Wednesday, December 22, 2010

I AM NOT A THIEF!!

Deb, one of the two lovely ladies at The Middle Ages, has posted something that shocked me. No, she has not left her husband for a doberman or been arrested for indecent exposure (at least not that I know of). She writes about measures some Toronto stores have taken to combat shoplifting:

The storeOver the Rainbow in Toronto takes your bags and puts them behind the counter until you are done shopping, causing you to have to wait in line until a salesperson is free so they can return your packages when you want to leave.
The chain store Aritzia has gone one step farther in their witch-hunt. They take your purse and lock it in a drawer. THEY TAKE YOUR PURSE AND LOCK IT IN A DRAWER.
Have any of you ever had this experience? I wouldn't want to give my business to a shop that made me feel like a criminal. Would you?

6 comments:

  1. I might be struggling with a little "lost in translation" problem here.
    When we say "purse", we refer to a small thing that holds coins, paper money, credit cards.
    If we're referring to the thing that women habitually carry, that bag that contains housekeys, tissues, cosmetics, (plus fluffy toffees, a couple of kid's toys and a dog-chew) and pretty much anything needed to survive a month or two stranded on a desert island, we call that a handbag.
    Either way, the handbag usually contains the purse.
    Giving that purse into the custody of a third party, that seems foolhardy and unwise. In fact, it may be an explicit breach of your agreement with your bank over the safekeeping of your cashcards.
    I rather think that a retailer trying that trick here would soon find itself shunned by offended customers.
    Go elsewhere, and tell them why.

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  2. I would do that and do it vociferously!

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  3. Sue Dunham9:12 am

    I've been doing this for years. I tell 'em "You're insulting me by assuming I'm a thief". Then I leave.

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  4. Am I living a sheltered life? I've never run into this and I do shop outside Niagara from time to time.

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  5. Sue Dunham10:18 am

    Re sheltered life: the ROM gift shop is one culprit.

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  6. Thanks for the heads up Sue.

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