Shop staff/security watching you

This is starting to piss me off. Walk into a shop and seeing security watching you like you're a criminal. Staff members asking you in turn if you're ok and just standing there with nothing to do watching you browse. It's so uncomfortable. Anyone else starting to get pissed off with this form of non-physical mental rape?

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Reply 1

jordz

This pisses me off so badly. I just walk out of the store. I refuse to give them my custom.

Reply 2

tehforum

It's so annoying when a security guard pretends to clean up the aisle you're on!

Argh!

Reply 3

JOR2010

I mean, security guards getting fussy at me in PRIMARK?! It's not as if the clothes are actually of any value..

Reply 4

ROYP

If you look anything like your avatar, can you blame them?

Reply 5

SpunkyVanDros

Primark accused me of stealing a £1.50 vest after the security man followed me and my friends through the shop. My dad was adamant it was because i was black.

why am i getting negged. the security guy was black too.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 6

WNB

Better to be safe than sorry

Reply 7

Sarah190

They are so annoying!

I was buying makeup in boots once from those lit up units with the shelves and the security guard was peering through the shelves at me like a total weirdo, it scared me when I saw his eyes staring at me haha! Then he followed me everywhere I went until I payed..

Felt a bit bad though, at the till they asked me to fill out some survey and in the "other comments" box I put "tell the security guard to stop staring at me through the shelves"
Never saw him again after that oops. He did look about 70 though, hopefully he had retired.

Reply 8

ChapelTom

A week ago I had had a guy watch me when I'd misplaced £3 in a shop (was in my laptop bag, I'm very badly organised) and I was going through my pockets as I had no other money, I was also trying to decide what beer to try, about 10 I'd not tried. Anyway after about 7 minutes I picked up the most expensive beer on the shelf, passed the security guard, glared at him and watched him follow me to the checkout turned round and said "Don't worry mate, I'd lost some money" and he followed me out the shop.

Tosser.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 9

Agenda Suicide

If I feel like a security guard in a shop is watching me I often do stupidly ridiculously shifty things to annoy them.

If it's shop staff I tell them outright. I say something polite but firm. For example "I have said I don't want any help and it's rather hard to shop with your staff constantly mulling round me so closely, so please sort it out."

It usually works.

I blame my hoodie.

It pisses me off too. Can't a man shoplift in peace!? :ahee:

Reply 12

alexlduffy

I get this occasionally. I think the worst was in a clothes shop once when I had about two/three people watching me. Then again, I don't think that was because they thought I was stealing, I think they just wanted a big ol' gossip about me.

Reply 13

FelixFelicis

Make your hands into a gun, start humming the mission impossible theme tune and run around the shop ducking and diving between shelves.

Reply 14

shadwmatty

I can see how it would be annoying...

but I have worked at John Lewis for a few years now, and anything a shop lifter takes comes right out of my bonus, I work part time, 11 hours, and I'm lucky if I come out with £330. I take a firm stance against potential shop lifters, sure you get your usual sort of shop lifter type,

but there are lots of types of shop lifters and I've seen all of the below. students doing it for financial gain, or to save the odd pound, or even doing it for a laugh, older mothers who steal a 99p item for a cheap thrill, to the professional shoplifter/cons to steal for a living, doing quick grabs, to trying to find a fail in our policys to walk out with cash/items they didn't come in with totally legal. all the way up to people who spend 2 hours looking at 2nd hand jewellery and take off with a 20k ring.

everyone I serve is a potential shoplifter, and in my eyes, anyone who is a stakeholder in the company is allowed to watch you while you are in the shop, I treat everyone as a customer, and offer great customer service, its our policy to approach everyone on the shop floor, so don't get annoyed if someone try''s to help you, generally that's what they are trying to do. however I am always on the lookout for potential shoplifters.

And although against policy due to health and safety, I have stopped shop lifters on numerous occasions. I think people have a media impression of a security guard stuck in their head usually from america, the whole "rentacop" thing, security guards are just people, they are usually a canny bunch, and I rely on our team to keep me safe at work, they have a harder job than me, they have peoples safety and the shops/business wellbeing to look after, officially I just need to keep customers happy, promote our business and stock and sell it. my jobs easy compared to theirs.

Reply 15

jamboogy

Or... make eye contact whilst you slowly steal an item, then leg it. Woop wooooop

Reply 16

PierceBrosnan

Original post by FelixFelicis

Make your hands into a gun, start humming the mission impossible theme tune and run around the shop ducking and diving between shelves.

The James Bond theme is my personal preference but each to their own.

Reply 17

StarsAreFixed

Primark and Boots, both mentioned, do have low-value items but both have a major problem with shoplifters and since primark have no tagging system (too expensive and time consuming when your stock turnover is ridiculously high) they need to be extra vigilant. Perhaps they were warned over the walkie talkie of someone with a similar description to you. I wouldn't take it personally unless you WERE actually robbing. As for staff asking you questions, highly annoying and not very effective outside of the US. Remember though that it's a head office policy and if it's not done, the manager will want to know why. Staff don't approach you and annoy you for the absolute laugh. It's not fun for either party basically.

Reply 18

Skill

Tbh the security are bad but I find the shop workers particularly annoying. Like I went in a store the other day and there were 3 girls and 1 dude all standing in and around the till and obviously they all kind of noticed and acknolwedged me coming in the store. It was only small. I felt like they were just watching me the whole time. Then they did their customary ' are you alright ' in turns. ****ing awkward as ****. I feel like I can't move without being watched.

One time I went into Vans ... they followed me downstairs to the lower floor and this girl came downstairs with me and stood with arms behind her back just observing me. I don't get it.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 19

TheSownRose

Original post by Agenda Suicide

That is good, just make sure you don't cross into actually being illegal.

I also get a strange sort of joy when shop staff are being all suspicious because I don't look like I should be able to afford to be shopping in there, then I go a buy something ridiculously expensive and suddenly they're calling me 'Madam' and looking at me completely differently. :awesome: