To ask what you think of this store 'policy'?

[ChoppedDaisy]

Just wondered what others think of this 'policy'

Where we used to live and where my friend still lives is a large store near a secondary school. I know this can spell trouble but...
Any children going in store have to leave their coats and bags in a pile at the door of the exit. This is a large double entrance. Most often this is unattended. This is to stop any children stealing. This applies to ALL children.

Not only does this result in bullies taking children's bags and coats but also in theft of items. Children have taken to hiding their stuff outside to prevent it being stolen.

Someone's child locally to my friend had their childs North Face jacket stolen a couple of days ago from this spot.
I know some children steal but so do some adults. It is an adult who stole in this case as he is on CCTV but no one makes adults leave their belongings at a door unattended.

Opinions?

Don’t go to the shop- vote with your feet.

Wrong of the shop. I would discourage my children from going anywhere near the shop. The easiest way to stop it is a school boycott.

Shopping there is a choice. Choose not to. Simple.

Just don’t shop there.

This was the rule when I was at school. We just got one person to stand outside with our stuff and we got their sweets/drinks etc for them.

Simple solution, one goes in while their mate waits outside with their coat and bag.

Agree with everyone else. Boycott.
The policy is rubbish.

Well I can't imagine any of the kids round here going along with that. They would just go to another shop. Then probably go back later and chuck some eggs at it.

Shops understandably have this policy to prevent thefts but also the shops can feel alot more crowded when there are 20 kids with backpacks on heightening the risk of breakage and theft.

However, the shop near where I went to school included 6th formers in their ridiculous policies which as an 18 year old I vociferously argued against on the basis I was an adult.

Which shop is it?

They won't want kids stealing alcohol...maybe they are taking some responsibility for a recurring problem?

As far as I know they don't sell alcohol.
I don't think they do anyway.

It's a huge outlet type discount store. Mostly snacks and drinks and cheap household items and toiletries.

When we lived there I stopped mine from going in. Many kids don't have someone with them in order to stay behind and watch.
The kids all use it because they will pay a £1 or whatever in a local store for a drink and less than 30p in there.

There other local store have a staff member on the door limiting how many at a time can come in.

I've never come across such a policy, it sounds like open house to thieves, it's not a cheap drink if you lose an expensive coat

Tell your child not to go in the shop.

When DH worked at a supermarket near a school theft by school kids was a huge problem and they banned them before, during and after school. It was a high volume of expensive items day after day. The shop will want the custom so will only have this rule if shoplifting is a serious issue.

Is it only during school hours or does someone going in with a child on a Saturday have to leave their things at the door?

As far as I know if an adult goes in with a child they can take their stuff in.
If a child goes in on their own their bag gets left. I think that's any time but I'm not 100%

They should either do the 2 children policy or let them shop freely.

Policies like this used to really get on my nerves when I was in high school. We all got fed up of being tarred with the same brush as the few who caused problems and voted with our feet.

There was a small shop with a two school kids at a time policy, which was annoying but there wasn't room for many more than that anyway. What pissed us off is the owner would cherry pick kids from the huge but relatively quiet and orderly queue that was always outside the shop after school, meaning you could be at the front but the owner would let someone much further down the line in first. We quickly got pissed off with it and everyone stopped going there and instead went to the shop just down the street. That shop closed because it suddenly wasn't viable anymore.

Surely the shop making kids leave their bags and coats at an unattended shop door are treading a fine line legally. If they don't want kids having bags in the store, understandable if shoplifting is a problem with school kids, then they should provide some sort of secure place to leave them.

If my kids had expensive coats nicked because of this policy I'd be organising a boycott of the shop and campaigning the school to ban kids from using the shop in uniform.

Could the store be encouraged to look into lockers? Obviously that's not good as the policy is awfully profiling.
Ideally they'd be encouraged to get rid of the policy altogether. Local press? Boycott?

One local shop where I used to work did it because the kids were stealing SO much in their bags that they didn’t have another solution.

It’s stupid! I’d be telling my dc to go elsewhere and I’d go elsewhere too. Why can’t they just say only x amount of school children at a time?

The local shop here does say 2 school children at a time but I think that’s really due to the fact it’s such a small shop but I think that it’s an acceptable request.