Gay couple banned for not shoplifting?

[Laisrean]

Originally Posted by brymble

Only to an extent. If they could refuse service to anyone for any reason, it would still be legal to put up "NO IMMIGRANTS" or "COLORED USE SIDE DOOR" signs. It is not, even in private businesses.

Actually, the main reason that sort of discrimination existed wasn't because it was legal to do it, but because it was actually required by law that it be done. Segregation was enforced by Jim Crow laws which required businesses to do it... most of them would probably not have done it otherwise because its the point of a business to make money. The only color that matters to a private business is the color green. It therefore makes no logical sense to discriminate, and if you do you lose ground to your competitors who don't.

[BryonMorrigan]

Having worked in loss prevention before...I didn't see anything that led me to believe that sexual orientation was a factor. Rather, in most places, detaining someone (or even just accusing them) who you find out did _not_ steal is pretty much a fire-able offense in most LP jobs. They were probably trying to CYA by trying to find _some_ reason to hold them.

That's why they usually have very strict standards of what they can and cannot detain you for. (The company that I worked for had a $20 minimum, for example. And nothing that can easily be slipped into a pocket.)

However, Wal-Mart is known in the business for being very unprofessional in the way their LP people do their thing.

[brymble]

Wal-mart is know for being very unprofessional in the way they do most things.

[Dumunzi]

China-mart. Bleh.

[bellamandu]

Originally Posted by aranarose

The reaction of the store makes no sense to me.

He produced a receipt. All the employees would have to do is check to see if the lighters were there, and if they weren't, tell them to pay for the lighters or leave without them. If the lighters were on the receipt, you let them go, period. Even if the lighters weren't on the receipt $15 worth of merchandise is not enough to kick up that much of a fuss about, particularly when two men and two children are involved. it could very, very ugly fast, and they know it.

Also, what triggered the employee to approach them, and to ask specifically for the lighters? Were the employees already watching them, and if so, why were they watching them so closely as to know that they had lighters that weren't paid for?

And as has already been stated, it's really, really hard to get away with stuffing unpaid merchandise in your bag on the self-checkout lines. Those scales are very sensitive, and very annoying. If it measures off by an ounce, it will freeze the screen, and you can't check out at all until it's fixed.

It's interesting to see so many people jumping to defend the store, when really, there are cases of employees being exceptionally stupid, and handling things very wrong. This honestly sounds like one of those cases. Especially considering the men in question were both lawyers and business owners.

correct me if i was given wrong info, but i thought it was wal-mart policy not to get the police involved for shoplifting cases of less than $20? can someone find info on this?

[bellamandu]

ok. here we go.

as of 2006:

But now, in a rare display of limited permissiveness, Wal-Mart is letting thieves off the hook — at least in cases involving $25 or less.Some Leeway for the Small Shoplifter

from: here

if this is still the case, then something is definitely wrong here.

[RoseKitten]

Originally Posted by bellamandu

correct me if i was given wrong info, but i thought it was wal-mart policy not to get the police involved for shoplifting cases of less than $20? can someone find info on this?

Originally Posted by bellamandu

ok. here we go.

as of 2006:



from: here



if this is still the case, then something is definitely wrong here.

That's corp. policy. Individual stores can, and do, still prosecute if they want to.

[bellamandu]

Originally Posted by RoseKitten

That's corp. policy. Individual stores can, and do, still prosecute if they want to.

gotcha.