To think shops don’t have CCTV in changing room cubicles?

[Lucysmumma]

Yesterday a friend and I went shopping and popped into Primark for a few bits. In the changing room a hand reached under my friends cubicle and tried to grab her phone. When we spoke to the manager he said he would check CCTV in the changing rooms and I assumed he meant they had cameras in the entrance or something but he said no they actually have cameras in the cubicles. My friend and I were shocked as we had been trying on stuff and friend had tried on a few bras 🫢. Does anyone work in retail and know if that’s correct or legal?? I’m kind of a bit freaked out as I assumed cameras weren’t allowed to video people changing. Also there were no signs up stating there was cctv which I thought was a legal requirement?

I’d be shocked by that! Are there signs up?

Sorry, see there weren’t!

That's against the law. Are you sure he said cubicle? If so, I'd be making a complaint to police.

What law @Skye85?

The police say it's not illegal but certain processes must be followed.

See:
www.westyorkshire.police.uk/ask-the-police/question/Q591

If it were in cubicles I would consider it a violation of my human right to privacy. You then have the consideration if children are getting undressed to try clothes on which is most definitely illegal.

I would not be impressed to find that there was CCTV filming in changing cubicles that is a gross violation of privacy

They have cameras in the cubicles in Primark? What the actual fuck? That is a complete violation of privacy.

I've worked in a lot of clothing shops over number of years. None had cctv in changing room. However, not sure about primark

Quite a brave opportunistic person to have spied the phone and attempted to reach for it with their hand hoping that your friend was faced away from wherever their hand would have been.

Who puts their phone on the floor of a changing room? I think that's more bizarre than someone trying to grab it!

There's no way they have cctv in every single cubicle. He probably meant covering the corridors leading to the cubicles. Of course they wouldn't be allowed to have cameras inside the cubicles. That would have been headline news years ago if that was the case!

I wouldn’t be surprised if they did that.

Primark have a serious problem at the moment. Sometime around covid they made most of their changing rooms mixed sex. There was a huge outcry because countless women and girls suffered sexual assault or voyeurism from men so they have pretended to revert back to single sex.

Unfortunately this is not quite true as they let men in on a ‘self id’ basis ie if any man wants to use the women’s changing rooms they will assume he identifies a woman and let him straight in.

This still puts women and girls at risk of sexual assault and voyeurism.

I would make a written complaint to Head Office. There is also a lady on Twitter who is campaigning to make the Primark changing rooms safe to use again - I’ll try and think of her name.

Yes, because even (for example) offices aren’t allowed to have them in places where there’s a clear expectation of privacy. They have to inform people that they’re under surveillance.
I honestly can’t see major chains having them in changing rooms. The films would be all over the internet by now and we’d have heard about it. (And yes they would be. In a world where police officers app photos of bodies to their friends, security guards would be sharing this footage left, right and centre).

Well that supports not using changing rooms, wtf!

She didn’t have her phone on the floor she just put it down for a second to tie her shoes as we were leaving. Also the gaps at the top and bottom of the cubicle walls were about 30cm so I think someone could easily have looked underneath.
Also not really to do with this but I had no idea the changing rooms had been reverted back, there were men in there yesterday as the upstairs fitting rooms where the ‘men’s’ clothes were was shut….

Again, what law?

Did you look at the link I provided?

I think he probably meant the entrance or hallway; so you could see who was in each cubicle rather than seeing inside the cubicle.

however, I seem to be in the minority but I would absolutely rather my breasts were flashed on a CCTV than there be none at all and I was potentially sexually assaulted because shops want to make changing rooms gender neutral

I really don't think it makes any difference if its men women or children

I really don't think it makes any difference if its men women or children

Of course it does. Some random security bloke looking at film of me changing is repulsive and I'd hate it. Looking at my prepubescent child changing, that's quite another level of problematic. Added to which my DD could change alone in a cubicle with me outside before she could reliably read a sign and process the significance.

OMG

@MrsTerryPratchett
We shall have to disagree. I think looking at any person in a changing cubicle without them knowing is wrong. I believe it's equally wrong for any age or gender.

@JudgeRudy how? Children are obviously the most vulnerable group

I agree it's wrong. But it's more wrong with children.

@moretothegame
I'm not sure how to answer that in a few texts other than firing it back. lf 'secret' cameras were installed surely we would all be equally vulnerable. How do you believe children would be more vulnerable? Do you actually mean you find it more distasteful? That's a different thing.

I also feel this pathway is distracting from the point that it would be very wrong to 'secretly' install cameras in a changing room.

And your basis for this belief in law is?