Horrible customer experience

cassidy0111

queenxkat wrote: »

Just because the badge said Pharmacist doesn't mean she wasn't also the manager. A lot of pharmacists are also store managers, however the pharmacist title 'outranks' manager so their badge will say pharmacist.

Having worked in a pharmacy before, probably the same chain as I assume you are discussing, the problem with shoplifting is absolutely ridiculous, we would get whole displays emptied at least twice a week and we had no powers to stop them. Yes the guard should have approached it differently, yes they should have apologised to you for stopping you unnecessarily, however most shoplifters will either attack the guard or leg it if the guard approaches them.

Those claiming the guards should never be able to touch a potential thief how would you feel if it was potentially harmful medication they were stealing? Or prescriptions with your personal data on them? Or even your own stuff? Then would you consider it 'worthy' of grabbing the thief?

At worst you had a small mark on your arm and your pride took a hit, let it go, I doubt the CEO will do anything as they do not even directly employ the guards, it is done through a security company. You may get a small voucher as a token gesture, but it won't be because they feel bad it will be because they just want you to go away.

Hmmm, the information received from a family friend who is also a lawyer suggests that they may well have to take it a little more serious than that.

cassidy0111

queenxkat wrote: »

Just because the badge said Pharmacist doesn't mean she wasn't also the manager. A lot of pharmacists are also store managers, however the pharmacist title 'outranks' manager so their badge will say pharmacist.

Having worked in a pharmacy before, probably the same chain as I assume you are discussing, the problem with shoplifting is absolutely ridiculous, we would get whole displays emptied at least twice a week and we had no powers to stop them. Yes the guard should have approached it differently, yes they should have apologised to you for stopping you unnecessarily, however most shoplifters will either attack the guard or leg it if the guard approaches them.

Those claiming the guards should never be able to touch a potential thief how would you feel if it was potentially harmful medication they were stealing? Or prescriptions with your personal data on them? Or even your own stuff? Then would you consider it 'worthy' of grabbing the thief?

At worst you had a small mark on your arm and your pride took a hit, let it go, I doubt the CEO will do anything as they do not even directly employ the guards, it is done through a security company. You may get a small voucher as a token gesture, but it won't be because they feel bad it will be because they just want you to go away.

She may well have been both a pharmacist and store manager. Either way, she was useless in this situation!

cassidy0111

bod1467 wrote: »

@Shaun - you would have to (legally) add VAT and customs import duty to the $ price. But even so it's still way cheaper than the UK price.

@OP - is this company the one whose name is an item of footwear? Which store was it? (You say Glasgow, but it's a big place and you could even mean one of the outlying towns).

PS - I'm just being nosy.

Here comes the girls chain in the west end of our lovely city!

eskimo26

queenxkat wrote: »

Those claiming the guards should never be able to touch a potential thief how would you feel if it was potentially harmful medication they were stealing? Or prescriptions with your personal data on them? Or even your own stuff? Then would you consider it 'worthy' of grabbing the thief?

I'm not saying they shouldn't i'm saying they can't, a fact they are made well aware of during there training.

Your not let off with a crime because your intentions were good!

It is up to the store to deal with this problem without assaulting there genuine customers. You seem to think we have a personal responsibility to let security guards manhandle us and even assault us because of how big the situation is.

If we all let things like this go it would be a farcical disaster, security guards up and down the country would be assaulting people left right and centre because its easier then doing what they are trained to do and following the law.

At worst you had a small mark on your arm and your pride took a hit, let it go...

That's call assault btw. Let us forget who it is for a moment, if a stranger grabbed you from behind hard enough to leave a mark would you 'let it go'?

Lets get something straight- a crime was committed but people seem to think OP should let it go because the security guards intention were good.

That's not how the law works!!!!

OP any progress with pursuing this?

shaun_from_Africa

bod1467 wrote: »

@Shaun - you would have to (legally) add VAT and customs import duty to the $ price. But even so it's still way cheaper than the UK price.

I'm fortunate in that I don't work in the UK and so spend the majority of the year elsewhere.
Because of this, I can usually get goods from the USA and not have to worry about VAT and import duties when I transit through the UK as the goods in question don't generally stay there.

When I do buy stuff that I intend to leave in the UK, I usually keep the value below the £390 threshold and when I have gone over this limit, I always declare it and it's never been a problem.

Money-Saving-King

eskimo26 wrote: »

That's call assault btw.

Lets get something straight- a crime was committed but people seem to think OP should let it go because the security guards intention were good.

That's not how the law works!!!!

ThumbRemote wrote: »

It's hard to believe someone could misunderstand the law to such an extent, but well done on such an achievement.

But with no mark left if what you two say is correct how come the courts up and down the land aren't filled up with cases of "he/she touched me"?

olias

cassidy0111 wrote: »

Hmmm, the information received from a family friend who is also a lawyer suggests that they may well have to take it a little more serious than that.

I think your 'lawyer' friend needs to go back to school and read up on common law powers in Scotland, and reasonable force. I'm guessing he (she) is not a criminal lawyer.

Olias

mad_dr

queenxkat wrote: »

Those claiming the guards should never be able to touch a potential thief how would you feel if it was potentially harmful medication they were stealing? Or prescriptions with your personal data on them? Or even your own stuff? Then would you consider it 'worthy' of grabbing the thief?

This is is simple: where it is lawful to employ 'reasonable force', the clue is in the first word: reasonable. What is reasonable is affected by many things, one of which is the 'suspect's' reaction to the security guard's enquiry.

Therefore, if the security guard approaches the 'suspect', attempts to converse with them and the suspect cooperates (not that they're required to prove their innocence!) then the security guard should have no reason or justification in using any physical contact whatsoever - the suspect has not given a reason for force to be used.

Only if a 'suspect' attempts to use physical force of their own or attempts to flee should any 'reasonable force' become justified (where the law allows!).

So for the security guard to grab our OP before even making their presence known, is way over the top and completely unjustifiable, even if the law permitted 'reasonable force' (which I gather it does not).

adandem

I once walked out of our local Oasis and the alarm went off, the assistant launched herself at me and grabbed my bags and tried to go through them. I told her that legally she couldn't do that and she looked amazed! Next do this alot too, they just assume that they can search your property, I think shop staff need better training or they hope that customers don't realise their rights.

cassidy0111

olias wrote: »

I think your 'lawyer' friend needs to go back to school and read up on common law powers in Scotland, and reasonable force. I'm guessing he (she) is not a criminal lawyer.

Olias

I know whose opinion I trust thank you Olias.