Here’s another “the customer is boss” story from a Wal-Mart shopper who says he was certainly not treated like the boss. Rodney Jackson, a disabled man from Lebanon, Ohio, shared the following close enounter of the Wal-Mart kind with us: “On 19 August 2001, I flew to Douglas, Georgia with my Service Dog to help a young girl that had just been abandoned by a Florida police officer, and she was pregnant. She didn’t have any maternity clothes. so, on Sunday , just a little after noon, we went to the Douglas,Georgia Walmart. As, I approached the store, I noticed a rather large 12″ x 12” Sign that simply stated “Service Dogs Welcome”. Not so.As I stepped inside, the young lady that I was with needed to use the restroom so I took a seat and waited. Immediately, the Greeter walks over to me and tells me to get the dog out of the store. I told her it was my Service Dog and that the store had a sign posted. She then angrily repeated herself and I again stated the obvious and she walks off in a huff. Within seconds a male employee starts the same demands and I again make the same statements, I then told him that I just told all of this to the Greeter and he apologizes and leaves. Another female employee came and repeated the situation and I again follow my previous behavior.Within minutes, store security arrives and again I go through the same. He informs me that he is a retired police officer and aware of the law and that he wanted me out of the store. I told him about the trip I made from Cincinnati and how difficult it is to be disabled and to travel but that I was simply there to assist a pregnant lady but he didn’t give a damn. He tells one of the employees to call the police and he too walks off. Four police officers arrive and begin telling me to get out of the store. I again repeat myself. I offered to let them look at my dog’s ID Tag, as I offered each the opportunity to read the law that I had then in my hand. All refused and then the confrontation was made by one of the officers. Question: “Are you refusing to leave”? Note, the officer is only inches from my face. As a retired police official, who has successfully served on (5) police jurisdictions, I knew a fight was about to start and I quickly asked about my friend that was then in the dressing room and that I needed to be inside to pay for her clothes. The Walmart security officer then stated ” I should have thought about that before I left Ohio”. What that meant I had no idea and I was then aggressively escorted out of the store, with the threat not to go back inside..As I waited outside for about twenty minutes, the young lady finally came out. She said that she was all looking all over the store for me. I couldn’t believe none of the store employees bothered to inform her that I was outside.”
Little stories something carry a big message. Rule #1 at Wal-Mart is: “The customer is always right.” Rule #2 is: “If the customer happens to be wrong, refer to Rule #1.” It appears that in the case of Mr. Rodney Jackson of Ohio, Wal-Mart violated rule #1. They also have at Wal-Mart something called “the 10 foot attitude.” Whenever a Wal-Mart employee comes within 10 feet of a customer,”you will look him in the eye, greet him, and ask him if you can help him.” In this case the 10 foot rule seems to be: Don’t touch this guy with a 10 foot pole! Mr. Jackson says Wal-Mart “didn’t give a damn about my disability.” He says the encounter in Douglas, Georgia was humiliating and shocking to him. For more details about this story, contact [email protected]
