Unfiltered Story #67222

(The mall I work in has a No Solicitation policy. They also frequently have tweens and teens groups doing scavengers hunts. 10 minutes after opening on a Saturday, a group of 7 girls, around age 14 walks in with two adults. While I knew they were a scavenger hunt, there wasn’t anything I could do until they actually outed themselves and/or broke store policy by taking pictures. As they looked around the store, I could hear them whispering to each other about what products would work for items on their list.)

Girl: *holding up a pack of tissue paper* How much will this cost?

Me: $2.95

Girl, to group: Well this would work for #5, since it’s pink!

Girl’s mom: That’s a lot of money for one item…maybe you can just get 1 piece?

Girl, to me: Do you sell single sheets?

Me: No, I’m sorry, they only come in the pack of 8 sheets.

Girl: Do you have any swatches or samples we could have for free?

Me: No, I’m sorry, and we don’t participate in scavenger hunts.

(Mind you, I hadn’t actually asked them to leave at this point, just made it clear that we wouldn’t be participating)

Girl’s mom: EXCUSE ME?! What makes you think this is a scavenger hunt?!?

Me: I can tell.

Girl’s mom: No, I want to know exactly why you’re refusing service to my daughter!

Me: Ma’am, you brought a group of teenage girls into a specialty boutique whose typical demographic is middle aged women. They are holding a printed out numbered list, and discussing what they can get to qualify for those numbers. They asked for free merchandise. All of those are tell-tale signs of a scavenger hunt, which is, by the way, in violation of the mall’s No Solicitation policy. But do correct me if I’m wrong about any of this.

Girl’s mom: I want to speak to your manager!

Me: Ma’am, I am the store manager.

Girl’s mom: Well how do you expect to do any business if you won’t participate in community events?!

Me: Your daughter’s birthday party is not a community event. And I expect to make a profit by not giving away merchandise to teenagers who are never going to spend a dime in my high end store.

Girl’s mom: Come on girls, let’s go somewhere else!

(I promptly called my buddies in the security office, and later saw the group being escorted through the mall, I can only assume to the exit.)