I'm sure you've heard about the shopper in Nampa, Idaho who was banned for life from Walmart.
You haven't? Go
y.
April Cuevas
had a confrontation with a store manager in Walmart about their coupon policy. She recorded the argument with her iPhone.
(Note a phone call to the Cuevas home went unanswered at the time of this post)
(The argument was over the use of competitor coupons.
)
The manager allegedly "slapped" her hand away saying you can't record in here.
She responded with a don't touch my personal property.
After the argument it seemed to be resolved with a "pay for your groceries" or leave. She chose to pay for her groceries and left.
Loss prevention staff with Walmart followed her in the parking lot, but she left and called the police. The police apparently had already been called about the incident with Walmart stating that she is 'banned for life.'
Now here's the issue -- Why was she banned? The report sounds like it could possibly be over the coupons.
My opinion is that it's because of the video-taping.
Walmart has a policy, weather posted or not, that you have to have permission to film inside Walmart and film their employees. You can get permission easily by calling or emailing Media Relations
1-800-331-0085 (U.S.)
8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Central time weekdays
Although this is reserved for members of the professional news media working on a story for publication or broadcast (radio, TV, newspaper), the manager might not have known why April was recording the incident.
Walmart managers are notified by the corporate media relations department when someone has permission to film in the store.
Granted the 1 party rule applies in Idaho, but since it was inside the retailer instead of outside in the parking lot, Walmart can enforce the 'banned for life' judgement if they choose.
(You can see parts of April's video in the Fox 12 piece by Matt Standal here)
NOTE -- AS OF THIS POST A PHONE CALL TO MATT FOR AN UPDATE HASN'T BEEN RETURNED.
The Walmart manager reserves the right to file a police report for trespassing, which includes filming inside the store, with the option of pressing charges for a year (which varies by state).
The violation would be of store policy, not necessarily a criminal offense. The manager on duty was more than likely following procedure to call the police.
So tell me what you think? Was it too harsh of a punishment? What are your experiences with Walmart in terms of arguing a policy?