I'm a criminal!
Or at least I appear to be one, according to the numbnuts at "Absecon Do It Best Hardware". My roommate and I strolled into a local hardware store today on our lunch break. Note that we were coming from white collar jobs, and we were dressed in a clean cut fashion (with the exception of the fact that I could use a shave). There were no customers in the store when we arrived. I immediately approached the register with a computer printout of a specific part that I needed. The cashier was helpful, and walked us to the section where I could find what I was looking for, which was in the last aisle in the store. I started looking around trying to find the specific part size that I was looking for, and he stood by my side watching me. "Thanks, I'll take it from here", I said politely. He asked me if there was anything else that he could assist me with, and I told him that I'd be fine. He then walked to the end of that aisle (about 50' away) and stood there facing the front of the store.
My roommate and I went about our business looking for the correct size of the part we needed. Eventually he got bored and wandered into the next aisle (the 2nd aisle from the back of the store). Suddenly, our little friend at the end of the store was missing from my aisle. My roommate returned to my aisle a moment later, as did the cashier. Interesting. To test him, my roommate stayed in the last aisle, while I went to the 2nd aisle from the rear. Within seconds, the cashier was in the same aisle as me. At some point, another employee took the place of the cashier (I assume the cashier went elsewhere). For the next ten minutes or so, we continually tested them by moving between the rear aisle, and the 3rd aisle in from the rear. Every time one of us moved, the employee would appear at the end of the aisle within seconds. On two occasions I heard him say something into his walkie talkie about "changing the angle on camera 4".
This was getting out of hand. Why were we being watched? We're both FAR from suspicious looking, and we weren't doing anything odd. I was simply looking at parts on a wall. The both of us were in the 2nd aisle, and I told my roommate to stay put. I walked into the rear aisle yet again, and walked all the way to the end of it so that I could meet this employee face to face, anticipating that he would be there shortly. I stood there facing the end of the aisle with my arms folded on my chest.
Within five seconds, he popped out from the other side of the aisle. I looked him in the eye and said "Is there a reason I'm being watched like a hawk?". His reply was that it was suspicious that I was there, and that I wasn't asking for their help. He thought it was odd that I was "there with no purpose, not looking for anything in particular". I told him that not only was he wrong, but that I needed such a specific part that I had a photo of one printed out so that I would be sure to get the right one. I showed him the printout, but he didn't care. He ranted on about how suspicious I was, and did his best to offend me without calling me a thief. Mind you, the part that I was looking for cost about $12. Wow. At that point, I got right in the guy's face and told him to go **** himself, etc. I was furious to say the least. He then told me that he had enough of my "bad language", and asked me to leave. He then threatened to get the police involved, and to get my license plate number, etc. I told him to feel free, as no wrongdoing took place other than his harassment.
I plan on contacting the BBB and Ace Hardware's district manager, at the minimum. This is downright bulls***. I don't dress, look, or act suspicious, and I have a clean record. Ditto for my roommate. This was just completely uncalled for.
If this upsets you nearly as much as it does me, please avoid doing business with them in the future. And if you're feeling up to it, call them and ask to speak to their manager to tell them how you feel.
Absecon Do It Best Hardware
401 White Horse Pike, Absecon, NJ
(609) 272-0300
edit edit: Here's the cashier - http://www.myspace.com/koolcompukid
Note that he told me his name was Bruce, but his name is Jon. He lied to me.
(see attached)
Or at least I appear to be one, according to the numbnuts at "Absecon Do It Best Hardware". My roommate and I strolled into a local hardware store today on our lunch break. Note that we were coming from white collar jobs, and we were dressed in a clean cut fashion (with the exception of the fact that I could use a shave). There were no customers in the store when we arrived. I immediately approached the register with a computer printout of a specific part that I needed. The cashier was helpful, and walked us to the section where I could find what I was looking for, which was in the last aisle in the store. I started looking around trying to find the specific part size that I was looking for, and he stood by my side watching me. "Thanks, I'll take it from here", I said politely. He asked me if there was anything else that he could assist me with, and I told him that I'd be fine. He then walked to the end of that aisle (about 50' away) and stood there facing the front of the store.
My roommate and I went about our business looking for the correct size of the part we needed. Eventually he got bored and wandered into the next aisle (the 2nd aisle from the back of the store). Suddenly, our little friend at the end of the store was missing from my aisle. My roommate returned to my aisle a moment later, as did the cashier. Interesting. To test him, my roommate stayed in the last aisle, while I went to the 2nd aisle from the rear. Within seconds, the cashier was in the same aisle as me. At some point, another employee took the place of the cashier (I assume the cashier went elsewhere). For the next ten minutes or so, we continually tested them by moving between the rear aisle, and the 3rd aisle in from the rear. Every time one of us moved, the employee would appear at the end of the aisle within seconds. On two occasions I heard him say something into his walkie talkie about "changing the angle on camera 4".
This was getting out of hand. Why were we being watched? We're both FAR from suspicious looking, and we weren't doing anything odd. I was simply looking at parts on a wall. The both of us were in the 2nd aisle, and I told my roommate to stay put. I walked into the rear aisle yet again, and walked all the way to the end of it so that I could meet this employee face to face, anticipating that he would be there shortly. I stood there facing the end of the aisle with my arms folded on my chest.
Within five seconds, he popped out from the other side of the aisle. I looked him in the eye and said "Is there a reason I'm being watched like a hawk?". His reply was that it was suspicious that I was there, and that I wasn't asking for their help. He thought it was odd that I was "there with no purpose, not looking for anything in particular". I told him that not only was he wrong, but that I needed such a specific part that I had a photo of one printed out so that I would be sure to get the right one. I showed him the printout, but he didn't care. He ranted on about how suspicious I was, and did his best to offend me without calling me a thief. Mind you, the part that I was looking for cost about $12. Wow. At that point, I got right in the guy's face and told him to go **** himself, etc. I was furious to say the least. He then told me that he had enough of my "bad language", and asked me to leave. He then threatened to get the police involved, and to get my license plate number, etc. I told him to feel free, as no wrongdoing took place other than his harassment.
I plan on contacting the BBB and Ace Hardware's district manager, at the minimum. This is downright bulls***. I don't dress, look, or act suspicious, and I have a clean record. Ditto for my roommate. This was just completely uncalled for.
If this upsets you nearly as much as it does me, please avoid doing business with them in the future. And if you're feeling up to it, call them and ask to speak to their manager to tell them how you feel.
Absecon Do It Best Hardware
401 White Horse Pike, Absecon, NJ
(609) 272-0300
edit edit: Here's the cashier - http://www.myspace.com/koolcompukid
Note that he told me his name was Bruce, but his name is Jon. He lied to me.
(see attached)
