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No it's not. I've worked in retail, and while it's fine for blacks to complain about feeling watched in stores, it's still blacks that are comprising most of the flash mobs and it's not you who are losing $$ when anyone shoplifts from you. Profiling is just being careful and closing the barn doors before the horses have run out of the barn. Once the item has left the store and been stolen, it's gone, it's history with no way of getting it back. And even the item is just hidden in a handbag or in a stroller under a baby but still within the store's boundaries, it's so much more hassle to confront the customer and get it back from them.
So it's always better to keep an eye on potential thieves and not give them any opportunity at all to steal from you... than it is to not look at them and let them steal from you, then try to get the item back from them. Thieves are the pathetic ones. And most of what they steal isn't even anything that they need to have. It's only blingy things that they think they need in order to make themselves look better to other people.
And shops don't owe poor people free merchandise.
At least you're right out there with your racism. I hope your profiling of "potential thieves" results in thousands of dollars worth of merchandise walking out of your store in the hands of your wonderfully behaved white and Asian customers. Everyone knows those folks never steal.
I'd love to see your store go out of business due to this enlightened policy.
I don't know where to begin on this subject. Being white, i cannot imagine what it is like to be profile while shopping, just for one's color of skin.
The area i live in is very elite and mostly White, but we also have people of color and other nationalities that live here.
I do know a couple of supervisors and managers, and head of security for a lot of our stores and malls. The security are trained, the ones i know, to look for those you would not suspect, those who seem really nice, usually are the ones to watch for.
However i see for myself, when someone black is in a store, a difference in the feeling of the store, or the managers, i see this for myself. More eyes are on the black person. I also feel though it has to do with the areas one lives in. In a all black area, of course your going to look for blacks, in an all white area, your looking for white scum etc.
I can imagine for anyone who is shopping what it would be liked, to have eyes on you at all times, that would make me nervous.
I take my time shopping, i really do, have to look real good, touch items, read labels, know everything before i buy. I am white, and because of this and how i shop, i have i know been followed. What do i do, i turn around and tell the person follow me all you want, you want my money, i have to know what it is i am buying. I touch and feel and if the people in the store don't like it, i tell them, there are plenty of other stores out there for me to shop, plus the internet.
They usually do not know what to say to me.
I can only imagine while shopping, anyone who is being watched, or being profiled, is not a very good feeling to have. But i do know that blacks are not the only one with this problem. In my area there are a lot of young white teen girls, that are targeted. I do know of one certain store, that has Muslim familiy's on their list, because a muslim family, has been known to steal from one major elite department store. And the checkers know it, infact this couple is now banned from this particular department store. From the security people i know, anyone at any particular time can be targeted.
No it's not. I've worked in retail, and while it's fine for blacks to complain about feeling watched in stores, it's still blacks that are comprising most of the flash mobs and it's not you who are losing $$ when anyone shoplifts from you. Profiling is just being careful and closing the barn doors before the horses have run out of the barn. Once the item has left the store and been stolen, it's gone, it's history with no way of getting it back. And even the item is just hidden in a handbag or in a stroller under a baby but still within the store's boundaries, it's so much more hassle to confront the customer and get it back from them.
So it's always better to keep an eye on potential thieves and not give them any opportunity at all to steal from you... than it is to not look at them and let them steal from you, then try to get the item back from them. Thieves are the pathetic ones. And most of what they steal isn't even anything that they need to have. It's only blingy things that they think they need in order to make themselves look better to other people.
And shops don't owe poor people free merchandise.
I've heard the same "just being careful" and "just playing the odds" line over and over. I have this question: How does it help ME??? At the end of the day, I have to think about MY peace of mind. If I'm being targeted, then I should boycott certain places. I'm not going to understand because I'm not the one committing crimes. Why? Because the message I get from profiling is "no matter how much I'm obeying the law and being a good citizen, it doesn't matter because as long as I share the same skin color as most of the criminals, I will be profiled".
I've heard the same "just being careful" and "just playing the odds" line over and over. I have this question: How does it help ME??? At the end of the day, I have to think about MY peace of mind. If I'm being targeted, then I should boycott certain places. I'm not going to understand because I'm not the one committing crimes. Why? Because the message I get from profiling is "no matter how much I'm obeying the law and being a good citizen, it doesn't matter because as long as I share the same skin color as most of the criminals, I will be profiled".
Sad but also true what you stated. That is really the case too, i have seen this.
Sad really shoppers really ought to be given the benenfit of the doubt, but it don't work that way!
Sad but also true what you stated. That is really the case too, i have seen this.
Sad really shoppers really ought to be given the benenfit of the doubt, but it don't work that way!
It is sad, but life often works like that. People try to justify racial profiling with explanations denoting "safety". However, when it comes to protecting the individual, this is the message I get out of it: "As long as the larger society feels your people are a threat, your individual safety, dignity, and rights come secondary".
Yep, I moved from Chicago to one of those dastardly "red states" that are supposed to be chock-full of racist republicans.
I found the decrease in racism to be ironic.
I've lived all over the country and i can honestly say that no state or city is better of than another when it comes to racism. There are different forms of it and may be dealt with in different ways but racism is racism.
Another major misconception with racism is the idea that conservatives are more racist than liberals I've found that is the biggest sack of Hogg wash around. I have met too many racist that claim to be so liberal. Many conservatives are not racist. I would say the republican party has a long way to go to be the party for Americas president. That doesn't mean all conservatives are racist.
I don't know where to begin on this subject. Being white, i cannot imagine what it is like to be profile while shopping, just for one's color of skin.
The area i live in is very elite and mostly White, but we also have people of color and other nationalities that live here.
I do know a couple of supervisors and managers, and head of security for a lot of our stores and malls. The security are trained, the ones i know, to look for those you would not suspect, those who seem really nice, usually are the ones to watch for.
However i see for myself, when someone black is in a store, a difference in the feeling of the store, or the managers, i see this for myself. More eyes are on the black person. I also feel though it has to do with the areas one lives in. In a all black area, of course your going to look for blacks, in an all white area, your looking for white scum etc.
I can imagine for anyone who is shopping what it would be liked, to have eyes on you at all times, that would make me nervous.
I take my time shopping, i really do, have to look real good, touch items, read labels, know everything before i buy. I am white, and because of this and how i shop, i have i know been followed. What do i do, i turn around and tell the person follow me all you want, you want my money, i have to know what it is i am buying. I touch and feel and if the people in the store don't like it, i tell them, there are plenty of other stores out there for me to shop, plus the internet.
They usually do not know what to say to me.
I can only imagine while shopping, anyone who is being watched, or being profiled, is not a very good feeling to have. But i do know that blacks are not the only one with this problem. In my area there are a lot of young white teen girls, that are targeted. I do know of one certain store, that has Muslim familiy's on their list, because a muslim family, has been known to steal from one major elite department store. And the checkers know it, infact this couple is now banned from this particular department store. From the security people i know, anyone at any particular time can be targeted.
There's nothing like people staring you down so hard that you can feel them burning a hole through your head with their fiery glare. There's no better way inspire a sense of warm welcome for your customers.
I've never been stared at for my own race, but I have been "by proxy"--from being a white person in longterm relationship with a black person in a part of the country that looks down on interracial relationships (especially white/black ones). Definitely not a nice feeling.
I touch and feel everything in the store too. I've definitely gotten the "Oh-God-just-please-don't-break-anything-blind-person" stare-down. I can practically feel the daggers shooting from their eyes on my neck when I do this.
I think all the people in this thread who think that racial profiling is "playing the odds" should get a taste of what it feels like to have three employees hovering over you, their sudden, intense concern--"Can I help you, sir??"--or the random announcement--"customer service to aisle five, costumer service to aisle five" that always seems to be the same aisle you're in--or the coincidental change in store policy that requires ID check for making a $15 purchase with a credit card. But I have seen it happen to my friends and family first-hand.
People are going to continue to make excuses for racial profiling. I even heard my sociology professor say something along the lines of "they're just playing the odds", as if I'm not suppose to be upset about racial profiling.
Let's see... I'm driving through Virginia as a couple on a date and a group of black youths throws a rock that smashes my windshield. Do I racial profile and figure that a group of blacks will beat the crap out of my date and I ?
Yes, some groups bring on profiling due to their race.
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