Please help

NOLUCKNIK

.............................

GemJar_2

This happened to me and my mum in superdrug. We paid for about £40 worth of stuff which I had in one bag in my hand, yet my mum started beeping on her way out of the shop. The woman made my mum empty the contents of her handbag on the counter and then continued to question her on a mascara that was in there which had one of those metal tags on it still, yet it was obviously old as all the branding had rubbed off and the brush obviously wasn't new- yet the cheeky SA started questioning my poor mother on the mascara infront of a que of people!

In the end it took me pointing out that if tags we're deactivated properly (although it had never gone off before), then this problem wouldn't happen and why on earth would we buy £40 of stuff (including a mascara each!) just to steal one bloody mascara thats obviously old! Grr still winds me up now. Never got an apology but did get a chuckle from the woman behind us when I made the SA realise that she was being an idiot, that made me feel a bit better.

trukdiver

I set the alarm off at Tesco a while back, The security guard went through everything (including emptying my pockets). It turned out to be the memory card in my phone causing the problem. It was a bit disconcerting that something like that could set off their alarm! They weren't rude at all, but it was still embarassing!

Seanymph

cross posted here;

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3573549

WhiteHorse

There is no right of search. If staff laid hands any anyone without consent, it was an assault. Was the situation such that she was not free to leave? If yes, then she was in fact arrested. That would then be wrongful arrest.

Complain long and hard.

nomoneytoday

WhiteHorse wrote: »

There is no right of search. If staff laid hands any anyone without consent, it was an assault. Was the situation such that she was not free to leave? If yes, then she was in fact arrested. That would then be wrongful arrest.

Complain long and hard.

Then how would you search a genuine shoplifting waste of oxygen?

Enfieldian

My warrant card has set off alarms in stores before.

Strange but true.

The security guards don't tend to take it too far....

Alex-Riley.

I set the alarm off when I was leaving Game I had brought a video game and the man hadn't done something to the metal thing that sets off the alarm
The man said sorry to me and then the manager came out and said sorry as well and said next time you come in and buy a video game you can have £10 off

but it is embarrassing like hell

texranger

this happened to me several months ago, but not at a high street chain.

i went into a local corner shop to buy a bottle of pop, picked up bottle of pop and went to till and all of a sudden the assistant started shouting that i shoplifted. i was ion t-shirt and jeans without a coat had £2 for the pop, my keys and phone in my jean pockets. how when i walked into the shop picked up what i wanted and then went to checkout to pay was classed as shoplifting is beyond me, but they insisted on getting the police, so i let them, the police arrived and took my details and what i did which they agreed with me that i had not done anything wrong. they informed the shop assistant of this and told them that they cant keep doing this if no one has shoplifted.
a week later they did the same to a local councillor, but this time they never got away with this as the council revoked their licences for tobacco and alcohol and within days the shop was closed

catch_me_if_you_can

Funniest thing I saw was a few years ago, went to Asda. As we and a few others went in the store with empty trollies, others came out. The alarm went.

So the security guard decided to question those coming in... those leaving continued on their merry way. :rotfl:

BlueAngelCV

I know it can be very embarrassing & I hate it when the alarm goes of but it's worth remembering that it's not the shop assistant's fault. Obviously if they are rude or accusatory like in the OP that is unacceptable but I've been on the other end which can be equally embarrassing and upsetting.

Once when the alarm went off I very politely went to the customer asking to see her bag on the assumption that it was simply a case of a tag not having been properly deactivated/removed and she went crazy at me. She complained that it was unacceptable and demanded to see a manager and I was in tears.

Having said that if I was the OP I would have really kicked off, demanded to see a manager and refused to let them look in any of my bags once it became clear what the assistant's attitude was