Shopping at Sail... Weird

[krypplephite]

Stopped by Sail the other day on my way to shoot trap - Found a decent deal on a box of 7 1/2 shot shells and picked up a bunch other stuff.

Guy behind the 2nd floor gun counter tells me I have to cash out at customer service at the back of the main floor because of the ammo.

Ok...

So I take all my stuff down to customer service, show my PAL (they write the number down in a logbook - not sure how I feel about that, but whatever) and I pay.

Everything goes in a Sail bag and I head toward the exit with my <>$300 receipt in hand.

Girl at the front door asks to see my receipt...

Proceeds to slowly dig through my bag and match up each and every item.

It just left a bad taste in my mouth.

Just a thought for the management at Sail - It might be a good idea to put your customer service at the exit instead of conducting a protracted investigation of your paying customers on the way out.

There's nothing so unique at your store that isn't available in shops where I don't get shaken down at the exit.

[terrym]

100% agree. I have bought quite a bit of ammo there and its a pain.

[mojo stick]

I found that same problem , it's a total pain in the , I usually go in buy my shells take them to the truck and come back in to finish my shopping, that way front desk has nothing to go through, they see flat of shells and receipt in hand and let you go through

[MikePal]

It's a proven loss deterrent... to stop shop lifting. WalMart has been doing it for many many years.

I don't blame a store for doing it and don't mind letting them take a quick look. Don't know why peole would consider it enough of an irritant to complain about it, must be a slow day

[krypplephite]

...don't mind letting them take a quick look.

This wasn't a quick look - It was a minute or more of pulling items out of a shopping bag and matching up each item on the receipt.

Perhaps I could be accused of having rich-white-guy complex, but I don't accept that everyone shopping in a store is automatically a shoplifting suspect.

Building policies around that premise is a proven race to the bottom in terms of brand equity.

I guess the comparison to Wal Mart is appropriate - Bet the owners of Sail wouldn't be too happy with that...

I'm going to stick to my local gun shop for shooting supplies in the future.

[Splaker]

I wouldn't shop there for hunting stuff..

more of a camping store... not crazy about it... another Quebec retailer that WONT last here... Maxi & Co, Metro, Steinberg, and on and on.. they can't complete with the big boys (Uncle Sam)

[robster]

What's the big deal. Many other stores have been doing it. If you've got nothing to hide no sweat. With all the types of bags that people are carrying around its no wonder loss prevention is being enforced.

[MikePal]

This wasn't a quick look - It was a minute or more of pulling items out of a shopping bag and matching up each item on the receipt.

I can't believe someone is so tightly wound the axle that a "minute' of the time to help a store with loss prevention, in order to keep the cost/prices lower, would be enough of an irritant to stop you from ever shopping there again...

That's like refusing to drive because the OPP set up a RIDE checks..

Shoplifting facts:

• theft and measures to prevent theft constitute about 2.5 per cent of the average retailer’s operating budget
• Canadian retailers estimate they lose between one and 4.5 per cent of merchandise to shoplifting
• Nationwide, $3-billion worth of products are stolen through shoplifting, store employees and administrative errors

[flippin]

I agree with you Mike!
If it takes 1 or 2 mins whats the big deal?
If you got nothing to hide who cares!
I have no problem with them checking, in fact if they do this to every1 no 1 is singled out! And when the ''Theif'' sees this makes them think twice! If it keeps our costs down that is ''good'' enough for me!
flip

[welsh]

I think the problem here is that the store's management has laid things out so that anyone buying ammunition has to go through this hassle. If they let you pay for the ammo at the front, they wouldn't be checking receipts.