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cole minor 3
August 4, 2010
Security and Management
So I don't know if any of you know what merchandising is, but basically, my grandmother is a merchandiser, and since she can't drive and she is 71 I take her to these jobs and help her with her work. This time we were at walmart, normally we go in, sign for our vendor badges, and go do our job, normally we fill the balloons up that you see by the greeting card section. The manager was not available, and while my grandmother was waiting on the manager, I excused myself to go smoke a cigarette. I came back in the store, and I guess she had been helped because she wasn't standing there anymore. As I'm walking through the store looking for my grandmother, there are two well dressed managers standing there and they call me over to them, kinda giving me dirty looks. He started asking me what I was doing with a vendor tag, as if I had stolen it and was up to no good. I explained to him that I'm helping my grandmother. He started asking me all sorts of details that I didn't know, I told him if we could find my grandmother, she would be able to answer all of his questions. I was dressed in casual clothes, I had a pair of shorts with a belt and a tank top on. I was clean shaved and just got my hair cut, so it's not like I was dressed all scummy or anything. Because of the managers attitude, I was starting to get irritated, and I told him if it was that big of a deal I'd just go turn in my badge and find my gramma and when she finishes we'll leave. Still he continued to be rude. I turned in my vendor badge, then I was walking to find my grandmother and he was still giving me dirty looks. My friend called me on the cell phone and I answered. As I'm talking on the phone, I look back and realize that both managers are following me. Now really irritated, I tell my friend on the phone, that these guys need to stop invading my space and back the F off. I suppose they overheard me as I somewhat intended them to. I find my grandmother and explain to her whats going on, she continues working, I finish my phone call and go to start helping her. By this time the managers have come to harass my grandmother about my attire, again, I state that it was just a normal tank top, no graphic designs, just a plain top. Then he proceeds to tell my grandmother that I have an attitude problem, and I told him in front of my grandmother that of course I had an attitude, first he was acting like I was a thief before he knew any details, then he was stalking me through the store as I was looking for her. She can be hard to find, she's a short little old lady lol. So he keeps on running his mouth and tells me that the way I'm dressed is the reason I'm filling up balloons for a living at almost 30. This was an insult to me, and to my grandmother at 71 doing this for a living. She had her entire retirement in Florida real estate, and she had TONS of it, she'd be very wealthy right now had the market not crashed, and now she's forced to do these things to make ends meet. Upon being so insulted, I replied listen buddy, F U. he said I needed to leave the store, I said ok, he was still in my space and his partner acted like he was going to grab me, I told him I was leaving and touching me would be a mistake, I was stupid but angry and told him if he wanted to grab me as I was entering my personal property aka my vehicle, I would be more than glad to show him his boundaries. they keep following me and as I reach the exit, I step through the first door, I'm almost to the second door, and 2 security guards come up behind me and say "you wanna step outside now?". I said well, there's 4 of you, so lemme just call my friends and make it even, at this point we were all being juvenile. I reached for my phone and the security guard grabs my phone and trys to twist my hand behind my back, I jerk my phone away and push him off of me, giving him a very threatening glare to which he responded by backing down physically but still running his mouth. I told him he had no right to touch me. He said that they asked me to leave the store, and I said I was leaving the store, just because I was talking doesn't mean I was walking any slower or trying to hang around. then all four of them followed me to my truck, they called the cops, put a trespass order on me. The police officer said to call 1 800 walmart because these guys have had complaints in very similar situations quite often in the past. I called 1 800 walmart and now I have to wait for a district manager to respond to me. even though i'm really disgusted with this store I still shop there, its the closest cheapest place in town to get groceries and my grandmother works there often and relies on me to get her there. The police officer told me I would be allowed to drop my grandmother off at the door and pick her up when she was done, to which the walmart manager responded no. apparently they want to make her suffer for no reason and take money out of her pocket. The security guys looked like they just rolled outta bed and were up all night partying, unshaved, dirty stinky, smelly people, and they were saying that my tank top was a bad representation of walmart, when in fact, I wasn't even a walmart employee, I was an assistant to a person who was working for a company that sells their product in walmart, and was not employed by walmart AT ALL. My biggest point is that the security guy had no right to grab my blackberry out of my hand, he had no right to grab my arm and try and do whatever he was attempting to do, and if I would have fought him instead of just pushing him off of me, I would have been arrested, even though he had no right to touch me AT ALL. I didn't steal anything, I didn't assault anyone, I simply stuck up for myself after being repeatedly insulted by this manager on his high horse. Now I'm working to get the tresspass thing taken off so I can get my grandmother to work when she has jobs there, and so I can get my groceries there. I mean, I know its not a whole lot of money but I spend probably about 3-400 dollars there a month on family supplies and food, and this is how I get treated for wearing a tank top? I can't believe the guy wants to threaten for the 4 of them to jump me but I say I'm calling my friends and he gets all scared and calls the cops. The even more messed up part is that he called the cops, even though I put my phone away, said screw it I'll go sit in the truck and wait for my gramma cuz I'm her ride. I told the one manager that I admitted to being a little upset and that I shouldn't have cussed, I felt bad knowing maybe some kids might have heard me or something, but that he should understand that I am a human, and when I'm insulted, like anyone else, i get upset. The manager left, and security, the little narcs that they are, still decided to harass me and call the police anyways. soooo what else can I say?? I could see if I had stolen something, but how can you insult someone to their face, be threatening towards them, act all big and bad, and then call the cops and give a trespass order. The only reason I cussed is because he wouldn't leave me alone and was following me around stalking me and then trying to get me fired, as if my grandmother is going to fire me for sticking up for myself. Any comments?
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