Never Let Your Wife Wear a Thong to the Supermarket
96You are being watched every second!
You Never Know Who's Behind the Security Cameras
There’s no real screening for LP or security employees. Other than sometimes a criminal background check and in some cases drug testing, anyone can get a job doing it. A Store Detective position is most times an entry level position. There should be some sort of morals testing one must take before being hired in a retail establishment. Especially if that person will be operating a camera system.
The job attracts those who want to be police officers, those who tried, but couldn’t be police officers, (and think they still are) guys who still think we’re fighting Nam, a few guys/girls (such as myself) who really enjoyed the job and last but not least, perverts. In fact, LP is an acronym for “Lottsa Perverts”
Any job with easy, unsupervised access to cameras has the ability to attract perverts, child molesters, peeping toms, and other assorted freaks of nature.Add the above to the fact that today's cameras have the ability to pan, tilt, zoom, adjust focus, adjust color, freeze, e-mail, and especially PRINT and you could have a full blown production of your big ol' booty in aisle #9 and never know it. Pretty scary, huh? Honest customers are oblivious to the cameras when they shop. Shopping is supposed to be a relaxing, unhurried experience. People sort of let themselves go when they shop. You'd be surprised at the number of nose pickers, wedgie pluckers, and ass scratchers I've seen over the years? Would you pick your nose in line at the supermarket? Of course not. Why do it an aisle? They do it because they don't feel they are being watched. Trust me. I saw you pick your nose last Thursday. It was disgusting. I could have easily printed photos, made a DVD or emailed them to my friends. Consider yourself fortunate I didn't. It doesn't matter, because you wouldn't know about it anyway.
As my wife was leaving the house this morning to do our weekly shopping, I happened to notice the way she was dressed. I asked her, “Are you sure you want to wear those jeans to the market?”
“Sure”, she replied, “Why not?”
“Because you’re on camera everywhere in the supermarket!”, I replied. “Some sick LP is zooming in on that denim clad behind of yours and printing copies for their friends.”
“Yeah, right!”, she laughed. “I’ll be back in awhile!”
So there she went. Off to do the shopping. Bending over to get items on lower shelves, walking under camera domes designed to zoom in with remarkable clarity down her shirt and impress a group of guys in the back of the store who are absolutely loving it.
Peeping Toms ABOUND in the Loss Prevention profession. I’ve worked with them. In fact, it’s so common in the industry that it’s rarely ever given a second thought. A hot looking girl comes into the store, the camera zooms in and comments are made among the guys. What’s the big deal?
The big deal is that innocent customers and children are shopping in these stores. Whether they be of the department store, mall, supermarket or other retail environment, beware that someone is watching and could be checking you out. Even worse, they could be checking out your children. You never know who’s behind the camera. Do you want some nut who’s supposed to be watching potential thieves, looking down your girfriend's blouse? I think not.We don’t have children, but if we did, there’s no way I’d let my 15 year old daughter walk into the market dressed in anything other than a garbage bag and maybe a lead shield.
It’s a new world. You’re on camera everywhere. The stoplight you just went through has recorded your license plate and you will receive a citation in the mail.
The problem with being on camera at the supermarket or department store is that you spend a good amount of time in these places on each visit. Bending, stooping, reaching, grabbing, etc. Add a pervert behind a camera and that’s not a good combination.
It's NOT just the security people watching you!
Allow me to point out that Loss Prevention employees aren’t the only ones enjoying these mini movies of your mom bending over for the black olives. Store management (as well as some regular employees) has access to these offices in almost every store. As I mentioned earlier, you never know who’s behind the camera.
What can you do to insure your ample bosom won't be made into a movie of the week?
Absolutely nothing. That's because department stores, supermarkets and pharmacies are extremely protective of their security systems and they're not about to let you know if someone is watching, who may be watching and where their cameras are located. Remember, those cameras are there to catch thieves and stores aren't going to leak out their security secrets to just plain old anyone. Especially you. How do they know you're not a shoplifter trying to gain beneficial information? They don't. Don't expect any help from the company.
How do you know this company doesn't hire weirdos trying to get a glimpse of your panties when you reach down for the Maxwell House? You don't. You're at the mercy of these wretched sickos.
I suggest calling the corporate office, and asking them how they screen their employees to make sure they don't hire perverts. If they decline to tell you anything, please feel free to point out this article and tell them where you saw it. This is a topic that MUST be at the top of every retail store's agenda. Strict and thorough background screening MUST be done on prospective LP employees before there is an incident. And really....isn't one incident too many?
You can make a difference. You decide where to shop and spend your money each day. Wouldn't you rather spend your money in a place guaranteeing a pervert-free atmosphere?
Call your grocer, your department store, your pharmacy etc. Ask them to place you at ease that you're not being violated in anyway while you shop. If they can't or won't answer your questions, you may either want to shop some place else or consider skipping the thong today and opting for the old fashioned granny panties.
Don't say I didn't warn you.
UPDATE: AUGUST 2008
A person calling himself a former loss prevention officer and camera operator emailed to comment that he and his co-workers would announce the entrance of a pretty or scantily clad woman using a code to other workers and management to announce their arrival.
Upon seeing a sexy woman enter the store, one of the lp employees would pick up the intercom and announce something like "Code 10 to the Housewares Department" (This would let male workers on the sales floor know that a "10" was shopping in the housewares department, if they wanted to walk over and get a peek)
I cannot verify the story as being true and the person did not sign his name, but I wouldn't doubt that things like this continue to happen on a daily basis.
UPDATE: OCTOBER 2008
Due to the high amount of weirdo stories I've received from those saying they were are (or were) store detectives, or retail employees, I've had to remove my email address from this article. The stories coming in are mindblowing, unbelieveable and worst of all, probably true. I would appreciate your writing your stories, comments, etc., in the comments section below, instead of trying to email me, Thanks for all your support everyone. I appreciate your making this one of my most popular hubs. I will continue to update it as often as possible.
Be sure to catch the followup hub, "Never Wear Open-Toed Shoes to the Supermarket"
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DO NOT Wear a Thong To The Market
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Is it possible that I lack a sense of humor and have been sucked in by rockingjoe? Very possibly!
You have an interesting and well written Hub here, rockinjoe. But, as far as being concerned about the way someone is dressed and that someone being observed by a security camera -- well, what about that person being observed by all the regular people? How effective are security cameras in decreasing theft in stores?
Hi gredmondson. Thank you for the comment. Regular people can admire or even leer at someone else, but they can't zoom in, get a better angle, (say to look down a blouse), or they can't save the memory for their friends unless they're taking a photo with their cellphone of digital. I feel there's quite a difference in saying (to you for example), "gredmondson, I saw this hot woman at the supermarket this morning!" and "gredmondson, here's a VHS tape of a hot chick I saw this morning at the supermarket. I got some great shots of her boobs and her behind.
As far as they cameras being effective in reducing crime? They're only as effective as the person using them. (Some systems are amazing while others are held together with string and tape. I fortunate had a fantastic, hi-tech system in my last store, hence the Hub)
Thank you so much for commenting on my Hub. I really appreciate it.
did you ever think that maybe some of these women want to be peeped at?
I think the cameras should stay. Sure, they need to screen the perves better, I agree with that. But, nowdays, there are to many bad guys out there and cameras have proven to be effective in capturing the shooter or robbers face. I worked in a convenience store along time ago. We had cameras but no one inperticular ran them. They panned on their own. When twice, I was robbed, they able to get a picture of the creep who pulled a knife on me and catch him, along with 4 more of his thuggin buddies in the get away car.
love,
GRANNY.
Give us a break. Grocery workers are hard working folks. We need a bit of looking at hot women once in awhile
I guess I'd better make sure not to wear my low-cut sweater any more.
ha ha ha ha ha...that's great!
good hub so true, who is watching who,however i would rather my wife wear a thong to the store than go without.
you make a good point, fyxer. Glad you liked the hub
it seems pretty on target wih my feelings!
I see thongs hanging out of pants daily when I do my sales runs in San Francisco. I would be more worried about the hidden cameras in bathrooms than the soft-core perverts desperately seeking "thong footage". Cute Hub. Love the conspiracy theory, but I think that the grocery store pervs could just come over to the Bay Area in the summer with their cameras for much better footage.
so true but i love them
Great ...
Of course not she is only for me
i swear, i thought this was intended as comedy. it was, wasn't it?
I consider myself to have a tremendous sense of humor, Guru-C, but in this case, the Hub tells nothing but the truth. You are on camera everywhere you go today. Until retail businesses decide to screen their employees more carefully, you're going to be dealing with Peeping Toms-and even a few Peeping Tammys.
There are cameras all over the highways that can zoom in on our license plates and into our cars. I myself enjoy watching certain corners of New York City on webcam.
Not to mention that doctors could be up to tricks, too.
Woman: I have a terrible headache.
Doctor: Could you please remove your blouse?
...and they have cameras, too, these doctors. So watch out!
I hate all these cams all over the place. Nowadays they have gotten so small. You never know when someone is watching ya!
This was a really interesting hub to read. I wonder how many times I've been caught on camera in the grocery stores disco dancing in the aisles. Thats what I do to embarrass my fiance or whoever I'm with.. lol
disgusting!!!!!!!!
Hi Nicole,
I'm not certain whether you thought the idea of loss prevention guys peeping down your blouse was "disgusting" or the content of my hub. Either way, thank you for reading it.
There are way too many people too blase about too many things that reflect on our freedoms. Sure it has to do with the behavior of people today .. those who have abused and used those same freedoms .... hence the necessity of cameras... but I agree with rockinjoe..... screen those operators well. We are real people out here ... not specks to be enjoyed at will by whomever... thus feeding the cycle of why the cameras had to be put there in the first place.
How about campaigning for NO males (any age) showing underwear tops nor exposed buttock cracks :o
Great theory in general, however if you want to hire "professional" LP video takers, and you want to do a more thorough background check someone has to pay. That bag of chips is going to cost $10.00 if you have to hire a completly investigated "normal" person. Whoever that is..
Trust me the cams aren't going anywhere. The nature of the job attracts the individuals, so no matter how deep you dive into someone's background, you'll never discover that they're Peeping Toms (unless you find out after you hire them). Some people become Peepers AFTER taking the job when they realize how easy it is. It is the most NON TALKED ABOUT and most covered up, (with maybe the exceptions of sexual harassment and age discrimination) issue in retail stores in the US..
One of my friends works in a hardware superstore where the camera monitors are not watched and the tapes are never viewed. She was robbed at the cash register week ago because all the rest of the staff were in the back of the store at a meeting and the security guard's cell phone was turned off. Cameras should stay on, but someome should be watching them -- not using them for looking down blouses and up jeans, either.
Hi Patty,
If I had to guess, I'd say your friend's store starts with an "L" and ends with a "owes", well known for its paper Loss Prevention shrink practices, but horribly deficient in it's physical LP. I'm sorry to hear of your friend's incident. That must be incredibly scary. All I can say is, (like anything else) you get what you pay for with Loss Prevention.
I am so glad I found your article. I did a search on this topic because I believe I am being watched by managers and male staff at my local supermarket. I was oblivious to this until one day when I was "hiding" from one particular manager who stares at me constantly when I saw him go up to the office and I guess he spotted me on line and then came back down and stood directly in front of me! After that I noticed odd behavior from him and other male staff members when I was in there. Sometimes they would appear from the office or the back stock room just as I was checking out or leaving (I guess to check out my behind in person). One staff member in particular likes to play "suggestive" music when I am in there. Songs that he can get away with like Janet Jackson's "That's the way love goes", or Maroon 5 She will be loved". The soundtrack changes noticeably when I am in there. Have you seen this before? This was during the Summer when I didn't have to safety of a coat to hide my curvy figure. I am a professional woman so I do not make a habit of dressing in revealing clothes. I would say I am good looking with an attractive figure. I have worn shorts in there and form fitting jeans on the weekends. Now I am even more paranoid after reading your article. I will find another supermarket to go to but at least now I know I am not crazy. I knew something was off and you confirmed it.
Ew, see, now I'm creeped out.
Stay creeped out. You are being watched by someone everywhere you shop. You'll never hear about this in the media. Companies like to keep their dirty laundry from the prying eyes of the press and the public.
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
Who will guard the guards is a Roman saying. So it's partly an age old problem.
How about cameras trained on the LP operatives?
Cameras are placed inside LP offices ONLY if the detective is suspected of theft. Most LP departments (even at the huge chains) operate on a shoestring budget, so there would be no one to watch LP. That also adds the problem, of who would watch the watchers? Thanks for your comment, About-The-Home.
Big fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite 'em
Little fleas have smaller fleas
and so ad infinitem!
That's a funny article!
I wouldn't worry about the thongs,It's the girls wearing nothing under white pants that meets the eye..
Some folks have made posts in this area thinking this is humorous. As you point out repeatedly, it isn't. This has happened to me -- one time at a local department store (I visited there and had a friend, who worked there, tell me the employees did it), and another time at work, where someone was fired on the 'security' staff for looking at women entering/leaving the restroom! Believe it or not!
Wow. For the first time ever, I'm glad I live in a third-world country. I don't think even the big malls here are willing to shell out big bucks to pay for one of those hi-tech security systems that are sure to bog down from the heat and dust. Sure, there are surveillance cameras but I doubt if they can pan, zoom, tilt, etc. I think that's why they have several plainclothes "watchmen" roaming around and keeping an eye on things. (Labor is cheaper than video surveillance gadgets.)
By the way, I'm guilty of nose picking and wedgie picking in the supermarket. :P
Hi,
Great hub. I had never thought about this stuff before, but it makes perfect sense. People do act differently when we can do it with perfect anonymity.
By the way, those ebay ads (at the bottom) pulled from the keywrods on this hub are a rather...interesting addition to this particular hub. ;)
Am I the only one who is sitting here in just such a shirt thinking "ok when was the last time I wore this in publi," lol. i have to say I'm a little disturbed, beleive it or not I'm one of those peole who had never even stopped to think that such a thing really happened, not at my local store anyways. Looks like my dear hubby will be doing the shopping from now on.
honestly? who really cares? Get fully dressed to go out in public and I fail to see how this is really an issue..
To answer Chuck's question, I care because I am shopping in a store to buy food and I should not have to worry about being ogled by men or be concerned about my safety! I am FULLY dressed and do not wear revealing clothes when I shop. I honestly do not know what they (the peepers) were looking at when I was wearing a long trench or winter coat but the odd behavior still continued. These are not weird men or perverts in my opinion. These are just ordinary men taking advantage of the anonymity of the situation to admire, ogle, take photos of, make videos, or whatever (I don't even want to think about it) of women they know would never look their way twice. Some are college students I might add. They are pretty harmless but I shutter to think about what would happen if a rapist or pedophile got access to the security camerias. It is serious to me and my hope is that someone will read about my experience and be extra careful. I always make sure I am not being followed after I leave a store or any other place of business. Rockinjoe is to be commended for exposing this.
I meant to say "Shudder" not "Shutter".
Thank you for your comments everyone. As retail camera use becomes more widespread, so do the number of people using them. Is everyone in these positions a pervert? Of course not. The job does allow unsupervised use of camera equipment and the potential for abuse. In other words, if you leave the Oxycontin unlocked in the pharmacy, you're tempting abuse. Sometimes the abuse starts with one store detective saying to another, "Hey Jim, check out this blonde" or "Look at the clarity on this camera. I can clearly see her birthmark."
Always be vigilant. No matter where you think you're safe.
Wow, I'm glad I read this. I literally have never even given any of this a thought before.
Thanks, Beaks. Just remember-they're watching!
That's crazy i had never thought about it like that...
Now you have me thinking of waht could happen when my wife goes to the local market..
Thanks for the comment, LDBidz. It's happening each and everyday in stores all over the world. People are being violated by video cameras in ways they'd never imagine. The worst thing about it? They never know about it.
Please tell your wife to be careful where she shops.
Sorry but this is no different than a couple of guys checking out a hot girl on the beach in a bikini. If you are worried what people may be doing, stop dressing like a whore at the mall or market or where ever it is you go.
I use to work in the children's dept. at Mervyn's... one day I recieved a call from a guy that sounded a lot like our LP guy.. he was asking questions about the girls panties like what kind we had, if we had any bikini girls panties, then I got really freaked out when he asked if we had any thong girls panties, I hung up the phone. No more than 2 minutes later, our LP guy came walking back into the store with his cell phone in hand looking at me... I was totally keeped out!
Mall Guard...you sound like a disturbed individual.
Hi amyco, Thanks for the story. I hope it was a coincidence that the LP guy was walking in right after you got off the phone with him, but if not, that's one pretty creepy indivual. I would have called the store manager on that one. Someone like that shouldn't be holding a position where he has access to security cameras.
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Ralph Deeds says:
2 years ago
In the great scheme of things, there are other dangers of greater concern to me than LP "perverts." Moreover, I'm not sure it's a preversion to admire a provocatively dressed shapely woman. It strikes me as perfectly normal, whether it's done via video cam or directly. This subject has been dealt with in movies and literature from time immemorial. A couple of examples come immediately to mind--the play and Academy Award movie, "Mister Roberts" starring Jack Lemmon, in which WWII sailors took delight in spying on the nurses' quarters from their ship through binoculars, "The "Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea" in which Sara Miles's teenage son secretly watches her make love to Kris Kristofferson; or the original Peeping Tom in the story of Lady Godiva. However, as W.H. Auden said "Peeping Toms are never praised, like novelists or birdwatchers for their keeness of observation."