Friday, June 1, 2012

Real Canadian Superstore and the Bag Issue



In recent years the Real Canadian Superhero has let me in with bags but you used to have to store your bags away upon entering the store.  I went in the one in Langford. I was one of the few people who enjoyed the theatrical version of Daredevil so I was in a pretty good mood. Unfortunately I also forgot about the bag rule.  I was in the video department when a worker approached me about my oversight.  There was a till right in that section but instead of having my bag inspected there she marched me in front of other customers to the front of the store and had me get my bag inspected in that more public place.  Of course, not being a shoplifter they didn’t find anything, but I was so humiliated that it was years ever after they changed their bag policy before I returned.  I actually wouldn’t have even minded them checking my bag in the video section, it was more the way she handled the situation.  So she got her bit of power and the store probably lost hundreds of dollars on DVDs that I ended up getting somewhere else instead.  The morale: even if you have some power and need to play the heavy, a little politeness and consideration might benefit your place of employment in the long run.

2 comments:

Eric said...

I wonder if it's really even legal? I know they probably had a sign up at the front, but I don't think I'd let random store employees look in my bag. I don't have anything illegal in it of course, but it's still a privacy issue.

Andy E. Nystrom said...

Good question, especially if there's no probable cause. I'd assumed that the reason they stopped doing so was the coast of the bag checker but maybe they ran into legal issues. I have a cousin who might know; will check with her.