area (directly center to both entrances). Even after people started stopping and staring at us, She continued to tug on my purse and would not let go no matter how loud I yelled. She finally let go when I knocked her hands off of my purse with pretty reasonable force.
I was honestly pretty shaken up over this. I really couldn’t believe someone would do this in a public place especially an employee of that store. I sat in my car for about 5 minutes and calmed down. Then I had to find the number for Costco, because no where on my receipt does it list a phone number. I finally got a hold of the stores assistant manger and explained what had happened. He was polite and apologetic and end up meeting me in front of the store so I could point out who had done this to me. He said that he would speak with this Employee and that the Store Manger would call me when he came in.
True to his word the store manger did give me a call a few hours later. He once again apologized for the situation. I explained to what had happened and he confirmed that the statement that the employee had to fill out stated exactly what I had told him.
I have also mailed a letter to the regional manger letting him know exactly what happen as well. This should have never happen to me and I will continue writing to members of Costco Management, to ensure that this doesn’t happen to anyone else. There should be a Zero Tolerance Policy for this type of employee behavior. ”
Hey.. the eighties were.. the eighties.
“...because one customer may steal all are guilty or at least suspicious.”
IIRC most theft is done by employees.
It looks like a lot of people are ready to obey just about anything they are told to do.
Just goes to show you, everyone wants to be a TSA security employee!
At Sam’s Club if the employee at the door doesn’t shoot you the rest of the people in line might.
So Sam’s Club is Concealed Carry Friendly?
Me too. I hate waiting for the stores to open and the discounts are much better.
Pretty dumb idea to grab a random stranger though. Is it worth $9/hr to get your front teeth knocked out?
8 people in line , it takes 10 seconds to check each one tops.
The lady should have been tasered for shoplifting.
Too bad Costco did not terminate her membership right there and then.
Lady, I’m sure the others waiting in line were in just as much of a hurry as you. You should have waited in line like everybody else.
QUIT YOUR WHINING!
Please do not take this the wrong way, but I could totally see you saying this in a "Jeremiah Wright" tone of delivery. :)
One of the reasons some of these clubs have annual membership fees is that most shoplifters won't pay them.
Another interesting little note on this. Apparently, employee theft is a bigger problem than customer theft. Employees will get a cohort and deliberately not scan certain items when the cohort checks out. Usually the cohort will have three or four low price items in their cart and one high priced item. The high priced item is dropped in the bag without being scanned. That's the reason most of the cameras are over the checkout stands and point straight down at the scanning table. It's also why they check the receipts against the items in the bags.
A store dick can call the police, absolutely, and write down her license plate if she leaves without acceeding to an inspection. Anyone who exits through an entrance can expect to be challenged. Why would a door jockey checking membership cards be expected to check for goods leaving, when there is another line for that?
Why go to a warehouse store and expect to be treated like its a 7-11 ? How stupid can you get ?
THEY don't seem to want to be made to wait in line like everyone else...
The "art" of waiting in line is a western social concept. You do not see it practiced often in the third world countries from which most illegals come. For such people, there is no difference between an entrance and exit, and stampeding in and out as fast as possible is perfectly acceptable.
Reading this thread and all the replies wondering why she shouldn’t have to wait in line to get approved to exit the store make me think of lines of people, all dressed alike, holding one hand on the shoulder of the person ahead of them and walking slowly, in lock-step toward some unidentifiable destination.
Wake up folks! Snap out of it! She paid her money for the goods she purchased. It isn’t her responsibility to see to it that store-security is upheld. What would happen if they thought she had shoplifted a tampon?
Several years ago, when I was still in my sixties, I had the audacity to enter a Walmart through the “exit” door. The guy posted there to check receipts yelled at me and grabbed my arm. I surprised him (and myself) by reversing his hold and putting him in a hammer-lock. I let him go and continued my shopping. When I left the store he wasn’t at that post anymore.
I’m not a member of Costco so I don’t know what has to be agreed to to become a member but any person who forcibly lays their hands on another is risking an assault charge.
Is the headline writer some sort of New Yorker? New Yorkers are the only ones who use the expression “wait ON line” rather than “wait IN line” that I know of (outside of references to remote computer usage).
Yup, years ago a Kohl’s “security person” laid a hand on me with force. He went to the hospital and I went home. My lawyer negotiated a nice settlement - in my favor.
Same here.
Yes but I'm sure you wouldn't knowingly violate the membership rules of a buyers club you voluntarily joined just because you're so much better than all the other members.
We're Costco members and I vote that store employees be able to lay a righteous beating into arrogant snots like this lady.
If the store employees can't then the members should be able to.
Drama queens like this are always convinced that the rules don't apply to them. Were I the store manager I'd have revoked her membership on the spot and refunded her fee to her with a request that she never return.
L
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