Backpack policies in stores

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Am I the only one with a serious issue regarding "security" in stores making backpack wearers take off their bags and leave them out in the open? I am a pretty chill person who has learned that customer service folk have to follow policies, but I ride the bus and I work very hard as both an aspergian and a person who works with autistic children in-home. I do not have time to go anywhere but the stores that I go to on the way home from my last client of the day, and I am so angry that they force me to take my backpack off (it carries all of my ID and payment info, my computer with my HIPAA protected documents for the children I work with, and a few other important and expensive items) and just set it next to a busy cashier whose last thought is my backpack. They won't even keep it inside the little cashier area. It just sits out in the open. Meanwhile, they don't bug me at all about the giant open bag in my hand full of their products that I previously purchased, which I can MUCH more easily use to steal than my backpack which is strapped to my back and not going anywhere. Obviously, they also don't care about the women who have huge purses. I'm a 21 year old female and it really makes me angry. I really, really, really want to scream at them but from what I've seen on the internet, my options are to suck it up or shop somewhere else.

P.S. the offending moment happened 3 hours ago and I'm irritating my fiance with this perseveration. Hence, rant.
/rant

Its honestly a lame policy that should be changed in my view.

I personally don't use a backpack, but I've seen plenty of people that have done it. Many times the cashier doesn't care. Some stores here don't care if people have bags, while others do care and make a stink.

I'm sorry you went through that. Can you perhaps put your ID and other stuff in a pocket? I know it's not perfect but its better than risking that part, just in case it does get stolen. Perhaps talk to a store manager about it? Or talk to corporate later? It's worth a try at least. They should be putting the backpack closer to the cashier, not in the open... that's really horrible.

Hopefully, those files are encrypted with a strong password, because any computer can be stolen, and you might have some legal liability.

Yes, I agree it's a nuisance and it's bugged me plenty of times. I take a lousy, cheap backpack with nothing valuable in it when possible, but in your situation, I think you should try just ignoring the store policy and wearing it on your back (where it's quite difficult to put anything in it unless you have tentacles instead of arms). If an employee insists you surrender your pack, ask them (in a friendly and polite way) if it will be kept locked up or in a safe place. Now it becomes a nuisance for them, and they will probably pause with a blank look. And then tell them you prefer to keep it unless they can guarantee its safety. This is way too much trouble for them to bother with, and they are apt to just drop the subject.

This is a matter of too strict adherance to the rules; the rules state "backpack", so that is what has to stay. People are trained to stick to the letter of the rule instead of the intention.

That said; there is a second problem with backpacks, aside from the fact that you can steal things by sticking them in it:
The pack sticks out your back, and if you turn around close to a shelf, it is entirely possible that you knock items off the shelf with the pack (or even knock the entire shelf over). This is a practical issue that happens only with bags carried behind the back.

You can carry your cards with you when you give them your back pack. That is what I would do.

The reason for this policy is because people sometimes go into stores and put merchandise in their bags and leave without paying so they installed this policy. Some stores don't even allow store bags in their stores so you have to give them your paid merchandise when you look around. I have been to a store where I couldn't even carry my daughter's diaper bag around and then I was expected to put it in the locker and I didn't even have a quarter so the person working there paid for it for me. Not everyone carries change. I pay with cards so I don't have change. I don't use checks or cash.

This rule is sometimes a pain but also very reasonable because of dishonest people and they ruin it for the innocent customers because it makes it so inconvenient for the ones who don't steal.

I used to routinely carry a backpack for years and rarely had any problems at all. When I was a student, they were obviously good for carrying books and papers wherever I needed. But after that, I rode motorcycles for years and would carry whatever I needed in the backpack.

The one place I remember not being able to take a backpack was in a college bookstore on campus. They had lockers where you could lock it up before entering the stores. You put in a quarter to lock it up but got the quarter back when you took the backpack out.

If only more women's pants and skirts had deep side pockets, as was common back in the 1980's and 1990's, you could carry your ID and payment info in a pocket.

I don't carry a backpack when I go shopping. End of problem.