Free Republic

Liberty Counsel targets K-Mart, Sears for refusing to use 'Christmas' in ads Allie Martin OneNewsNow.com December 7, 2007 A Christian law firm is targeting two retail giants after they offended Christians with their advertising. Officials at Liberty Counsel say K-Mart and Sears have renamed "Christmas trees" to "holiday trees" in their advertising. According to Liberty Counsel founder Mat Staver, a ministry supporter asked K-Mart why it took the action. "A representative from Sears Holding Corporation, which owns K-Mart as well, wrote back and said that Sears is a diverse company and it did not want to offend any of its...

Murrysville resident Mary Bach has won her small claims suit against Kmart for improperly charging her state sales tax on toilet tissue. District Judge Jeffrey Herbst yesterday ordered Kmart to pay $100 in damages plus $59.50 in court costs. The longtime consumer advocate sued in September after being charged 28 cents tax on a $3.99, 12-pack of Angel Soft toilet tissue on two separate occasions at the Kmart store on Mall Boulevard in Monroeville. Although most paper goods are taxable in Pennsylvania, toilet tissue is exempt. "I'm delighted," Mrs. Bach said yesterday shortly after the judge's ruling. Kmart, which was...

CHICAGO, June 29 (UPI) -- In a bold move to jump-start years of declining sales, Sears is reportedly placing some free-standing stores inside some K-Mart facilities. The discount chain is renting about 7,000 square feet inside existing Kmarts to Sears dealers in four towns -- Claremont, N.H.; Freedom, Calif.; Pell City, Ala.; and Zephyrhills, Fla. The dealers sell hardware, appliances, lawn equipment and some consumer electronics, the Chicago Tribune reported. Some observers see it as another step toward an expected merger. During the past year, Sears Holdings Corp. has been moving its best Sears brands into Kmart in an effort...

Sears corporate officials have apologized to two police officers who were told to leave the retailer's store at a Des Moines mall because their uniforms distracted the store's security guards. Officers Richard Glade and David Coy said they were kicked out of the Sears store in Merle Hay Mall in separate incidents this month. "They told me that while I was in the store, I'd probably interfere with thefts they were monitoring," Coy said. "I said, 'Well, that's great.' She said, 'No, it's not,' and that they paid people to monitor that activity." Kimberly Freely, a Sears spokeswoman at the...

former Kmart employee was arrested and accused of putting rat poison in packages of ground beef at one of its stores last week, authorities said. Officials said nobody bought the three packages of tainted meat.Karen Wyndham, 45, of Cottageville, S.C., was charged with tampering with consumer products, according to the FBI. She was arrested Monday and released on a personal recognizance bond after appearing in court. The Kmart where Wyndham worked took all packaged meat off its shelves after an employee conducting a routine inspection found that three packages had been tampered with, The Post and Courier of Charleston reported...

Two-minute infomercials sponsored explicitly by Sears helps keep the homosexual network on the air. Sears has thrown its support to the LOGO network. LOGO is the 24-hour cable television network dedicated to programming for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders according to a homosexual advertising website. It is carried on many cable systems around the country. Many of you have been forced to accept it as part of your cable package. Sears is now helping to make it mainstream! Sear's advertising will help LOGO air shows like "Sex 2K Drag Kings," "The Gayest and Greatest of 2006," and "Transgeneration." Sears advertising...

Kmart Turned its Back on Americans (turn your back on Kmart!) This is a little reminder for all Christmas shoppers who are still looking for presents for friends and family. On 9-11, at a time when Americans throughout the country felt extremely vulnerable and endangered, K-Mart decided to refuse to sell firearms or ammunition despite the widespread demand. When Americans most felt the need for a firearm, K-Mart refused to help. At a time when Americans felt endangered, K-Mart refused to help. When I heard the rumors of this, I personally went to two area K-marts to verify the ...

Fast on the heels of their impending merger with Sears, Kmart stunned the retail industry this week by announcing their plans to dump their longtime association with Martha Stewart and replace her with Rick Warren, best-selling Christian author of The Purpose-Driven Life. As part of their endeavor to “revive” their damaged reputation and spur growth, Kmart stores will phase out the Martha Stewart “Everyday” Collection later this year and introduce the Rick Warren “Purpose-Driven” Collection, which will reflect the hugely-successful philosophy of the popular pastor. Featured products in the collection will include a line of men’s Hawaiian shirts with matching...

TAMPA - Shoppers may be scratching their heads lately at the changes taking place at their local Sears and Kmart stores. First, Kmart Corp. merged with Sears Roebuck & Co. to form Sears Holdings Corp. Next, the merged company announced it would change up to 400 Kmart stores across the country into a new store called Sears Essentials. This week, the company said it is retooling its Essentials stores by changing their design and changing their name to Sears Grand. How to read Sears' actions is being debated. A Sears spokesman said the company has learned important lessons about running...

Went into Kmart yesterday. Purchased my item. Walked to the door and a clerk wanted to go through my bag. Her position is called 'loss prevention' Is This Illegal Search and seizure??? When I have purchased something, it is paid for put in a bag, is it not considered then my personal property? Then why am I subject to having that purchase inspected upon leaving the store??? this practice is expanding. It started at Costco, many years ago, and now it is at many discount stores. Is this actually illegal search and seizure? Do I have a right to refuse...

Washington DC, Dec. 09, 2005 (CNA) - Intervening in the heated debate about the mention of Christmas on the public square, Concerned Women for America (CWA) presented a first Christmas list showing which businesses are honouring the Reason for the Season (the birth of Jesus), which ones are not, and which have mixed records. It first lists the corporation ‘Nice’ or friendly to the Original Christmas tradition.  This year Macy's joins the NICE list because it has returned the explicit mention of Christmas and Merry Christmas to its stores and its ads. L.L. Bean, on the other hand, just barely...

HOLIDAY BLUESLowe's listens: 'Christmas trees' Chain dumps 'holiday' reference after WND report, complaints One day after a WorldNetDaily story brought national exposure, the home-improvement retailer Lowe's dropped references to "Holiday Trees" in favor of "Christmas Trees" only. As WND reported, a Lowe's store in Austin, Texas, featured a banner that referred in English to "Holiday Trees" but in Spanish said "Christmas Trees." The American Family Association says its supporters contacted Lowe's to express their displeasure. The company responded in a statement: "To ensure consistency of our message and to avoid confusion among our customers, we are now referring to the...

Below find a list of the major department stores across the country and where they stand on using Christmas in their holiday advertising and other promotions. JCPenney: "Christmas" mentioned in print ads & other advertising Federated Department Stores (Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Lord & Taylor, Filene's, Marshall Fields): "Christmas" mentioned in print ads & other advertising Employees are free to use any holiday greeting that they feel is appropriate Dillard's: "Christmas" mentioned in print ads & other advertising FAO Schwarz: Using "Holiday" this year in advertising materials Employees are free to use any holiday greeting that they feel is appropriate Toys 'R'...

AgapePress) - An official with a pro-family group reports that a boycott campaign aimed at Target Stores nationwide has succeeded in attracting hundreds of thousands of consumers who say they intend to shop elsewhere during what is traditionally the busiest shopping weekend of the year. On Friday (Nov. 18) the American Family Association (AFA) launched on online boycott campaign against Target, citing the retailer's decision to ban Salvation Army kettles from their store entrances as well as the use of "Merry Christmas" in their in-store promotions and retail advertising. By the following Monday, almost 300,000 individuals had "signed" an online...

It ssems Kmart is following in the same Anti Christmas footsteps as Walmart. Today I went into Kmart to buy a few odds and ends. Well I happened to walk pass their Christmas Trees for sale. Well they weren't called Christmas Trees. They were called "Mountain Trees". Yes you heard right. Some were also called "Snow Trees" because, they were white in color. Anyways I went on to www.kmart.com to check there as well, and the trees are called "Mountain and Snow" Trees as well. So it seems that the Anti Christmas Express is moving right along. Shame on Kmart....

Ahhhhhhhh yes...the softer side of Sears. Upon my trip to the retail "giant" I walk by and notice the price of the Christmas Trees they were pushing...but oh...what is this? They are not called Christmas Trees...nope. They are not called Holiday Trees...nope. They are not called Festive Trees...nope. They are called...................... WISHING TREES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A frightening scene involving the Longview Hands on a Hardbody contest early Thursday morning. Police say a contestant killed himself in front of them at a local store. He was contestant number 4. Quiet, soft spoken and well liked. But shortly before the 6:00 a.m. break, 24-year-old Richard Vega of Tyler took his hands off the hardbody truck and began walking across the street to K-mart. "When I talked to Ricky this morning, he seemed fine. I said, 'How you doing?' He said, 'I had too much caffeine.' Next thing you know , three minutes before the horn blows he's...

Judge rips Kmart raid's mass arrests Calling actions unconstitutional, she rules 10 suits can now proceedBy HARVEY RICECopyright 2005 Houston Chronicle Calling the operation "almost totalitarian," a federal judge says a Houston police plan that led to 278 arrests in a Kmart parking lot almost three years ago was unconstitutional. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Nancy Atlas allows all 10 lawsuits filed in the wake of the Aug. 18, 2002, mass arrest, and a smaller operation the previous night, to proceed.The "plan to detain all persons ... with no regard for the existence of open businesses and their customers,...

DETROIT (AP) - Kmart Holding Corp. announced plans Wednesday to convert more than a quarter of its stores to a Sears format following its merger with Sears, Roebuck and Co. Troy-based Kmart disclosed the plans on the same day that it posted a $309 million profit for the fourth quarter, a 14 percent increase over the previous year. The retailer also said sales at stores open at least a year continued to fall, though at a much lower rate than they had been. In trading Wednesday, Kmart's stock rose $2.42, or 2.2 percent, to close at $111.66 on the Nasdaq...

The bottom line is, there will be less choice for the consumer with the same merchandise being offered at all stores. It's the MacDonaldization of retailing. Where consistency trumps quality and selection, and low prices trumps service and a knowledgeable staff. There will be less variety in clothing since there will be fewer buyers making the choices. As a kid, I can recall when going downtown to shop used to be a special outing, almost an entertainment event. People actually used to get all dressed up to go "to the stores," believe it or not. Well-dressed ladies would lunch in...

NEW YORK (AP) - Martha Stewart, you're hired. The masterminds behind "The Apprentice" - Donald Trump and Mark Burnett- and NBC announced Wednesday that Stewart will host "The Apprentice: Martha Stewart." "Mark and I have always admired her," Trump said. "She's a very brave woman. She's built a multimillion-dollar empire. It was an easy decision. We think this will be an absolutely tremendous success." Burnett didn't reveal many details about the new version of the business-themed reality show, such as whether there will be a boardroom or when the show would begin taping. But Stewart's take on "Apprentice" should be...

After 95 years, shareholders of Sears, Roebuck and Co. should get ready to say goodbye to the letter S. When the Hoffman Estates-based retailer merges with Kmart Holding Corp. in an $11 billion deal expected to close next month, the new company plans to trade shares on the Nasdaq stock exchange, according to a regulatory filing. That means Sears will give up the single-letter ticker designation that it has used on the New York Stock Exchange since 1910. The new Sears Holdings Corp. hasn't chosen a trading symbol, but in a filing Tuesday with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the...

BEIJING: Chinese consumers are likely to displace their US counterparts as the "engine" of the growth in the global economy by 2014, a study by a leading global investment bank has found. The study, made by Credit Suisse First Boston's (CSFB) global equity strategy team released on Thursday, forecasts the US dollar value of Chinese consumption spending in 10 years will represent 37 per cent of the US and 11 per cent of global consumption spending, versus nine per cent and three per cent respectively in 2004. For 2004, the CSFB estimates that the US dollar value of Chinese household...

...Desperate for tax revenue, cities and towns across the country now routinely take property from unwilling sellers to make way for big-box retailers. Condemnation cases aren't tracked nationally, but even retailers themselves acknowledge that the explosive growth of the format in the 1990s and torrid competition for land has increasingly pushed them into increasingly problematic areas -- including sites owned by other people... [A] shareholder resolution: "adopt a policy for land procurement and use that incorporates social and environmental factors," particularly, the wishes of local property owners and community groups.... "If the company continues to operate in this manner, with...

Federal regulators charged three former Kmart executives and five current and former managers of major vendors with accounting fraud, claiming they misrepresented the retailer's earnings by $24 million in 2001. The actions Thursday by the Securities and Exchange Commission are part of the government's nearly two-year investigation into the events that led to Kmart's bankruptcy filing in January 2002. Kmart emerged from Chapter 11 in May 2003 after closing 600 stores and cutting 60,000 jobs. Investors and Kmart employees lost millions as the company's stock plummeted and was eventually delisted. The case has been a high priority in the Detroit...

Average customers know the same thing that ministers of high finance understand: It's all about the price. Shoppers Thursday at the Billings Sears store were eager to find out what a proposed merger between Sears and Kmart means to their pocketbooks. "I'm going to go where the prices are the cheapest," said Mary Chenoweth, of Shepherd. Wes Peterson, of Wolf Point, pointed out that the quality of Sears goods would probably benefit Kmart. "I see a bigger benefit for Kmart than for Sears," he said. The $11 billion merger will create the third-largest retailer behind Wal-Mart and Home Depot, with...

The retail industry received another shake-up today as Sears Holding Corp. (NYSE: S), the parent company behind the recent merger of Sears and Kmart, announced the acquisition of embattled European cheesemaker France (NASDAQ: FROG). The buyout deal, estimated at $2.7 billion, will position Sears/Kmart/France as the world's third largest retailer and 15th ranked military power. Reaction of Wall Street was mixed, with shares of Paris-based France rising 11% in late trading after the announcement, while Hoffman Estates, IL-based Sears Holdings dropped 19%. "The acquisition of France indicates there will be further consolidation within the low-end, weird-smelling retail segment," said Ivan...

November 17, 2004 | Get Your Local News and Weather ABC News Kmart to Acquire Sears in $11 Billion DealDiscount Retailer Kmart to Acquire Once-Dominant Sears Department Store Chain in $11 Billion Deal A Kmart employee collects shopping carts in the parking of Kmart store in the Northridge section of Los Angeles Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2004. Kmart is acquiring Sears, one of the most venerable names in U.S. retailing, in a surprise $11 billion deal that will create the nation's third-largest retailer. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian) The Associated Press NEW YORK Nov 17, 2004 — A resurgent Kmart, home of the...

Kmart, Sears to Merge in an $11 Billion Deal That Will Create Nation's Third Largest Retailer CHICAGO (AP) -- The discount retailer Kmart Holding Corp. is combining with one of the most venerable names in U.S. retailing, Sears, Roebuck & Co., in an $11 billion deal that will create the nation's third largest retailer. The company being created by the surprise combination announced Wednesday would be known as Sears Holdings Corp., but will continue to operate the Kmart and Sears stores under their current brand names. The combined company is expected to have $55 billion in annual revenues, 2,350 full-line...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sears, Roebuck & Co. and Kmart Holding Corp. on Wednesday said they would merge in an $11 billion deal to form the third-largest U.S. retailer. The companies said in a joint statement that the new company, Sears Holdings, will have about $55 billion in annual revenues, 2,350 full-line and off-mall stores, and 1,100 specialty retail stores.

DETROIT (AP) -- Kmart will sell up to 54 of its stores to Sears, Roebuck and Co. for a maximum of $621 million, the retailer said Wednesday... The announcement came less than a month after Troy-based Kmart announced it was selling up to 24 stores to Home Depot for as much as $365 million. http://www.freep.com/news/statewire/sw100341_20040630.htm

Kmart to Sell Up to 24 Stores to Home Depot Associated Press Jun 4, 2004 TROY, Mich. (AP) - Kmart will sell as many as 24 stores to Home Depot for up to $365 million, the discount retailer announced Friday. Its shares surged 14 percent. The exact number of stores, their locations, and the final purchase price will be determined in the next 60 days. Kmart spokesman Jack Ferry said the company is not saying whether the stores are currently open or closed until after the number and locations have been finalized. Kmart said the stores will be converted "as...

Kmart sues Wyoming counties The corporation is using its bankruptcy case to challenge past personal property taxes. By Jessica Lowell rep5@wyomingnews.com Published in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle CHEYENNE - When Brenda Arnold opened a sheaf of legal papers from a bankruptcy court last fall, she thought she had gotten them by mistake, because her office doesn't deal with bankruptcies. Arnold, the Laramie County assessor, took a closer look and saw she was named in the papers. Kmart Corp., which sought bankruptcy protection in 2001, is suing within its bankruptcy case to reduce its personal property taxes for the second half of...

Kmart Sues Martha Stewart Living Fri February 13, 2004 04:43 PM ET By Emily Kaiser CHICAGO (Reuters) - Kmart Holding Corp. (KMRT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) on Friday said it had sued Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. (MSO.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , claiming the home furnishings maker "double-counted" the royalties it is owed for sales of its merchandise in Kmart stores. But Martha Stewart Living, whose namesake founder is currently on trial on obstruction of justice charges related to a questionable stock trade, countered in a statement that Kmart was trying to reduce its royalty payments. At issue is $4.5 million...

EDWARDSVILLE - With perhaps the best blue-light special ever, a few shoppers found the Kmart on U.S. Route 11 open but unmanned on Christmas Eve. Store workers accidentally left the store unlocked after they finished work and closed the store at about 9:30 p.m., said Edwardsville police officer Shawn Brown. With the lights still on after workers cleared the store and left, new customers were drawn in. A few went inside but then exited and called police when they found the Mark Plaza store empty. Brown said a man and his child were discovered inside shopping, but they were shooed...

<p>NEW YORK — As the critical holiday shopping season nears, Kmart will bring back the face of design diva Martha Stewart in TV ads rolling out Saturday during World Series programming.</p> <p>In three ads, Stewart promotes her Everyday line, a Kmart exclusive and still among its best sellers. She goes to trial in January on securities charges, but she is smiling in the ad, surrounded by Everyday sheets and towels in a Kmart store. In one ad, she also signs the letter "K" and says, "It's in the K."</p>

Judgment tossed out in Kmart shotgun sale By Pamela Manson The Salt Lake Tribune A federal judge has thrown out a $3 million judgment against Kmart for selling a gun that a schizophrenic man used to commit suicide, ruling that jury deliberations in the case were tainted. A juror's knowledge about a similar case against the retailer and his coy remarks about it to other jury members put Kmart in an unfair position, U.S. District Judge Ted Stewart ruled. His decision sends the negligence lawsuit by the family of Ryan Tait Eslinger of Park City back to court for a...

A swarm of honeybees paid the ultimate price so that a shoplifter could escape a Sedalia Kmart. A man was spotted shoplifting by store security, who followed the suspect into a bathroom to confront him. But when personnel opened the bathroom door, about 100 honeybees buzzed out. The suspect apparently let the bees loose when he was in the bathroom. "He probably started yelling 'Bees! Bees!' or whatever the case may be, then created that big diversion, then got out," said Cmdr. John DeGonia, of the Sedalia Police Department. According to a police report, the man escaped with about $60...

<p>CHICAGO (Reuters) - Kmart Corp. officially emerges from bankruptcy Tuesday, but its vendors, lenders and investors will be watching closely over the next year to make sure the discount retailer doesn't slip back into Chapter 11, analysts said.</p> <p>"They have the fight of their lives ahead of them," said Kurt Barnard, president of Barnard's Retail Consulting Group. "They still have to find a clear-cut, persuasive niche between their arch-rivals, Wal-Mart and Target."</p>

<p>Westminster Buried inside the Nguoi Viet Daily News is a glossy publication that resembles a mini-PARADE, the weekly magazine distributed nationally in newspapers.</p> <p>Except for one big difference.</p> <p>It's all in Vietnamese.</p> <p>Kmart Corp. produces the chatty, upbeat flier, called Tea Leaf, targeted at Asians. Kmart hopes the publication, launched March 3, will encourage Asians to make Kmart their main shopping place.</p>

Fleming Cos., the largest grocery distributor whose business with Kmart was once nearly half its revenues, said yesterday its survival was in doubt. Fleming said it's meeting with lenders and customers about its urgent need for cash. Without new cash, its future as a "going concern" is uncertain. * * * Kmart filed for bankruptcy last year and ended a 10-year exclusive deal with Fleming earlier this month. As a result, Fleming lost some $4.5 billion in annual revenues. * * * Also, the Securities and Exchange Commission is looking into a number of issues at Fleming, including accounting.

Kmart posts $3.22 billion loss for 20023/24/2003 2:04:00 PMCHICAGO, March 24 (Reuters) - Discount retailer Kmart Corp. (KMRTQ) on Friday reported a loss of $3.22 billion for 2002, struggling to boost sales after declaring bankruptcy. The retailer, which filed for bankruptcy in January 2002, said full-year sales slumped to $30.76 billion from $36.15 billion in 2001. Kmart closed more than 300 stores in 2002. Kmart reported a loss of $2.42 billion for 2001. Kmart hopes to emerge from bankruptcy by April 30. It is in the process of closing another roughly 300 stores and cutting about 35,000 jobs. Squeezed between...

HPD's Aguirre fired over raid By KRISTEN MACK Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle Jan. 29, 2003, 3:51PM Houston police Capt. Mark Aguirre, commander of the controversial raid at a west-side Kmart in August, was fired this morning. Acting Police Chief Tim Oettmeier announced Aguirre's firing during a briefing to City Council on the Kmart raids. "What we witnessed was nothing more than the political lynching of Aguirre and they used Oettmeier as the henchman," said Aguirre's attorney, Terry Yates. Aguirre, who had his first chance to speak out today, said the department is using him as a scapegoat and HPD is...

List of Kmart Stores Slated to Close 1/14/2003 5:14:00 PMJan 14, 2003 (AP Online via COMTEX) -- Kmart Corp. announced Tuesday it will close 326 stores in 44 states and Puerto Rico as part of its restructuring under Chapter 11 bankruptcy.The affected stores are: ALABAMA Big Kmart 141 Lindberg Ave., Atmore Big Kmart 9076 M. Madison Blvd. Madison Village, Madison Big Kmart 3930 Airport Blvd., Mobile Super K 4041 Atlanta Highway, Montgomery Super K 2333 East South Blvd., Montgomery Big Kmart 4411 Central, Hot Springs ALASKA Super K 400 Rodeo Place, Anchorage Super K 8601 Old Seward Highway, Anchorage Super...

Kmart will close 54 stores in Texas 01/14/2003 By ANURADHA RAGHUNATHAN / The Dallas Morning News Kmart Corp., a Michigan-based discount retailer that's in the middle of a bankruptcy reorganization, said Tuesday that it will close three-quarters of its stores in Texas as it shutters 326 nationwide. The company also said it will lay off up to 35,000 workers, including 5,269 in Texas. Kmart said it will close 54 of its 73 Texas stores and a distribution center in Corsicana that employs 378. Among the store closures will be the only remaining Dallas location, on Walton Walker Boulevard. Also...

Just got info from wife who heard it at work from someone who talked to someone who knows. Wal-Mart is only putting crafts and Christmas items on sale today. Not much else on sale. Anyone have any other info on other stores like K-Mart, Target? Perhaps we can help each other target REAL sales when they happen. And, if sales WERE the lowest they've been in 30 years as the Washington Post story says...seems like the retailers would have big sales. However, from what I know (which is very little), they're not. Merry Christmas to all.

A Harris County grand jury today will begin considering whether police handling of a mass arrest -- which already has led to lawsuits against the city of Houston and the suspension of 13 police supervisors -- also deserves criminal indictments. Public outcry was swift and furious after more than 270 people were arrested Aug. 18 in a Kmart parking lot in the 8400 block of Westheimer on the west side. Many who were caught in the roundup said they were customers at the Kmart or a nearby Sonic drive-in restaurant. City officials later dropped all trespassing and curfew charges resulting...

A White Plains councilman has joined the national debate over gun control after seeing a movie where two of the students injured in the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School succeed in persuading a retail giant to stop selling the type of bullets used in the killing. The scene is captured in "Bowling for Columbine," Michael Moore's satiric documentary about the U.S. culture of violence. In the movie, the students — one paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair, the other with a bullet still lodged inside him — travel with Moore from Littleton, Colo., to the Troy, Mich., headquarters of...

Not easy to make arrests disappear By THOM MARSHALL Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle UNARRESTING SOMEONE might sound easy, but it's really almost as hard as unshooting a gun. Officials dropped trespassing and curfew charges against all who got collared in a couple of recent large-scale police raids at parking lots along Westheimer, but neither police nor any other city officials have the power to clear the records created by the arrests. Arthur Crompton, senior assistant city attorney, explained that once a person gets arrested and fingerprinted, that information is available to a wide range of state and federal authorities. "If...

Recently I was stopped on my way out of KMart by an employee asking to see my receipt and contents of my bags. I asked if I was suspected of doing something illegal to which he replied, "No, it's just our policy to match purchases against your receipt." I told him that unless he had reasonable cause to believe that I'd done something illegal there was no way I was going to let him inspect either one. To his credit, he did not press the issue and allowed me to leave. The practice of door-checking seems to have started at...