AIBU To think this GAP employee had no fucking right

[floppyfanjo]

Just back from town where I'd purchased a few bits and bobs and thought I'd pop into gap and see what was new.

On entering the store,the security alarm went off and I was stopped by an assistant on the threshold who said "excuse me" I think that was you and as I was carrying 4 small bags I said it could have been,she asked me to hand over my bags one at a time in order to eliminate which one had set of the alarm.

I was quite happy to do this and willingly handed her a small superdrug bag that contained some hair dye and a moisturiser and a couple of other small bits.

On waving the bag it in front of the alarm it started to bleep. As this is a common occurrence I expected her to simply had me the bag back and say something along the line of "thats the culprit"

The employee preceded to open the bag without asking my permission and asked if I had the receipt,before I could answer she started riffling though my superdrug purchases found the receipt and preceded to read it,I assume to check I'd paid for everything, at this point I said "excuse me,what on earth are you doing" she said you "handed me the bag and I'm trying to help you" I told her that I'd handed her the bag for the sole purpose of eliminating which one had set of the alarm and not to look through my personal property At this point she handed me the bag back.

Now I know she's got a job to do and I know shoplifting is a major problem,BUT she a) knew I had only just entered the shop b) even If I was in the possession of stolen goods it was obvious they weren't from GAP (very small flimsy bag so you could hardly of fitted in a pair of jeans!).

I would like to say that had I of actually been leaving the store or was carrying a large bag big enough to conceal stolen gap stock I would have been quite happy (if she had of asked first) for her to look through my stuff.

I have always found the staff in GAP great and although this particular person was "more mature" than the average GAP employee I would have expected her to have had adequate training on her power to "stop and search" customers who are entering the store.

How bizarre. I think I would be bringing that to the attention of the shop manager.

I once got something from Game which set off the security bleeper on the way into TK Maxx. A member of staff rushed over, took the game (I think it was) to the till and sorted it out for me so it didn't set off any more.

YANBU what a cheek going through your shopping! I'd have been pissed off too!

Did she misunderstand and think you wanted her to try and figure out which item kept bleeping? It sounds like that was perhaps the case? Otherwise yanbu

I agree with twobusyboys but she should have asked if you would mind emptying the contents of the bag. I work in a library and all our books are tagged. If someone sets the alarm off I wouldn't dream of confronting them in an accusatory manner. Rather I ask them if they have any items from another library or ex library books (which is usually the case) and then you are starting the conversation off without accusing them.

I would definitely contact the manager and ask if this is normal policy.

Cheeky sod.

How odd. I bought some clothes in Sainsbury's at the weekend and on the way out of the store the alarm went off so I offered the security guard the bag (I only had one) and receipt and he told me he wasn't allowed to go through my bag, I had to go to customer services.

When I was thinking about it I thought it was fair enough for a variety of reasons that he didn't touch my things, that applies doubly if the bag was from a completely different store!

This happened to me in Game-walked into shop and alarm went off. Manager rushed over and asked if I had any other shopping. When I said yes he tried to take the bag off me to have a look! It was an Ann Summers bag!

When I told him that no he was not rifiling through my shopping he was really rude. I walked out off the shop and set the alarm off again and he glared at me. Twat!

Absolute bloody cheek. Even if you didn't have a receipt for your Superdrug purchases it's got jack shit to do with her.

We had something very similar in asda but the very nice sales assistant was trying to ascertain which particular item it was so he could cancel the security tag so we weren't having the problem in every shop we went into. Does sound badly handled here if that was what they wanted to do.

I think that's ok, as presumably if a superdrug tag had been left on it would have gone off in all future shops you went in. So she was helping. Also they probably help each other out by looking for shoplifting from other shops too.

If she'd been looking for tags that might be thought of as helping, but reading he receipt implies she was checking you had paid in Super drug, which is not her being helpful. It's her playing at security guard.

All the shops work together to combat shoplifting I think
They have shopwatch that connects them altogether

Twobusyboys - Well I would have given her the benefit of the doubt but she asked if I had the receipt.

I've set store alarms off on numerous occasions ( had a handbag that did it) and I've never had anyone try or even ask to search my bags before except when I've been leaving a store with their carrier bag and the assistant has asked to look inside because they've left the tag on.

I know that shop lifters can come from all walks of life,but I'm hardly look like the typical criminal - I'm 45,carry a niace Handbag and I'm a mnetter ffs.

TBH I still cannot believe that an employee of a store that obviously trains their staff well (in my experience as a customer) thought it was ok to start rummaging through someone's bags who hadn't even got 2 foot inside the store.

Yanbu

A couple of years ago, this happened to me, in France. Unfortunately it was my trousers, bought at a completely different shop several months before and had been through wash several times. I was pretty much stripped off at the exit before we found the culprit!

You being 45 etc is neither here nor there. As you say, all sorts of people shoplift for all sorts of reasons.

You gave her the bag so I assume she thought you were willing to let her check it out.

But she did overstep the mark by checking the receipt.

More often, I've had people ignore the alarm going off when I walk thraugh. I am 44 and a MNetter, so maybe lulled them into a false sense of security. Perhaps I'm missing a trick and should get into shoplifting

through

Maybe she thought you nicked the naice handbag too

I would have thought that a large international chain would have trained their staff to politely ask first before they start searching potential customers before they'd even properly walked through the door.

I am almost certain she had no right to do this, she should have called a security guard.

Dont even stop for them...

they are not the police...

Well you can always contact GAP customer services and see what they say www.gap.co.uk/customerService/info.do?cid=7843 It does seem a bit OTT of the assistant.

They have no right to do anything apart from ask you to leave, they can make a citizens arrest (and get sued if they're wrong) but that's about it. You should have told them as soon as you no longer wanted to co-operate.

I thought about this the other day.

I set an alarm off as I was paying for groceries at a supermarket.

They sometimes go off if an item of clothing is close before the tag is taken off.

I hadn't bought clothing & had my bike basket full.

She told me to go to information, which I did.

He just asked if I was wearing anything new!!

Then the same alarm went off & he said that it must be faulty & off I went.

And of course I was still in the shop so not attempting to leave with anything.

Would have been happy for him to match my purchases & receipt-although I don't think he could be bothered.

But other than that-what can they do?

Surely they can't pat you down or even ask you to take your coat off?