Bikini-clad customer kicked out of Walmart

[dlevere]

By Molly Blancett KVAL News Published: Jul 27, 2011 at 8:05 PM PDT

EUGENE, Ore. - Sandy McMillin and her sister Karla Vogt went to Walmart on Sunday to buy sour cream, chips and coffee creamer.

She said five minutes into her shopping trip while in the clothing aisle, a store employee told her to put on a shirt or leave, saying the swimsuit violated health codes.


"I was horrified," McMillin told KVAL News. "I am embarrassed."

"We just walked in, straight over to the clothing," Vogt said. "It's wrong. If you don't like the way someone looks, don't look at them."

McMillin said employees then escorted her and her sister out of the store.

"I hadn't done anything obnoxious or outlandish," McMillin said.

To be fair, KVAL News contacted Walmart to get their side of the story.

Walmart spokeswoman Ashley Hardie told KVAL News that McMillin has it all wrong.

Hardie said customers complained and McMillin verbally abused people in the store. But Hardie said McMillin was was never escorted outside.

"We can understand her frustration. It was not our intent to offend the customer, and we have apologized to her," Hardie said. "We have also reinforced with our associates our expectations of how to handle these matters."

McMillin said that is not good enough and that she will never shop at Walmart again.

[OldSchoolGamer]

She is a piece of trash and Walmart should never have apologized to her. She is a joke for walking into a store looking/dressed like that.

[RyanfaeScotland]

Are they sure that's a she?

[BigBossman]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YFBfgVmqI4

The story was posted on Youtube. See the link above.

The bald head, I might be able to understand. If she's a cancer patient, okay. I can handle that. You'd think she'd at least try to wear a hat or a wig.

I didn't like the arguement the reporter tried to make. She tried to say that if something is bought in a store, it should be allowed to be worn. By that same logic, I could go into Wal-Mart (or any place that sells it), buy underwear. Then come back later on wearing only underwear. "Well I bought the underwear here. Shouldn't I be allowed to wear it here?"

I would probably go as far to say that she should also see about getting some sleeves to cover up those man-ish tatoos. If you dressed her up with biker attire with leather pants & a leather vest, she'd look like one of those biker gang types (like one of the men).

[Lazy Bastard]

I didn't like the arguement the reporter tried to make. She tried to say that if something is bought in a store, it should be allowed to be worn. By that same logic, I could go into Wal-Mart (or any place that sells it), buy underwear. Then come back later on wearing only underwear. "Well I bought the underwear here. Shouldn't I be allowed to wear it here?"

Or, just a condom. Or just cologne. Or for a woman, just a bra, no panties. Or other hilarious items.

Baldness, tattoos, and unattractiveness are all fine. I guess the bikini top is the only objectionable piece, and even that is arguable. It comes down to whether WalMart or this person is telling the truth about the events that transpired. Also, whether the picture is of what she was wearing, or if she was wearing no pants, and bikini bottoms instead.

The bottom line is that WalMart has a legal right to refuse service to anyone they like, as long as they don't base it on race, color, creed, etc. As far as escorting people outside, I don't believe any store personnel, including security personnel, have the legal right to lay a hand on you. I read an article once that stated that it's against almost every store's corporate policy for a store security guard to physically detain you or touch you at all, even if you're outright stealing from the store, because of the potential for lawsuit. In general, they'll try to tell you to stop, or ask what you're doing, or try to seem intimidating, but if you ignore them and keep going about your business, all they can do is call the cops, and follow you outside and get your license plate number.

[dlevere]

Walmart is getting sued

The bottom line is that WalMart has a legal right to refuse service to anyone they like, as long as they don't base it on race, color, creed, etc. As far as escorting people outside, I don't believe any store personnel, including security personnel, have the legal right to lay a hand on you. I read an article once that stated that it's against almost every store's corporate policy for a store security guard to physically detain you or touch you at all, even if you're outright stealing from the store, because of the potential for lawsuit. In general, they'll try to tell you to stop, or ask what you're doing, or try to seem intimidating, but if you ignore them and keep going about your business, all they can do is call the cops, and follow you outside and get your license plate number.

Lawsuit: Walmart Had Me Arrested, Made Me Lose Job, Had Husband Deported...Over $2.90 Worth Of Chicken Necks

By Chris Morran on July 26, 2011 12:30 P.M.

A former Walmart employee in Alabama has filed a lawsuit against the retail behemoth, alleging that she and her husband were wrongly accused of stealing $2.90 in chicken neck bones, an accusation the plaintiff says led to her losing her job and having her husband deported.

According to the suit, the plaintiff and her then-newlywed husband, who hadn't yet gotten his U.S. citizenship, were using the self-checkout line at a local Walmart (not the one at which she was employed). When it came time to scan the package of chicken necks, they wouldn't register on the machine. So a store employee helped them out at the machine, told them "it's okay," and sent them on their way, only to be stopped by a door guard.

The plaintiff says she showed the guard where the chicken bones had been accounted for at the bottom of the receipt, but:

"The security guard started screaming and asked to see the identifications of the plaintiff and her husband. The security guard screamed at the plaintiff and her husband saying they were going to be deported. The security guard, in overly loud voice, stated plaintiff and her husband were illegal and what were they doing in this country. Plaintiff asked for the assistant manager. The security guard answered by saying plaintiff and her husband were going to jail."

The plaintiff says she made multiple offers to re-scan the package just to be done with the ordeal. She also asked for store employees to review the videotape of them checking out.

An assistant manager eventually looked at the footage of the incident and, according to the complaint, "The assistant manager said in presence of plaintiff and her husband: 'I see where she scanned it, I see where it's been rung up.'" But instead of letting the customers go, the plaintiff alleges that the assistant manager asked the guard what should be done and the guard allegedly said that he wanted to have the couple arrested.

The guard called the police, who arrested the couple. The plaintiff says the guard also called the Walmart where the plaintiff had been employed at the time to let that store know she was being charged with theft. Even worse, the suit alleges that the store contacted INS about her husband and had him deported.

From the complaint:

"As a result of being in jail and being accused of being a thief, [the plaintiff] lost her home, her car, all of her personal belongings and her husband was deported. [She] seeks punitive damages for loss of income, loss of personal property, lost profits, lost time and imprisonment, libel and slander, mental anguish, intentional infliction of emotional distress, false arrest, malicious prosecution, slander, negligence and conversion.”

The final insult to all of this, according to the lawsuit, is that after the plaintiff had been cleared of theft charges, Walmart refused to refund the $2.90 she had paid for the neck bones.

http://www.courthousenews.com/2011/07/26/38455.htm

[OldSchoolGamer]

If her husband was in this country illegally, then he should be deported regardless of the walmart incident.

[RyanfaeScotland]

It sounds like there was a lot more going on than just some disagreement over some chicken necks (yuk btw, who the hell buy chicken necks?). You ask me, the security guard had a personal greivance against the deported guy.

[OldSchoolGamer]

When they say that Walmart security guards escorted her outside, it does not necessarily mean they even touched her. With all probability, all they did was walk along side her as she left the store, to make sure she leaves. All that escort means, is "a person or group of persons accompanying another to give protection or as a courtesy." If they would have touched her, she would be trying to sue Walmart for as much money as possible.

[bungholio]

@ OldSchoolGamer

You do know the lady in the first post and the article in post #6 aren't the same people, right?

[OldSchoolGamer]

You do know the lady in the first post and the article in post #6 aren't the same people, right?

Right. I deleted the chicken neck comment and then I winded up deleting the rest.