Looked upon as a Thief in M&S today

bonvonnie

:mad:

I went shopping in Manchester City Centre today, had the day planned out over a week ago, even had my Mum take the day off work to come with me.

The first shop I went to, was Marks and Spencers. I was with my baby, who was in the pushchair, and as I have always done in all shops for the the 2 years or so, I place the items for purchase on the hood of the pushchair.

so I proceeded to a till to pay for my 3 items, and for £30, my debit card got asked for an authorisation code!! i thought this only happened on large purchases. Then the sales woman, said she had to ring for an authorisation code. OK, i was still a bit stumped as to why the £30 required a authorisation code. she then came back, and said to me, do you have anything else there u want to pay for?? i said no, and picked up the baby cardigan which was logded in the hood (also same place I put my purchases) and showed her!!

Once I'd paid, I proceeded to make the way to the lifts, as my Mum headed to the toilets. I was about a few footsteps from the lift, as someone came out, so I ran the last couple of steps, so I didnt miss it, as it was empty.
Once I was in, and spun the pushchair round, a Security guard ran into the lift, looking at me and my pushchair up and down, then proceeded to slyly follow me around.

I then met up with my Mum, and then the Security Guard went to exit. I was kinda expecting him to stop me as I left, but I knew I had done nothing wrong, I wasnt worried.

Then the convo with the cashier lady came back to me, asking me if i had anything else to pay for, her sneaking off to the phone, being followed by a Security Guard ... etc

I called my Hubby once I left the shop, to have a vent, as that experience put me of the rest of my shopping day, and I just wanted to go home.
and he thinks I should write and complain to M&S, saying that i was looked upon as a shoplifter ....

Do you think I should complain to M&S?

waterbaby

I've been looked at in that way before and it's a horrible feeling. I felt so offended, how dare they think that of me. I found it so, so hard to get my head around the fact that to them, I am as much a potential criminal as the next person.

But imagine you owned a shop, and there was a customer there exactly like you were today. Would you have acted any differently? Perhaps you would have. You have to decide whether it was reasonable from their point of view.

I guess you could have looked suspicious at first with the pushchair hood and the cardigan. But having shown that there was nothing there, I would not have appreciated the treatment by security .

Going on what you have said, if I were to complain I would focus on the security guard looking at me and following me, as I don't think it was unreasonable to ask you at the till if you had anything else. You might have forgotten something (I've done that), and also we all want shoplifters not to get away with it don't we. I don't mind being checked because I hope that by checking they will stop the real thieves.

I'd much rather have someone quickly ask to see inside my bag than be followed round accusingly. In fact, if anyone does it I have now decided to (amiably) speak to them to see what the problem is.

I've gone on too much!

Smiley_Mum

I usually always place items I want to buy within the basket on the buggy and pay for them at the checkout without a problem, have placed things on the hood also, with no problems. When I was on holiday just a month ago in France, I went to a local chemist in Paris to get some plasters. I went in and bought a box, the lady that served me was on the phone but took the payment and that was fine. I then put my purse back in my bag and then went to open the box as I made my way out of the shop. I was accosted by the store owner who said, "You want this, as he grabbed the box of plasters out of my hand, you want this he said, you pay, you pay. I'm like, wait a minute, I have paid and as I said that he looked over at the assistant and she nodded that everything was fine and I had paid and then he said, oh excuse me. I just grabbed the plasters back and stormed out, I was absolutely blinking fuming, fuming mad. :mad: :mad:

bonvonnie

waterbaby wrote:

I don't think it was unreasonable to ask you at the till if you had anything else. You might have forgotten something (I've done that), and also we all want shoplifters not to get away with it don't we. I don't mind being checked because I hope that by checking they will stop the real thieves.

I'm all my time of shopping, which is on a very regular basis, I have never been asked if I had anything else I wanted to pay for.

Weyres wrote:

Sometimes the bank's computer will pick a card at random to ask additional authorisation for. Sometimes the computer will pick a card whose usage pattern has changed. The authorisation code is not something you should panic about. The assistant then rings up the card issuer, uses their merchant i.d. and proceeds to get the additional authorisation. If it is an M&S card, sometimes (depending on the cause, such as using the card twice or three times in quick succession), a supervisor can override it.

The blatant behaviour of the security guard is another matter.

thats the thing tho, its not a change in usage pattern, or new card or anything.

thinking of how to word my letter to M&S, buyt somehow, I dont think they will do anything!!

catalonia13

Weyres wrote:

Sometimes the bank's computer will pick a card at random to ask additional authorisation for......

This can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere, with any card, it is totally random, it is annoying, embarrassing even, (when it happened to me in Morrisons, took the girl ages to get through for confirmation I was the card holder - huge queue behind me!), it may never happen to some people yet others might get it twice in the same week!

jay05_2

Yeah, this is just a standard random check or the credit card system is down, if you have nothing to hide why should you be worried.

SnowyOwl_2

Yes, can corroberate that the check on your card was initiated by the bank when the cashier swiped it, rather than initiated by the cashier. The cashier has no control over which cards require authorisation by phone and which don't. The swipe machine will refuse to work unless a manual code is obtained by phone if it signals the cashier to phone up.

The security guard obviously made you feel v.uncomfortable - I think you should tell M&S about it as they are supposed to be discrete, not make people angry.

sare_2

When I worked as a checkout supervisor for a supermarket, if we suspected a customer was either a shoplifter or had a dodgy card, we would often say "Oh, it needs an authorisation", so we had a few minutes extra time to work out the situation, so it is possible the woman was calling the security guard to watch you.
I am in my twenties, married with two children and I look younger than my age.I often get followed in town and I've even heard my description circulated on the radio system that shops sign up to.Makes me angry, but they automatically seem to label me as young, single mother type who must be shoplifting !

IvanOpinion

Once I was in, and spun the pushchair round, a Security guard ran into the lift, looking at me and my pushchair up and down, then proceeded to slyly follow me around.

Is it just possible that after having the problem wih your card you were feeling a little bit paranoid? All the security guard was doing was going about his normal business and the eying up or down was maybe 'oh look a cute little baby' or 'phwoah the mothers a bit of all right'?

Maybe the law has changed but if they suspect someone of shop lifting (and hiding things in a pram is one of the most common methods) I believe they are within their rights to ask you to accompany them. Security guards folow people all the time - as do 'plain clothes guards' and most of the time they are wrong (it is just someone going about their shopping).

I have been stopped by a manager at Homebase (very long story) but he accused me of having something in my pocket in front of other customers which was very embarassing. I had, it was an old tie-back for a shower curtain .. the very reason I was in his store was to get a replacement. The other one that nearly always catches me out is hanging things on the hook at the front of shopping trolleys .. I always forget the thing is there.

I really would not get worried about it

Ivan

Mr_Proctalgia

Some years back I was a store security worker, both in uniform and the sneaky beaky stuff, the problem is that certain "types" of customer will always attract attention, and unfortunately young mothers with buggies are one of those types, the others are menopausal ladies with overlarge bags or coats, groups of young men etc etc. The call about your card would have been to check it against with a "Code 10" I.E. to check if it had been reported stolen. As for being followed it isn't actually illegal, but is done to make you uncomfortable and get you out of the shop.

If you are accused of shoplifing (and are innocent) insist the security guard arrests you, refuse to leave the shop too, insist they call the police, stay put until this is done (or call them yourself). Anyone can make a citizens arrest, but it must be proportional to the alleged offence, also we were instructed not to collar anyone who managed to slip out of your sight even for a second. But if arrested it has to be correct, so get the police involved. Then have them for wrongful arrest and shout about compensation.

Thinking back some of my most awkward customers were actually checkout operators usually underinging for their mates, or forgetting the cashback, trying to do secret till checks was a pain too.

sooz

hi,

i think all mums are seen as potential shoplifters, and it's just another thing new mums are not told at antenatal classes...like just breathe through it, it WONT hurt.....certainly the small ones within the buggy are more than capable of it. i always check his hands, and under his bum, before we leave a shop.

since he could grab, he wants it...now he generally holds an object out to me and says, mummy get money, mummy pay lady...to which i reply, it's your child benefit...if you don't want a car when you are 17, or a flat, or to go to uni, it's your choice, if this rubbish piece of bob the builder, thomas the tank engine is more important. but he's 2.5yr and thinks i'm a] insane, and b] have an endless source of 'mummy money'. he has a lot to learn.