Comments on: Scheduled Hearing Tomorrow is Cancelled

By: Mark

Mark — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 19:01:55 +0000

I am glad to see that the charges were finally dropped and I sincerely applaud you for fighting the fight. The big issue here is that if one store starts a practice that violators your civil rights others are likely to follow. I have always made a point of not showing my receipt and questioning these types of idiotic policies.

Many times I have asked why the stores door guards need to see my receipt. They have usually seen me pay and walk from the cash register to the door. Most of the time I get a dumb answer like - I need to make sure that you are charged the correct price and get everything you paid for. It is almost fun to pull an item out of my bag, cover up the price and ask - Ok, what is the correct price for this item? They usually give up in frustration and walk away. Most all of these stores have video surveillance to cut down on inventory shrinkage anyway.

Recently I noticed that a local pharmacy (Longs Drugs) had posted signs that they utilized Video and Audio surveillance in the store. I asked to talk to the manager and asked about the audio surveillance. He was not able to provide a decent explanation about where the audio surveillance was taking place, who had access to the recordings, how long they kept them and how they safeguard any of my personal information. Obviously it is a concern if I am talking with the pharmacist, giving my social security number and medical information, etc.. The real problem is that if we do not fight situations like this other stores will develop the same policies. If every drugstore in the neighborhood uses Video and Audio surveillance then you can not simply take your business elsewhere.

I am all for stores being able to control theft but they need to respect the rights of their customers. I do not really have a problem with them using video surveillance but I would like to see laws to control audio surveillance. I would also like to see laws to protect consumer privacy and ensure that any video recordings cannot be used except in the prosecution of a crime.

Again, thanks for standing up for your rights, I know that this must have been very difficult for you and your family to cope with!

By: William

William — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 18:55:29 +0000

Absolutely I could not agree with you more Thomas, and in the case of a wholesale retail store you do give up your right by signing a waiver in order to shop at that retailer. However Circuit City is not a wholesaler like Costco and I have never seen a disclaimer before entering or while inside a Circuit City or a Best Buy for that matter. But this is the fundamental point you miss Thomas, we are (suposed to be) a free people. Our freedom is granted to us by the constitution of the United States. The only recourse we the people have against the government without shedding blood, is by holding them financially responsible when they violate our rights as private citizens. The property Mr. Righi purchased from the store was private property. No one has the right to search that property without A. Reasonable suspicion it is stole or B. a search warrant. That being said you are also not required to show identification when asked for it rather it be a officer of the peace or a private citizen. And whether or not you believe it, civil rights violations are a slippery slope and just as destructive as the complacency and ignorance that you call maturity. Read the history on why we are protected against unlawful searche and seizure, perhaps then you will understand why Mr. Righi did what he did.

By: Thomas

Thomas — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 03:19:30 +0000

@William: It doesn\’t matter if it\’s showing my receipt, full cavity search, etc. If a store has a policy I don\’t agree with I WON\’T SHOP THERE. They are a private company and can do whatever they want as long as they don\’t break the law (NO, checking a receipt is not breaking the law!).

As a citizen you have a CHOICE to shop elsewhere. If everyone told Circuit City they didn\’t like the receipt check and stopped shopping there, it would change. That\’s a much better solution than tying up emergency services and our legal system with a baseless lawsuit based solely on immature, selfish actions.

By: Mara

Mara — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 02:36:36 +0000

By no means do I consider you a hero. Your actions were selfish and idiotic. Next time simply show the receipt. Our courts are already overloaded as it is. Plus, as a taxpayer, it ticks me off that you’re wasting my money.

Now piss off.

By: scott

scott — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 22:16:26 +0000

Wow, I never thought my 5 year old would be a lot smarter than a 26 year old. Even he knows how to show a receipt to the checkout person.

What\’s the big deal in showing your ID? Perhaps you should have balanced your indignation with the inconvenience you did to your family.

It must be hard for you to get a job, purchase alcohol, or fly on an airplane because you don\’t want to show your ID.

Perhaps you could apply your energies to real issues as opposed to these make believe crimes against you.