The Student Room Group

Shop staff/security watching you

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Reply 40
Original post by PeaceFreak
I work in a large store specialising in arts and crafts and we get a huge number of thefts. The people that steal stuff are usually kids in tracksuits or shifty looking people in tracksuits... If you walk into the shop wearing a tracksuit, looking shifty (generally wandering around looking at the high value items or fiddling with the paint brushes) then yes i will follow you, yes i will radio my manager and yes i will radio the centre security to see if any other shops have reported anything suspicious. It's my job, I do my job and sadly that's just the way things are. I won't say anything about thefts to you, i usually ask "Do you need any help there?" as I do with all customers, depending on the way you react i'll leave you alone or continue to keep my eye on you....


Do you think you're hard? I'll come up Manchester and bang you up Chisora style.
Original post by Skill
why does it matter if he's black or white or pink or turqouise , god just appreciate everyone will you! :rolleyes:


Yes, it doesn't matter. I suppose I didn't really need to mention it, but it's just that I've had conversations with him before and just found it interesting, that's all.
Original post by Jake22
This happened to me in Waitrose the other day. I wasn't that bothered. I have only been in there a couple of times and I don't look like a typical customer. If the security guard wants to follow me around then fine - that's him making his job easier.


Only if you were going to steal anything. :lolwut: If not, he's wasting time following you whilst someone probably is actually taking something as he's doing so.
Reply 43
Original post by Skill
Do you think you're hard? I'll come up Manchester and bang you up Chisora style.


Fine by me, i'll just call the police like I did with the last idiot that tried it on with me.
Original post by Skill
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?


If you're not doing anything wrong, and you're not planning on doing anything wrong, then why does it bother you?

They don't affect what you're doing, they don't stop you being able to buy anything, just ignore them and get on with what you're doing.
Me and my friends just walked round the same two aisles when they done it to us when we were younger.
Reply 46
Original post by CherryCherryBoomBoom
Yes, it doesn't matter. I suppose I didn't really need to mention it, but it's just that I've had conversations with him before and just found it interesting, that's all.


racist! :rolleyes:
Original post by Skill
racist! :rolleyes:


Racist? I'm black too :confused:. And I like people of all races :o:. Anyway, admittedly I now think my initial comment was a bit meh so no need to keep going on about it.
Reply 48
It annoys me greatly, when I'm trying to shoplift.
Original post by 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.


One reason is comission from sales. Bench (meadowhall branch) is an absolute hell hole for being hassled and followed by staff who are desperate to make you jump into a sale :frown:
Reply 50
Original post by TheSownRose
Only if you were going to steal anything. :lolwut: If not, he's wasting time following you whilst someone probably is actually taking something as he's doing so.


Yeah but if nothing is happening; what are you going to do? You can either stand there doing nothing or watch the most suspect looking people. He could have either watched some grannies in their expensive coats or followed me; a young guy in scruffy clothing.

To be fair, I was wandering around a bit aimlessly because I didn't know the layout of the store. He probably thought that I was looking for the batteries, razors and cheese.
The security guard in Morrisons followed my dad around every time he went in there. This went on for about three months. I guess he was bored, it's a pretty small town
When I worked in shop we were told that a new policy said that we had to acknowledge a customer less than a minute after they enter the store. We were also told that if we don't do this we lose marks on the mystery shop. Firstly it is very difficult to acknowledge every customer as they enter the store unless you have someone on meet and greet (I did suggest this). Secondly I know more people than just me that would walk out of a shop straight away if they were jumped on as soon as they entered (I told my boss this and she didn't understand).

As for security it can be little uncomfortable if you think they are following you or watching you but if its a small store they are probably watching everyone after all it is their job.
Original post by PeaceFreak
I work in a large store specialising in arts and crafts and we get a huge number of thefts. The people that steal stuff are usually kids in tracksuits or shifty looking people in tracksuits... If you walk into the shop wearing a tracksuit, looking shifty (generally wandering around looking at the high value items or fiddling with the paint brushes) then yes i will follow you, yes i will radio my manager and yes i will radio the centre security to see if any other shops have reported anything suspicious. It's my job, I do my job and sadly that's just the way things are. I won't say anything about thefts to you, i usually ask "Do you need any help there?" as I do with all customers, depending on the way you react i'll leave you alone or continue to keep my eye on you....


Loool how lame.. stealing a paintbrush.
Reply 54
There was this one shop that every one used to love back when, it was some sort of skate shop, totally forgot the name now but any way, every time we walked in we'd get a member of staff who would just follow us around. I hated it. I can imagine they're like oh, group of kids, they're up to something but we would only just browse and we would end up buying stuff.
Original post by Aijin
There was this one shop that every one used to love back when, it was some sort of skate shop, totally forgot the name now but any way, every time we walked in we'd get a member of staff who would just follow us around. I hated it. I can imagine they're like oh, group of kids, they're up to something but we would only just browse and we would end up buying stuff.


surely if you went regularly they would recognize you and would not think you a suspect of shop lifting.

Anyway seems pretty hard to shoplift a skateboard without it being detected :s-smilie:
Original post by 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.


Why would your Dad assume it was because you are black? Not everything comes down to race :rolleyes:
Reply 57
Original post by Skill
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?

So what, they haven't met you, you could be a criminal for all they know.

If they don't watch everyone how are they going to catch shoplifters?
Original post by iamapokemon
Why would your Dad assume it was because you are black? Not everything comes down to race :rolleyes:


It was because a lot of black girls were being accused of the same thing. So if you were black and walking into Primark you were a marked target. so it did come down to race. but i see your point
Original post by SpunkyVanDros
It was because a lot of black girls were being accused of the same thing. So if you were black and walking into Primark you were a marked target. so it did come down to race. but i see your point


Ah ok, I see.

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