Elderly cancer patient hospitalized after ordeal at hands of Wal-Mart security

[Ian David]

Brockton, MASS.

Elderly shopper hospitalized after ordeal
By Elaine Allegrini, Enterprise staff writer

The 71-year-old Brockton woman accused of stealing from Wal-Mart in Abington was hospitalized on Friday, three days after the incident left her shaken and unable to sleep, her daughter said.

“She's very stressed,” Linmoy Gabriel said of her mother, Nora Barran. “She was admitted to the hospital this morning for tests and observation.”

Gabriel said her mother, who survived colon cancer and a kidney transplant, is “devastated” after her ordeal at Wal-Mart on Tuesday.

Barran was accused of stealing a roll of tape at the store, but neither security nor Abington police found that she had taken anything, according to Gabriel. She said her mother was detained, subjected to a search and prohibited from returning to the store.

<snip>

The Abington Wal-Mart referred inquiries about Tuesday's incident to corporate headquarters in Arkansas, where a spokesman for the giant discount retailer said the company would have to investigate the incident before making any comment.

More:
http://enterprise.southofboston.com/articles/2007/06/01/news/news/news02.txt

[Deja Q]

1. Lemme get this right: Old person, accused of stealing, is searched and found clean @ store...

then prohibited from going back ever?!?!?!

And that chain claims to have family values?! (well, as with Barnes & Noble, not all Walmarts are going to be ran by decent people... unless that's walmart's policy, of course...)

And all because an accusation of stealing one sodding role of tape? Roughly $1?! Especially when found innocent by security AND the local police?!!!!

Vile.

Filthy.

Rotten to the core.

Anti-Christian.

[Ian David]

3. Well, during their body cavity search, Wal-Mart security always says "Merry Christmas." n/t

[emilyg]

7. Yep

Something similar happened in ga. a mother/daughter team - went from store to store - then sued.

[ironflange]

21. You're right, that happened to me

Strange thing was, it was in August. :shrug:

[pitohui]

5. well this used to be a scam, perhaps it's still going

not to say this old lady is involved in it, but an old-time scam was to pretend to shoplift, get caught and searched by security, and file a lawsuit -- many stores used to settle these to keep it out of the news

if they have something on security tape that makes it look like she's pocketing something, then, yeah, she was setting them up and i don't blame them for 86ing her from future visits from the store

but if i was walmart, i'd sure keep that tape

could be the little old lady is innocent, could be this old scam again, we have no idea, we're only getting sympathetic sick old lady's side of the story

[emilyg]

9. meant to link my YEP to you sorry

[Deja Q]

11. Thank you for the edification.

I'd never considered that perspective before. (in terms of what some people would do; corporations aren't the only bad entities out there...)

Time will tell and I don't like scams; regardless of who attempts them.

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

2. Detained for Shopping While Black

and banned for inconveniencing security with her non-theft. Great.

[Deja Q]

4. Very deplorable indeed.

I hope walmart gets what's due; banning a customer who did not shoplift but was treated like one and clearly found innocent... no doubt the customer would otherwise NOT have returned, but walmart's own actions are now amplified and I hope more people hear about this.

[pitohui]

6. probably only believable if you've never been in walmart

they have tons of black employees and black customers

[Ian David]

8. Because black people never discriminate against one another? n/t

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

10. I've been in only three

One in Indiana - very white, and two in Illinois - predominantly white and hispanic.

I've also been to WalMart headquarters in Arkansas. I don't remember if the people were black or white or green. All I remember are the flies. Flies everywhere. In the hotel, in the airport, in the restaurants. Tons of flies.

[Deja Q]

14. My local one has whites, blacks, hispanics, you name it...

Nor would I question who may or may not be legal; I couldn't care less.

The handicapped guy they had working there hasn't been around lately... :(

I like to people-watch.

And I'd rather be in a walmart than a petco anyday. (They're trying to get rid of their Sun Conure for $450 because nobody's bought it, it's antisocial, is 10 months old, and they have nobody in store to give it proper care... and it is LOUD, no good for an apartment-dweller... otherwise I'd have gotten the adorable bird... )

[Solon]

13. Never worked at a Wal-Mart, huh? I worked there 2 years...

even been recruited by loss prevention, their version of plain clothes security, the guy who recruited me told me what types of people to look for, black people, 20s adults, etc. This incident doesn't surprise me.

[Connonym]

12. They banned her and she didn't DO anything?

Is that even legal?

[pitohui]

15. of course it is legal, it's a private business

they didn't ban her for not doing anything, that's her story

they banned her because they believe she is running a scam that has actually been going around for a few decades now (yea, sorry to be cynical, i used to know a family that sued businesses for a living)

you can't be banned for being black, gay, muslim, female, etc. but you can certainly be banned for being an "undesirable" and a customer who appears to be setting them up for litigation certainly falls into the category of "undesirable"

i feel bad for the lady if it was a mistake, but if they saw her on security camera slipping a roll of tape into her handbag and then it wasn't there, c'mon, that didn't happen by accident, something funny is going on

[dysfunctional press]

16. where does it say that they saw her on a camera sticking a roll of tape into her purse?

there's nothing to that effect in the article.

[TheMadMonk]

18. Somebody saw something which they interpreted as an attempt to steal.

I can't conclusively say it's evidence of attempts at the aforementioned scam, but I often notice products that are well and truly out of place on store shelves. Usually separated physically by a considerable distance from their proper place. And rarely items that a child might pick up and an exasperated parent stuff onto the nearest convenient shelf.

However, I do think the store was over the top. Old ladies (and men) get forgetful, give them the benefit of the doubt, and keep an eye on them. Wait for a pattern before acting.

[dysfunctional press]

20. people pick things up and put them down all over the store all the time...

they're not all scammers.

i was a store detective about 20 years ago, at both ends of the spectrum- i worked a few years at a few different Zayre stores, and a couple years at a suburban Marshall Field's.

and at both stores- the employees were the biggest thieves.

on edit- before i get flamed, i should add that i'm not saying that ALL retail employees are thieves- just that some, even MANY are- and cumulatively, they do more damage to the bottom line than shoplifters.

[Connonym]

19. I didn't know that they could do that in the absence of proof of wrong doing

I guess I lead a sheltered life.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

17. Not Really A Walmart Thing As Much As It's An Overzealous Security Guard Scumbag Thing.

I've run into a few security guard assholes in my time as well.

I hope she ends up ok. Sorry to hear this happened to her.

[knitter4democracy]

22. Hubby was on a jury for a shoplifting trial.

The security guard gave this whole detailed story, but then the tape directly opposed his testimony. He said the guy was wearing a coat, but he wasn't in the tape. He said he saw the guy pocket a DVD, but the tape shows him putting it back with no movements towards his pockets. It was all ridiculous, and Hubby said the whole jury was disgusted that the store even fought to get it to trial. I wonder if the same thing happened here.