Exiting Costco While Black

[Anonymous]

I have seen them check bags but they were usually backpacks.

[Anonymous]

I go to the Beltsville/College Park Costco a lot now - used to go to Pentagon City - and that store is very diverse and, the times I've shopped there, I'm in the minority as a white person. It does not have the same clientele as the PC store or the Gaithersburg store. I don't doubt that this may have been a racially motivated incident, but I hope not because most of the people who shop there are a racial or ethnic minority.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I go to the Beltsville/College Park Costco a lot now - used to go to Pentagon City - and that store is very diverse and, the times I've shopped there, I'm in the minority as a white person. It does not have the same clientele as the PC store or the Gaithersburg store. I don't doubt that this may have been a racially motivated incident, but I hope not because most of the people who shop there are a racial or ethnic minority.

Exactly!

[Anonymous]

This is totally off topic WRT the OP, but I wouldn't patronize a place where my stuff gets checked every time I shop there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is totally off topic WRT the OP, but I wouldn't patronize a place where my stuff gets checked every time I shop there.

But most stores have those alarms that go off if they forget to take off the tag.

[Anonymous]

I shop at Costco in Columbia and always get my cart carefully checked. I'm white.

[Anonymous]

OP, you should go back and video the scenerio, then put it on YouTube.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Left the College Park Costco with DH and DD an hour ago. We spent a long time leaving because the two door monitors were meticulously checking the receipts of the customers ahead of us (both African American). Every item was checked against their receipts. Then, their personal bags were checked.

My husband had our cart and I had my daughter in her stroller. I finally went past the monitors and out the door. They didn't check me at all -- of course I could have had an item in her ample stroller basket. Did I mention I'm white?

Another white customer did the same. Just took his item and walked past the checkers. Nothing said to him.

From my vantage point outside the checkpoint, I observed them meticulously checking all black customers. My husband and an Asian customer came up. Got a quick visual check and a black check mark on their receipts -- and then waved through. I said to my husband -- "They were practically strip searching the black customers, and then they waved you through." He replied: "You noticed that too."

Costco in Sterling VA gets AA, white, hispanic, asian, plus african immigrants and other immigrants. The checkers look at the receipt and then the stuff. Takes longer if you have a lot. I never saw a purse have to be opened. I dress like a slob since I garden alot.

My guess is the checkers were inexperienced immigrants with a hunk of prejudice.

Is it less offensive if immigrants display prejudice because they may have been brought up in a homogeneous society rather than an American born person?

[Anonymous]

I had someone at TARGET check my receipt when I left the store and I'm half Asian and had my 1/4 Asian DC with me. Don't know what that was about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had someone at TARGET check my receipt when I left the store and I'm half Asian and had my 1/4 Asian DC with me. Don't know what that was about.

Was this at RIO? I've had that happen a couple times to me, too. We were at Costco just this morning and they checked our cart like crazy, then checked it again! I had a magazine sitting on top and usually with magazines and books they double check, but this Lady would lift up things in our cart and was very thorough. But, I would be a little uncomfortable in this situation the OP posted about.

On an off topic, has anyone seen that show "What would you do"? They had an episode just like this, to see what people around would do.

[Anonymous]

I posted earlier, saying that I've not seen this happen when we've shopped at Costco (usually the one in Gaithersburg). I think only one time we had more scrutiny at the door, by a non-white female (may have been Latina, but not sure; I'm white, DH is Asian). But, there was nothing offensive about it. Maybe she was a newer employee, being more meticulous.

[Anonymous]

I used to work loss prevention at another retail store, and I know that if I suspected someone, but didn't have evidence to take care of the issue myself, (even if it was on another day, and I remembered the face) I would ask the people at the door to check the particular person in line. I am not saying that you're wrong, but just suggesting that there could be other options.

[Anonymous]

Maybe those particular customers were acting suspiciously in the store so the manager asked teh door monitors to check their items carefully. Race may not have been issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe those particular customers were acting suspiciously in the store so the manager asked teh door monitors to check their items carefully. Race may not have been issue.

OP again...every black customer leaving the store was acting suspiciously? I find that hard to believe.

And the white customers could leave the store without ANY regard to whether they were stealing? I mean, I walked out of the store without even a visual check of my stroller basket. During the time that we are in the store, my husband pushed the cart around and I put items in the stroller basket (clothes and books, actually), which I later added to his cart before checkout. So if you want to talk about potential for acting "suspiciously," I would think that would have to be ME. Wouldn't a floorwalker want to alert the door monitors that my stroller basket should be checked thoroughly for shoplifted items? I guess not, since I'm a 'nice' white lady.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is totally off topic WRT the OP, but I wouldn't patronize a place where my stuff gets checked every time I shop there.

There are no bags for the items at wholesale stores. You're just walking out with a large cart of merchandise. Receipt checking is standard at Costco, BJs and I think also Sam's Club. It would be a shoplifter's paradise without the door checking.

I've noticed more/less scrutiny at different BJs stores. The one in Woodbridge is more thorough than the one in Fairfax.