Woman Refuses To Show Her Bag To The Store Staff Because They Didn’t Have IDs, Gets Dirty Looks

"I had my son in his pram, and the woman was physically blocking the exit."

Damjan

• Published in Interesting
• March 30, 2023

What to do when a stranger approaches you in a store and asks to see the contents of your purse? Well, let's take a look at how one Redditor handled it.

OP was browsing perfumes in a store when she received a text from her husband. She took out her phone, replied, and put it back in her handbag.

As she was leaving the store, a woman blocked her way and asked to look through her bag, claiming to have seen her put something in it. The woman had no name tag or any indication of working for the store.

When the shopper asked if she worked there, the woman claimed she did and asked to see the bag again. An older man, who did not have any identification or store branding on his clothing, approached and claimed to be the manager.

He also asked to look in the shopper's bag. The shopper had seen the man yelling at someone in the carpark earlier and became suspicious.

She refused, and then a second man, wearing a t-shirt that read 'security' with no other identification, approached and asked to look in her bag. Feeling like this was a scam, the shopper walked to the register and asked the woman behind the counter if the original woman worked there and if the older man was her manager.

The employee confirmed their identities, and the shopper showed them her bag before leaving the store. However, all three of them gave her dirty looks as she was leaving.

The shopper wondered if she was in the wrong for not complying with the request to search her bag.

OP asks:

OP was browsing perfumes in a store when she received a text from her husband. She took out her phone, replied, and put it back in her handbag.

As she was leaving the store, a woman blocked her way and asked to look through her bag, claiming to have seen her put something in it.

An older man, who did not have any identification or store branding on his clothing, approached and claimed to be the manager. He also asked to look in the shopper's bag

She answered some questions:

OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the a-hole:

It would be foolish to let some stranger go through your purse just because they say they are security

They have to have probable cause to request it

Some people would not accept to be searched, regardless of the ID

Only uniforms

The bottom line is:

OP posted an update:

The shopper wondered if she was in the wrong for not complying with the request to search her bag. It's important to prioritize personal safety and not comply with requests from individuals who do not have proper identification or clear affiliation with a store.

It is not hard to understand her confusion and mistrust - these people were strangers with no IDs. It's better to err on the side of caution in situations like these.

Damjan