Never mind taking a gun to Simon malls...don't take a camera!

[Donnelly]

My wife and I occasionally shop at Markland Mall (a Simon property), and I have checked by EVERY entrance, and have never seen restrictions to carrying a firearm or photography. Thats absolutely insane.


-MColford

They have those BS rules posted on a sign in the alcove just to the left of the Target entrance to the Markland Mall. It is one of the entrances directly into the center courtyard of the mall.

 

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

Man.... Lots of memories, but I couldn't TELL you the last time I was at any mall, Simon or otherwise.

 

[sweendogie]

Ummm, not too long ago a girl walked into a fountain at a mall. The mall cops put the security video on the internet and the girl is suing them.
http://youtu.be/mg11glsBW4Y

that is hilarious

 

[jlfitz]

Awesome

 

[magiaaron]

Yeah, I heard about that. It's causing a big splash here in Mishawaka. I guess it's a slow news day, but it sure seems awfully unnecessary to threaten to forcibly remove someone. That said, I'd be very interested to hear the full story from the mall's staff.

-Aaron

 

[Bondhead88]

Grandparents kicked out of mall after taking picture of grandson

"Two grandparents were kicked out of the University Park Mall Tuesday after they took a picture of their visiting grandson in the Food Court."...

While I agree it is the malls right. I think stuff like this is an unnecessary public relations disaster. We used to live by the West Edmonton Mall which until recently was the world's largest mall and will be again in a few years.

On a busy day there you will see thousands of people with cameras. I couldn't imagine them trying or wanting to try and enforce a rule like this. Plus most Albertans would tell security to go take a long walk off a short pier.

 

[thebishopp]

I haven't been to a Simon Mall (Eastland Mall here in Evansville) in nearly 2 years... maybe longer (think I might have eaten at TGIFs once a couple years ago).

 

[Misplaced Yankee]

It's been a while since I accepted popular opinion and shut up, but I have to pass my two cents on this one. I work at a Simon Mall, and this is a necessary evil. Same as the no weapons one, but I'm not touching that can of worms. Here's why.

We treat cameras like we do firearms. You don't make a big deal out of it, we don't. I'm not security, but I honestly don't care what people do. But the second you make other people uncomfortable, we have to address the situation. First, for customer safety.

How would you feel if you were CC'ing and while you were getting out of your car your firearm printed. Someone in the parking lot takes a picture of you, then walks behind your car to take a picture of the license plate. Then your family. Completely legal, right? But how would you feel about this? I'd be rightly pissed, and probably not in the proper mindset to talk this guy down if he was just being a dick. We've seen this, it's not a strawman argument.

Now maybe this isn't offensive to you, you're like hell I open carry. The world can know I have guns, who cares! I hope someone breaks into my house! Well, how about your 14 yr old daughter/niece/friend's kid. How would you feel if some creeper was following them around at the mall snapping photos. We've caught people trying to take pics upskirt, and other compromising positions. No cameras = immediate thrown out, publicly, as well as threaten to call the cops with trespassing if they don't leave. It's one hell of a deterrent, they bolt.

For a third reason, a lot of people don't like to be photographed. I don't, but I accept it as a part of life nowadays. We've had moms yell at us for their kids getting caught in another family's photos. We've also had people try to block up isles to take photos. We're there to sell things, not help families attempt to make up time lost. The people who take a bunch of pictures are tourists, not shoppers. I hate to be that guy, and 90% of the time I don't care, but by the third pic in front of the display now 20 people are trying to shop, you've got to move.

Couple this with a whole lot of the people we kick out for camera use are teenagers doing stupid stuff. Watch this, I can jump over this display! Watch me use this pole as a stripper pole. We can ride in a kart whee!. Camera's multiply the stupidity by 10, and when you see one coming it it's good to just tell them no cameras before the stupidity gets started. Otherwise we'll all get to see "Kid rides kart down escalator, now dead" on youtube.

Lastly, it is a chance to protect our business. Displays are property of the owner. North Face gets pissed if a competitor copies their set up. Why risk annoying a vendor? Nike's made when their models are photographed and copied. If a gun is being handed to a customer with a valid drivers license, we don't know they're a felon til after a background check is ran. Do we want to risk him posting a "Look what I've got" photo for his parole officer to find? And for all you people who say this is unlikely, you'd be amazed at how many sales are declined by NCIS.

So I now climb off my soapbox, and hopefully let some light into why this is a policy. I'm sure someone will counter all my points, but I welcome the discussion. Companies typically don't just make up bull**** policies, someone caused it to be created.

 

[jsgolfman]

I started to respond to that, but suddenly lost interest in banging my head against the wall...again.

 

[eldirector]

I started to respond to that, but suddenly lost interest in banging my head against the wall...again.

I'll take a swing at it!

Once again, folks are blaming an inanimate object for the BEHAVIOR of a FEW people. It is the same old Zero Tolerance rules that allow sheep to just keep grazing, and not have to THINK.

Rather than address the very few folks who do something illegal or dangerous, SOME people would rather ban everything and take the lazy way out.

All I got from this whole post is that there are SO many freedom-hating people in the country. They want to control EVERYONE, just for the sake of control.

And yes, companies DO just make up bull**** policies, with the mistaken belief that the policy will actually make a difference. By your own admission, your "No Cameras" policy is ineffective, and you still need to bust folks for take "upskirt" photos and acting inappropriately.

 

[thebishopp]

I started to respond to that, but suddenly lost interest in banging my head against the wall...again.

Yeah, me too. It's usually pretty hopeless.