10 Rights You Didn't Know You Had

[wineguy999]

Wineguy999: this is not a US v. Argentina thing (although this never happened to me in the US). It's simply stupid and inefficient (anywhere it may happen) to harass customers like this without at least a reasonable suspicion that they were in fact shoplifting. Every person wearing a backpack can't be an automatic suspect, otherwise we'll be waiting in line all day. Oh wait.

You missed my point by a hair. I was simply pointing out that to suspect someone of shoplifting is the new norm in many venues. It is standard in Best Buy, Costco, and Hermes Music, and I'm sure others.

 

[ElQueso]

The truth is, I can almost understand the desire of people here to check peoples' bags when leaving the store - regardless of what the law says.

My wife and I were in a clothes store the other day and a woman walked up to the cashier and laid a dress on top of the counter and said she wanted to return the dress. She had no receipt and the tag was still on the dress. The clerk tried to tell her that she needed the receipt to return it and the "customer" started yelling and getting pissed off. While this was happening the security guard walked up and told the clerk, in a voice loud enough for pretty much everyone near to hear, that she saw the woman take the dress off the rack just a few minutes ago. The "customer" sputtered something incoherent, then left the store in a hurry with the dress sitting on top of the counter.

A few months ago, my 19-year-old and I were in another store on Florida and we both saw someone putting clothes from a table into their large purse/bag. We went and told the security guard on the other side of the store about it. Don't know what they did, but I would support their desire to check out that person's belongings, or at least try to detain them until they could get a policeman inside (not an easy task here, perhaps).

You can't legislate honesty, and a store is a private place. I think some of these "rights" may be a little silly just because there are so many people that would take advantage of that - and I'm not just talking here, I'm talking anywhere in the world. I used to be head cashier for a Target store in the late 70's/early 80's and often had to work with the security staff against people shoplifting, returning things with no receipt, hiding things in boxes of other things they were buying, etc. We had rules we had to follow, but in the case of shoplifting they weren't so onerous that we couldn't get the majority of them when we caught them. I can't remember a single case in which I was involved where we inspected someone that didn't have an item they hadn't paid for.

If customers don't like a store that is serious about security, go somewhere else. Too bad that there are so many laws here that favor criminals...

A lot of thieves in this world and making it easier for them is not doing anything to help anyone.

 

[ben]

And but as always, count on ElQueso to swoop in with a balanced take on things - and some anecdotes to boot.

I loved this line: You can't legislate honesty.

As the saying goes: This is why we can't have nice things.

 

[ghost]

And yet, I can name three stores in the US who will not let you leave (without a fight) until they've verified items in your bag/basket against your receipt - and I'm sure there are others I don't know about. It's not just Argentina.

Why does somebody always try to do a "my country, your country" comparison with analytics the are 180 degree wrong.

 

[wineguy999]

Why does somebody always try to do a "my country, your country" comparison with analytics the are 180 degree wrong.

Wow. Can you elaborate, or just criticize and insult?

As I clarified, I was merely pointing out that this was not an issue exclusive to Argentina.

 

[Matt84]

Many supermarkets and I believe all pharmacities have lockers where you can chose to store your bagpack/purse if you don't want to be subjected to an inspection. I personally have not been harassed, but again I don't carry a handbag, and I wouldn't blame the store.
Other laws don't make too much sense either. Sube cards are not so incredibly accessible, I guess I would happily pay a few cents more for charging them or getting them at convenience.
Things like taxicab rights might be nice if they were able to be even remotely enforced.
About changing stuff I consider this essential since the quality of things (particularly clothing) is so misleading.

A few days ago I was sitting at a small cafe in a neighbourhood I seldom visit, there was no wifi and I decided to purchase a road "atlas" of Argentina from a kiosko right next to the cafe. Less than 50 pesos. There were two options and I remember asking the kioskero for his recommendation (or to at least let me open them before buying them). I purchased one. When I paged through it I noticed the scale was wrong (enlarged area maps bore the same scale as the general map, quiet ridiculous). I showed it to the quaint kioskero who was reading a book and he freaked out. I tried exchanging it for the other other fold up map but he just gave me a 50 note back, demanded the few pesos back and let me know he didn't want to sell me any more maps and basically to go f-k off.
He was a middle aged man reading a book. The mistake that rendered the whole atlas useless was perfectly obvious. He was mad that I noticed it, or that I cared about it, or that I demanded a normal proper map.
Just another example of why I really crave for either more competition (lost hope) or more consumer protection; but it's the attitude that ticks me off.

 

[ariel81]

Pay attention,they are putting many machines in kiosc to load money in the SUBE card
Also,in many lottery shops and gas stations you can charge it,too.

 

[jantango]

The city has passed a law about clear point-of-sale pricing at all items sold at kiosks.
http://www.legislatura.gov.ar/noti_ver.php?ver=4747

"The exhibition price per unit must be carried in a clear, visible, horizontal and legible. When running through lists, they should explain the places of access to public view, and the point of sale or care provision thereof. In any case access to consumer prices exhibited prior to the purchase decision of traded goods." So what sets the new standard enacted by the Legislature of Buenos Aires will be prevented.

Looking to the potential consumer to know at a glance the price of products and the right is met by a free choice. The standard aims to end an allegedly misleading and very common practice that has been observed in recent months by many kiosks in the city of Buenos Aires.

There we see that the prices of goods they sell are not displayed as determined by Law 4827 in force, which refers to the possibility of displaying the prices on each item or list prices as possible under the nature or location of the assets.


Everyone buys something at kiosks. Check for the price before you pay.

 

[ajoknoblauch]

And but as always, count on ElQueso to swoop in with a superficial or, more likely, an erroneous take on things - and some anecdotes to boot.

I loved this line: You can't legislate honesty.

You can, actually: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perjury

 

[ben]

And but as always, count on ElQueso to swoop in with a superficial or, more likely, an erroneous take on things - and some anecdotes to boot.

I loved this line: You can't legislate honesty.

You can, actually: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perjury

Ajo, it is one thing to misquote in the second person someone you're engaging with, it's an entirely different thing to misquote a third party. Kindly refrain from doing so, at least in my case.

- to be clear, I do not agree nor find it funny when you do it in the second person either. A quote box is a convention that normal people take to mean a quote. Changing it is in the best case confusing and in bad taste. It's that simple.

Perhaps if you did it 1/100 of the times you actually do it, there'd be some question about it being semi-appropriate or somehow excusable as humor, but if there even exists some sort of line, you've long crossed it.

If you disagree with my characterization of ElQueso's take on things as 'balanced', and feel that it is superficial and/or erroneous, say so. Don't literally put words in others' mouths.