Whatever you do, DON'T canvas in front of Best Buy!

[Systematic Chaos]

This may be more suited to the Lounge, but I'm putting it here and if the mods want they can move it.

I wanted to share my experience in front of the Best Buy on Maryland Parkway in Las Vegas that my wife and I had last Friday. We were on our way in to look at monitors (our old one finally died), but this young couple stopped us and politely asked if we were registered to vote. I know I am but I wasn't sure if the address was current. I also know my wife is not and I had to get her registered before the deadline. So, it only made sense that we could both fill the forms out and get it done without a trip to the DMV or wherever. We were, by the way, the first people they had approached.

As my wife was filling out her form, the store manager came outside to ask what was going on. The guy explained that he was just there to get people to register to vote. He NEVER stated any kind of political agenda to the manager. The manager, who looked like a repuke dork anyway, said something like: "I will only tell you politely one time that you need to leave this property". The young couple were getting very nervous, so I looked at the manager and told him that as a customer of his store I was going to be allowed to complete my and my wife's forms before anybody took a single step. He seemed not to like that but he went back into the store and didn't press the issue.

I was highly pissed off about that. And yes, I do understand what a "no solicitation" policy is, but STILL. Oh, and the cheapest replacement monitor there was $100, but we went to Office Max and found a 17" flat screen CRT that was normally $130 for just $70, new in box, on clearance.

I used to love Best Buy. Now I'm beginning to think they suck.

On edit: The young couple were total dems. We talked for a few minutes about F/911 before they left, and I told them about Outfoxed.

[jeff30997]

1. What an asshole!

[cthrumatrix]

32. Boycott Best Buy..... Circuit City is the next logical choice for purchase

[slojim240]

33. Best Buy sells "used" equipment making people think it is new.

Be very careful when making purchases from this chain.

[Forkboy]

2. Not to be a jerk

but you said it yourself,"I do understand what a "no solicitation" policy is,..".

It's also kind of troubling that you judge the manager by his looks,"looked like a repuke dork anyway,...".

[mhr]

3. Looks Can Be A Highly Reliable Indicator Of Political Affiliation

Besides, doesn't Aschroft's Justice department rely on just such tactics to nab the likes of Cat Stevens and other so called Muslim terrorists?

[Forkboy]

4. Exactly my point

Besides, doesn't Aschroft's Justice department rely on just such tactics to nab the likes of Cat Stevens and other so called Muslim terrorists?

[Journeyman]

6. Looks Can Be A Highly Reliable Indicator Of Political Affiliation?

That has to be one of the (ahem) most interesting comments made on these boards in quite some time. Do regale us with more of your beliefs. Perhaps you can educate us on modern applications of craniology and phrenology, and perhaps give insight into the meaning and atttributes of skin coloration, body weight, and the tell-tale signs of fashion and epicurean choice.

Do you truly believe such bilge?

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

13. I fit the profile...

I'm a white male. I live in all-white neighborhood that votes 70% Republican. I work in a while collar profession and have an investment portfolio. I'm a regular church-goer.

I'm a Democrat.

...so much for the profile

Edit: People who only know me slightly (like at work, where I don't discuss my politics) always assume that I'm a Republican.

[Journeyman]

22. I fit the profile too, ritc2750. . .

it's why I found such a sweeping statement to be so ludicrous. That, and the knowledge that both Alice Cooper and Marilyn Manson are strong Republicans.

[TryingToWarnYou]

19. Bullshit.

If you saw me, you would think right away that Im a Conservative.

Never, ever judge anyone on appearances.

[RapidCreek]

30. Interesting...why if I saw you would I think you are a Conservative?

I mean since the persons remark is bullshit....please enlighten me.

RC

[Systematic Chaos]

5. I usually reserve judgement about people, even in instances like this

But I'm telling you that his looks AND his behavior were typical repuke. The more he looked at this young couple the more he could tell where they were coming from even if they didn't say so. They had a strong neo-hippie vibe about them and it was obvious to all of us that this store manager did NOT care for that.

He seriously looked like an angry repuke who wanted to shoo off some troublemaking libruls. He wasn't too keen on me taking the upper hand and insisting that as a customer of the store I WOULD finish those forms. He genuinely looked pissed when he walked away and just a couple of minutes later when I was inside he was nowhere to be seen. And we walked the entire store from end to end, looking at monitors and other stuff and using the restrooms.

Sorry that you're bothered by my description. I know it sounded judgemental and harsh, but I will bet my bottom dollar that Girl Scouts selling cookies with their parents would have been given a much more polite dismissal.

[Dorian Gray]

20. I noticed that. too

I wouldn't judge the manager by his looks. What if, just the day before, other people were there, registering people. And other customers complained because they felt like they were being harrassed. Or, what if business slowed down becuase people avoided walking by the "politically active" people.

You know, I spend a good portion of my day thinking about, reading about, and living politics. There are some moments where I just want to buy a television or a book without thinking about politics.

(However, having said that, I purposefully registered with Republicans who were doing the same thing on the streets, here, in NYC. I talked with them without letting them know my political affiliation. Then, I checked the old Democrat box. I felt a sense of satisfaction re-registering with someone who thought he was getting numbers of people like himself. But, in NYC, I'm sure he ended up registering more Democrats than Republicans, anyhow!)

[aquart]

7. Most unpleasant store I ever walked into.

They seem to actively detest customers.

[clonebot]

10. i used to be a manager for guitar center

we used to make fun of best buy all the time in our sales meetings.

"get those gross sales numbers up or you'll end up working down there with those blue and yellow shirt guys!" "hahahahahha!"

[teryang]

12. Agreed

major attitude problem at Best Buy. They try to overcome it with sales prices. When you get to the store, the employees act like they don't know what you're talking about (because the customer is like always soooo ignorant). Take your best buy sales prices to Ciruit City city and get the same products on their guarantee that they will beat any competitors price.

[pstokely]

23. Circuit City isn't much better

attitude probably differs at each store

[teryang]

24. Anecdotal experiences only

I have received terrible service at several Best Buys in different communities.

I have received good to excellent service at two different Circuit Cities. I would also say that their service is better than Office Depot or Staples, but their are probably structural reasons for that as electronic equipment is something of a sideline at those stores. Sometimes, you have to use Office Depot to make commercial purchases in bulk, as Best Buy and Circuit City wouldn't do it for me.

[aquart]

28. Circuit City has a very nice customer attitude.

I always try them first. But you're right, I should go back to them afterwards.

[NervousRex]

35. Circuit City

will never receive any of my money. They are huge donors to the republicans according to opensecrets.org ...So is Best Buy...The CEO Brad Anderson actually gave money to Jack Ryan.

[DemBones DemBones]

8. Registering people to vote is solicitation? I thought it was civic

participation.

[timtom]

9. There ya go!

What DemBones said.

[HootieMcBoob]

11. One of the biggest problems with "suburbs"

The fact that there's no "there" there. There aren't a lot of public spaces where you can do this sort of thing and meet a bunch of people who aren't registered to vote. Practially anywhere you go you're on private property. It's perfectly republican the privatization of the public square.

[Jose Diablo]

16. An interesting observation

Are the walkways in front of stores and within Malls truly private property? Or should they be considered the "commons" in fact of the stores being given the "permission" to conduct business within the community.

Corporation's "rights" to conduct business to own property or even exist is not really a "right". It is a privilege granted by "the people".

We should reconsider which corporations should be allowed to conduct business within our communities, with the objective being to determine which corporations are deserving based on its past conduct in promoting the common welfare of the communities they operate within.

[jmowreader]

14. I can't think of many stores you CAN canvass in front of

Now this guy was a total asshole and a Repuke besides, but in Fayetteville you MIGHT be able to canvass in front of Kmart, Target and Wal-Mart--although if you tried it in front of Wal-Mart you better be wearing lots of flags and elephants.

Food Lion also allows some solicitation, and Petsmart has adopted one of the no-kill shelters in the area. But that's about it, man; no one else allows it. (I know why too; if you want I can start a thread about it.)

[ret5hd]

15. i'd be interested in just a short explanation of why. (nt)

[jmowreader]

25. The KKK Took Your Canvassing Rights Away

With apologies to the late great Joey Ramone, that's it in a nutshell.

Home Depot used to allow solicitation in front of the store by nonprofits. If you were selling 2x4s, of course we wouldn't let you do it, but the Boy Scouts could do their fundraisers, the Girl Scouts could sell cookies, the Salvation Army could ring bells, the Camp Fire Girls could sell mints...you get the idea. We at least try to be a good neighbor, except to the Lowe's down the street that we're trying to put out of business.

One fine Saturday morning, the Ku Klux Klan decided to recruit in front of a Home Depot in Alabama. They rolled up with their full Klan regalia on, they started unloading, and the chapter president went to see the manager. "We understand that you allow nonprofits to set up in front of your store. Well, we're a nonprofit so you have to allow us to set up too. We'll be right over there until 3pm."

The manager was on the phone with Atlanta: "What the hell do we do?" Atlanta decided at that point that no more nonprofit solicitation could be done at any of our stores.

[DemBones DemBones]

27. On the positive side, I guess I can thank the KKK that I haven't seen

gospel singers on a flatbed truck in front of a store in more than thirty years -- something I saw (and heard, ouch!) more than once after moving to Georgia in 1972.

(Dear God, forgive the gospel singers, they probably mean well.)

(And, yes, some gospel music is good. The kind on the flatbed trucks was always very bad.)

[King Coal]

34. I don't get the Joey Ramone reference.

[AP]

17. Political speech isn't solicitation. I don't think voter reg is soliciting

Lots of communities have statutes that say as much.

[DemBones DemBones]

26. Voter registration isn't political speech, either,

assuming the people doing it aren't covered with partisan buttons.

It's sad to see someone ban voter registration, although I agree that they should have asked permission.

[fujiyama]

31. I agree about the permission part

It is private property.

Still, unless the people were partisan, it's bothersome that voter registration would cause a problem in the first place.

After all, registering is exactly that - it's such making one's self eligable to vote in the election. It doesn't mean a person has to vote a certain way.

I suppose this is the repuke way of thinking though. They simply want less turnout...because higher turnout means dems win.

Or it could just be a lack of interest in civic life. As another poster said, strip malls and suburbs have eliminated a public square. With that a sense of community is gone. I think this is a major cause of many problems in the US today.

[SoCalDem]

29. I see Girl Scouts selling cookies every year, and THAT's solicitation too

but cute little girls with cookies always get a "pass"..

[LibDemAlways]

37. Not always.

When my daughter was a Daisy - kindergarten girl scout - her troop asked for and received permission to sell cookies in front of Bristol Farms market -- an "upscale" overpriced non-union store. Anyhow, the kids did real well -- too well. The next year the Bristol Farms manager turned the troop away citing "insurance" issues. I think the real reason was people were buying too many boxes of our overpriced cookies and not enough of his.

[OneTwentyoNine]

18. So....I guess they didn't ask management if this was OK?

I'm all for getting people to vote but hell,this is a business and it is their property. You can't just stand out front and do anything you want without their permission. No more than someone could stand in your yard waving Bush signs.

Why didn't the guy just pick a busy corner and try and set up shop? I'm all for voter reg but you've got to ask permission in certain places.

David

[bleedingheart]

21. Personal property issue here....

if they didn't get permission in the first place then they weren't exactly correct in setting up shop in front of the store. Now the manager could have handled it more effectively but he had a right to ask them to leave.

[Radical Activist]

36. No Wal-Marts allow voter registration

It's a national policy. They allow girl scouts, newspaper salesman and a host of other groups, but not voter registration. One more reason to hate Wal-Mart.