- Women carry purses.
-
by RCG III
A few days after 911 went down; I was with my brother in the Wilmington NC Super-Center. It was during this time that I was on foot most days and was carrying a messenger bag everywhere I traveled.
Much like a woman's handbag, I had a ton of stuff in there: cell phones, books, axe body spray, smokes various lighters, a clean tee-shirt, pens etc...I really was trying to eliminate getting another plastic bag to hold one or two items when I checked out by having my own cloth bag. To this day I refuse plastic bags, when I only have a few items...Anyway:
We walked in to a see a sign denoting that "All book-bags must be left at service center", knowing full well that Wal-Mart was going overboard with super security hysteria due to the plane crashes in NYC as the reasoning behind it...My brother and I stood there for a moment in awe as women waltzed right in with oversized purses, diaper bags & strollers. So we tried to follow suit and we were promptly directed to make our way to the service center by the Wal-Mart greeter. We walked right up to and right past the service center with out stopping. There was zero chance I was going to relinquish my bag to unknown persons.
We maybe made it 5 minutes when a few managers gathered around us to impede our mission. Telling us that we had to check our bag, which we rightly refused, the confrontation got pretty heated up in a very short time. They kept on with how it was a security measure while we kept backing up our statements with circular logic:
WM..."Sir you have to check your backpack for security reasons.
US...."This isn't a backpack, it's a purse
WM..."It's close enough to a back pack.
US... "Um how can you define what a bag is? When Wal-Mart is allowing purses in the store"
WM..."Sir, would you just check your bag."
US... "No, you have no right to ask me that, when you allow diaper bags in the store.
WM..."Women carry purses.
US... "How do you know I am not a woman?" How dare you judge me!?!"
WM..."Look if you won't check your bag you will have to leave"
US...." You want me to check my bag because of I might be carrying a bomb?'
WM..."We are having all backpacks checked because of tightened security measures due to the incidents on 911
US...(Playing right into them) "So you want to check if I am hiding a bomb, and you think the safest place for that would be right near your offices & financial department?"
At this point the Wal-Mart managers took a moment to think, and my brother (who is ACTIVE NAVY) spoke up saying "look are we going to have to call an E.O. to settle this obvious sexually biased and blatant discrimination matter?'
They finally submitted to our non-compliance and asked if they could at least "look" in the bag, which I had no issues with. So I flipped it around to my front side, opened it up shuffled it around a bit for them, and walked away...I really wanted to open the flap and yell BOOM !!!
Well that was the closest I every got to being banned from Wal-Mart, and I agree with the fellow writer who said that they watch you, once you've made them notice you, because since that day, the "ALARM" system at the front of the store has gone off twice as I ENTERED the store.
RCG III
Wilmington NC