I'm constantly harassed by Wal-Mart door greeters about my empeg... Lately I have been growing more and more impatient in explaining what it is and why I do not choose to leave it in the car. A few days ago the elderly woman told me that she couldn't let me in without sticking something on it.... she smiled... and then branded my empeg.... I found that if I leave it there I don't have to argue quite as much.

I've found that avoiding eye-contact with the elderly door watcher and briskly walking right past is an easy method.

I hate the Wal-Mart. Did she find it necessary to sticker all of your clothing as well? Isn't it more likely that that shirt that you're wearing came from the Wal-Mart? (Not to cast aspersions on your fashion sense.)

They wanted to "sticker" my case. I asked why. They said "are you returning it?"

"No, it's my car stereo." "Well, what are you doing?" "(deadpan)Going shopping?" "(dumb look)" "Well, do you need to sticker it?" "No."

No one asked me anything, and I left without incident.

I hate Wal-Mart.

Anyhow, the only 2 times I've needed to open the case were in a craft store (where they apparently sold such cases) and when I tripped the alarm at Best Buy (they hadn't deactivated the security tag on what I bought).

That's as annoying as checking my receipt and bag when leaving the store. Usually Fry's and CompUSA try to do this.
"Do you have evidence that I shoplifted? Then why do you need to check my bag?"
It's insulting, really...

Tell them no. They have no legal recourse to search you, and since you bought <whatever>, it's your property, despite the fact that you haven't left their store yet. I usually just don't respond to them at all, or, at best, tell them no.

I tried that, my wife stupidly stopped to talk to them when they were calling after me.

Tell them no.

Yes, but some of the "guards" think they have the right to detain you if you don't show them. Then I tell them "Go ahead an call the cops while I call my lawyer and get the suit going for false imprisonment..." I think CompUSA quit doing this, but I don't know for sure. I quit going there.

my wife stupidly stopped to talk to them when they were calling after me.

That's just part of the "stop and ask for directions" mentality women have... If the opportunity to converse is available, it's a done deal...

In reply to:

---

I've found that avoiding eye-contact with the elderly door watcher and briskly walking right past is an easy method.

---

Ditto, although it's probably a very rude, typically British thing to do

Perhaps, but accosting people as they enter a store is probably a very rude, typically American thing to do.

Can't be. I first heard of accos^H^H^H^H^Hgreeters by watching Are You Being Served -- a Brit sitcom.

I think CompUSA quit doing this, but I don't know for sure. I quit going there.

They still do as of this past Saturday.

I think i've mentioned a similar story about this but having to do with Best Buy. Not sure if they still do it or not, but they got me with their sticker gun the first time i walked in there with my rio ... took me a good 10 minutes to get the damn thing off. I vowed from that point not to allow them to do it again. My friends used to love going to Best Buy with me just to walk in with me, have the guy "greet" me and for me to just walk past blatenly ignoring him .... sometimes they even chase after me with the sticker gun, while my friends are at the door still laughing at the whole thing. I get about 3 or 4 isles in when the guy just gives up and walks back to his "post".

I haven't done this in a while as over the winter I have my long black winter coat on in which I hold my empeg under my arm and my hands in my pocket as I walk in. Can't tell I have anything. I've actually done this with my laptop and nobody notices a thing. I guess if I were into it, shoplifting would be an easy thing for me.

I'm sure if you check, you don't actually have to ever open the case. I do know some laws in the US favour the merchant. Up here in Canada, the home of the free, I can tell the Walmarts and Costcos to kiss my ass. They have no right whatsoever to check any of my belongings. Including those which I have bought and paid for at their store. They're MY property, so hands off. I don't stop at Costco for a stamping or receipt check. I don't do it at Best buy. I don't do it at Walmart.

They can feel FREE to come after me in the parking lot. They can feel free to call the police - I will supply the phone. American Neo-Nazi companies sure do have messed up "policies" - so much so that some of their employees believe they're "lawful"

Bruno

On the way out of the store they can't search you, but on the way in if you refuse then I'm sure they could kick you out.

Don't tell me you actually stroll into stores with that huge pelican case carrying your empeg...

I do...It is better than leaving the RIO in my car. I just walk by anybody that is trying to get me to open it and have to explain what the heck the item is because it gets tiring...
People should already know of the greatest Car Audio product on the market...If they don't; tough S**T.

the greatest Car Audio product on the market

Well, it's not technically on the market

Tell them no. They have no legal recourse to search you, and since you bought <whatever>, it's your property, despite the fact that you haven't left their store yet. I usually just don't respond to them at all, or, at best, tell them no.

Or do what I do. Refuse to shop in places that do these things. Works quite well.

Let me rephrase that to..."The Greatest Car Audio Product made to date!!!"

Or do what I do. Refuse to shop in places that do these things. Works quite well.

You obviously don't live in a city like Hartsville, SC. Wal-Mart is pretty much the ONLY option for many things. Otherwise, we have to drive to Florence, which is 40 min. away.

That's as annoying as checking my receipt and bag when leaving the store

Stores here in Colorado Springs rarley do this. CompUSA has a greeter of sorts to see if you need directions to a product. They also typicially watch the checkout lines, but never check reciepts. Best Buy will check reciepts when you bring a product in the protective plastic to them, as they keep the device to open those at the door and not at every register. Beyond that, they only check when the door alarm goes off.

This practice of checking reciepts caught me off guard at Fry's when I was in California last year. As did the stupid queuing method.

I couldn't believe that no one noticed (or at least mentioned) my fashionable AOL "coaster".

I have MSDN and MacOS prerelease coasters.

earthlink coasters at my place...

Old Solaris CDs here

- Trevor

Assorted Vanilla Ice records here.

LOL... I didn't even know there was more than one.

I own more than one. Not a bad deal. $.50 for a 12" coaster.

Some of his singles were released on 12" vinyl

Dude, that's not a coaster anymore... that's a placemat for a whole friggen' table place setting.

I used to use old Houdini and Maya CDs, back when the software cost $25K/license.

A selection of old Honeywell floppies (8" for placemats and 5 1/4" for coasters) here, although for a short while in '95 Alias Wavefront PowerAnimator CD's were the cool coaster of choice