Why you should boycott Wal-Mart

I need everyone’s assistance out there in cyber space. I’m a computer newbe, so there are a lot of things about chat rooms I don’t understand. I’m a certified senior citizen and went to Wal Mart for the first time in my life. It was one of the most humiliating experiences I have ever encountered. The treated me like I was dirt and BIG BROTHER tracked me on video from the time I walked into the store, until I left. I want to see if it was an isolated event, or all minorities are treated the same way. This is the email I sent to the CEO of Wal Mart, and since I am never going back to their store, want to see if anyone else experienced the same kind of treatment.

Thanks

(sent email Feb 4, 2005)

WHY I WILL NEVER SHOP AT WAL-MART

First, some background information. I live in Port Townsend, Washington, about 50 miles from Seattle. I needed some things for my apartment, and the new Wal-Mart in Sequim, Washington would save me a trip to Seattle. February 3, 2005, when I entered I asked the greeter for home furnishings and she gave me directions. As soon as I get to the department, a voice on the intercom alerts security to monitor the home furnishings department. Since I was the only African American in the store I assume this was meant for me, but put the thought aside and tried to find what I was looking for. I am certain someone at corporate can look on a map and find the location of the store. There are about as many black people in Sequim as there are who think Richard Nixon was a great president.

Now it gets interesting. When I tried to get assistance, the clerks looked at me like I was Osama bin Laden and were both rude and abrasive, like I was taking up their time. So now I knew I am being monitored by security. Finally I found what I was looking for, and went to the snack bar to check the bus schedules for my return trip to Port Townsend. Again a voice comes over the intercom to monitor the cameras in the snack bar, and what I thought was paranoia is now a hard cold fact. Since there are few minorities in the area, I am getting the full treatment, and security is monitoring my every move. I am 65 years old and have never been in Wal-Mart in my life, and it will be another 65 years before I come back. I realize Wal-Mart caters to the lower middle class clientele, and the only reason I was there was because of convenience,
not necessity.

I am just going to write this off as a bad experience and go home, when again a voice comes over the intercom for security to monitor the entrance and exit cameras. Now I am totally pissed off. If I were going to steal something, it would not be at Wal-Mart, maybe the Bon, or Nordstrom. So now will the Wal-Mart SWAT team with AK-47s be waiting for me when I try to leave? Let the games begin. So now I knew I am being monitored by security. Finally I found what I was looking for, and went to the snack bar to check the bus schedules for my return trip to Port Townsend. Again a voice comes over the intercom to monitor the cameras in the snack bar, and what I thought was paranoia is now a hard cold fact. Since there are few minorities in the area, I am getting the full treatment, and security is monitoring my every move. I am 65 years old and have never been in Wal-Mart in my life, and it will be another 65 years before I come back. I realize Wal-Mart caters to the lower middle class clientele, and the only reason I was there was because of convenience,
not necessity.

The clerk pulls you aside and says: ” Oh I am sorry there seems to be a problem do you mind if we check your package?”?Then they run the hand scanner over your merchandise and when everything checks out she says, ” there must have been a problem when you scanned the merchandise, and that?s what probably set off the alarm, oh by the way can I see your receipt?” Then they go through their song and dance about it was just a technical problem.

Let me put this on a level so even the CEO can grasp what I am saying, this is total bullshit! The cashier scanned my merchandise when I purchased it so there was nothing to set off the alarm; it was just a ruse to search me. Since I am never, never, never coming back to Wal-Mart I asked to see the manager, so I can tell him that I will never, never, never, set foot in his store again. The assistant manager comes up and commits the cardinal sin; she tries to patronize me like I’m some fucking lunatic chained to a wall. This has now become up close and personal.

During the 60s I was involved in sit ins and civil disobedience naively thinking that segregation was wrong and we should be able to spend our money to organizations who did not want our business. The only thing that was accomplished was the rich got richer, the poor got poorer. Since I am retired, I decided to implement a new concept called Electronic Boycotts. There is a very large population called the Internet Army who can bring down the most well insulated corporation. There are over 500 people in my chat room and I am going to start a campaign to boycott Wal-Mart. If 500 people email 500 more people the chain reaction can do financial havoc on any corporation. My goal is to get 500 people to boycott Wal-Mart because of their racist practices against their customers. Every person likes to be treated with respect and dignity when they enter a store, not surrounded by store detectives and monitored by security cameras. So I intend to do something about the problem.

You do not have to respond to this email with your cookie-cutter letters about how Wal-Mart is a diverse work place-blah, blah, blah. I want you to be aware of what is happening, and I will keep you updated. on my progress.

Sorry to disappoint you, but all black people don’t steal.

Have a great day,

Mac McAllister

Cc Lee Scott
Tom Etchells
Lee Ruiz
Ron Medrano
Wall Street Journal

2 thoughts on “Why you should boycott Wal-Mart”

Mac McAllister says:

Sunday, Feb 20 2005 at 11:42 am

I need everyone’s assistance out there in cyber space. I’m a computer newbe, so there are a lot of things about chat rooms I don’t understand. I’m a certified senior citizen and went to Wal Mart for the first time in my life. It was one of the most humiliating experiences I have ever encountered. The treated me like I was dirt and BIG BROTHER tracked me on video from the time I walked into the store, until I left. I want to see if it was an isolated event, or all minorities are treated the same way. This is the email I sent to the CEO of Wal Mart, and since I am never going back to their store, want to see if anyone else experienced the same kind of treatment.

Thanks

(sent email Feb 4, 2005)

WHY I WILL NEVER SHOP AT WAL-MART

First, some background information. I live in Port Townsend, Washington, about 50 miles from Seattle. I needed some things for my apartment, and the new Wal-Mart in Sequim, Washington would save me a trip to Seattle. February 3, 2005, when I entered I asked the greeter for home furnishings and she gave me directions. As soon as I get to the department, a voice on the intercom alerts security to monitor the home furnishings department. Since I was the only African American in the store I assume this was meant for me, but put the thought aside and tried to find what I was looking for. I am certain someone at corporate can look on a map and find the location of the store. There are about as many black people in Sequim as there are who think Richard Nixon was a great president.

Now it gets interesting. When I tried to get assistance, the clerks looked at me like I was Osama bin Laden and were both rude and abrasive, like I was taking up their time. So now I knew I am being monitored by security. Finally I found what I was looking for, and went to the snack bar to check the bus schedules for my return trip to Port Townsend. Again a voice comes over the intercom to monitor the cameras in the snack bar, and what I thought was paranoia is now a hard cold fact. Since there are few minorities in the area, I am getting the full treatment, and security is monitoring my every move. I am 65 years old and have never been in Wal-Mart in my life, and it will be another 65 years before I come back. I realize Wal-Mart caters to the lower middle class clientele, and the only reason I was there was because of convenience,
not necessity.

I am just going to write this off as a bad experience and go home, when again a voice comes over the intercom for security to monitor the entrance and exit cameras. Now I am totally pissed off. If I were going to steal something, it would not be at Wal-Mart, maybe the Bon, or Nordstrom. So now will the Wal-Mart SWAT team with AK-47s be waiting for me when I try to leave? Let the games begin. So now I knew I am being monitored by security. Finally I found what I was looking for, and went to the snack bar to check the bus schedules for my return trip to Port Townsend. Again a voice comes over the intercom to monitor the cameras in the snack bar, and what I thought was paranoia is now a hard cold fact. Since there are few minorities in the area, I am getting the full treatment, and security is monitoring my every move. I am 65 years old and have never been in Wal-Mart in my life, and it will be another 65 years before I come back. I realize Wal-Mart caters to the lower middle class clientele, and the only reason I was there was because of convenience,
not necessity.

The clerk pulls you aside and says: ” Oh I am sorry there seems to be a problem do you mind if we check your package?”?Then they run the hand scanner over your merchandise and when everything checks out she says, ” there must have been a problem when you scanned the merchandise, and that?s what probably set off the alarm, oh by the way can I see your receipt?” Then they go through their song and dance about it was just a technical problem.

Let me put this on a level so even the CEO can grasp what I am saying, this is total bullshit! The cashier scanned my merchandise when I purchased it so there was nothing to set off the alarm; it was just a ruse to search me. Since I am never, never, never coming back to Wal-Mart I asked to see the manager, so I can tell him that I will never, never, never, set foot in his store again. The assistant manager comes up and commits the cardinal sin; she tries to patronize me like I’m some fucking lunatic chained to a wall. This has now become up close and personal.

During the 60s I was involved in sit ins and civil disobedience naively thinking that segregation was wrong and we should be able to spend our money to organizations who did not want our business. The only thing that was accomplished was the rich got richer, the poor got poorer. Since I am retired, I decided to implement a new concept called Electronic Boycotts. There is a very large population called the Internet Army who can bring down the most well insulated corporation. There are over 500 people in my chat room and I am going to start a campaign to boycott Wal-Mart. If 500 people email 500 more people the chain reaction can do financial havoc on any corporation. My goal is to get 500 people to boycott Wal-Mart because of their racist practices against their customers. Every person likes to be treated with respect and dignity when they enter a store, not surrounded by store detectives and monitored by security cameras. So I intend to do something about the problem.

You do not have to respond to this email with your cookie-cutter letters about how Wal-Mart is a diverse work place-blah, blah, blah. I want you to be aware of what is happening, and I will keep you updated. on my progress.

Sorry to disappoint you, but all black people don’t steal.

Have a great day,

Mac McAllister

Cc Lee Scott
Tom Etchells
Lee Ruiz
Ron Medrano
Wall Street Journal
litlnemo says:

Monday, Feb 21 2005 at 12:17 am

Wow. I am really sorry you had that experience at Wal-Mart. Shopping at Wal-Mart isn’t fun at the best of times, but this is much much worse. Have you thought of sending a copy of your letter to the newspapers, both in Sequim and over here in Seattle? I think they might find it interesting and it might lead to a story. I wish you luck on your crusade – I’m already boycotting Wal-Mart for a lot of reasons, so this is just another one to add onto the pile. :/

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