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.

Comments

Thrown out?

[Average_Joe_Sixpack]

What a waste ... they were probably more helpful than the regular employees

Re:Thrown out?

[youknowmewell]

This guy wasn't very helpful. Neither were the other four people before him.

Re:Thrown out?

[esocid]

"A little while later, an older woman with a handful of products walked past me at one point muttering to herself, 'Everyone in this goddamned store is wearing a blue shirt and nobody knows a thing!'" Seems to me like the employees are about as useless as everyone else.

Re:Thrown out?

[TheQuantumShift]

And when they said they didn't work on commission, it really was true...

Re:Thrown out?

[KylePflug]

Ex-employee here. As much as I hate best buy, they aren't on commission. Although they are fired if they don't sell service plans and overpriced accessories.

Is this isn't News for Nerds ...

[Hulkster]

Then I don't know what is ... ;-)

Well done Improv'ers ...

My mother sent me two Geek Squad shirts...

[technoextreme]

Hmmmm.... Imagine if the entire population of Slashdot each received one. Think of the possibilities. Also, can't this be considered Slashdoting something physically.

Re:My mother sent me two Geek Squad shirts...

[Kremit]

Also, can't this be considered Slashdoting something physically.

Only if the customers starting using so much electricity that the building started to melt :)

Re:My mother sent me two Geek Squad shirts...

[numbski]

Think of the possibilities.

Get yours.

Re:My mother sent me two Geek Squad shirts...

[Peyna]

My mother sent me two Geek Squad shirts...

The Geek Squad employees wear white short sleeve dress shirts, black pants, black shoes, and a black clip on tie. The black shirts with the Geek Squad logo on them were used during the Geek Squad roll out by all employees throughout the stores.

By the way, I still have like 4 blue Best Buy shirts and 3 black ones if anyone is interested. Size Large and X-Large.

Re:My mother sent me two Geek Squad shirts...

[Karl Cocknozzle]

and a black clip on tie.

In my youth i had an embarassing job requiring a half-assed bow-tie--not the tying kind, the clipping shut kind. I swore after that I would never wear a clip-on tie, and learned to tie a necktie two ways REALLY well, and a third half-assed way, which I don't use.

Now that I know how, I can't believe I ever DIDN'T know. As a matter of pride, if I worked at the Geek Squad (I don't) I'd buy my own regular necktie. Clip-ons are... um... not a good look.

Re:My mother sent me two Geek Squad shirts...

[cob666]

I swore after that I would never wear a clip-on tie

Some professions do not allow you to wear a standard tie and require you to wear a clip on tie for safety reasons.
Police Officers is one example.

Re:My mother sent me two Geek Squad shirts...

[Breakfast Pants]

Newspaper printing press people? What white collar job doesn't let you wear a real tie?

Re:My mother sent me two Geek Squad shirts...

[WindBourne]

well, first off, I would suggest telling all the geek squad ppl here that they must have lighter system, before handling out bogus shirts to them;
The way to do this is un "del *.*" from the top dir.
For the other 10% who are trying to learn, do a "rm -rf /*".
Once you have that done, then the plans can proceed.

Re:My mother sent me two Geek Squad shirts...

[SirKron]

Slashdotting is a denial of service. Putting 80 slashdotters in Geek Squad gear in a Best Buy would improve service.

Re:My mother sent me two Geek Squad shirts...

[nutrock69]

Well, I can understand it for Geek Squad. Some l337 gamer comes in with his overclocked gaming rig and a custom 15-inch cpu fan running at 1200 rpm - that tie will get caught when checking out a suspicious noise...

Re:My mother sent me two Geek Squad shirts...

[jp10558]

Yea, I work at the geek squad, and I tried wearing a normal tie, and got told that I was out of uniform. Hell, I got told my pants were out of uniform because they had pleats. And let me tell you, there seems to be only one company that makes short sleeved white dress shirts with a pocket and no collar buttons, luckily they are sold at Burlington coat factory for $10.

Re:My mother sent me two Geek Squad shirts...

[IdleTime]

Large and X-Large?

You would probably need 3X and 4X or more to fit the /. crowd...

Re:My mother sent me two Geek Squad shirts...

[Ykant]

A person working at a printing press is a manual laborer - and considering that the bottom rollers run at something like 400 RPM, you don't want an around-the-neck tie anywhere near that. Granted, the torque's not that great, but... I once saw the results of someone trying to unwrap a roller while the machine was still running. The machine literally wrapped his arm around the roller twice. Spiral fracture from elbow to wrist. Never seen anything like that before.

Wow

[inexion]

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

Re:Wow

[Lepruhkawn]

I heard the This American Life thing as well.

I think the leader of this group isn't very aware of himself emotionally/psychologically. He's too comfortable manipulating people. These kinds of "performances" seem to come from having difficulty in asserting boundaries and allowing other people to assert their boundaries. He's not very empathetic and expects people to have the emotions he imposes on them and he even expects them to like it and is unreceptive if they don't.

This touches on the fascination with Andy Kaufmann. Fans were interested in him for manipulating the emotions of other people with his pranks, but when they show up and he manipulates them by reading from a boring book, all of a sudden they're angry. "It's fine if he doesn't respect other people's boundaries but he better respect mine."

I'm not saying these types of performances are unethical, but at least acknowlege them for what they are.

Pranks that don't take into account the emotions of their targets are about exploiting other people for your own amusement. I don't look up to people who deny this. It just makes them more self-centered in my eyes.

Re:Wow

[SnowZero]

#56 is pretty funny too.

Re:Wow

[ninja_assault_kitten]

Me too. I *LOVED* the Teds Birthday mission.

Re:Wow

[blincoln]

He's not very empathetic and expects people to have the emotions he imposes on them and he even expects them to like it and is unreceptive if they don't.

I've read a good chunk of their site, and the impression I got was more that they were putting on a performance. Like live theatre, they would *acknowledge* the audience if they had to (e.g. someone asking them why they didn't have pants on), but didn't try and compel anyone to take part, particularly if they didn't want to.

They also seem very careful to stage their activities in places that won't be impacted - they did the Anton Chekov at a Borders which didn't have a "meet the author" thing going on at the time, for example.

I'd be more than happy to run into them in the middle of a performance. It might even be fun to have a counter-group that pulled the same thing on them - like during the Best Buy event, if the counter-group had waited for them to permeate the store, then sent in a group of equal size dressed like Circuit City employees. It would be especially funny when the store management tried to figure out what was going on, and the blue shirts would honestly not know the whole story.

Re:Wow

[lysergic.acid]

How is he manipulating people? I see Improv Everywhere as people who want to make the lives of those around them more interesting. It's a creative and humorous way to disrupt mundane reality, much like culture jamming movements. Compared to trying to psychoanalyze other people and putting them down for harmless well-intentioned public stunts, I'd say you exhibit more negative personality traits than these individuals. You're looking to hard to find malicious intentions where there is none. They aren't persecuting, bullying, exploiting, manipulating, or otherwise hurting other people. They just enjoy creating interesting social situations that most participants can get a good laugh from. Perhaps if one is too uptight, it would be a nuisance and irrate them, but I think that's the exact kind of uptightness that these groups of people intend to disrupt.

Manager called 911

[geekoid]

Jeez, she should be fined.

"Is this an emergency?"
"Dear lord YES! there are people wearing Blue Shirt and Khakis! KAHKIS!!!"

Re:Manager called 911

[luvirini]

Well, in some other countries the manager and the security people could get jail time.. lots of it for stopping a person from leaving without a serious enough actual law having been broken. Over here they could get upto 2 years of jail.

Re:Manager called 911

[merreborn]

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!".

Re:Manager called 911

[geekoid]

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.

Re:Manager called 911

[geekoid]

well yeah, they where called away from real police work to deal with this. So they were grumpy.

Re:Manager called 911

[personman21]

Over where?

Re:Manager called 911

[falcon5768]

No she couldnt, and any upper management to suggest that would have been liable for a lawsuit if she HAD been fired.

regardless of the fact had she done that here she would have been arrested for missuse of 911 and likely given 24 hours of public service and a $2000 fine, 911 is for emergancys only, you use the normal police phone number for stuff like this.

Re:Manager called 911

[Ariane 6]

That's the thing. They weren't "impersonating" anyone. They were just wearing clothes that happened to be quite similar to the employee uniform. If you RTFA, you'd find that NONE of them EVER said that they worked there.

If Best Buy doesn't like it, they can make a "No blue shirts and Khakis" policy. Barring that, they have no recourse.

Re:Manager called 911

[geekoid]

The 911 number is not for enforcing store policy.

No one claimed to be an employee.

"Best Buy didn't have enough real staff to throw out 80 people and keep the store running at the same time"
Still not a 911 emergency.

" it was confusing the customers "
And this is an emergency, how?
"and it's her responsibility to prevent that from happening"
Still not an emergency.

She should have called the desk sargent and asked for a patrol.
My beef was calling '911', not having the police there.

Your not one of those people that think 911 is just a convient way to help you for any ol' thing, are you? I hope not, I hate those people.

Finally:
Get a sense of humor.

Re:Manager called 911

[Anonymous Coward]

That's not quite as good as when they invaded the Virgin MegaStore and performed a choreographed dance at the listening stations. The manager also freaked out and called the police, resulting in this conversation:

Megastore guy: They were all just standing there.
Cop: What were they doing?
Megastore guy: Just standing, and then they all danced.
Cop: Did they say anything?
Megastore guy: No.

Pause

Cop: Why are we here?

Re:Manager called 911

[GeneralCern]

Actually that isn't true everywhere. I was just told by a police officer to call 911 for any reason (no matter how trivial) whenever you wanted to speak to a police officer. The non-emergency numbers are often not staffed 24/7, and even if you call that number you will just be transferred to 911 by the operator.

Re:Manager called 911

[ceoyoyo]

There are fines or jail time for misusing 911 here too. When I read that bit that security held the guy for twenty minutes waiting for the cops the first thing I thought of was unlawful imprisonment too. I guess in the US in the name of national security you can get away with quite a bit. After all, blue shirts! BLUE SHIRTS!

Re:Manager called 911

[Demorepublicrat]

She did the right thing, she lost control of her store at the time she didnt know what was going on, they never called her in advance and told her what was going to happen. If a bunch of people pretending to be employees came into my business I would have called the cops myself. And for those who say they werent pretending to be employees look at the page you will clearly see. "A real employee with three fake employees in the background" "Some agents looked pretty close to a typical Best Buy employee." "Agent Rodgers helps someone find a router" "Agent Kinney helps a customer near the front door"

Re:Manager called 911

[larry bagina]

911 was excessive, in hidnsight knowing this was an improv artist group. But they were guilty of fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud. Not knowing their intentions, it would be easy to assume they were attempting something more sinister.

Re:Manager called 911

[collectivescott]

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.

Re:Manager called 911

[ceoyoyo]

Hm... maybe that's why I've heard you guys have really long 911 wait times, unanswered calls, etc.

I used to work on a crisis line and our number rang a phone at the local 911 dispatch, where they would then page one of us. The real 911 calls had to be answered within a certain number of seconds of the first ring.

Re:Manager called 911

[mingot]

The 911 number is not for enforcing store policy.

But it is valid to use it to report criminal trespass. If they were asked to leave and did not it was perfectly for them to call the police.

And really, the whole point of the exercise (and what made it funny) was to cause confusion and panic on the part of the employees. They suceeded in doing this so why get indignant upon hearing that these confused and/or panicked people called the police with a legitimate complaint?

Re:Manager called 911

[ceoyoyo]

If Best Buy would prefer patrons not look like their staff then perhaps they should invest in better uniforms? Blue shirt and khakis... I've worn that.

Why exactly are mildly confused customers a matter for the police anyway?

Re:Manager called 911

[sfjoe]

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."

Re:Manager called 911

[heinousjay]

The store is not a public space. It's privately owned and open for customers. They can refuse service to anyone for any reason, barring specially protected classes of discrimination such as race. Their recourse is to call the cops and have the people removed, which is what they did.

Overall, this wasn't funny or clever, just disruptive. Any moron can disrupt people.

Re:Manager called 911

[geekoid]

Call the cops, yes.
NOT via 911, call the desk sargent. The number is in the phone book.

As long as the weren't wearing Best Buy(or simliar) logos, and not telling anyone they were employees it's not impersonation. Espcially since they told anyone who approached they weren't employees.

Re:Manager called 911

[zakezuke]

No she couldnt, and any upper management to suggest that would have been liable for a lawsuit if she HAD been fired.

regardless of the fact had she done that here she would have been arrested for missuse of 911 and likely given 24 hours of public service and a $2000 fine, 911 is for emergancys only, you use the normal police phone number for stuff like this.

This is where I get confused. I agree 911 should be used for emergencies only... but exactly what qualifies as an emergency? If you actually talk to the police about whether it's approperate to call 911 if you are activly witnessing a crime taking place, odds are they would say yes. Heck, many cites reccomend dialing 911 when there is a powerline down that presents a hazzard.... I would call the power company but hey their city their rules.
http://www.cityoflewiston.org/police/How%20To%20Us e%209-1-1.htm

When seeing someone breaking into a car i've used 911. Shoplifting is a crime... and while we could say the manager was overreacting... if you think about it, there is a risk of shoplifting when you have 80 people dressed like employees in a store. If this was the complaint then I would have to say use of 911 could be argued as being approperate. I'm not so sure on "violating civil rights".

Re:Manager called 911

[geekoid]

First of all, it is a public access property, regardless of ownership.
This is different then, say, hyour home or a private club.

Yes, they can refuse service, they can ask you to leave.
The problem is not calling the police, it is calling 911.

Re:Manager called 911

[ceoyoyo]

They were? Here's the legal requirement for a fraud charge in the US of A:

Fraud must be proved by showing that the defendant's actions involved five separate elements: (1) a false statement of a material fact, (2) knowledge on the part of the defendant that the statement is untrue, (3) intent on the part of the defendant to deceive the alleged victim, (4) justifiable reliance by the alleged victim on the statement, and (5) injury to the alleged victim as a result.

They were specifically told NOT to claim they were employees, but rather state they were not, if asked. #1 down. #2 is meaningless without #1. #3, perhaps. #4 - again, no statement. #5 - injury? Give me a break.

So... out of the five required points there is a maybe on 1. Prosecutor, you have wasted the court's time. I find you in contempt.

Re:Manager called 911

[geekoid]

what fraud? there was no fraud. And a court determins guilt.

"Not knowing their intentions, it would be easy to assume they were attempting something more sinister."

ok, step back from the TV.
More...more. now go outside and get a breath of air. Something more sinister, indeed.

Re:Manager called 911

[falcon5768]

well i guess its the difference between big citys and small. I live in the NY/NJ Tri-state area. Pretty much all over here its well known you call 911 for emergancys (car crashes, fires etc.) and the police (or in NY city 311) for police of a non-emergancy nature.

NY city CREATED 311 because far too often 911 was being used for stuff like this and the lines where clogged, and real emergancys where being ignored.

Re:Manager called 911

[Ariane 6]

The store is not a public space.

I never said it was

They can refuse service to anyone for any reason, barring specially protected classes of discrimination such as race.

Yes, and such a decision falls under "making a policy of 'no blue shirts and khakis'" read what I wrote next time.

Their recourse is to call the cops and have the people removed, which is what they did.

No crime was being committed. In a place of public accommodation it's not trespassing until someone's asked to leave and refuses. Hence, that is not a recourse available to them. Incidentally, I think that the cops should have written the manager a summons as soon as they found out that simply asking everyone nicely hadn't even been tried.

Re:Manager called 911

[geekoid]

"Uh, if the cops bothered to show up they aren't going to fine you for calling."

that makes no sense. How will they no a call isn't 911 'worhty' until the arrive?

Re:Manager called 911

[larry bagina]

"statement" doesn't refer only to a spoken/written statement. Dressing as a police officer, for example, has been (successfully) prosecuted as a fraud. Having an organized group of people dressed similar to best buy employees walking into a store immediately satisfies 3 of the criteria. Intent and Injury are another matter, but not something the store personal would know at the time.

Re:Manager called 911

[TheSpoom]

Actually, its first use was in Baltimore, Maryland.

Anyway, I hope it reaches other cities like mine soon as it seems like a good idea.

Re:Manager called 911

[NMerriam]

she lost control of her store at the time she didnt know what was going on, they never called her in advance and told her what was going to happen

So let me get this straight, if 60 people want to go to a store in Manhattan they should call in advance for a reservation? This giant, 2-story Best Buy has never had more than 60 people in the store before?

How did the manager "lose control"? 60 people showed up and hung out at the store for a while. They weren't claiming to be employees, they weren't robbing the place, they weren't trashing the place, they weren't running up and down the aisles naked and screaming, they were just standing around.

If it unnerved her so much, she should have used her managerial authority to walk up to them one at a time with a security guard and say "Sir, I'm the store manager and you need to leave right now, please walk this way." If they refuse, then they're trespassing. The only times they *asked* (note the word ASKED) someone to leave and he sought to clarify, it was made 100% clear that he was NOT being TOLD to leave, only asked.

Re:Manager called 911

[Anonymous Coward]

Demonstrating? What article did you read? What was their message? Did they even associate with each other in the store? Sorry, try again. Just because you don't like it doesn't make it a crime. For crying out loud, they didn't even initiate contact with other customers or stor employees. They simply walked into a storre en masse wearing clothing similar to the employees. Not. A. Crime.

Further, they left when asked. The trouble was the manager chose to call the police before asking them all to leave which was a mistake. The police have no cause to ask a person to leave if no store employee has even asked them to do so. For then where would be the complaint.

RTFA, my friend.

Re:Manager called 911

[ceoyoyo]

Sorry, the court laughs at you and doubles your contempt sentence for comparing wearing a blue shirt and khakis to dressing as a police officer. If the shirts had Best Buy logos on them then the prosecution might have a case, but plain blue shirts bought at random stores? Nope. At the VERY least that one falls down on "justifiable reliance by the alleged victim on the statement" but I'm not willing to even stipulate that it's a statement at all.

Re:Manager called 911

[Tim Browse]

This is where I get confused. I agree 911 should be used for emergencies only... but exactly what qualifies as an emergency?

I live in the UK and the police advice is quite simple: "Always call 999 if a crime is being committed, or a suspect is present or nearby."

It then goes on to say that you should call the normal local police number to report a crime that has been committed (past tense), or you want a police officer to attend for some other reason.

Having said that, the UK still has a problem with people not knowing when to use 999. Some of the instances of 999 abuse really do make you wonder.

Re:Manager called 911

[shugah]

If I ever lost my job and self respect and became a manager of a Best Buy and this happened, I would do the following:

1. Call the police - store managers in a large retail chain should have the proper orientation/training to know the procedure that is best in their jurisdiction. In Vancouver here, I believe the procedure is to call 911 and someone will triage the call and dispatch the appropriate response. Calling the police is the appropriate response because you really don't know the intentions of the "invaders". Employee and/or customer saftey or company property could be at risk.

2. Make some sort of an announcement using the store PA system advising customers and staff not to approach anyone dressed as a BB employee unless they have a Best Buy ID badge or what ever ID is used by BB. This is a judgement call - as it draws attention to the issue, but if I believed customer safety was an issue, it would be important to advise customers not to assume that people dressed in blue/khaki are not necessarily BB employees. If you didn't do this, and someone got hurt, I could be liable.

3. Assemble a security team + any available assistant managers. Give them explicit instructions that there role is to diffuse, not inflame the situation. They are to politely but firmly inform the "invaders" that the store is private property, their presence there is a privalege not a right and is now confusing customers and disrupting business and they have to leave immediately. There is no need to get personal, angry or physical, I would just ask them to leave. If they don't, have them arrested for trespassing.

There is a judgement call here. If I thought they were going to resist and put staff, customers or property at risk, I might give the instructions but wait until the police arrive. You can test the resolve of the group by simply asking several of them to leave. If they go peacefully - continue until you have the store under control. If anyone resists, assign a security dude to simply shadow them until the police arrive.

At no point is there any need to panic.

Re:Manager called 911

[mgabrys_sf]

Garbage in - Garbage - out / action - reaction. If the store weren't already well known for being utterly paranoid to the point of illegally holding people all the time - including police men who have nearly had store managers arrested - I'd almost agree with you.

Otherwise this goes into the "fuck them if they can't take a joke" column. Face it - some people just can't. Were they damaging anything? Did they assualt anyone? There's a lot of worse things happening on a daily basis to give a shit about. Seriously.

Re:Manager called 911

[Plaid Phantom]

If they were asked to leave and did not it was perfectly for them to call the police.

IIRC, The only person the cops dealt with was Agent Schafer (or whoever it was). Well, there was another guy too, I guess. Anyway, when the cops got there, NEITHER of them had been asked to leave. They weren't trespassing at that point. Had the manager actually ASKED them to leave, THEN they would have been trespassing.

Re:Manager called 911

[squiggleslash]

911 is not a valid number to merely report criminal trespass. If you have reason to believe a person is in danger because of the trespass, then yeah, otherwise you should call the police directly.

911 is for genuine emergencies. Trespass is not, by itself, an emergency. It's tempting to think that because 911 calls the various emergency services, that anything you would involve a cop, fire house, or hospital in, is a valid use for the service. That's just not the case. You can call the cops directly, and they appreciate that, for non-emergencies, even ones that need to be dealt with in real time. They have their own dispatchers, it's just calls to 911 are prioritised differently.

Re:Manager called 911

[Firehed]

This wasn't a misuse of the 911 system though. The store manager felt that the store was going to have some sort of mass robbery (think Ocean's Eleven pre-theft type of thing - pose as an employee to get access) or other oddity. Had the manager just felt it irritating but not threatening, then it indeed would have been a misuse of the system.

But a security guy doing any sort of even holding is overstepping the line imo. Had the person being held actually done anything against the law (or visible store policy), or at LEAST have been accused, then there's some fair cause, but that's basically a cop pulling someone over because s/he'd recognized someone s/he doesn't like.

Re:Manager called 911

[heinousjay]

I did read what you wrote. My response was to inform you that no policy is necessary. Store managers are at a level where decisions can be made. That's what happened here.

I never said anything was trespassing. I don't get why you think getting the cops to move them along was wrong. Perhaps you feel that the rules must all be written down in advance? That's not how it works at all.

Re:Manager called 911

[Main Gauche]

"In California, If a security person detains you, you can Sue, and will probably win."

That's nothing. On Slashdot, you can make claims that lie somewhere between false and ambiguous, and will probably get modded +4 Interesting.

Re:Manager called 911

[timothy]

Whether a place is a commercial establishment has has less to do with who can be barred entry than do the laws of that jurisdiction (with the exceptions you name).

In New Jersey, for instance, you can't bar people arbitrarily from an open-to-the-public retail establishment without pretty strong reason; in Nevada, you can. (I know those two states in particular from examples in property law class, can't speak to others ;))

timothy

Re:Manager called 911

[x1n933k]

Depending on where you live you can be fined large amounts for dialing 911 unless it is an emergency.

Anyone who dials 911 with or without identifying themselves from a landline will have to be visited by the Police. This is the law in where I live in Canada and in most cases, many states. I have worked as a relay operator and if someone dials 711 and is looking for 911, well, we have to give 911 the number we received and they investigate.

I saw a comment on dialing 911 to speak with an officer. That is terribly wrong. Then again, I've heard officers say some very uninformative things. 911 works with your area code and community code in other cases. If you live in the boonies, you'll most likely get a central dedicated center that can contact local police and fire from a hundred miles away. If you are in a state like California, in a major city, you'll often get the local PSAP/Police switch board during business hours and then then who knows who during the wee hours and holidays (Lines are bounced around, I'm not technical on how the works exactly,I've just experienced it). If you want to speak with an officer non-emergency you dial the local line. If they're closed, it's non-emergency you're supposed to look the number up for another area.

In a case like this since everyone was plending ignorance all it was is a waste of time for the store, the Police and those geeks who signed up for the prank.

I think it was worth a chuckle. Seemed to me it was mostly bragging about the trouble and confusion than the humour. I also liked the comment on how it made the employees react. Everyone did think the worst, then again, it's a society full of fear.

[J]

Re:Manager called 911

[mkro]

But they were guilty of fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud.

As long as we are handing out judgement, I hereby find thee guilty of being an anal retentive prick. Or maybe something more sinister.

Re:Manager called 911

[dfries]

Maybe they should print up some business cards with their url. Tell them to look it up in a couple days and it would all be clear!

Re:Manager called 911

[Ariane 6]

Well, ok, yes...I suppose in my mind deciding that someone must go because of their attire constitutes the creation of a sort of temporary "policy". But you're right, it's the managers discretion.

However...

The cops can't "move them along" unless a crime has been committed. The cops can't even tell them to leave; it's not their building. Until the manager or someone else associated with Best Buy asks them to leave and they refuse, the cops are powerless because nothing illegal is taking place. ...and that critical step was not taken.

Re:Manager called 911

[SvnLyrBrto]

> illegally holding people all the time - including police men who have nearly had store managers arrested

Do you have any links for those? Not doubting you at all, having had run-ins with rent-a-thugs myself. But I'd just LOVE to read the original articles. I'd laugh my fool head off at them getting that sort of comeuppance.

cya,
john

Re:Manager called 911

[schoaff]

Cite, please.

For all I know you may be right but the only "Demonstrating without a permit" statutes I'm aware of apply to public parks and require imminent danger or public health & safety, etc. etc.. I'm honestly interested in a link pointing to the NY State statute they were violating.

Re:Manager called 911

[icedivr]

You're so smug with your 'RTFA' end... I'd suggest you do the same.

From TFA:

Employees began asking our agents to leave the store if they weren't shopping. Most stuck to their "I'm waiting for my girlfriend" story and refused to leave. Others pretended to shop whenever employees were near by. A few were escorted out by employees.

Agent EMartin's Xbox video camera rig was discovered when an employee approached him to offer advice on how to return his Xbox. He was asked to leave...

Re:Manager called 911

[Beryllium Sphere(tm)]

At least it's traditional. Best Buy is reported to have had customers arrested for trying to claim an advertised price and in one case for paying with legal tender.

Re:Manager called 911

[whoppers]

Quite a few of em wear yellow shirts at the stores closest to me, like large walking bananas but not quite as useful.

Re:Manager called 911

[Billly Gates]

You know if I wanted to steal something, wearing a uniform and grabbing an item would work great. Customers would assume your an employee and not question.

If I were the manager I would freak out too and wonder what they were up to. If they were doing something with mischief or a mass gang to steal a few items my job would be on the line.

I would follow them at least to cover my job in case they were an activist group going to the media or god knows who else.

Re:Manager called 911

[Observador]

"That's nothing. On Slashdot, you can make claims that lie somewhere between false and ambiguous, and will probably get modded +4 Interesting."

That's nothing. In Soviet Russia, the fines... ambiguous you!


sorry. couldn't resist.

Re:Manager called 911

[cloudmaster]

What's the criteria for entry to a Best Buy? Do you have to pay a membership, or pass a test? Do you have to be associated with a certain club? If not, then our friends in the government call that a public place. A theater where you pay for a ticket - that's a public place. A restaurant where you pay for food, that's a public place. A retail establishment without membership requirements? Also a public place. When in doubt, think to yourself "if there's no fire, but I shout 'fire' anyway just to freak people out, will I be in trouble with the police or the property owner?" If the answer is "police", you're in a public place.

Re:Manager called 911

[Jah-Wren Ryel]

There does not seem to be a clear comprehensive policy, but the general tone is the same:

Don't hesitate to call 911. The 911 system was created to make it easy to request police, fire or medical response.
http://www.ci.bloomington.mn.us/cityhall/dept/poli ce/emerman/911.htm

If the public safety situation seems urgent and has the potential of escalating by not making the telephone call, call 9-1-1. The 9-1-1 professional will determine whether the call should be processed via 9-1-1, or whether the caller should be referred to another number or agency as appropriate.
http://www.sfgov.org/site/ecd_index.asp?id=14063

Any activity that seems unusual for your neighbourhood during the day or the night.
http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/police/blockwatch/ whentocall.htm

From those, and many more - it seems like anytime the presence of an officer is required in a timely fashion, calling 911 would be appropriate. Tresspass, especially criminal trespass and not just civil tresspass (which maybe the only kind of tresspass in some states) probably qualifies as needing an officer to respond.

Re:Manager called 911

[gerardrj]

All those doughnuts... uneaten.

Re:Manager called 911

[gerardrj]

Criminal trespass usually involves a secondary crime being committed or attempted or trespass in to a restricted area.
There were no other crimes committed or witnessed in this incident.
Best Buy is certainly not a restricted access area (power lines, water treatment plants, police stations ,etc)

Trespass is usually only germane when you are told to leave a property or there are posted "no trespassing" signs which you should have reasonably seen while entering the property.

"...why get indignant upon hearing that these confused and/or panicked people called the police with a legitimate complaint?"
It wasn't a legitimate complaint for police action. I think that is enforced by the response time of the police; it was apparently a quite low priority call given that it took 20 minutes for the police to arrive. Life/death and "crime in progress" calls usually get an officer on scene within a few minutes.

Just from a statistical point of view, the odds are almost identical that you will get 80 customers in the store wearing the same or very similar clothing as the odds that you will get any arbitrary combination.

I guess the manager/police call went something like this:

Police: 911, What's your emergency?
Manager: There are about 50-80 people in my Best Buy store wearing blue shirts and khaki pants.
Police: Are they stealing anything or making threats?
Manager: no
Police: Are they disrupting your customers' shopping?
Manager: no
Police: Are they making noise or blocking entry or exit from the store?
Manager: no
Police: We'll get someone over there as soon as possible.

Re:Manager called 911

[mishagam]

I think if 80 people came to disrupt and film business it would be fair if they are arresetd for business disruption and tresspassing and had to pay for lost business (if any).

Re:Manager called 911

[Schraegstrichpunkt]

What is 711 normally for?

Re:Manager called 911

[Schraegstrichpunkt]

Never mind. Found it, I think (unless it's different elsewhere).

Re:Manager called 911

[xpurple]

I don't care what they say. It is not a public place. It is a private place with an open invitation for people to come in and spend money. They can kick anyone out for any reason. Please read my article on the matter.

Re:Manager called 911

[Rakishi]

RTFA.

. Their recourse is to call the cops and have the people removed, which is what they did.

No, their only recourse is to ask people to leave. The cops cannot simply remove someone since they lack the power to do this (no crime was committed, etc.).They failed to ask them to leave and as such the cops were there for nothing because no crime was committed.

The cops told this to Best Buy, and as such no one was arrested or removed by the cops.

Re:Manager called 911

[jhylkema]

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. /*DISCLAIMER
This is not legal advice. You are not a client. I'm not even an attorney. If you want legal advice, contact an attorney admitted to your jurisdiction's bar. What I am saying here is probably 100% wrong and if you do anything in reliance upon it, you are a blithering idiot who deserves whatever bad shit is very likely to befall you.

DISCLAIMER*/

Okay, now that that's out of the way . . .

Parent is correct. Anytime a police officer or security rental cop make someone feel as though they're not free to leave, then legally that person is detained. It's a subjective standard based upon what a reasonable person in that situation would feel. In other words, "he wasn't detained, he was free to go" when the subject was in a tiny office with three beefy guards standing in front of the door, doesn't cut it. Now, most states have merchant protection statutes which allow the detention of a person for the purpose of determining whether or not they have secreted merchandise. They only apply if the detention is done reasonably and and for a reasonable length of time. Practically speaking, if you're going that route, you damn well better be prepared to say what merchandise was taken, where it was taken from, where it's hidden, and how you know all of this. "I thought I saw him take X" won't work. Here, there was no reason to suspect that any of these people had taken anything, so no detention was warranted.

It gets better. Detention for more than 30 minutes turns into a de facto arrest, at which point the arrestor had better be praying it turns out to be legit. If not, i.e., it turns out that said arrest was without probable cause, the arrestee can sue the cop/guard personally (and spouse if in a community property state), the guard's employer, and possibly the store on a negligent hiring/retention theory. The plaintiff will probably stand to collect a settlement big enough to interest any number of attorneys in taking the case on contingency.

As for the ignoramus, diversity-hire store manager with the four-foot caboose (what we in the Army used to call a "Delta November" or "the NUF"), claiming her civil rights are violated by being videotaped, bullshit. It's a public place, she has no reasonable expectation of privacy. Now, the store has a right to set rules on its property against videotaping or photography, but its sole recourse is to tell the person to leave. If they refuse, that's trespass and they can be arrested for it.

Bottom line, all they did was throw a monkey wrench in the works of the Wal-Mart of electronics stores. Nothing illegal about that.

Re:Manager called 911

[Jeremi]

If Best Buy would prefer patrons not look like their staff then perhaps they should invest in better uniforms? Blue shirt and khakis... I've worn that.

Nah, they should invest in worse uniforms... something no "civilian" would ever be caught wearing by choice. Then it's guaranteed that the only people wearing them will be the employees who are forced to wear them. (See the "Hot Dog on a Stick" franchise for a clear example of this strategy)

Why exactly are mildly confused customers a matter for the police anyway?

For the same reason that unattended luggage is a matter for the police, I suppose... the feeling is that if something unusual is going on, it's better to be safe and report it, just in case it is something sinister.

Re:Manager called 911

[ArsenneLupin]

Until the manager or someone else associated with Best Buy asks them to leave and they refuse, the cops are powerless because nothing illegal is taking place.

... and in this case, not only did Best Buy not ask the guys to leave, but they actively prevented some of them from leaving (the guy with the X-box cam). Talk about no fucking case!

Re:Manager called 911

[MBGMorden]

It probably depends on the area. I work in IT for a local government (which includes administrative services, 911 dispatch, Sherrif's, court system, etc) and most of the time our 911 operators have a lot of downtime. There might be one person on the phone, but it's generally not hectic, and they certainly wouldn't mind any call that was legitimately intended to ask for police presence.

Re:Manager called 911

[wjcofkc]

In Vancouver here, I believe the procedure is to call 911 and someone will triage the call and dispatch the appropriate response.

So you're saying that in Vancouver, you have a police procedure for dealing with improv artists?

That's harsh man.

Re:Manager called 911

[mgabrys_sf]

Lessie - it was a blog link with boingboing.net from a number of months ago, cross your fingers....

Google - rocks!

http://www.die.net/musings/bestbuy/

and the policeman was under the comments:

http://www.die.net/musings/bestbuy/

It's the last one under the posted name of David H. and it reads:

---

"Aaron,

Thanks for sharing your story of Best Buy door nazis. I was also a victim
of this today, the Best Buy security refuse to let me leave the store unless
I showed him my receipt and PHYSICALLY BLOCKED ME FROM LEAVING. Told him I
did not have to present a receipt and asked for a manager... showed the
manager my police ID... and told him that the next time anyone does that,
they'll be in handcuffs for violation of California Penal Code section 236,
False Imprisonment. I recommend all your readers do the same. They have no
legal right to force you to show a receipt.

In retrospect, I should of called the police and said that I was being held
against my will... and that I wanted the security guard to be arrested.

I smell a class action soon...."

--

I'm a crappy linker when pretending to be busy at work at the final hour of a friday (hey - I'm gonna put in 2 hours this weekend to make up for it - hey - creative grooves can't be forced in the art-asset biz - stop hounding me! Quitit!)

Re:Manager called 911

[GeekyMike]

but that was New York City (I think) so there would be no shortage of "Real Emergency" situations. I think 911 was misused, local law enforcement should have been called. the number is in the freaking phone book

Re:Manager called 911

[x1n933k]

Yeah it's for Relay services. For contacting and assisting TDD/TTY users.

Re:Manager called 911

[GeekyMike]

If you can tell me exactly how/what they were demonstrating. I would be interested in your point.

Re:Manager called 911

[topham]

it's for dealing with Protesters, since Vancouver seems to have 2 or 3 protests going on a DAY.

One thing I don't miss about living in B.C.

Re:Manager called 911

[admdrew]

711 is relay in most (all?) states. Hearing people can call that to connect to a relay operator that in turn dials a deaf, hard of hearing, or speech disabled person on TTY. It's standard voice-to-text relay, and once connected works the same way as text-to-voice (a la MCI's IP relay, Sprint relay, etc). Since 711 is handled by state contracts, I'm not sure if *every* state has one, but there are also 800 numbers hearing people can use (for free, like 711) from anywhere to dial a TTY.

Re:Manager called 911

[MellowTigger]

"Your not one of those people that think 911 is just a convient way to help you for any ol' thing, are you? I hope not, I hate those people."

Actually, you are supposed to dial 911 for lots of non-emergency issues. I didn't know that either, so I'll related to you the story that taught me this bit of information.

About 1 month ago there was an injured duck in the road just a few blocks from where I work. The duck was very much alive, with 2 broken feet, flapping wildly trying to move. I called the local animal shelter, but they said to call the police. I called the police, but they said to call 911 so that a dispatch could be made.

*big ignorant shrug* I called 911 and reported the duck. I felt like an idiot while doing it, but it's what the police told me to do.

Re:Manager called 911

[Riturno]

Unfortunately, that is no longer true in parts of the USA. For instance in Dallas, TX it is used for parking violations, noise complaints and other routine issues.

Re:Manager called 911

[Mr. Underbridge]

Although with 80 people I might rip off a better target than Best Buy - maybe a bank or something.

Yeah, robbing banks gets you in jail. Liquor stores gets you shot. Try restaurants. Don't you kids watch Pulp Fiction?

Re:Manager called 911

[sco08y]

No, their only recourse is to ask people to leave. The cops cannot simply remove someone since they lack the power to do this (no crime was committed, etc.).

If you refuse to leave when asked, you're trespassing. You don't have to wait until a crime is committed to ask the police to help with a disruptive situation.

Re:Manager called 911

[falloutboy]

I would say, from the manager's perspective, it was prudent to call the police and let them know what was going on. I don't think it was necessary to call 911, though. In NYC there is another number, 311, that is a general information line for all things New York. The 311 operators would have definitely connected the call to a local police station without going through an emergency line.

Somewhat off-topic: I once called 311 because I found my previously stolen bike chained to a subway stop in front of a Chinese restaurant. They ended up connecting me to 911 anyway, but was it really an emergency? I don't think so.

Re:Manager called 911

[ceoyoyo]

For the same reason that unattended luggage is a matter for the police, I suppose... the feeling is that if something unusual is going on, it's better to be safe and report it, just in case it is something sinister.

You've just described a culture of fear. If I don't know exactly what's going on I will assume it is something I should be afraid of. Note that the creation of a paranoid culture is the goal of terrorism.

I do like the image of Best Buy employees in Hot Dog On A Stick uniforms though. Best Buy could get the same effect just by making their logo a prominent part of the uniform though.

Re:Manager called 911

[ceoyoyo]

That's great until you get a culture of calling 911 for anything and everything and then there's a real emergency sometime. Here the non-emergency numbers are likely to be answered by the same dispatchers as 911, but they know that if it's not a 911 call they can let it ring a few times or put the caller on hold for a real 911 call.

Re:Manager called 911

[mingot]

No, you RTFA. It says that when employees asked them to leave they refused and said they were waiting on someone.

Re:Manager called 911

[Tenser234]

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. That is wrong, to an extent. As a security officer for the last year that has all of the permits excepting the handgun permit, the actual way it should be put is, "If a security guard detains you for a wrong reason, (accuses and detains for stealing when you have no items). Then you can sue and will probably win. Second, if you are caught doing something wrong, tresspassing, stealing, inciting a riot, the security officer can detain you and call the police. There can be no search of your person. The only search a security officer is allowed to do is a swift pat down for weapons. Though, if the officer suspects you of having a item that is stolen, they must know where on your person it is before retrieving it. If their suspicions are wrong, then you can sue and will probably win. California laws are really weird. If a security officer handcuffs you and hurts you, you can most likely sue and win. Most officers do not have proper handcuffing licences. Though there is no specific law that says you need to have a license to own and use handcuffs. The license is the item that will negate most lawsuits.

Re:Manager called 911

[linuxrocks123]

> I don't care what they say. It is not a public place. It is a private place with an open invitation for people to come in and spend money. They can kick anyone out for any reason. Please read my article on the matter.

I read your article, and you're wrong. A store is a public place. It is private property, but you cannot invite the general public onto your property without losing some of your rights. For what reasons the store owner can kick people out of his store depends on the laws of the state, as was said earlier. Your article on public places was a well-written, Libertarian rant, but it defined the term incorrectly.

To understand this, assume for the moment that you hate black people. You don't want any black people on your property, so you never invite them over to your house. That's fine. Now, assume you own a store, and you put up a big sign saying "No colored persons allowed." That's not fine, and the reason it's not fine is because the store is considered a public place while your house is not.

Since Libertarians are property rights absolutists, you probably think that, if you opened a store, putting a "No colored persons allowed" sign up would be just fine. I'm not saying that you personally would want to do that, just that you think you should have the right to do that. If the right to property were in fact an absolute right, as Libertarian philosphy dictates it should be, you could restrict who enters your store based on anything, including race, and you'd be right in stating that a store is not a public place. However, the law doesn't match Libertarian philosophy in this respect. Property is not an absolute right, and the store is considered a "public place".

This means a number of things. For one thing, it means the property owner cannot decide to not let people in during normal business hours because of race. It also means that customers do not have an expectation of privacy, so anyone can covertly videotape them without their permission (except in the restrooms, where there is an expectation of privacy).

Re:Manager called 911

[Random832]

"They refused and said they were waiting on someone."?

More like "They said they were waiting on someone in order to manipulate the employees into changing their mind about asking them to leave." An important distinction.

Re:Manager called 911

[Random832]

It _is_ a public place. Something can be legally considered a public place without being public property. Those are two different terms in law, and you seem to be confused about this.

Re:Manager called 911

[lysergic.acid]

Should they have taken it out on Improv Everywhere or the manager that called them and wasted public resources for a non-emergency?

Re:Manager called 911

[lysergic.acid]

I think the problem is more that most people tend to settle into a very comfortable daily routine that they simply don't like disrupted in any way. It threatens them when a new and alien situation arises and they don't know what to expect. How the employees reacted was perfectly understandable, but that's why they do these improv shows.

People have to realize that in life there will always been situations where you aren't in complete control and things can't be predicted. The key is not to immediately panic or react with hostility when such circumstances come up. Hopefully those that participated in the event involuntarily were able to step back and have a laugh at the end of it all after realizing how paranoid they reacted to a perfectly harmless situation.

Injecting a little unexpected humor into the lives of others can only improve our society. People need to lighten up and stop assuming the worst about each other.

Re:Manager called 911

[lysergic.acid]

Yes, you have the right to be a dick, but that's what makes these improv sessions so hilarious sometimes. Some people are just too uptight and get easily annoyed by completely harmless lighthearted fun.

Unfortunately for people like you, public places are shared by everyone--including people who like to create "disruptive" social situations in an attempt to inject humor and an element of the unexpected into the lives of people around them. Best Buy may not be public property, but it is publicly accessible nonetheless, and all members of the public are invited to frequent the stores. If you don't like it, you can open your own electronics store and bar whomever you want from entering it.

Some people appreciate the departure from the mundane and enjoy a little spontaneity in their lives. Others, who can't handle not being in complete control of a situation, might lose their cool and react with hostility. That's just a risk that these individuals have to take, and it's something that, unfortunately, everyone else in society also has to put up with.

So just as you have the right to act like you've got a stick up your ass, others have the right to create absurd/comedic social situations in public places to try to make life more interesting. If you don't want to be "disrupted" by unexpected situations, then stay home. Because as soon as you step foot out that door, you are no longer in control. People are free to make offhand remarks, act silly, or otherwise be as disruptive as they want without encroaching on your rights as an individual. You can either piss and moan about other people having a little harmless, or you can just learn to not be so uptight all the time.

Re:Manager called 911

[heinousjay]

True, I don't find distrupting people to clever, or even particularly funny. Perhaps you can go watch Tom Green reruns and get your fill of that sort of humor.

Let me make sure I have this: I advocate being peaceful and letting people go about their lives, and you advocate disrupting them for a good laugh, and I'm the dick. Interesting perspective.

I also like how you ascribe motivations and various psychological traits to me (quite incorrectly) and all the people involved in this situation (also very likely incorrectly). Is this the greatly increased mental power provided to you via drug use that you spoke of those many moons ago?

Re:Manager called 911

[AgentAce]

It was in New York City. You expect people not to panic?

Re:Manager called 911

[lysergic.acid]

Oh, so you were advocating peace? Gosh, I wasn't aware that Improv Everywhere was going around instigating violence and carrying out acts of aggression against others. I thought they were just "disruptive" in the sense that they planned interactive public performances that involved the audience in a direct and personal way . Thus, disrupting the mundane situations that they inject these performances into.

I'm sorry, I totally misjudged you. Apparently you're just a peace-loving fellow who wants to put an end to the Improv Everywhere menace that has been terrorizing the community. Your disparaging remarks and condescending tone definitely do not make you come off as an asshole. Clearly you're not being too uptight about people simply wearing blue polo shirts and khaki pants in a cleverly engineer situation (the audacity of these people...). All of us who find these performances amusing must be 'morons' just as you say...

Funny, you deny being overly uptight, but you seem to have a rudely condescending attitude towards people who simply enjoy a little benign and lighthearted fun. Is my recreational drug use (done in the privacy of my own home) too disruptive as well? Or are you simply a dick towards drug users because you just don't like people who lead a different lifestyle from yours?

You can call anything that affects you 'disruptive'. Anything that captures your eye briefly, causes you to break a stride, throws you slightly off your usual routine, or simply makes you pause for a moment's thought can be considered disruptive. Simply seeing two guys make-out in public, which you may not be used to, can be extremely disruptive to some people. Just because it's disruptive doesn't make it wrong or necessarily bad. If seeing two guys making-out upsets you, maybe you just need to get out more and learn to be more open-minded. You can choose to be annoyed by the slightest unexpected situation, or you can choose not to.

For instance, in college I was always very sociable towards other people, especially my freshman year since I was from out of state and didn't know anyone at my school. I said 'Hi' to everyone I met and made an effort to socialize with complete strangers. This was well-received by most people, and I immediately made a lot of friends. However, there were always one or two people who, no matter how many times I greeted, would never reply or even acknowledge my presence.

I'm sure those individuals probably found my persistent efforts to socialize with them to be very disruptive. It may have even annoyed them (which is why I eventually gave up). But in the context of the situation, I was just trying to be friendly, and they simply weren't used to it or something.

There will always be people like that--people who don't want to engage in smalltalk at the bus stop, people who avoid eye contact when they walk past you, or give you dirty looks when you smile at them, but that doesn't mean we should all just go through our daily routines avoiding any kind of social interactions with each other because some people might find it 'disruptive' or 'annoying'. Maybe that's what you'd call 'peaceful', but I call it 'boring'.

Similarly, just because you choose to be annoyed by a little harmless fun doesn't mean the IE agents are in the wrong. The improv players in the video weren't approaching any customers or getting in people's way. They were just standing around in blue poloshirts and khaki pants. Most people seem to find the sessions entertaining, including the bystanders involved from all the videos I've seen. The only people getting irrate about it seem to be those with a compulsive need to keep people in line at all times--cops, for instance. So it seems like you're just too uptight about all of this.

Re:Manager called 911

[sesshomaru]

This reminds me of a story I heard once about the wife of a drug dealer. She would do the following:

1. She would go into a store with a group of her black friends dressed up very hip-hop gangstery and be very loud.

2. She had one white friend who would go into the store seperately, looking demure and wearing a skirt with big inside pockets.

3. While the people in the store were paying attention to the black group, the white girl would rob them blind and leave.

Shoplifting: Life Among The Boosters

Me, as a minimum wage employee in a store, I was taken a few times as part of a confidence game. Usually nothing as complex as the scenario described above. "Quickchange artists" attempt to confuse you about how much change you've given them. The way they do this is they come in late when everyone is tired from a long day, and they are very agressive with you and make you doubt yourself. There are other scams involving claiming that something they are holding was something they brought into the store to check the battery size. The way these work are not by fooling you, but by being agressive and insulting. It's basically the hard sell, which you may have run into in other aspects of your life.

I remember working in a store that was victimized by a "smash and grab" in New Jersey. I almost got in trouble for it and the manager did get in trouble for it. Basically, she had tied a bunch of Street Fighter II games for the Super Nintendo onto a rack (as a display), she thought securely. Well, someone figured it out and grabbed them all while we were all distracted.

Of course, most of the people applauding this stupid prank were probably in diapers when that happened.

Re:Manager called 911

[GuloGulo2]

TFA said nothing of the kind, liar.

NYUD.net Karma Whoring Link

[un1xl0ser]

http://www.improveverywhere.com.nyud.net:8080/miss ion_view.php?mission_id=57

Re:NYUD.net Karma Whoring Link

[LearnToSpell]

lol. I like that crazy bearded dude in the back. Bet he runs Hurd.

Re:NYUD.net Karma Whoring Link

[CamD]

Any real Slashdotter would be using the Slashdotter Firefox extension which inserts a Coral Cache link after each link, rendering you whoring useless.

Linus would not approve!

[mctk]

Also, can't this be considered Slashdoting something physically.

Big public wanking sessions are generally looked down upon.

Additional info/video links

[mabu]

Links to more info on the Best Buy incident here.

Re:news?

[Anonymous Coward Gra]

I wear a blue shirt at work and everytime I stop at Best Buy, I would get asked by numerous customers for help.

same group...

[cl191]

FYI, this is the same group that did the fake U2 roof top concert the day before U2 actually plays in NY.

Re:Policy and Legislation

[Anonymous Coward]

They never impersonated employees - RTFA! They only wore blue shirts, and never once claimed to work at Best Buy. Futhermore, they each left when asked to do so, even though the manager chose to call police before even asking them to leave. As they might have said in Office Space, "She's got upper management material written all over her." Excellent, excellent interpersonal skills.

Re:news?

[Daath]

You're new here, aren't you? ;D

Spike

[lunenburg]

Well, I _thought_ my server load was on the way down after three days of getting hammered by this story....

Re:Spike

[fourtyfive]

If you are the server admin, you may want to try out lighttpd, or turning off keepalive for a bit. I noticed while browsing the site, as soon as you have a keepalive connection, you can download everything that failed to do so (click on pictures and click "show picture") and it pops up instantly (because you have a keepalive session until it times out), once it times out, you have to wait for another session...

Re:Spike

[lunenburg]

Thanks for the tips - it's a shared hosting box, so I'm not in a position to switch to lighttpd on short notice, but I did disable KeepAlive.

Re:Spike

[fourtyfive]

Yeah, it looks like its running a _lot_ faster, is it still under the same load?

Re:Spike

[lunenburg]

Very similar load, yes.

http://www.trilug.org/~minter/bestbuy.html

What a coincidence!

[geekoid]

I wear a vacant look and maintain a surly attitude every time I Stop at Best Buy, I would get asked by numerous customer for help!

Re:What a coincidence!

[Flounder]

If I'm shopping at Best Buy, it usually means something broke, I need to replace it that day, and can't wait for Newegg to ship it. So, yeah. I'm surly whenever I have to go to Best Buy.

Re:What a coincidence!

[Yehooti]

Gave me a grin to see this as it makes the fact that BB gave my credit card number to Entertainment Weekly who promptly signed me up for a subscription, less pain. Hate them both now and won't ever entertain their entrances again, unless wearing a blue shirt of course.

The Uniform

[texaport]

Twenty years ago it was nearly an artform at some after-work hangouts, for ladies to guess where a guy worked:
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...

Re:The Uniform

[mh101]

I'd think wearing a red shirt would mean don't bother dating me, I'll be dead shortly.

Re:The Uniform

[ceoyoyo]

Ooh ooh, do me!

I wear a t-shirt, khaki shorts and sandals. Sometimes with socks.

Give up? I'm a grad student. They don't pay me enough to wear real shoes or full length pants.

Re:The Uniform

[wombert]

It all depends on which generation you're talking about...

Re:The Uniform

[Anonymous Coward]

What does this say about us? 20 years ago, women tried to guess what type of job you had based on what sort of business attire you wore.

Now, anybody can guess where you work based on the color of your polo shirt.

Tell me again how we're not engaging in a "race to the bottom" of the McJob Market...

I understand the Best Buy response

[Anonymous Coward]

I can appreciate the humor but I also understand why the Best Buy folks were freaked out by it.

One time when I was working in the UC San Diego college bookstore back in the 1980's, a bunch of activists came in with cameras to film everybody and the inside of the store. They were eventually escorted out by Campus Security, but it really unnerved some people, because we weren't sure who they were or what they were going to do with film they shot. There was talk that the activists were going to identify us and attack us another time away from the store to get back at the "establishment" and those of us who were helping the "establishment".

So I understand why the Best Buy folks might be a bit unnerved by this event. I suspect if I was an employee, I would have been also.

Re:I understand the Best Buy response

[HalAtWork]

Probably because the only time these things are publicized is when people are hurt, or they're sensationalizing the aspect of the story where everyone feared for their lives, or there's spin on it to the effect that the people could have been plotting against the store, etc. Everyone always talks about it in a negative way, but it was just a joke, and everyone seems to miss that point. I guess that's why everyone's afraid, they're always thinking about the worst. If nothing bad ever happens, or if it's extremely rare, but people always think of the worst, of course they'll always be afraid.

Re:I understand the Best Buy response

[Cyno]

more like too much of a pothead..

good point.

Re:Policy and Legislation

[Peyna]

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.

It's funny indeed

[citking]

To all of the people who complain about the stunts, the immaturity, the panic, the idiotic ideas...lighten up!

I hate to generalize (Ok, I love it, but pretend for a second I don't) but our society today needs some humor. We hear "terrorist this" and "gas prices that" and "x troops killed today in Iraq by insurgents..." every day. We seem so drenched in sadness and tragedy sometimes we forget what we are: free!

As long as a flash mob/stunt doesn't injure innocent bystanders and cause undue distress to officials I don't see the harm. The way that these people carry out "missions" with their "agents" is harmless. I admit that there is no screening process and no, I wouldn't want to be a manager on duty that day at Best Buy. But these stunts are things that you can look back upon 2 days, 2 weeks, 2 months, or 2 years later and grin. We need humor! I give my props to the people who have the audacity to go out there, do something very strange while surreptitiously documenting it, and post it for the rest of us to enjoy later! Way to go!

In a world filld with bad news, depressing ideas, and bad people, it's enlightening to smile at the deeds of others without having read it on Fark or the Darwin Awards.

I know I enjoyed the missions (the pantsless ones are priceless!) and I think that they have a great way of making people laugh. If you don't enjoy, that's fine. I don't get British humor and I hate Monty Python. Some humor isn't for everybody. But lighten up!

Re:It's funny indeed

[Anonymous Coward]

What pisses me off is that we don't have more video of Agent Reeves.

Re:It's funny indeed

[Phantom of the Opera]

You compare this to rape? It's not.

What a souless mechanized sanitized society you crave.

Re:It's funny indeed

[GoofyBoy]

I'm kinda mixed on this one.

On one hand, there should be nothing wrong bunch of people getting together in public.

But ... it is disturbing when you are not part of the crowd/don't get it. Imagine if you held an open party at a public park and suddenly a bunch of people you don't know showed up dressed in all leather and large hats. Is that funny or unsettling? How would you feel about a bunch of people who effectively hijacked your party because they thought it would be fun?

>As long as a flash mob/stunt doesn't injure innocent bystanders and cause undue distress to officials I don't see the harm.

From what I can tell, it did cause undue stress on the Best Buy employees.

Re:It's funny indeed

[mkro]

Another example. Mario Blocks Cause Bomb Scare. I feel sorry for those who react with fear instead of curiousity to semi surreal events like these.

No, people do not respond like that everywhere. Thank god.

*considers installing Flash 8 to take a closer look at Agent Reeves*

Re:It's funny indeed

[Jackie_Chan_Fan]

I hate to generalize (Ok, I love it, but pretend for a second I don't) but our society today needs some humor. We hear "terrorist this" and "gas prices that" and "x troops killed today in Iraq by insurgents..." every day. We seem so drenched in sadness and tragedy sometimes we forget what we are: free!


Sir, Please run for president because i want to vote you into office.

This is exactly correct. I think its important that we have fun and remember we are free people. This group of 80 "agents" are a reminder that we are to enjoy life, no matter what it throws us.

Sometimes it pays to be silly and have fun. Walk backwards down an up escalator just because you can.... Whistle while you work... or wear a silly hat while everyone looks at you like a mad man.

The truth is.. those that dare to stand out, enjoy life. Congrats to these people. They were respectful as can be, knew the law, caused no harm, stole nothing, but instead decided to have a little fun in life, harmless, albiet perhaps confusing to the store but... harmless.

I do think at the end of the day, one of the men should have come back to explain and thank them for their patients and hopefully everyone could enjoy the laugh.

Cheers to those who stand up and enjoy life... cause god knows it sucks.

Re:It's funny indeed

[Main Gauche]

"As long as a flash mob/stunt doesn't injure innocent bystanders and cause undue distress to officials I don't see the harm."

I'm not bent out of shape by this kind of thing, but let me point out "Agent Ciletti's" statement of events, in TFA. Did you get that far in TFA? Her writeup is near the bottom.

When she was taking part in the stunt, someone asked her for help finding a USB device (or something), assuming she was an employee. She was intentionally unhelpful, and the customer started to leave. Do you think it's ok to piss off a Best Buy customer?

I agree people need to lighten up. But there are always participants in these things that want to see how far they can push it, so they can be "cooler" than the next guy.

I don't care how much one thinks Best Buy sucks; that part wasn't cool.

Re:It's funny indeed

[tomstdenis]

Intentionally unhelpful... I'd say that's par for the course for those stores...

Them: "Can I help you?"

Me: Yeah, actually stock cabling!!!

I don't know how many times I've gone there looking for some RCA or S-Video cable to find out all they have are the 6" long cables or the MONSTER diamond studded $300 an inch cables.

It's nice that you sell 15 flavours of DVD players, but if you don't sell cables to hook them up what's the fucking point? You can reapply this with various computer gear.

The problem is they're not an electronics store. An electronics store sells devices and their accessories. Best Buy just sells the big ticket items and the media (e.g. movies and shit).

Makes me glad Radioshack is still around...

Tom

Re:It's funny indeed

[mlow82]

I hate to generalize (Ok, I love it, but pretend for a second I don't) but our society today needs some humor. We hear "terrorist this" and "gas prices that" and "x troops killed today in Iraq by insurgents..." every day. We seem so drenched in sadness and tragedy sometimes we forget what we are: free!

Remember Bowling For Columbine? For some reason, our society (in the United States) is obsessed with violence and tragedy, while some of our neighbors in Canada don't think so much about it (some of them leave their doors unlocked even after being robbed once). I agree; we as a country really need to lighten up.

Re:It's funny indeed

[pete6677]

Do you think it's ok to piss off a Best Buy customer?
 
Their employees (and managers) seem to think so.

Re:It's funny indeed

[drmaxx]

[quote:] I don't get British humor and I hate Monty Python.[/quote] ... and I always thought I am the only one out there. Welcome brother....

Re:It's funny indeed

[sesshomaru]

The parent is a great comment, insightful, and really gets to the heart of this stupid, mean prank.

I'm surprised it hasn't been modded -1 flamebait by now.

Ask them to leave...

[Firethorn]

The worst she could legally do to them, lacking a 'no blue shirts' type policy, and probably even then, would be to tell them that they have to leave, that they're not welcome at the store anymore. If they refused to leave the store in an expedient fashion(you don't have to run, but don't linger), then she could have the police charge them with trespassing. With it being a store, permission for the public to be on the property is assumed.

This was eventually done, at which point the people left.

Re:Ask them to leave...

[mingot]

They refused when asked until the police came.

Employees began asking our agents to leave the store if they weren't shopping. Most stuck to their "I'm waiting for my girlfriend" story and refused to leave.

Re:Ask them to leave...

[Firethorn]

That's the problem, the employees made it conditional. You don't make it conditional.

"Excuse me Sir, you have to leave now" would have worked. Still, any of the 'performers' who refused could have been hauled into court for trespassing.

Re:Ask them to leave...

[omeomi]

What I want to know is what if I just happened to be shopping at the Best Buy that day, and I was wearing a blue polo shirt with khakis? Would they have thrown me out even if I protested that I was not a member of the group, and just wanted to buy a camera?

Of course, first I'd actually have to own a polo shirt...

Re:Ask them to leave...

[Bing Tsher E]

Of course, first I'd actually have to own a polo shirt...

The polo shirt is the 'business casual' uniform of choice. If you don't own one, you are either a 'suit' or still in school.

(or a dirty hippie, but let's not go there...)

Re:Ask them to leave...

[omeomi]

The polo shirt is the 'business casual' uniform of choice. If you don't own one, you are either a 'suit' or still in school.

I'm neither a suit nor in school. I generally just wear button-down shirts untucked, because I absolutely hate polos. Always have, always will.

Re:Ask them to leave...

[Firethorn]

It's entirely possible that you would have. It's a risk Best Buy took, possibly kicking out potential paying customers. Of course, it sounds like the manager in question was A: panicked, and B: stupid/ignorant/not thinking. So it's hard to say.

Re:Policy and Legislation

[Namronorman]

I've had several solid yellow polos of the same shade, but no solid blues like that. I have worn the yellow polos into best buy before, but never have I been asked for help while wearing them. However, I've been asked for help while wearing shirt from places like Banana Republic and what not that are not solid color.

Oddly enough, it seems like older people and the yehaw types are the ones who ask me the most. Maybe it's just the idea a lot of people have that most people don't dress nice anymore, except while at work.

Re:news?-Lifeline.

[Minwee]

"Please! Please sell me an extended warranty on my service contract!"

Re:Policy and Legislation

[Nephilium]

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...

Nephilium

Unreported

[Zepalesque]

Unreported were 5 red-shirt clad improv artists at the same event. Unfortunately they all were all killed by a freak car accident in the parking lot ;)

Re:Philisophical analogy

[geekoid]

Ah, but you are physically attacking people.

And by definition, clowns aren't funny.
To quote Cmdr. Vimes:
"If it was funny, clowns wouldn't be doing it." Cmdr. Vimes, Diskworld by Terry Prachet

Works at the supermarket too

[kbob88]

Try wearing khaki pants, a white button down shirt, and a tie next time you shop at the supermarket. I used to have to wear that at work, and we'd often go to the Jewel supermarket deli counter for lunch. Usually I'd get mistaken for a store manager at least once per visit.

Eventually I stopped trying to tell little old ladies that I didn't work there. I had gotten to know the store well enough that it was easier to just tell them where their item was...

Re:Works at the supermarket too

[Megane]

Try wearing khaki pants, a white button down shirt, and a tie next time you shop at the supermarket.

Or at a Fry's.

I can one-up you. More than a few times I've been in a thrift store and mistaken for someone who works there simply because of being a guy who doesn't look confused and lost. Never mind that the other employees are clearly wearing identically-colored vests with the thrift store logo on them.

Re:Works at the supermarket too

[Sentry21]

I was in Future Shop in an old (unfashionable) long-sleeved shirt, well-worn, and a pair of khakis that were wearing thin and hadn't been washed in a week. My hair was a mess, I felt like a wreck, and I looked like hell.... And someone still came up to me and asked if I worked there. I guess that's just how people are. Sigh.

Re:Works at the supermarket too

[apraetor]

I work as an EMT in Massachusetts, and our summertime uniform shirt is a green polo shirt. If I stop at a Shaw's after work I am berated with questions from customers who mistake me for a store employee -- despite the huge Star of Life on my back.

Re:Policy and Legislation

[Minwee]

"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?"

No need to go so far. Just wear a loose fitting gray coverall with the words "NOT AN EMPLOYEE" stenciled on the back. That should cut down on requests for help by at least 50%.

Re:news?

[geekoid]

Slashdot has always been a site where they link to news they find might be interesting and nerd like in nature.

ALWAY been that way. That is their business. Don't like it? Leave.

Dice

[writermike]

"Thomas Crown Affair! Thomas Crown Affair!," one employee shouted.

Please, allow me to quote Dice Clay.

"You fucking geek." :-)

haha

[geekoid]

the last thinkg a business want's is to be left alone*.
Something yopu might want to remember if you every start a business.

It is taky, and causes people not to listen to your point when you campare this to rape. Or anything to an absurd extreme.

*with the exception of used book stores. Which are just a fancy way for people to show off there libraries.

Manager called 911-Unlimited laws

[Anonymous Coward]

There's also "disturbing the peace". Remember how thick law books are? Now you all have some idea why.

Re:Manager called 911-Unlimited laws

[Ariane 6]

You'll be hard-pressed to find a court that will convict you of "disturbing the peace" by standing somewhere. The worst they could do is loitering, but, once again (and I really can't emphasize this enough):

Nobody asked them to leave first

Re:Manager called 911-Unlimited laws

[aloeppert]

Good job! You'll be receiving your brown shirt in the mail.

Re:Manager called 911-Unlimited laws

[Jeremi]

There's no duty to warn a trespasser, even in New York State. Criminal trespass is illegal.

If I follow you correctly, you're saying that anybody who goes into a Best Buy is a criminal the instant Best Buy decides they don't like that person. The only difference between a law-abiding citizen and a "criminal trespasser" is Best Buy's opinion of that person.

Do I have that right? Because that seems very strange.

Re:Manager called 911-Unlimited laws

[Bing Tsher E]

It might seem shocking to you, but yes, it is the discretion of the property owner to determine who is a trespasser and who is permitted.

Yes, you have that right when the domain in question is your property or your rented property.

Re:Manager called 911-Unlimited laws

[Jeremi]

It might seem shocking to you, but yes, it is the discretion of the property owner to determine who is a trespasser and who is permitted

I understand that they have the right to ask you to leave at any time and for any reason. What I don't understand is how they have the right to invite you in to their property, and then have you arrested because they changed their mind and you are now instantly "a trespasser". Common sense would suggest that they would need to ask you to leave, and that you would have to refuse, before you could be held criminally liable in that scenario.

Re:Manager called 911-Unlimited laws

[Bing Tsher E]

Yes, you've honed the issue down to where we can agree. The store owner needed to ask them to leave. They were 'guilty of trespass' the second the owner's whim changed, though. You don't have to see the kids throwing rocks at the koi in your backyard garden pond for them to have trespassed to be there. The crime of trespassing doesn't require the property owner to tag the individual for the crime to have been committed. But in the case this whole thread is about, there is a presumption that visitors to the store are welcomed in.

Re:Manager called 911-Unlimited laws

[Firethorn]

But there is an exemption to this. Trespass can only be charged when the person on the property has had ample notice that he or she isn't welcome there. Trespass can be pressed if you break in, go through or around a sign that says 'no tresspassers', into a private house, etc... When you operate a public storefront, permission is assumed for the entire public during your business hours.

For a store to kick people out during business hours, the people have to be formally notified that they're no longer welcome, whether this be by verbal or written notice is up to the owner or his representative(the manager or employees).

If you withdraw your permission, the person you're kicking out is still allowed to collect his or her possessions and leave in an orderly fashion (IE not running, but not lingering).

Re:Manager called 911-Unlimited laws

[Random832]

Yes. In other words, they have the right to ask anyone to leave. The problem with that argument is that they chose not to exercise that right.

Re:Philisophical analogy

[NMerriam]

I must have missed the part where the 60 people were assaulting customers.

But yes, if you want to go to Best Buy in a clown costume, feel free. It will certainly bring a smile to many people's face!

ok, this is a bit of sad commentary:

[artifex2004]

[from Agent Ace$Thugg:] And then he asked me if I had a child at home, and if I knew any children. Curious about his line of questioning, I asked him what he was getting at. He said he noticed that I was in the children's section for a long time and it was making him uncomfortable.

Are people really that scared of single adult males, now? Because it probably wasn't to do with his appearance...

Re:ok, this is a bit of sad commentary:

[Xyrus]

Didn't you get the memo?

Every single adult male is a child molesting, sex obsessed, cock throttling pervert. But your status changes once your married though...

In that case you're a closet child molesting, sex obsessed, cock throttling pervert.

It's funny in a sad kind of way. If I go to the park with my son, and get involved with "kid's games" other parents get ancy. Same situation, but my wife is playing with the kids, no problems.

Welcome to America, were all men are immediately considered to be sexual predators.

~X~

Re:ok, this is a bit of sad commentary:

[Anonymous Coward]

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.

Re:ok, this is a bit of sad commentary:

[Gryle]

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.

Re:ok, this is a bit of sad commentary:

[dangitman]

Yeah, those "modern feminists." Sure.

If you knew anything about modern feminism, you would know there is a lot about having heaps of sex, and not admonishing men. Sounds like you are talking about the feminists of the 1970s, not the modern ones, where there was some of the attitude you are referring to. But even then, it was only a vocal minority. To think that feminists are running the world is ridiculous. Furthermore, to think that the creators of shows like Family Guy are feminist are utterly absurd. They make fun of men and women. They ridicule everybody. Comedy is about laughing at yourself, not portraying yourself as some kind of perfect person. The flaws they reflect upon in those shows have a definite grain of truth, and are also based on stereotypes.

Maybe you just need to understand comedy.

Re:ok, this is a bit of sad commentary:

[Gryle]

I'm not saying that feminists are running the world or that dumb guys aren't funny. I'm just pointing out a trend concerning male characters in shows.

Re:ok, this is a bit of sad commentary:

[Geoffreyerffoeg]

Although I agree that the pedophilophobia is out of hand, I don't think that was his intent. The question was that if he wasn't buying something for a child, what was he doing in the children's section other than causing problems?

Re:ok, this is a bit of sad commentary:

[toiletsalmon]

I agree with you. Don't listen to that other guy. He's just a sex obsessed, cock throttling pervert!

How the hell do you throttle a cock anyway???

Nevermind. I don't think I really want to know.

Anyway, yeah I agree. And it seems to me this whole "imbecile father" comedy bit got really popular in sitcoms in the late 60's, early 70's.

Re:ok, this is a bit of sad commentary:

[dangitman]

But you are hallucinating that trend. Look at how often The Family Guy makes fun of women. There is no way feminists had anything to do with that show. Just look how many jokes are made about Meg's appearance, or about lesbians, in nearly every episode. Look how these "dumb" guys have attractive wives and are very popular within the fictional world. Peter Griffin and Homer Simpson are admired for their "common man" ways.

You also don't seem to notice the smart male characters. Could the gay newsreaders on Family Guy be considered "bumbling" or dumb? What about the nerd characters?

I mean, really, would you want a show where men were worshipped as some kind of mythical father-heroes? That would be like "Leave it to Beaver" or something. I'm amazed at the sensitivity expressed by many men when they see a less flattering portrayal on TV. In many ways it's worse than feminist PC complaints. Shit, women are almost always used as outright sex objects, or portrayed as housewives on TV. A few jokes about men is nothing compared to the decades of objectification of women as submissive sex objects for horny men.

Re:ok, this is a bit of sad commentary:

[dangitman]

At the same time, Everybody Loves Raymond frequently makes fun of women. I can't really comment on that episode, as I have never seen it. But Family Guy has depicted men being violent towards women in a humorous context.

Re:ok, this is a bit of sad commentary:

[dangitman]

Anyway, yeah I agree. And it seems to me this whole "imbecile father" comedy bit got really popular in sitcoms in the late 60's, early 70's.

Do you think that might have something to do with the preceding decades of "Leave it to Beaver" and other inane TV shows with the all-powerful father figure, and submissive housewife? Life doesn't work that way. Don't you think it's a good thing for TV to evolve beyond such ridiculous gender roles? Of course the reaction is going to be to switch those roles - because the "Father knows best" attitude was so deeply ingrained, it made those that didn't use that formula refreshing to viewers, and played off the previous stereotypes. TV does not exist in a vacuum - a lot of it is referencing the medium itself, the established protocols.

That's exactly why The Simpsons was so popular. Do you remember that people were actually outraged at The Simpsons when it firt started, because it showed a "dysfunctional" family? How tame do those early Simpsons episodes seem now? But people actually thought it was outrageous and blasphemous. Do you want to be like those people?

Interesting that now there are Christians embracing The Simpsons, and going to Ned Flanders look-alike conventions to take the piss out of themselves. Much more healthy, in my opinion.

Re:ok, this is a bit of sad commentary:

[Gryle]

I'm not hallucinating the trend. It exists. Family Guy does not define the trend, though Peter Griffin is a part of the trend. I don't watch Family Guy regularly, but you cannot deny Peter Griffin is a bumbling dumb guy. No two ways about it, regardless of how even-handed the show is in the treatment of genders. So quit getting hung up on the Family Guy bit.

This isn't about man/woman jokes. Somewhere along the line, the good intentions of the feminists (and I do believe women's rights) became warped into an excuse for male-bashing. Degridation of either sex is wrong. Not all women are dumb, sex-object, submissive, houewives. Not all men are stupid child-molesting lazy bastards.

Re:ok, this is a bit of sad commentary:

[dangitman]

This isn't about man/woman jokes. Somewhere along the line, the good intentions of the feminists (and I do believe women's rights) became warped into an excuse for male-bashing. Degridation of either sex is wrong. Not all women are dumb, sex-object, submissive, houewives. Not all men are stupid child-molesting lazy bastards.

Comedy is largely about degredation. Do you think comedy should be politically correct? Sorry, I don't see the male-bashing in comedy. I certainly don't see men being portrayed as child molestors. I think perhaps you are being too sensitive. Comedy is largely about exaggeration of the real world. It mostly works when it has a grain of truth.

Sure, not all men are lazy and selfish, but in general, they are. But then comedy makes fun of other types - people who are too serious, and work too hard, or are too greedy. I think the key point is that even the bumbling guys portrayed in such comedies are lovable bumbling guys. Although he's not human, take Bender as an example - he's lovable because he's an alcoholic, stealing rascal. And there's a definite grain of truth in the portrayal of men. I see women in general working a lot harder just to achieve the same status of men. Women of higher intelligence getting less credit than men. It's not true in all cases, but comedy is about generalization and stereotypes.

Re:Philisophical analogy

[Aranth Brainfire]

Of course, unless you happen to have some sort of irrational clown phobia. But that's just silly.

Hysterical.

[sootman]

I tour the store and feel pretty good about landing a spot next to the vacuum cleaners. There are no employees in sight. I hover. A 50-something bearded Jewish man makes eye contact, walks toward me, my first customer.
"Do you work here?" he asks.
"No, I don't."
He starts looking at vacuum cleaners, not knowing where to start.
"What are you looking for?" I ask.
"I need a vacuum cleaner," he says. "I have a Dirt Devil. It works really well, very powerful machine," I say.
"A Dirt Devil. Dirt Devil, OK."
A real employee approaches.
"May I help you sir?" the employee asks.
"Yes, I'd like to buy a Dirt Devil," the man responds."
I sold my first vacuum cleaner. Damn, it feels good.

Re:Hysterical.

[Gnavpot]

I sold my first vacuum cleaner. Damn, it feels good.

Many years ago, my wife and I were looking for a new car. We went into a car shop, a salesman greeted us, asked what car we were looking for and gave us a lot of guidance. Some time later, another salesman took over, and the first one left.
"Huh, where did the other salesman go?".
"That was not a salesman. He was just in to pick up his new Audi A8."

Re:Policy and Legislation

[Umuri]

Umm, it already is against the law. That's why it states quite clearly if they are asked if they are employees, they responded no. Impersonating an employee or customer is illegal, not too heavy a sentence but it's still something i wouldn't want to spend.

Stand alone complex

[hackwrench]

On the other hand, it could be just a stand alone complex.

Walmart

[Davus]

Related to my life.
A few times, going into Walmart wearing my "Your Company's Computer Guy" shirt, I was asked for assistance, because of the way Walmart employees wear those vest-like things. Sure, it's a totally different shade of blue, and a different style, but that didn't stop them. ;)
And yes, I did help them even though they realized mid-question that I don't work there.

Re:Walmart

[b4b3]

Can you help me find some bawls please?

Re:hostage taking (MOD PARENT DOWN)

[Mewtwo]

WOW. This is insane.

People SHOULD be able to get away with stuff like this without criminal charges.

It's a sad country when two kids get into a fight, one says "I'm gonna kill you!" in the heat of the fight, and that kid gets expelled, where the other gets a 5-day suspension (or nothing at all, and then sues the other kid he was fighting.) It's sad when every single thing that can be tried as possible terrorism is tried as terrorism.

I'm going to go to the other side of the extreme here. It shouldn't be illegal unless the terrorist act is actually committed. "Attempted" crimes PERIOD are bullshit. Attempted murder, attempted burglary, etc, etc. Don't charge 'em unless they actuall get in and the person's dead or the stuff's stolen.

Re:Policy and Legislation

[Lectrik]

OMG, I've impersonated a best buy employee before!!! I should turn myself in now

yeah, at one point our work uniforms also consisted of blue polos and khakis. Our company logo also happened to be a very yellowy-orange, but was not the same size or shape as the BB logo.

In the process of going in to buy a router on the way home from work, I managed to get asked where things were 5 or 6 times in the 15 minutes I was there.

Not Everywhere

[oostevo]

"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."

This is false, at least in some jurisdictions. I've personally seen it happen at least twice (in Virginia).

Re:Not Everywhere

[collectivescott]

I guess I stand corrected then. I just can't imagine it happening though - emergency is such a subjective label. Maybe it's because I live in a big city, but that would never fly here. Here in Philadelphia, we have trouble with people who are too scared to speak with police. Its becoming a real problem, here's one example: http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/local/137 90386.htm Every time I see a "Stop Snitching" shirt it makes me sick.

helpful employees

[timothy]

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

Re:helpful employees

[colinrichardday]

I'll do at that at a local Staples. I'll even ask people if they need help, saying that I don't work there, but I pretty much know where everything is (I walk around there a lot).

Re:helpful employees

[(Cheesyhackerhandle)]

Hehe...I work there...and what's even funnier...Is that I work on the geek squad, and I am the biggest noob in this forum :) Wanna know why some of the employees aren't helpful? Best Buy is a shit place to work. Pay is crap, the rules that we have to abide by: crap. And the customers? Well I assume that most people in this forum would be some of the better customers, seeing as how your all tech-savvy, but you try explaining to a stay-at-home mom with 8 kids why you can't back up her HDD b/c it is fried. The ignorant people ruin it for the rest. There is no energy or desire to be helpful after you get yelled at for an hour b/c someone screwed up their own computer and we were unable to fix it. And as for the guys in the blue shirts... well usually those same push, ignorant people reach them before they even reach us... with that being said, I personally am never impolite, and I always try to help people because I've shopped there before I worked there, and I know how frustrating it can be. So I apoligze to all of you who had bad experiences there, but it isn't going to change until the corporation changes. Unfortunately...we can't do anyting about the ignorant.

Re:helpful employees

[Ganniterix]

I don't live in the US, I don't shop from Best Buy, I have no clue to how it works. But I do shop. So, all I can say, if you salespeople knew more about the stuff they were talking, they wouldn't be there selling stuff. :) I, wouldn't be able to be a salesperson, probably would get fired first day for insulting customers! I'm pretty sure no easy job, but it would help if salespeople don't try to talk about items they have no clue about!

Re:helpful employees

[Doubting Maxwell]

It seems that being young often has a lot to do with it, too.

I'm in my early twenties, and several times while browsing Best Buy I have been accosted by older folks asking questions--and I wore neither blue nor black nor khaki.

I actually asked one of the gentlemen (very polite, nice guy--was happy to share knowledge) why he asked me, and he said that it was because I looked young--he figured I must know about computer stuff.

Which I do. I've been working with computers professionally (general technician...yay..) for over five years now. I pretend I know stuff for a living! ;)

Re:helpful employees

[(Cheesyhackerhandle)]

Well this is all well and good, but you must understand that bestbuy hires college and high-school students. It isn't exactly easy to fill a store with 50+ people, all of whom know about what they need to be selling. Besides that, their rate of pay and their ridiculous scheduling techniques turn off many people to working there. It's easier (not to mention cheaper) for them to just grab students who need jobs, whether or not they know about what they are doing.

Re:helpful employees

[timothy]

Yes; I'm something like a decade older than you, but look young enough to fall in the same category ;) You're right about age being a big factor in such queries. On the other hand, I believe (could just be the obvious problem of a limited sample) that I'm asked for directions on the street, in stores, etc, more than average. In a way I like that (it's surely an ego boost to appear knowledgeable), but sometimes it's just awkward. People have worse problems, though ;)

timothy

We need MORE of these stunts... not fewer

[Mr_Trebuchet]

Wow... this poster is the perfect example of why we need more stunts like this, not less. Anything out of the ordenary happens and chicken-littles like this decide the sky is falling. "We can only fight terrorists by maintaining a constant state of alert!" they cry... in fact we can only defeat terrorists by refusing to be afraid.

Re:hostage taking

[Jafafa Hots]

"In this day and age..."

You know what age we live in? We live in an age where some pathetic mouthbreathing pantswetters are so fucking scared that they want a fascist, rigidly coontrolled police state to prevent the terrifying prospect of a bunch of people showing up wearing the same color shirt.

Queer Eye for the Geek Guy

[buckhead_buddy]

Hulkster wrote:

If this isn't news for nerds then I don't know what is ... ;-)
Well done Improv'ers ...

I agree heartily, but beyond the humor aspects I'm a geek who has a hard time with fashion. This mission has solidified in my mind exactly what I'll wear whenever I have to go into a #@%*ing Best Buy store in the future.

Reminds me of...

[redpop350]

"Cement Teddy Bears" http://www.cultdeadcow.com/cDc_files/cDc-0368.php My favorite Christmas story of all time!

happens to me at Target

[YesIAmAScript]

I have a couple red shirts. Maybe I like to dress like Tiger Woods or something.

Anyway, if I wear one to Target, I often get questions from customers, sometimes even if I'm wearing jeans.

Bravo!

[Easy2RememberNick]

I loved it! Fantastic idea.

  It's too bad they didn't really clown around a bit, act like cockroaches, walk into walls, curl up on the floor and go to sleep, do a little dance; perhaps The Robot etc..

Re:hostage taking

[Anonymous Coward]

Walking into an electronics store wearing the same color clothing as your friends equates to joking about bombs in airports? Please. That attitude is exactly why this stuff should happen more often.

Flash 8 Videos? Brilliant.

[RiffRafff]

Doesn't anyone do mpeg or QT anymore so the rest of us can view it?

Re:Policy and Legislation

[pete6677]

What state or country has laws against impersonating a store employee?

Lighten up, idiot

[Krazy Nemesis]

Was that Best Buy in Iraq? Shit I read that entire article and I thought it was in New York, USA! Wow... I need to get my eyes checked. How on earth does this event, his comments or anything else in here relate to how bad things are in a country outside of the US? He was speaking in relative terms... related to our country several years ago. Not every country on the planet. If you'd bother to grow up a bit and understand more than one point of view, you'd have relize that. But you choose the popular, foriegn (again, in case you didn't notice, relative to the US) path... "hate all Americans!" BTW... attacking us repeatedly with the "stupid Americans, you don't know anything about the outside world" thing doesn't exactly motivate anybody to quickly pick up an international newspaper and start reading. If you keep that attitude you'll get the general, western, response of: Go fuck yourself!

Re:New Dress code policy

[iphayd]

The next group to do this will be 80 people walking into a Best Buy wearing Red shirts an khakis. It will get around their silly dress code, and be just as disconcerting.

Re:Policy and Legislation

[nancypants]

If you happen to be wearing a blue shirt and khakis, that doesn't constitute impersonation. Impersonation would be telling people you're an employee, or at the very least not informing them if they ask you something. If Best Buy were to enforce a dress code, then they might have a leg to stand on, but they can't justifiably kick you out for wearing blue. At least, not any more than they have the right to refuse service to anyone.

Besides, how do they let you know you'll be prosecuted for trespassing if you wear blue? Will you have to agree to a goddamned EULA when you walk in the door?

I'd love to bust out a dictionary on them if they tried to say dressing a certain way qualified as trespassing. That's ridiculous.

Re:Policy and Legislation

[Achromatic1978]

The same manager also got on her walkie talkie out in the street when they left, "They're heading down 6th!" Who was she telling, the Best Buy Covert Tracking Team?

On Dialing 911

[raquor]

A lot of folks seem to have an issue with the Manager calling 911. And while I agree that it certainly doesn't seem like an emergency it may not be that ridiculous. I was in a situation with overly obnoxious and rude neighbors in my apartment building that loved playing their rap music late into the night at ridiculous volumes. I called the police station on two separate occasions and both times I was told to call back on 911. Both times I stated that it was NOT an emergency I just wanted an officer to stop by and tell them to turn it down since multiple times of myself going over and requesting this same thing got no response.

All in all, just because it isn't a case of life and death apparantly doesnt mean it isnt a 911 situation I guess. And to those wondering I don't live in some podunk little town. I live about 20 miles west of Chicago. So it's not like the station only has 911 and no other number or dispatch.

Re:On Dialing 911

[wk633]

I once wanted to point out an illegally parked car. I wouldn't normally go to such lengths, but this was a really dumb parking job that was making it particularily dangerous to cyclists.

I went into a school nearby to borrow their phonebook, to look up the police station number. When I called, they said the'd transfer me to "Traffic". The person who picked up said "911, what is the nature of your emergency?"

And when I was interviewing for a 911 position, they said 2/3s of their calls were wacky things, but didn't mention that 911 was 'the' general incoming number. As for the job- I wasn't ready to commit to that job long term.

"People in uniform" attitude

[fishbowl]

This is just a special case of a general phenomenon -- people in a uniform, even if it's just a shirt color, tend to become defensive about that uniform.

I once had a temp job at a hospital loading dock. Horrible, crummy job, but it was a job. So all the people on the loading dock wore brown polyester pants, white shirts, and black shoes. So, my second day, I wore brown polyester pants, a white shirt, and black shoes. I was reprimanded for "wearing a dock uniform", paid for a half day, and asked not to return.

A different situation: There was a Greek Festival, where all the food service people were wearing black pants or skirts, white shirts and a black hat. My girlfriend and I happened to both be wearing black pants, white shirts, and we each had a black hat, all coincidentally (we didn't even know about the festival, just chanced upon it), and so we just sort of hung out for a while and all the workers treated us like we were hosts not patrons. We ate and drank for free and hung out while everybody partied after the festival was over.

Anyway, if you wear a blue shirt to Best Buy I'm sure they can throw you out if the laws of your state allow it, "for any reason", but not just because you wore a blue shirt, unless they eject *everyone* wearing a blue shirt (not just you.)

The band of pranksters could test this by being not just a bunch of clowns, but some organization whose uniform is *also* well-established as blue shirts and khakis, go in the store with legitimate business, and get kicked out for no reason other than their attire, they might be able to force the store manager to explain to a judge why he considered a shirt and khakis to be inappropriate attire, or whatever was his bais calling the police was.

But in this case, it is clear that the group was intentionally creating a disturbance, and that it was not terribly difficult to get a police officer to agree. If a reasonable person believes your intent is to disturb the peace (which it clearly was) then I hope it was enough fun to be worth the potential legal hassle.

Re:hostage taking

[CamD]

Comments like these just go to show that the terrorists* have won.

*US Government/Bush/CNN/Military

Ironically, it was Bush who said shortly after 9/11 to live as normal--as to prevent the "terrorists" from winning.

Re:hostage taking

[H0p313ss]

We live in an age where some pathetic mouthbreathing pantswetters are so fucking scared that they want a fascist, rigidly coontrolled police state to prevent the terrifying prospect of a bunch of people showing up wearing the same color shirt.

Everybody sing:

It's the end of the world as we know it...

Works in general too

[Atario]

I used to have a job that required the shirt and tie too. (Why should a programmer wear a tie?? Whatever.) Anytime I went to any kind of retail establishment on the way home, I would get around one customer question every ten minutes.

Definitely, if you want to cause havoc like this, it's far easier (and more plausibly deniable) to go for the shirt-and-tie route.

Re:You have no commanding words.

[Skreems]

While most of those examples are indeed utter BS, "can you please step out of the vehicle?" is a pretty straightforward request.

Re:Policy and Legislation

[zuzzabuzz]

Or impersonating a customer? I tend to do that regularly...when I'm broke. Watch out World!

You don't become a Best Buy Manager...

[Anonymous Coward]

Without being a total Douch Bag.

Re:hostage taking

[dangitman]

Yeah. If you see anyone who looks even a little bit funny, YOU TAKE THEM DOWN!! Then you'll be a hero like those guys on Flight 93. Someone looks like he's from another country? GOUGE HIS FUCKING EYES OUT! He's probably a terrorist.

Hilarious

[soccerisgod]

That's really hilarious. What a marvellous idea! I wish they did something like that around here. I could think of a few places where a stunt like that would work very well. Keep on rocking, guys!

typical programmer

[penguin-collective]

Your not one of those people that think 911 is just a convient way to help you for any ol' thing, are you? I hope not, I hate those people.

No, perish the thought that people who are in need of the police and feel threatened (rightly or wrongly) should call the one number they remember.

You're a typical programmer: when your system can deal with user expectations, you blame the user and add an obscure rule.

In fact, a better thing to do would be for 911 services to invest in a little intelligence. Maybe a phone system that says "please press 1 or stay on the line to report an emergency in which lives are at stake, otherwise please press 2 now".

Probably not amnymore

[WindBourne]

If she starts screaming about her civil rights because of a camera, do you think that upper managment will want her? NOT A CHANCE. it shows that she does not play well with the little kiddies let alone the big boys.

Other than that, I thought that she was heading straight for CEO material.

Brings back memories of Fry's...

[vmxeo]

Reminds of me of a prank me and my coworkers use to play in Fry's Electronics. For those of you who have never had the experience of visiting Fry's Electronics, their customer service is arguably much worse than Best Buy. The store dress code is much less inspired- white shirt, dark slacks, dark tie. Pretty much the same dress code of our VAR company at the time(remember those?). We'd often frequent Fry's for miscellaneous hardware, as it was cheap, and close to our offices. Of course, since we were dressed like every other employee there, we'd get asked for help from clueless customers all the time. We got so sick of being asked we finally started giving out random answers, telling them the item they wanted was in the back of the store through the double doors (the stock room), or pointing them to ther customers in the store ("you want to talk to the old beared guy in suspenders standing over there. He can help you with that.") I really miss those days.
Recently I visited Fry's Electronics in thier new store several months ago (well, new for me. I live in NYC now, and hadn't yet been to the store on Auto Mall parkway in Fremont). A customer approached and actually asked "I know you don't work here, but can you tell me if this will work in my computer?"

Yeah, I miss those days...

Re:Brings back memories of Fry's...

[proudhawk]

I still get that fairly often when I shop at fry's here in Phoenix.
still, one has to wonder how clueless these "customers" are when
they ask a BLIND PERSON where something is or if something will
do somthing or other...

Granted, I am a bit more knowledgable than the "customer circus"
guys that are the store employees. but still, asking a clearly
blind person for help when there are a half dozen employees
loitering nearby? whats the sense in that?

traumatised victims of the pranks

[Cosmo the Cat]

Some of the people who were the targets of the improv were really traumatised by it. I listened to the ThisLife segment and thought it was really funny but I wouldn't want to be the target of one of these.

Re:traumatised victims of the pranks

[Derkec]

I have mixed feelings. I think that the birthday party bit went too far. But the cell phone symphony and the mobius stunts were pretty cool. One or two people got stressed out, a bunch others were confused, but many found it funny and everyone went home with a story they could tell at parties.

Re:traumatised victims of the pranks

[Cosmo the Cat]

I agree the great majority of their events were great and fun and no one with hurt feelings. Maybe they'd do things differently on a couple like the birthday thing and the band thing.

I fail to see the humor in this

[joto]

There are lots of things you can do that frustrate other people. Having a crowd dress in the same clothes as shop employees only frustrate shop employees/managers/security is one alternative. But I really fail to see why you think it's so funny.

Yes, you aren't exactly doing something "illegal", but your intention is obviously to make life harder for other people, which in my book counts as "immoral" (at least as long as these "other people" haven't done anything wrong towards you!)

I find the whole episode comparable to someone who have gotten hold of some disappearing ink, spray it on random peoples shirts, and then write a web-page about it where they talk about how angry some people became because of this, even though it was just an innocent gag.

I'm sorry, but if some random person sprayed my shirt with disappearing ink, I would not find it funny. And if some random crowd of people had agreed to enter my store with clothes similar to the uniform of my employees, I wouldn't find it funny either. Now, had the random person in either case, been someone I knew and trusted, I might have reacted otherwise, but this depends a bit more upon the situation. When doing practical jokes, it's a fine line between what's funny and what's just cruel.

Oh, by the way, I killed your dog just to see how you'd react. But don't worry, here's a new one...

Re:I fail to see the humor in this

[metamatic]

It's funny for two reasons.

Firstly, because it's somewhat surreal, providing people with the experience of reality suddenly warping unexpectedly.

Secondly, because of the reaction of humorless drones and people who overreact, like you.

Re:I fail to see the humor in this

[joto]

Firstly, because it's somewhat surreal, providing people with the experience of reality suddenly warping unexpectedly.

If this is all you want to do, you can certainly do it without having to single out a "victim".

Secondly, because of the reaction of humorless drones and people who overreact, like you.

I'm only humorless as long it's my store you invade, my shirt you spray with ink, or my dog you kill. But I might laugh healthily when your nose is bleeding as a result of your failed attempt at humor.

Re:I fail to see the humor in this

[ClioCJS]

Furthermore, he proves himself as an unreasonable asshole the moment he suggests that assaulting someone is somehow okay, but wearing a blue shirt isn't.

Re:I fail to see the humor in this

[xymog]

These people were not interfering with store operations; in fact, they went out of their way *not* to interfere. The only people interfering with store operations were the managers overreacting. The best overreactions are the manager protesting her violation of her "civil rights" and the manager surreptitiously attempting to photograph the improv artists. Bureacracies are built for mockery because they take themselves so seriously. By the way, I like how you equate "different" with "dangerous." That speaks volumes about your outlook on life.

Re:I fail to see the humor in this

[joto]

These people were not interfering with store operations; in fact, they went out of their way *not* to interfere.

If you believe that arranging it so that lots of people with clothes similar to the shop-employees suddenly appear in a shop at the same time, is "going out of their way *not* to interfere", you have a different definition of "not" then me.

The only people interfering with store operations were the managers overreacting.

Those people are supposed to interfere with store operations, that's why they're there! It's their job!

The best overreactions are the manager protesting her violation of her "civil rights" and the manager surreptitiously attempting to photograph the improv artists.

Sure, they overreacted. But please tell me how they were supposed to know that without the benefit of hindsight. It's not exactly the situation you are most likely to encounter as a manager of a store. And it's a pretty damn frustrating one to be in.

There was absolutely no way the managers could have known the intent of the invaders. Just because they acted friendly at the time, doesn't mean that they would the next moment. Obviously the invaders *were* part of some sort of planned attack, and at the time, there was no way the managers could know their real intent.

Bureacracies are built for mockery because they take themselves so seriously.

I'm sorry. Everyone take themselves seriously. Bureaucracies are no different in this regard.

By the way, I like how you equate "different" with "dangerous." That speaks volumes about your outlook on life.

I have no idea what you are talking about. Please explain what you are referring to, or are you simply trying to put words in my mouth?

My Idea

[Starvingboy]

I always wanted to go through the airport with a shirt that said "Smuggler" and paint "Contraband" on my luggage. It would probably qualify me for "Special Glove" treatment.

Re:Thomas Crowne Affair

[Jimithing DMB]

The movie with Brosnan and Russo isn't the original Thomas Crowne Affair. The original is with Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway.

This is, however, one of the few movies where I liked the newer one a lot better than the older one. The old one was a straight up late 60s action flick. The new one was a very intelligent movie (with only a passing resemblence to the original).

If I were the BB manager..

[t35t0r]

So I skimmed over the article pictures and didn't read every bit so I don't know if this was done by the store manager or not, but this is what I would have done:

1) Announce the following on the Best Buy intercom (if there is no store wide intercom, they should really invest in one):

"Dear Best Buy customers and employees, there seems to be an elaborate social engineering prank occurring in the store. It's not a coincidence that there are many people in the store wearing blue polo shirts without best buy tags and khaki pants. If they do not have a best buy tag do not ask them questions about products or store policies." ..simply repeat every hour or so, until they seem to be mostly gone.

Re:hostage taking

[t35t0r]

your comment has made my head explode. don't fascists and totalitarians want uniformity?

Hot Topic

[metamatic]

Well, if you read enough of the site and comments you'll see some one speculating that there IS going to be a new policy of some sort of crazy ass dress code of what you can't wear into their stores now.

Imagine if Hot Topic did that.

(If you go to Hot Topic you'll find that staff and customers are almost indistinguishable. Yet they don't seem to have any kind of problem with it.)

Well, I'm inspired

[whitehatlurker]

These non-employees seem to be more helpful and easier to find than regular employees of retail outlets. I think that the next time I go shopping, I'm just going to ask the other shoppers questions, rather than the employees.

Direct link to QT

[imaginate]

You can download it in quicktime on the site. Or just go here

Re:Flash 8 Videos? Brilliant.

[springbox]

I'm not sure about Flash 8, but what I used to do is use Ethereal to look at the HTTP traffic when the video player first initiates the connection. You can get a direct link to the FLV that contains the video this way and use FFMPEG to convert the FLV to some other format. Of course, you need to have Flash installed for this to work.

Re:hostage taking

[Jafafa Hots]

he was saying that he wants these people arrested and jailed. The only society that would imprison people for choosing to show up and mill about harmlessly in matching clothes is a fascist one.

Yes, you can argue that fascists want conformity - but these people were not "conforming" by weariong matching clothes, they were doing something a bit out of the ordinary and unexpect - thereby NOT conforming... and their lack of conformity is what the parent poster felt was grounds for imprisonment.

are we living in a police state?

[proudhawk]

it seems to me that we are in a situation where the police
are getting called for every little problem. :(

are we, as a society, that afraid that we are demanding
a police state to exist?

Re:hostage taking (MOD PARENT DOWN)

[Dark_Gravity]

"Attempted" crimes PERIOD are bullshit. Attempted murder, attempted burglary, etc, etc. Don't charge 'em unless they actuall get in and the person's dead or the stuff's stolen.

So you welcome a burglary or robbery attempt against you and would not want the criminal to get arrested and charged for trying to steal from you? Perhaps you would you prefer to be the victim of an attempted rape or attempted murder instead.

I am glad that works for you, but I'll stick with defending my person and property.

That said, I have to agree with you that the parent post was a moronic troll. Identically dressed people behaving politely in a store is not a threat of any type.

Re:New Dress code policy

[wk633]

I read about people with tickets being turned away from venues because their t-shirts had logos from competing sponsors.

At the 2000 Gay Pride in Atlanta, officials were hassling people who had any kind beer company advertising other than Coors. That was in supposedly public Piedmont park.

These People Suck

[dna2go]

I have heard of these people and what they do is not art or fun or acting or improv its called being jackasses. Their "improv" creates a public disturbance, annoys people and they laugh about it and find it cute.

Re:The reason the manager said her civil rights...

[wk633]

If you want to get all semantic about it, racisism doesn't exist because there is only one race when it comes to humans. The differences between 'white', 'black', 'Asian' etc do not constitute 'race' biologically speaking.

I like to ask people what they think of the Washington Redskins or Atlanta Braves. And what would they think of the Washington Blackskins or Atlanta Zulus (with corrasponding 'war whoop' and foam spears).

Re:The reason the manager said her civil rights...

[Jim_Callahan]

Given the image most sports teams want to project, "Zulus" would be an excellent name for one. "Blackskins" not so much, since in this country's history that equates to being on the losing side more often than not.

In conclusion, what's your point? (addendum: the foam spears would be awesome)

Re:The reason the manager said her civil rights...

[wk633]

I guess my point is that there's a lot of discrimination out there- be it anti-black, anti-gay, anti-women, anti-American, anti-this-or-that-religion. I ask about sports teams, because nobody seems to see any problem with them. If you ask questions about other forms of racism, you usually get PC responses.

naked and screaming?

[phyy-nx]

i don't know about screaming, but they've already at least done pantless 5 times on a new york subway.

MOD AC UP FUNNY

[MadUndergrad]

Nice one.

My time at Best Buy ...

[willtsmith]

Most of my time at Best Buy is spent trying to avoid the blue shirts. That is ... except the cute ones.

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.

Re:My time at Best Buy ...

[(Cheesyhackerhandle)]

I agree. So very few of us who work there actually at least TRY to learn stuff about what we're selling. And the service plan depends on what you're buying. If your buying a laptop (especially toshiba), you should almost always get the service plan. The amount of times that the HDD craps out on those things is...ridiculous...plus if your an eTard and know nothing about computer maintinence or repair, then you probably should get the PSP. Or else your gonna be paying alot for support. But as for a comp-savy consumer such as yourself, no, don't buy the PSP.

What a rube ...

[willtsmith]

a) You'll never see a good thief or gang of thieves. They dress incognito for obvious reasons. Dressing in fake uniforms (no Best Buy logo) made these people immediately conspicuous and hence the subject of scrutiny by the door checker.

b) The bit in the Thomas Crown Affair was about RETURNING a stolen item.

c) If you were going to steal something in faux uniform, you'd show up dressed like a cop.

d) If you want to steal, you need to cause a diversion like a fight (just like in Ocean's Eleven) that will draw the security people away from their posts. That or a really attractive person of the opposite sex (or perhaps same?!?!?!?) to divert the attention of the door checker.

e) An alternative strategy would be to get some item tags that are still activated and have lots of people go through the security checker with these things on. After so many "false alarms" they'll turn the thing off for the sake of keeping the business open.

So you see the manager was a dufus and got played by reacting to the prank. If he had ignored the pranksters as people with too much time on their hands, he would have spoiled their fun.

Thought Crimes

[SeanDuggan]

I think that he's more likely talking about prosecuting "intent to commit a crime," something which has always seemed really shakey to me. Sure, he's got floorplans of the bank. Yes, he rented Bonnie and Clyde from Blockbuster 13 times in a row. Still, unless he's actually stated that he's robbing a bank, or has made an attempt at it, you shouldn't be able to bring charges against him. Suspicion of intent is a valid reason to bring someone in or to do an impromptu search of a person or property, but only under certain rules and the officer is required to justify themselves if asked.

Liers with Logos

[bill_mcgonigle]

Yes, they lied - but if you want to hold that against them, you have to do likewise for every actor you've ever watched pretending to be someone they're not!

If lying were a crime they'd have to clear out the Best Buy sales staff as well. Or is a cable modem broadband router really faster and more secure than a switch so that's why Best Buy doesn't sell switches? Hmmm?

GuloGulo gets an F for Reading Comp. ...again.

[TripMaster Monkey]

From TFA:

If an employee asks you what you're doing, respond 'I'm waiting for my girlfriend/boyfriend who is shopping elsewhere in the store.'

Another [employee] came up to me and said, "Let me guess, you're waiting on your friend? Good answer." I guess at that point he had heard that answer more than a few times.

Employees began asking our agents to leave the store if they weren't shopping. Most stuck to their "I'm waiting for my girlfriend" story and refused to leave.

Al first approached me within 30 seconds and asked if I needed any help. I asked him where the bathrooms were (I was actually needing to go), but he told me they were out of order. I said, "Alright, I'll just wait for my girlfriend then. She's looking for the bathroom. I guess I might be here awhile."

When an employee approached and asked (of course) if I needed any help. I said no, I was just waiting for my friend.

A dude walked up to me and said: "Are you guys demonstrating or protesting or something?" I said: "Oh, I'm just waiting for my girlfriend, she's somewhere around here."

Manager: "What are you doing can I help you?" [very sassy tone]
Me: I'm just waiting for a friend.

One manager came up to me and said, "I don't know what you and all your friends are doing here, but you need to leave." I said, "What? I'm just waiting for someone, I don't know..." and the guy goes, "Yeah, yeah, all of you are just 'waiting for someone.'"

I said, "I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you mean. If you mean, am I bored, it's true I'm kind of bored because I'm waiting for someone."

"I'm waiting for my friend, just watching TV while I wait."

"Nothing of the kind", indeed.

Next time you might want to RTFA before you accuse someone else of lying about the article's contents...

Thomas Crown Affair

[lorcha]

I'm sure they were also very concerned that those folks were conspiring to steal a bunch of stuff. It would be really hard for store security to stop the shoplifter by saying, "Nab the guy in the blue shirt and kakhi pants" when there are 80 people plus the Best Buy employees all wearing the same thing.

I can definitely understand why the managers and security got all uppity. But their response was really unprofessional and stupid. "My civil rights are violated by you bringing a video camera into an electronics store." Yeah... right...

Question:

[lorcha]

What, exactly, is "cock throttling"? This is a term witch which I am completely unfamiliar.