Walmart has some strange habits. First, many stores like to forces customers to show receipts before they leave, even though customers don't have to. This has lead to several unpleasant, and even violent, encounters. Second, Walmart aggressively goes after some shoplifters (sometimes so aggressively that they cause serious injury and death) while ignoring others. They even have a policy (that may have changed, we haven't been able to figure out their current policy) not to prosecute anyone under the age of 18 for shoplifting, or anyone stealing anything under $25.
While these policies seem a bit strange and contradictory, they don't explain what happened recently in Michigan. It seems that a gay couple and their two adopted children were shopping at their local Walmart and when they went to leave, a Walmart employee asked if they had bought Bic lighters. They said they had and handed them to the employee who then demanded to see the receipt, which was also handed over. At that point, the couple was accused of shoplifting (which they had not) and the employee demanded that they go back to their detention room. When the couple refused to go for fear of what might happen behind closed doors, the store called the cops who, without asking questions, put both men in separate squad cars and handed the two children over to Walmart who put them in their detention room.
After Walmart, and the cops, had review the security tapes, they determined that the men had not stolen anything. Instead of apologizing for putting the family through a traumatic experience, Walmart informed the family that they were banned from any Walmart store for life for being "uncooperative".
The whole story is really worth a read because it is just so unbelievable. It is entirely unclear why this happened. Many are suggesting that the family was singled out because they were gay. We don't know if that is the case, but it certainly seems that Walmart treated these particular customers far harsher than usual.
You can read the full story here. It is well worth a read.
Posted by Taylor - November 9, 2009 04:34 PM - Hard to Believe
let get the UFCW Unon Contract and UAW Union Contract and Teamster Union Contract Bill to pass to make Wal Mart sign the UFCW Union Contract for Wal Mart Employee and UAW for Wal Mart Tire@Lube Express Employee abd Sam's Club Tire@Battery Car Installment Employee and Teramster Union Contract right of away and right now please by give Wal Mart Employee and Sam's Club Employee a living waged with affordable Health Care right of away and right now please get the bill pass to make Wal Mart Prosecute Shop Lifting right of away and right now please
Posted by Tom P Noonan - November 9, 2009 09:17 PM