leave your bag at the door

[jcs0001]

Rant On:

I've had this happen to me a few times - go into a business and be told (not asked) to leave my small pack or messenger bag at the till.  It doesn't happen a lot but when it does it really gets to me.  It happened this morning and I left.  Likely won't be back.

Now having been in law enforcement for a long time I realize that there are lots of folk who shoplift and that it increases the cost to us all.  However the businesses who require that bags to left at  the front counter have little consideration for their customers by placing it behind the counter and providing no security for it.

My messenger bag today had the following items in it:
- smart phone
- leatherman wave and accessories
- bullet pen
- aaa flashlight - a good one
- my wallet with all my id and about $100 cash
- my wife's id (there is a reason for this but I won't get into it here)

I estimate the replacement value for the above including the bag is well over $400 and that does not include the id and cc cards.

There are two areas of concern that bother me:
1) the clerk may be dishonest (I doubt it in most cases)
2) the clerk may not pay attention and give my bag to someone either by mistake or by being social engineered to do so.

The answer to this ask far as I see is for the business to have a few small lockers and provide the customer with a key to a locker - the customer puts his bag inside and takes the key and gets his bag out when they leave.  I have never seen such a setup.  The best setup I have seen is one where the business had open cubicles and gave the customer a tag for his bag.

Rant Off

Does this happen with other forum members or am I just too suspicious looking 

Thanks for reading,

John.

[AimlessWanderer]

Only had it happen once ...

I can't remember which shop it was, but someone approached me as I walked in, and said "Would you mind leaving your bag over here please sir?". I said "Yes, I would" and carried on into the shop.

They didn't ask again.

[Smashie]

A question for jcs, why carry important things in something that can be taken from you?

The Items you listed are important and can all be carried on your person. You can fall asleep on a train and wake up at your stop and leave the bag behind, it happens all the time.

I've had to leave my messenger bag behind at security but they have never objected to my removing the laptop and taking it with me.

[T14]

The answer to this ask far as I see is for the business to have a few small lockers and provide the customer with a key to a locker - the customer puts his bag inside and takes the key and gets his bag out when they leave.  I have never seen such a setup.

Lockers for customers are common in my neck of the woods. But I have never witnessed their use being enforced for shoulder bags. As we are a bicycle nation, people tend to use the lockers as a convenient place to stash groceries bought prior to entering the store in question.

Asking me to part with my man purse is a recipe for having a bad day at work.
-Tom

[ThundahBeagle]

I don't know exactly, exactly where you fellas live but I can say that this has been rather the norm in Boston circa, say 1985. I am always appreciative when I enter a shop that does not ask this of me. With better inventory technologies available, fewer and fewer stores are asking this.

I second you, Smashie, while simultaneously seconding JCS. I carry a SAK and and LM on me, but carry another SAK and LM in my backpack. Plus sunglasses, spare keys and such. It would be a bummer if I lost that bag.

However, I would still have a SAK, an LM, my debit card, drivers license and money. Money is usually broken up into different pockets. I have even sometimes placed some $ in my rolled up shirt sleeve. My cell phone is always on my person, while I may carry my work phone (locked screen) in the back pack.

On top of that, if I am driving, I can leave a bag in the back of the K5 locked & alarmed. That thing is in no condition that anyone would think they would get anything good out of it. If I'm in the city on foot, and enter a shop that asks this of me, I either have a clerk attend directly to me, or they lose my business that day.

That doesn't make me boycott them in general for that policy, though.

For what that's all worth.

[ThundahBeagle]

The answer to this ask far as I see is for the business to have a few small lockers and provide the customer with a key to a locker - the customer puts his bag inside and takes the key and gets his bag out when they leave.  I have never seen such a setup.

Lockers for customers are common in my neck of the woods. But I have never witnessed their use being enforced for shoulder bags. As we are a bicycle nation, people tend to use the lockers as a convenient place to stash groceries bought prior to entering the store in question.

Asking me to part with my man purse is a recipe for having a bad day at work.
-Tom

That gave me a chuckle. I am quick to point out that Indiana Jones had a satchel, and whether I have a sling messenger bag or I'm single strapping my backpack, it is my Indy Jones bag as far as I'm concerned

[ironraven]

I've had a couple of retail establishments try this with me. I always ask to speak to the manager or the owner. The I usually just decided that if my bag can't come in, since it has my money in it, my money doesn't come in.

I did have someone at the movie theatre get really pissy with me. I had my Maxped Jumbo with me, rather than my usual backpack, and she was blithering and blathering. I was also with my roommate, who's normal EDC at that time was his Jumbo. So I pointed out that there were female patrons with larger purses than my bag. She kept sputtering. So in a very loud voice, I asked her if the problem was not the size of the bag but the presence of "a couple of men with purses", and if she would please give me her full name so that when I wrote my letter of complaint to her parent company I could properly identify her. And that I would be sending a copy of the letter to every newspaper and televsion station near by plus a number of civil rights organizations.

She looked like she wanted to take poison right there.

[gerleatherberman]

When I lived in a big city without a car, I bought/wore pants I could fit tons of stuff in, so I wouldn't need to carry a bag. Groceries were always last stop.
The only bag I ever carried was for lamp parts when I did on-site lamp repair. It was clear see-through and nobody ever asked me to leave it. Haha

Not playing devil's advocate, but a coin has two sides!
Blame a few bad apples about bag checking. If the clerks ask for the bag to be put behind the counter, the company is avoiding discrimination issues by checking everyone. Shifty looking or not. Understandable.
As a former retail worker, people who raise hell about bag checking don't accomplish anything positive. It actually makes the worker's day a lot worse and heightens stress. All asking for a manager does is get the employees yelled at for not "handling the situation". Believe me, having to hand your bag in isn't as bad a feeling as being a retail employee asking honest looking people to hand the bags over. The worst feeling in retail work. When I worked retail, I used to pray under my breath a bag carrying person would just hand it over and I wouldn't have to ask. If the worker asks and you aren't comfortable handing it over, then say have a good day and leave.

[Mechanickal]

I downsized my bag, causing me alot less issues

[ThePeacent]

well here in Spain about 1/3rd of the businesses have lockers for you to use -either free or by putting a coin in the mechanism- and I always use that.
If you're not wearing a backpack (meaning you carry a  shoulder bag, purse, murse, or similar small sized bag) it's usually not a problem and they let you in. They have CCTV in most cases anyway, and often a security guard at the entrance in bigger shops and crowded places

Some places ask you to see inside your bag, plastic shopping bag or whatever you carry as you go through the counter.
In many shops, and  mostly Supermarkets, you can han your bag to the person at the paycheck and he/she hands it back to you when you go through them, but I don't like doing that because you risk a lot especially if there's a lot of people going in and out.

My bag has also a MT, SAK, light and other valuable stuff even though IDs, keys, mobile, one MT, one SAK and one Knife are on my  person 24/7

Now, if I found a stubborn place or somewhere where the rules seem out of proportion, or excessive, that place sure wouldn't have my money and I'd leave.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I never get asked to leave my bag, but then I don't carry a bag that often anymore.  Being in your 40's has some benefits apparently.   

When I do carry a bag, it generally doesn't have anything that important in it- usually just a few things I have purchased in other stores, water bottle etc.  My wallet, phone, keys etc are always on my person, because I am far too paranoid of bag thieves and other lowlife types.

To be honest, I am not sure how I would react if I was asked to leave my bag at the cash when I went into a store nowadays.  I probably would comply, and make a joke about how I must look suspicious, then later on probably brood about it until the whole situation left a bad enough taste in my mouth for me to avoid shopping at that place ever again. 

Def

[Aloha]

Do the ladies also have to leave their bags?  I dont carry a bag but if they had a way to secure my bag I'd be ok.  I know the stores by the middle school and high school ask the kids to leave their bags.  You see piles of bags on the floor with an employee watching them.  The problem with several kids going in and out someone could very easily take a bag thats not theirs.   

@ironraven. thats pretty funny. 

[Grant Lamontagne]

Megan carries a very expensive Coach purse.  I can't see her leaving it behind the counter at a store.... and if they asked her I'd tell them what they could sit on and what motion to do once they did.

Def

[Aloha]

Most of the ladies I know also have pricey bags.  I also cannot imagine anyone of them leaving it.  Not to mention the little purse thingy inside cost a pretty penny. 

[ToolJoe]

I don't carry a bag much out and about anymore. Usually I have everything I carry around on me. If a place asked me to leave bag at the front desk, I'd probably inquire at least and make a decision on whether I want to shop there or go somewhere else once I get more info.

[MadPlumbarian]

Back in the day when we were new to the area and the Mrs was still using her motorized wheelchair I’d carry a simple very small backpack, and I got asked to put the pack behind the counter, and she'd have a huge shopping bag attached to the back of her chair, in which they would let her keep on! Now if I was to take something I’d have to take the bag off, unzip it, throw it in, zip it back up, and then put it back back on. Unlike her bag which is totally open on the top all you would have to do is just drop it in! So what I did was put the bag on her chair so it would go around with us, but after time they began to know us and would just let me keep it on.. yet if I walked in with the kid no, he had to throw his bag behind the counter,, once I had to cause I don’t think they recognize me because the wife wasn’t with us so no wheelchair to grab their attention. But now she’s not using the wheelchair and a walker, yet again she could have a bag strung over with goodies and they won’t say anything, heck she’ll even put stuff from the store on the seat part and they don’t care.
JR

[Tired_Yeti]

When I lived in a big city without a car, I bought/wore pants I could fit tons of stuff in, so I wouldn't need to carry a bag. Groceries were always last stop.
The only bag I ever carried was for lamp parts when I did on-site lamp repair. It was clear see-through and nobody ever asked me to leave it. Haha

Not playing devil's advocate, but a coin has two sides!
Blame a few bad apples about bag checking. If the clerks ask for the bag to be put behind the counter, the company is avoiding discrimination issues by checking everyone. Shifty looking or not. Understandable.
As a former retail worker, people who raise hell about bag checking don't accomplish anything positive. It actually makes the worker's day a lot worse and heightens stress. All asking for a manager does is get the employees yelled at for not "handling the situation". Believe me, having to hand your bag in isn't as bad a feeling as being a retail employee asking honest looking people to hand the bags over. The worst feeling in retail work. When I worked retail, I used to pray under my breath a bag carrying person would just hand it over and I wouldn't have to ask. If the worker asks and you aren't comfortable handing it over, then say have a good day and leave.

That's all understandable, but in support of the OP's point, did your store provide a secured area for customers' bags?

I agree with the OP because IF a company demands the right to divest me of my property, THEY assume responsibility for ALL the contents of the bag AND the bag itself.
If a shoplifter takes the bag or contents, or a robber comes in and steals the bag along with the till, or there's a fire, or an active shooter, etc...the store has made themselves responsible for it. Then if/when the customer wants to claim the loss, the store will claim ignorance. They'll say, "we don't know if you had a bag or not. We don't know what was in the bag. We don't know the value of the contents", etc. So it's really not worth it to comply with the demand.
I've only been 2 places that wanted to hold my bag and one was a university library that had a very organized system for keep and identifying students' bags.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Grant Lamontagne]

There is the rub- they are not taking your bag away from you, nor are they taking responsibility for it.  They are providing a condition of entry to private property, something you are allowed to do on your property as well.  They are basically telling you that you are welcome, but your bag is not, And, as a courtesy, offer in a place for you to put it for convenience.

Def

[powernoodle]

Being characterized as guilty solely by my appearance (the Man Sack)  is not something I would tolerate.  So I would keep it with me, or I would leave.  Maybe this "leave your bag at the door" thing is mostly a European phenomenon, as I have never encountered it here in the Colonies.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I see it a lot here in the colonies, but it is mostly in stores that are within range of schools or in bad neighborhoods.

I'm afraid I can't go into much more detail on my thoughts on this subject without getting political, but I agree- I am very much against being treated like a criminal.

Def

[gerleatherberman]

When I lived in a big city without a car, I bought/wore pants I could fit tons of stuff in, so I wouldn't need to carry a bag. Groceries were always last stop.
The only bag I ever carried was for lamp parts when I did on-site lamp repair. It was clear see-through and nobody ever asked me to leave it. Haha

Not playing devil's advocate, but a coin has two sides!
Blame a few bad apples about bag checking. If the clerks ask for the bag to be put behind the counter, the company is avoiding discrimination issues by checking everyone. Shifty looking or not. Understandable.
As a former retail worker, people who raise hell about bag checking don't accomplish anything positive. It actually makes the worker's day a lot worse and heightens stress. All asking for a manager does is get the employees yelled at for not "handling the situation". Believe me, having to hand your bag in isn't as bad a feeling as being a retail employee asking honest looking people to hand the bags over. The worst feeling in retail work. When I worked retail, I used to pray under my breath a bag carrying person would just hand it over and I wouldn't have to ask. If the worker asks and you aren't comfortable handing it over, then say have a good day and leave.

That's all understandable, but in support of the OP's point, did your store provide a secured area for customers' bags?

I agree with the OP because IF a company demands the right to divest me of my property, THEY assume responsibility for ALL the contents of the bag AND the bag itself.
If a shoplifter takes the bag or contents, or a robber comes in and steals the bag along with the till, or there's a fire, or an active shooter, etc...the store has made themselves responsible for it. Then if/when the customer wants to claim the loss, the store will claim ignorance. They'll say, "we don't know if you had a bag or not. We don't know what was in the bag. We don't know the value of the contents", etc. So it's really not worth it to comply with the demand.
I've only been 2 places that wanted to hold my bag and one was a university library that had a very organized system for keep and identifying students' bags.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Agreed and agreed!
The store I worked at did NOT have a good system in place and I was the only person who tried to keep it straight. I would ask for a name and put a little hanging tag on the bag and double check everything before handing it over. I placed bags in a rubbermaid bin under my checkout to make sure I'd see any shifty behavior. Most employees left bags on the floor without tags, but I couldn't do anything about them. A lot of people thanked me for my efforts, so that was cool. I always treat other people's items as if they were my own. That helps to keep things safe!
Thank god I don't work retail anymore. Now I just repair antiques all day and rarely deal with customers.  And I make it a point to tell the register workers of the importance of making sure people get exactly what they hand in back in full! Not just for legal issues, but because it is the right thing to do.

[jcs0001]

Thanks for the viewing and reply's gentlemen.  Food for thought.

I will add that I try not to carry bags and the like when going into stores however it is not always possible particularly when I'm a pedestrian or cyclist.

I'm in south central British Columbia.

Thanks again,

John.

[WoodsDuck]

The only stores local to me that I know of having a no bags policy are a piece of smurf grocery that attracts a lot of shady characters, a Rural King that backs up onto my old high school's property, and Hobby Lobby. I avoid the grocery like the plague for several reasons, and I've carried packs into the other two stores many times without issue. I'm not sure if it's negligence on the part of the employees, who may not be paid enough to instill the urge to hassle every guy who marches in with a bag, or if it's simply because I'm nearing 40 years old that they let me slide. In the case of Hobby Lobby, I rarely even make a purchase, and when I do it's something small like a pack of fade resistant Sharpies to use at work. Usually I'm just escorting my mother on her errands. So maybe I just have an honest look about me 

Show content

It's probably the beard 

As for the original point of the thread, I definitely agree that if a business demands you relinquish any of your personal property on entry, it would behoove them to provide a reasonable measure of security for said property. Leaving your kit in the car might be good for some, but there are plenty of folks who get around on foot, or vehicles with fewer than four wheels, who may not have the luxury.

[watchandknife]

Wow I had no idea business did this to adults the store must have a high volume of shoplifting then. The only time I have seen this at a store was at the university bookstore and a 7/11 across from a highschool.

One day after work a bunch of us went out for drinks to a place in nyc. It was a hipster place called Zuma.  It was a restaurant and lounge. And the hostess at the door asked us  Check our bags. I had a book bag with my work laptop and call me paranoid but I have a pair of those luggage locks  and just clipped it onto the zippers and left my bag. My wallet phone edc all fit in my pockets and unless I’m at the gym all my clothes have pockets big enough o fit my edc.

[Vidar]

I can only remember being asked to leave bags twice. Neither time did I actually enter. If I really needed something and I knew they had it I might have reconsidered, but for just general shopping around I'd rather just avoid the hassle and go elsewhere instead.

(I don't actually carry bags around normally so these would have been bags from previous shopping in nearby stores).

[Borg]

Basilica di San Marco in Venice does not allow backpacks inside but in this case its a good thing if you carry one, if you find yourself there and any of your party has a backpack ignore the 10 mile long queue and go straight to the bag drop located in a little lane close by, they will tag your bag and give you a ticket and hold it for free for 1 hour, show the doorman the ticket and you are straight in, no queuing