I got off work last Monday. I went to GS to look around (I go to the many stores in my area) this one happens to have a nasty mgr girl (probably Colombian). I went once before and bought a used game and wanted to see the disk and she was like "I"M BUSY, I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR YOU TO LOOK AT IT... AND I DON'T HAVE OTHER COPIES" when there were like 5 other boxes on the shelf.
So I went back there to see the inventory and I'm minding my business looking around at all the different console used games, etc. Then after 20 minutes of that I leave without purchasing anything and get into my car.
I get a phone call and I can not drive and talk in FL. I'm not sure if it's the law or not exactly, but i'm not a douche that drives and talks either way. I sit in my car in the public parking lot and then about 15 minutes later two police cars show up and hold their arms near their taser. They tell me to get out and i'm like "Okay, this should be interesting... They clearly have me confused.." I have been stopped plenty of times by police for sitting around in my car. All they would do is say "are you alright, can I help you... Is anything wrong?". But never, "put your hands on the car, NOW". The worst part is I had no witnesses or camera around and it was near dusk time so it was very unpleasant.
They tell me to drop my phone and turn off my car. They ask if I have weapons and frisk my balls, etc. I said "don't tase me"... Which, believe it or not, is a pretty logical thing to say when they have their hand on the trigger and he asks you to take out your wallet. Then they ask me if I'm a criminal or have ever been arrested and to show ID. When viewing ID they call dispatch to confirm my identity.
Then they told me as follows. And it went something like this...
Cop: What are you doing in the parking lot.
Me: I am talking on the phone so I don't have to talk and drive.
Cop: The lady mgr called me and said you were acting suspicious.
Me: I was just looking around as I usually do, minding my business and doing nothing wrong. Is it a crime to sit in my car and talk on the phone?
Cop: Ok, well, she has the right to call the cops.
Me: Ok.
Cop: What is your address and what do you do for work?
Me: blah blah (upon hearing I live in an upscale part of town and have a job, his attitude changed)
Cop: There must have been some misunderstanding. I recommend you take your business elsewhere from now on.
Me: Ok
Cop: Take care of yourself.
He then went in to talk to the mgr girl who's probably my age if not younger.
As I drove off with the cops escorting me, I looked through the window and she was LAUUUGHING....
I don't blame the cops because she probably made up a story to get them over there ASAP. Had she told them i'm sitting in my car minding my business, they would never show up.
I called later that evening and asked to speak to the mgr. When she picked up I said
something like this...
Me: hello
Her: hello
Me: Who am I speaking too?
Her: Who wants to know?
Me: I want your name so I can report you to corporate/
Her: Who's this, why do you want to know, what is this about *nervous tone
Me: You don't remember calling the cops on me earlier?
Her: OKAY THE REASON I DID THAT... *and she went off* You were just hanging around and looking suspicious and I don't want to get robbed...
Me: But I didn't do anything
Her: I know, I know, I'm sorry, I just... I don't know. You were sitting in your car for a long time.
Me: So I can do that and talk on the phone, what does it matter?
Her: I dunno, I dunno
Me: I spend a lot of money at GS.
Her: I'm sorry if you felt humiliated.
Me: Your damn right, I did nothing wrong, yet you called the cops on me AFTER leaving peacefully...?
Her: Blah blah
Me: OK, listen, what's your Employee # so I can finish this letter.
Her: Call customer service
Me: No I'd rather write a letter give me your name
Her: Coughs it over
Me: THANK YOU
Her: ok bye.
If nothing else, I'm pretty sure I ruined her mood for the rest of the day and she can think about it all night long when she's handing out those Halo's after Midnight. Hopefully she felt as humiliated as I have.
I later attempted to write but GS doesn't allow that anymore. They give a toll free number which I called after a couple days and they took down my statement and said they would call me with a resolution. No one called me and I don't think they care.
Either way it's pretty pathetic that a mgr of GAMESTOP, no less, has the right to judge who's a robber and who's just passing time in the store. Just because she can't handle her responsibilities or deals with too much stress (on Halo launch... Not that the ghetto location is busy. The guy told me there were only 70 orders) shouldn't give her the right to call the police for no reason, except her deranged intuition, under some suspicion just because I was sitting in the parking lot in my car.
So should I pursue this incident? Or is it pointless?
So I went back there to see the inventory and I'm minding my business looking around at all the different console used games, etc. Then after 20 minutes of that I leave without purchasing anything and get into my car.
I get a phone call and I can not drive and talk in FL. I'm not sure if it's the law or not exactly, but i'm not a douche that drives and talks either way. I sit in my car in the public parking lot and then about 15 minutes later two police cars show up and hold their arms near their taser. They tell me to get out and i'm like "Okay, this should be interesting... They clearly have me confused.." I have been stopped plenty of times by police for sitting around in my car. All they would do is say "are you alright, can I help you... Is anything wrong?". But never, "put your hands on the car, NOW". The worst part is I had no witnesses or camera around and it was near dusk time so it was very unpleasant.
They tell me to drop my phone and turn off my car. They ask if I have weapons and frisk my balls, etc. I said "don't tase me"... Which, believe it or not, is a pretty logical thing to say when they have their hand on the trigger and he asks you to take out your wallet. Then they ask me if I'm a criminal or have ever been arrested and to show ID. When viewing ID they call dispatch to confirm my identity.
Then they told me as follows. And it went something like this...
Cop: What are you doing in the parking lot.
Me: I am talking on the phone so I don't have to talk and drive.
Cop: The lady mgr called me and said you were acting suspicious.
Me: I was just looking around as I usually do, minding my business and doing nothing wrong. Is it a crime to sit in my car and talk on the phone?
Cop: Ok, well, she has the right to call the cops.
Me: Ok.
Cop: What is your address and what do you do for work?
Me: blah blah (upon hearing I live in an upscale part of town and have a job, his attitude changed)
Cop: There must have been some misunderstanding. I recommend you take your business elsewhere from now on.
Me: Ok
Cop: Take care of yourself.
He then went in to talk to the mgr girl who's probably my age if not younger.
As I drove off with the cops escorting me, I looked through the window and she was LAUUUGHING....
I don't blame the cops because she probably made up a story to get them over there ASAP. Had she told them i'm sitting in my car minding my business, they would never show up.
I called later that evening and asked to speak to the mgr. When she picked up I said
something like this...
Me: hello
Her: hello
Me: Who am I speaking too?
Her: Who wants to know?
Me: I want your name so I can report you to corporate/
Her: Who's this, why do you want to know, what is this about *nervous tone
Me: You don't remember calling the cops on me earlier?
Her: OKAY THE REASON I DID THAT... *and she went off* You were just hanging around and looking suspicious and I don't want to get robbed...
Me: But I didn't do anything
Her: I know, I know, I'm sorry, I just... I don't know. You were sitting in your car for a long time.
Me: So I can do that and talk on the phone, what does it matter?
Her: I dunno, I dunno
Me: I spend a lot of money at GS.
Her: I'm sorry if you felt humiliated.
Me: Your damn right, I did nothing wrong, yet you called the cops on me AFTER leaving peacefully...?
Her: Blah blah
Me: OK, listen, what's your Employee # so I can finish this letter.
Her: Call customer service
Me: No I'd rather write a letter give me your name
Her: Coughs it over
Me: THANK YOU
Her: ok bye.
If nothing else, I'm pretty sure I ruined her mood for the rest of the day and she can think about it all night long when she's handing out those Halo's after Midnight. Hopefully she felt as humiliated as I have.
I later attempted to write but GS doesn't allow that anymore. They give a toll free number which I called after a couple days and they took down my statement and said they would call me with a resolution. No one called me and I don't think they care.
Either way it's pretty pathetic that a mgr of GAMESTOP, no less, has the right to judge who's a robber and who's just passing time in the store. Just because she can't handle her responsibilities or deals with too much stress (on Halo launch... Not that the ghetto location is busy. The guy told me there were only 70 orders) shouldn't give her the right to call the police for no reason, except her deranged intuition, under some suspicion just because I was sitting in the parking lot in my car.
So should I pursue this incident? Or is it pointless?
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