Are you regularly followed by security guards in shops for no reason?

[Pavementworrier]

If so you are my people

I'm a middle aged lawyer with kids I don't dress weird and I'm old enough to have the confidence to be sure there is nothing particular thievy about me but there is something in my manner or essence that gets the shiny tabard men twitching.

(Latest shout out to you, Boots in the st James Quarter Edinburgh)

It has been like this since I was a teen, when I figured it was because they assume teens are all lifting lipstick but then it never stopped.

So now I figure they probably think they can look busy by following me without any risk whatsoever while the men with holdalls continue to fill their boots (sometimes literally).

honestly, you must be so bored.

So is he I suppose, but at least he's paid for this 😂

The reason I query the race dimension is that it's almost always African men who follow me. I know that's the major security worker demographic in UK retail now but I don't really understand why they'd be more likely to other black people.

Go and say Hi! Have a friendly chat. Ask why they were following you.

Are you all talking about security guards in uniform with ‘security’ written on them, or plain clothes store detectives?

I can’t stand the feeling of someone walking behind me so if I feel it happening and it’s a store detective I ask them to please walk ahead of me. They are really very obvious.

The actual security staff in my local supermarkets are normally glued to the cctv at the main doors / barriers anyway.

I suspect the reason is that they do not actually want to get into confrontations so they choose someone unlikely to be a shoplifter to follow. And most security jobs are probably incredibly boring so a wander round the shop following a random customer is just a way of passing the time.

I don't think I've ever seen security follow anyone in the stores I go in. They usually stand by the door. Seems like a really odd thing to do, follow someone around in full on security get up.

I'm far too oblivious to notice if some kind of plain clothes detective were following me though.

This has never happened to me and I look shifty as fuck and often carry my large empty reusable shopping bags with me 😁

maybe it’s cause I am also over 6ft and have angry meno face and they choose safer customers

meanwhile various men walk in , grab a few bottles of wine and walk out again without being bothered (M&S) I see a few every time I am there so it must happen loads

i once pointed it out to a security guard but he shrugged and said they are not allowed to do anything to shoplifters

so why even have security at all…?!

Never been followed that I am aware off, so either it doesn’t happen or I am not very observant! Fairly scruffy, middle aged, white woman.

No but I’m a middle age white female who looks quite posh (for our town) so i don’t fit the criteria

No, not at all. I don´t think that I am unaware I am being followed, I just aren´t.

Oh, my, I take my empty carrier bag and fill it to the brim with supermarket stuff and then empy at till and fill it again. Didn´t know that made me thievy looking. The personnell don´t seem to take any notice.