Walgreens

Nick was profiled at Walgreens again. this time around the corner from our home. Last year on Valentine’s Day it happened in Chesterfield to him and several of his friends. Just like then, he was harassed as soon as he walked in the store. The manager asked him if something was wrong before he even got to the aisles. He picked out his candy and when he went to pay, the same manager approached him and told him that he wasn’t paying for everything he picked up. He asked her to repeat herself and she did. He asked her why she would say that to him. She said someone saw him put something in his pocket. He showed her his pocket contents to which she had no response. He left the store and called me when he got home. He seemed upset when he called so I actually thought he had an accident as the weather is bad and he’s only been driving a few weeks by himself.
I called the store right away and asked for the MOD. Of course, it was her. I got her name and the store information and told her that she harassed my son. She admitted she approached him when he walked into the store but argued that it wasn’t immediately. Her greeting was still intended to intimidate and not welcome. She explained that she approached him because another customer told her he put something in his pocket. (It is not appropriate for staff to approach a customer based on what another customer says about shoplifting-that’s what cameras are for. She admitted that she even looked at his pocket and saw his phone but decided to confront him anyway. Again, not protocol. This is harassment.
She said she didn’t feel she profiled him because there’s always a few bad apples. I asked her what about my son made her decided he might be one and I told her that was the essence of profiling. He’d done nothing wrong but she assumed another stranger (who could have been creating a distraction so he could steal) was honest and correct and my son was a thief.
I asked her if she would like to be harassed every time she walked into a store because of her skin color. She said she didn’t mean it and I told her she needed counseling.
Then I called corporate and filed a formal complaint. During that phone call during which I was told (just as last February) that there a few bad apples that make it bad for everyone. I told the representative that her choice of words was interesting as it was the same as the store. That made me think that despite what she said and what I was repeatedly told last year, this is a corporate sentiment and action needs to be taken to change that. I live in St. Louis and this is very scary because this is black children get killed. People in the stores need to be especially careful not to make the situation worse. I’m waiting for store management to call me. I went to the store to take a picture so I could put the racist on social media but she went home early.
This corporation is part of the problem.
#walgreens
#racist
#racialprofiling
#stlouis
#ferguson
#nomorekilling
#stealingpossibilities
#corporateresponsibility

After lunch, Miss C. and I ran errands at Walgreen’s.
This seems to be a bigger store than other Walgreen’s I’ve patronized. Signs were clear and visible. The pharmacy was abuzz.
She found what she needed, and all of it was buy 1/​get 1 free or buy 1/​get 1 50% off. Great bargains.
All the shelves were well-​stocked, and I always like to see what «As seen on TV» merchandise they have available.
In the pill areas, which is quite a bit of shelving, each shelf had its own lighting, which made it quite easy to find what you needed.
And their shopping baskets have both handles and wheels, so you can load up and not break your arm getting to checkout.
Checkout was a bit backed up, so another clerk motioned us over to her register, and we got out much quicker. She was very friendly.
The free Balance Rewards program is really quite valuable. Points add up quickly and before you know it, you’ve got a $ 5 savings.