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Best Buy Invaded By Blue Shirt Improv Artists
deviantphil writes "About 80 Improv Everywhere agents invaded their local Best Buy store wearing blue shirts and Khakis. Eventually they were asked to leave, but not before capturing some great photos and video." From the article: "Security guards and managers started talking to each other frantically on their walkie-talkies and headsets. 'Thomas Crown Affair! Thomas Crown Affair!,' one employee shouted. They were worried that were using our fake uniforms to stage some type of elaborate heist. 'I want every available employee out on the floor RIGHT NOW!'" Their inspired cellphone symphony from this February is also well worth checking out.
Hmmmm.... Imagine if the entire population of Slashdot each received one. Think of the possibilities. Also, can't this be considered Slashdoting something physically.
Ooo man the floppy drive is broken. No wait. The computer is just upside down.
These people rock, I heard a story about them a while back on NPR on This American Life http://207.70.82.73/pages/descriptions/05/286.html
FYI, this is the same group that did the fake U2 roof top concert the day before U2 actually plays in NY.
The cops took the whole thing really seriously, and gave a few people a lot of shit, if you read the whole page and watch all the videos.
They get freaked out when people show up, act oddly, and video tape stuff.
The manager *was* a total douche though: "You're violating my civil rights by filming in my store!".
In California, If a security person detains you, you can Sue, and will probably win.
Of course you have to ask to leave, and they imply that you can't ask.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
navy pinstripe suits indicated a bank, doublebreasted suits meant insurance, charcoal gray suits were brokerages.
Today it is trivial for 21-25 year old women; red shirt is a computer superstore, blue shirt is big box retailer, and
white shirts with a yellow smiley face means WalMartians...
Persons impersonating store employees will be prosecuted for trespassing.
So, in the future I might have to bring multiple changes of clothes with me if I want to go shopping at multiple stores to make sure I don't get confused with the employees? What about those clothing stores that make their employees wear the clothes they sell in the store? Will there be a sign out front "No customer may wear Old Navy clothing inside the store."?
Anyway, when I worked at Best Buy there was probably a few times I noticed a customer walk in wearing khakis and a blue or black or yellow polo. It seems to be a pretty common clothing ensemble.
What?
Uh, if the cops bothered to show up they aren't going to fine you for calling. They really don't do that unless it's a prank. Hell, something like 1/3rd of their calls are basically nothing: loud noise, suspicious person. However, having the cops present isn't a bad idea; You never know when a confrontation might occur. Perhaps some manager freaking out about losing control of the situation loses his cool or something. It could happen.
The most interesting thing about the whole affair is the insight that it provides into people's thoughts. When something sufficiently strange is going on, people get completely confused and frustrated that they don't understand your motives. Because of this misunderstanding, they tend to assume the worst. At one point they were speculating that it was some elaborate heist. "Thomas Crown Affair", funny, but at the same time fitting, given what the employees knew. Although with 80 people I might rip off a better target than Best Buy - maybe a bank or something.
I also got a kick out of the human resources woman going undercover to take snap shots of those involved. Don't they have security cameras? Still, I can understand her feeling the need to do something, so that later she can explain it and not look lazy. There's a reason why the managers freaked out the most - they're used to having control. A regular employee just shrugs his shoulders and laughs. And as usual, the cops freak out the most and try to intimidate the guy with the camera.
I think the part that resonated with me the most was when a manager claimed that filming in Best Buy violated her "civil rights". Perhaps they were at the fringes of the law by partially concealing their cameras, but the right to privacy is not guarenteed in an essentially public place. And while it may be against Best Buy policy, unless you commit an actual crime in the legal sense, all they can do is ask you to leave.
However, I do think that at some point they should have just explained the whole thing rather than leave on such bad terms. They freaked people out and then left in an arrogant huff, that shows a basic lack of curtesy. On the whole, the act and documentation offer interesting insights into society, true performance art.
If a bunch of people pretending to be employees came into my business I would have called the cops myself.
I just bet you're an assistant principal somewhere. You have that follow-all-the-rules attitude.
For what it's worth, the instructions that were given out:
"If a customer comes up to you and asks you a question, be polite and help them if you know the answer. If anyone asks you if you work there, say no. If an employee asks you what you're doing, respond 'I'm waiting for my girlfriend/boyfriend who is shopping elsewhere in the store.' If they question you about your clothing, just explain that it's what you put on when you woke up this morning and you don't know any of the other people dressed like you."
It's simple: I demand prosecution for torture.
Actually, I think the shopping attire will eventually be mandated...
And does this mean whenever someone asks me if I can help them I'd get in trouble?
Although... it does remind me of my retail days... one customer asked someone who was wearing close to the same clothes as the staff where something was... when the person being asked said they didn't know, the one asking started ranting and swearing at them... for five minutes... after he stopped, the person who was asked calmly said, "I don't work here." Then turned and walked away... of course... the entire staff was in the next aisle over trying not to laugh out loud too loudly...
NephiliumThere's also "disturbing the peace". Remember how thick law books are? Now you all have some idea why.
I've had some great help from employees at Best Buy, and some really bad experiences from them. Little point in arguing with some of them, who make crazy, unfounded, unsupportable claims about the merchandise, too often speaking strictly from a wrong orifice.
However, even without a blue polo shirt, for some reason people ask me a lot of questions of the "Will this router work with Comcast?" and "Does this one take movies with sound?" -- I try to be helpful, but as I'm not an employee I find this sort of amusing.
timothy
jrnl: http://tinyurl.com/c2l8yr / foes: http://tinyurl.com/ckjno5
"Cement Teddy Bears" http://www.cultdeadcow.com/cDc_files/cDc-0368.php My favorite Christmas story of all time!
Every single adult male is a child molesting, sex obsessed, cock throttling pervert.
Be honest. The last two items are known to be true for all men. The first one may not be true in all men, but you'd be insane to be willing to take that chance with your kid.
I've got karma to burn, so hell with it. Mod me whatever you want.
The situation you describe is part of a larger picture. Men are being degraded. Watch your typical sitcom. I cite King of Queens, Everybody Loves Raymond, The Simpsons, King of the Hill, Family Guy as evidence. The man of the house is portrayed as dumb/passive/lazy/shifty. Contrast that to the smart, hard-working, quick-witted wife, always saving Dad from his own mistakes.
Personally I blame modern feminists. They have preached for so long that men are evil that even men are starting to believe it. They're not after equality, they're after power.
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not entirely sure about the universe - Einstein
Most of my time at Best Buy is spent trying to avoid the blue shirts. That is
I estimate that 95% of the people working at Best Buy/Circuit City/CompUSA haven't the foggiest clue of what they're talking about. They are just parroting something some sales rep told them.
What is absoluetly the worst is when someone asks me to go with them to the store and I end up getting into an argument with the sales reps. The stuff that comes out of their mouth is absoluetly amazingly, collosally ignorant.
And no, you do NOT need the service plan.
-------- -------- Support Wesley Clark for president!!!