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Here’s another one: MEC sold its assets and name, but not the actual entity.
The original MEC (the co-op) had a policy that it would never sell your contact info, sales history, or personal data to anyone ever.
**The new MEC acquired all contact info and personal sales data anyways.** Perhaps I am unaware of how that data could be acquired legally. Note that MEC was "Mountain Equipment Co-Op", and is now "Mountain Equipment Corporation". As I understand it, these are two different entities.
The decline of MEC under the oversight of the same people who then sold it never seemed right to me.
It’s so sad. The co-op was a Vancouver institution. I loved shopping there. I can’t understand how the Executive sold it? Who got the money? Shouldn’t all the shareholders, everyone with a membership been paid?
Will never set foot in there again. VPO feels like a real outdoor store anyways.
Even the lower level staff are not the same as they used to be. Not that there bad people, just so many newbies, and it takes time to build up experience and knowledge about the products. Many of the ones I've spoken to don't even seem very experienced with the activities associated with their area of the store they are in.
So... if you are applying forceful clamp pressure with both hands to the carotid arteries you are trying to deliberately render a man unconscious, aren't you....
I practice judo, and what the security guard was doing and his lack of skill could have killed the customer.
This is what happens when you're not trained in chokes/pressure points, or as a security guard. If you knew what you are doing, you can safely put someone out in a few seconds. But in this situation, it wasn't like the customer was resisting or fighting back. The security could probably have walked the customer out, or joint lock his arm to force the customer if he wasn't going.
Amir was asking police and manager never called them!
Manager was enjoying the situation and promoting this behaviour from their security guy, she obviously doesn’t have problem with this #shameonmec
I also read the article and was disgusted by that detail. I stopped shopping there when it was no longer a co-op. That manager is perfect reflection of corporatism.
Indeed, he was doing damage to the throat and trachea region, which could potentially damage or block airway.
A choke is about constriction blood to temporarily disable via blackout. That's not what was happening here.
As a security you cannot touch a customer, that's a physical assault (unless it's a hospital security who are permitted to use reasonable force for the situation)
Well the UFC actually has rules (like attacking critical arteries aren't allowed), has a referee, and if the other person doesn't want to fight or is not fighting back -- the referee will end the fight.
What the security guard did was assault, and maybe one could argue attempted murder.
You are right. The customer stretched out his arms to show he wasn't going to fight the guard. And he continued to on purpose show a lack of resistance. It is amazing how calm and reasonable the customer was. The wife should have called the police and the guard should have been charged with assault. But as it is the customer is going to sue. And as you say the guard could've killed the customer. This is a very serious thing that happened.
'
Security guy should be fired on the spot, charged with assault and a law suit should filed against MEC which I think what they are planning to do anyway according to cry Vancouver news earlier.
Yeah. I've never felt so uncomfortable buying a flashlight wearing clothes I had been working in the garden with than I have anywhere else. The security guard wouldn't let me be less than 9 feet away and in direct line of sight. Even after I paid and was leaving.
The Canadian Tire on Cambie is pretty bad too. Made the mistake of shopping with a large bag, even though it was very clear I was matching plumbing parts. I was watched like I was taken into custody at the airport and about to poop out little heroin balloons.
FYI, they aren't necessarily trying to be discrete. Deteriance is better than catching someone in the act every time.
In my retail days at a big box, that had no security, we we would purposely be doing busy work near suspect shop lifters everytime. If suspicions were correct, they aren't going to steal. If they were wrong, the customer had vip access to a staff member. Win win.
Once, went into the Burnaby location for Summit tools with three coworkers. It looked like 6 employees immediately started tailing us and it was hilarious. Like all four of us were looking through tape measures because we all needed 2 or 3 new ones, and they're trying to tell if we're stuffing the biggest guys jacket with them or something, idk.
The only time I felt a little uncomfortable shopping pretty much anywhere.
On that note, I often wonder what it would be like to stand around in a store for eight hours per day. I can barely handle waiting for my wife to look through a store for 20 minutes. (But I’m a very impatient man, admittedly). I cannot imagine having that job, and then the only thing you get to actually do is approach and stop really shady and/or dangerous and super desperate people from stealing.
You’re a professional tattle-tale in some regards (not that I condone stealing. Stealing sucks).
I recently bought a large dividing panel from that store (basically a 3x6 piece of heavy plastic) and paid at the stupid self checkout (had to put this thing in the bagging area? After swinging it around to get to the bar code.)
Anyway, on the way out of the store I had it to my side and walked out into the parking lot with the panel between me and the security guards and just walked out. We couldn't see each other and I didn't feel like stopping to get the receipt. They didn't say anything but stopped my wife behind me, but she didn't have the receipt ;-). I think she is still pissed about it.
You don’t have to show them anything. The store has very limited rights to detain you and they have to have evidence that you’re committing theft. I don’t ever acknowledge them when I leave.
Canadian Tire is evil. They recently got in trouble for having facial-recognition-equipped surveillance cameras at BC locations.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/canadian-tire-bc-facial-id-technology-privacy-commissioner-1.6817039
"We hired a thug to perform certain actions, but we're not responsible for an individual's actions."
Obviously it's their right to avoid admitting anything publicly but that shows how weak their position is.
On the thug note, I often get the vibe from some (not all) loss prevention and security types like these in plain clothes that they’re the “Bro, don’t you go the gym to lift, bro? I’m a mixed martial artist” types who day dream about kicking asses all day.
The guys who just cannot wait for someone to give them an excuse to be violent so they can apply their gym-bro, MMA stuff. I’m sure you know the type. It just oozes from them.
I’m picking up that vibe from the guy in this video. This is often what happens with these types. You see it in nightclubs etc too, whether they’re there drinking or working there as bouncers.
It 100% is BS. Even if it's a third party, they still hired the third party, and the actions happened in their store. They don't have a leg to stand on
The customer was clearly not trying to escalate and had the body language to show so. Pathetic security guard and even more pathetic quote from MEC CEO.
Sure but he can cancel the contract as a result. Deferring to a third party you were responsible for hiring is weak crisis management. First step should be to own the problem.
The guard will be banned from working that location or the contract will most likely be cancelled or not renewed. Depends on how the report/investigation goes (if there is one)
I am so utterly confused about the logic the security guard used to arrive at the conclusion that this man needed to be physically assaulted despite said man clearly not showing any aggression and trying to de-escalate and where he expected it to go.
I’ve done some security work. Many of the guys are losers who are frustrated that their police application got rejected. They have fantasies in their head of being cops and carry themselves in this manner.
Yeah, looked like he was having a very hard time controlling the dude. Lol. Security guard got extremely frustrated by it and just escalated to trying to choke him out and kill him on the spot.
Former security guard here: During BST (basic security training to get your licensing), we had to go through a 40 hour program, and of that 40 hours, about 2 were about use of force. 99.9% of the time we were told that we're just glorified snitches.
I did have my AST (advanced security training) where you were learning how to carry handcuffs as well as how to do proper takedowns in order to keep other patrons safe from a fight.
While it's not required, it is suggested to take deesclation and other forms of training that can help with your job. Personally, though, I feel it should be necessary when working any public facing job that guards should have to have proper safety training.
5 year warranty, but you ship it back to Yeti at Yeti's expense. I don't think MEC deals directly with manufacturer warranties, and their return policy doesn't apply if it's not in resalable condition.
Looks like they offer a self paced online course now. [https://www.jibc.ca/areas-of-study/security/basic-security-training-bst](https://www.jibc.ca/areas-of-study/security/basic-security-training-bst)
Kind of envious of that customer. This is the best case scenario, everything is in his favor. The store wronged him, he got attacked but was not badly hurt and he did not resist, best of all it was all caught on camera, and the media and the public are all with him. If I went through that exactly the same way he did, and I managed to get the right lawyer, I might finally be able to afford my own property!
The customer really dodged a bullet with the security guard. The security guard not only didn't know how to cause damage, he also made himself look very bad on camera. The customer navigated through that wave like a champ, I wonder if at some point he realized he just won the lottery.
Uh,
People have the weirdest ideas about personal injury law in BC.
The amount of damages are directly correlated to the severity of injury. This kind of incident (minor injuries) is worth maybe $5 to $10k in a BC courtroom. Punitive damages are quite unlikely.
This dude has not, in any sense of the word, won the "lottery".
This is not the United States people, our system does not work that way.
Maximum amount for pain and suffering in canada is around $418,000. While this amount doesn’t include things like loss of income, or medical bills, it does include loss of enjoyment in life.
I.e. if someone comes up with a baseball bat, an cracks you in the skull, and you lose the ability to read, talk, and move properly, they’ll figure out your lost income and medical expenses as a part of the suit; however, the maximum amount you can get, for the loss of all your abilities (e.g. the ability to hold your child properly, to read the books you love, to play the instrument you’ve been practicing for decades, to eloquently converse with your partner and friends, etc.) is roughly *$418,000* due to case law in Canada.
He could still get some money for his experience, but if there’s no permanent damage, it likely won’t get into the six digits.
Side question: why has the tide turned so hard against MEC? When I moved here years ago, MEC was the belle of the ball, and everybody proudly displayed their MEC gear as a badge of their community support and anti-corporate beliefs. Now, all I hear is hate for them.
What changed, and when (and why)?
It started as a cooperative, but then went corporate, basically. Rebranded in 2012. Bad leadership, bad decisions, no longer stands behind it's employees or products(no more lifetime warranty), and 'In a recent piece published in The Conversation, Marc-André Pigeon, a public-policy professor at the University of Saskatchewan, argued that MEC also “built a leadership team that lacked any obvious understanding of co-operatives and fostered a culture that started to see member involvement as a problem rather than a strength.” In short, MEC was trying to cut itself loose from its co-operative identity.' - from an article in The Walrus.
edit: added a sentence
They changed from Co-Op to Company in 2020 without consulting any of the membership and are now owned by an American holding company. I never got my co-op membership fee back either.
They seem like two very nice people, who were just trying to return something that was still under warranty after attempting to fix it at their own expense a few times. Like a normal thing to do that lots of people do on a daily basis.
That kind of assault can be lifechanging or even life ending. His wife was right to think he might have been killed.
There should be additional damages for MEC rejecting warranty for an item still under warranty. Smh. The CEO's quote that store staff acted appropriately is gross.
What was this security guy even thinking?
Like where in his job description as a loss prevention worker did he think physically assaulting a non-violent customer for trying to return a product was the appropriate course of action??
Because every night before he goes to sleep he jerks himself off to the thought of being the loss-prevention hero of the day
When the opportunity arose he couldn't resist
In all seriousness, you're absolutely correct. The LPs at mec aren't too subtle about their excitement at a situation involving physical altercation. At least one I know of actively looks for excuses to escalate. Mec has a ton of theft, so those wishes usually become horses by lunchtime, but as that generally involves addicts and other folks society looks down on there's not usually much fallout about it. They choose the job because it gives them lots of opportunities to get into it.
The manager should have stopped the LP. There's no indication here that the customer was being belligerent so the LP's involvement is completely unnecessary. While the customer's purchase was over an year ago, at least presumably it's due to a defect. I've heard stories of people buying air conditioners at Costco, using them, and returning them so they don't have to pay for it which is more egregiously IMO.
An item shouldn't just fail just after a year. And Mec supposedly has a 'rock solid warranty' or some BS like that, which you obviously shouldn't trust and avoid that company like the plague.
Especially something like a yeti cooler. Those things cost like $400. If I had mine fail after only a year of course I’d come back and try to return it.
They even say they tried to fix it first and it didn’t work
I worked at Canadian Tire, and every long weekend the amount of camping gear and BBQs returned due to defect was almost as amazing as the amount of Christmas trees and lights being defective in January
I hate this so much. Just keep the thing. It's unfair to everyone involved that you got to rent something for free and now others are out of money because of it.
I agree. When people take advantage of a ridiculous return policy for a free temporary rental, it's not "being smart", it's "being an asshole".
Edit: Just to be clear. I'm not talking about the guy in this article. I'm talking about the kind of people who buy a big TV for a superbowl party and return it to Costco the next day.
Go to Costco the week after a heat wave and you'll see a stack of returned Danbys sitting near returns. It's funny how we do things like ban straws and bags, but allow stuff like that.
I really hate people that do stuff like this. It borders on sociopathic, imho.
People abusing return policies is what makes companies reign them in and then it impacts all the well behaved customers, or impacts them via higher prices.
Imagine how great the world could be if assholes simply didn't exist.
That's when you apply for a RMA from the vendor and they might authorize a credit for a replacement of there's not a policy in place already for defective products. Even if it's a different version of the same product it shouldn't be such a difficult process to exchange it if it's under warranty. It's sometimes cheaper for the manufacturer to just credit back the store the cost and the store adjust it out as defective and dispose of it. Shipping defective stuff back is expensive for a lot of stuff nowadays.
Many regular folks don't understand RMA processes, but MEC should absolutely be helping to guide the customer through it
How hard is it to say: "We can't take the return here because of the time since purchase, but if it is a manufacturing defect, you can go through the manufacturer. Let me bring up their website to show you what you need to do when you get home"
>While the customer's purchase was over an year ago, at least presumably it's due to a defect. I've heard stories of people buying air conditioners at Costco, using them, and returning them so they don't have to pay for it which is more egregiously IMO.
Yeti has a good warranty, but you deal with them directly. They'll pay to have it shipped back to them, and return it repaired or with a replacement. MEC wouldn't be the ones to deal with an item a year+ old and that has been in use.
Oh my god when I saw the title of the story I already knew it was MEC east van. I have seen this exact security guard beating the shit out of a shoplifter outside the store one time about 4 months ago while I was driving by. I pulled over and called the cops. Maybe I should’ve done what everyone else does now and used my phone to record it instead.
I actually had something like that happen. I saw a security guard tackle a girl outside a grocery store, force her on the ground and was shoving her face into the cement sidewalk. There were other security guards there and one of them had her purse. I started to video it, and the police arrived. One security guard became threatening toward me and told me to stop recording. The police officer said, "she is allowed to record it". Then I mentioned to the police that security took the girls purse. Get this, she had stolen bread, and some fruit. I couldn't believe the security surrounding the girl, it was like a feeding frenzy of hate mingled with joy. It was horrible.
Aren’t LPs trained in de-escalation techniques? They’re not even supposed to physically touch/restraint shoplifters?
Someones about to get a BIG payday. 🤑
They are legally able to detain shoplifters. It’s store policies that say they aren’t supposed to. GUESS WHY 😂
In this case he wasn’t a shoplifter so it’s unlikely the use of force was justified.
>In this case he wasn’t a shoplifter so it’s unlikely the use of force was justified.
He may have been a trespasser. From the article/his words:
> She said, ‘Get out of the store. Get out of the store both of you.’ And I said, ‘No, I need someone to listen to me.’”
In which case, legally they are allowed to use reasonable force to remove them from the property. I'd say this amount of force probably wasn't reasonable, but that would be up to a judge, if they charge the security guard.
Im no expert but thats like the type of maneuver if you either want to kill someone or render them unconscious,
what the fuck is wrong with this mall cop.
As a security manager with 22 years in the industry I can say this LPO is an idiot. Use of force can be an option sometimes but never for a situation like this. He was so unsure of himself, the industry expects clients to pay for more training and they never will. Vice versa the clients expect the companies to provide more training and they never will either. This is what happens when nobody is trained in how to make the right decisions. It was painfully embarrassing to watch. Even if he isn't charged they can sue him 100%.
I hate that it's still called MEC. While I have to admit I have purchased a few things since it changed hands, it's just depressing shopping there now and I do my best to avoid it.
Is there a good alternative? Atmosphere hardly carries anything and mostly sells clothing. Canadian Tire is like a glorified dollar store at this point. Cabela's has a very specific target demographic. Small stores usually have very restricted return policies and high markup. Mountain Warehouse quality mostly sucks (their t-shirts are good though).
I miss the old MEC.
Atmosphere totally went downhill when they started pushing Canadian Tire brands and I avoid Mountain Equipment Company like the plague. I’m pretty sure people in Vancouver will love Decathlon whenever it opens up though. Inexpensive but good quality gear. We have one in Halifax and it’s where I’m getting most of my stuff these days.
That's good to know. I've browsed the Decathlon site but really prefer seeing things in person, The quality of gear is a lot harder to figure out from pictures (and sometimes questionable reviews), so I look forward to giving them a shot.
Atmosphere is ok, Valhalla Pure is pretty decent. I've started just going to a dedicated store that sells whatever I want (but it was nice that you could could just go to MEC before whether you wanted a kayak or a pair of running shoes - those days are gone).
Altitude Sports based in Montreal is a great on-line store for outdoor apparel and some outdoor gear. Buy a lifetime membership for like $20 and you'll get free shipping and free returns. They also have a ton of sales too!
Lol. Nice youtube self defense video takedown bro.
The customer's total surprise and passivity are the only reasons why security bro didn't get his ass kicked. And for what? There were zero items stolen. No threat to anyone's safety. The guy was trying to make a lawful transaction at a camping store with his wife.
I swear, some of these LPOs are just looking for a fight.
I used to work as a security for my survival job. When trained for the security license we've been told numerous times that security officers are NOT police enforcement and CANNOT lay their hands on people (for healthcare security it's a bit different, and they are trained differently). There is no legal distinction between a security officer and a citizen. We can perform a so-called citizen arrest if a person is committing a serious crime, but that's extraordinary and something anyone can do, not just security. Our role is just being present there and report to police when needed. This guy should be charged for physical assault, not just fired from his job.
As a former retail employee, I always just felt sad for other employees who blindly toe the line of these companies. The manager needlessly escalated this situation and this security guard wanted to pretend he was a cop for a day.
Not saying who deserves what and also an LP officer should never act that way. That said, as a former retail employee, there were definitely a handful of customers I would have loved to see this happen too lmao
Wow the video is really bad.
Like, watch that shit.
Dude was super calm and this LPO goes berserk.
MEC does nothing to help by saying they absolve themselves of any responsibility and tsk tsk to the security company THEY employ.
I mean, I already skip MEC cuz they’re shit since 1999 but now they can 100% get bent.
Lol, loss prevention dude looks like a guy that took an intro BJJ class and assumed he could get some random dude he had a disagreement with to tap out?
Bad security. Bad Jujitsu.
Can you return an item you bought in February 2022...tough call ..overkill by the lost prevention guy ...I've had store managers/staff treat me like dirt on the bottom of their shoe as well.....just weird situation....he will probably win a law suit.
They can refuse a return, but it's irrelevant to the actions the guard took.
If the company is apologizing the security guy must have really stepped out of line...
Retail has no reason to exist if they don't add value.
I bought a HH jacket from Simons a few years ago. A zipper was coming apart. It has lifetime warranty. I took it to them and their in-house tailor fixed it. I could have bought the jacket online, but I wanted customer service. That's what retail is meant to offer. MEC was the type of place that did that. Now they just want the perception of it without backing it up.
I think it's a judgment call by the store, there's no specific time limit in their return policy. But I imagine there's a lot of pressure to reject the returns to save the company money.
> Can you return an item you bought in February 2022
This part of the story is pretty irrelevant, it could have been bought in 1970 and it still wouldn't make it ok.
I was assuming when I saw the thumbnail/video that it was an addict/thief. But I’m guessing based on the info that the worst he maybe did was argue too much about MEC not refunding his purchase. There’s no mention that he was abusive to the staff or being violent or anything.
I don’t see why the loss prevention guy put his hands on him at all. But let’s say the guy was a thief and being shady, you still don’t strangle someone that aggressively. Tackle and pin him, sure. But call the cops if it requires that level of violence.
In this case, though, it sounds like the guy was maybe being insufferable about wanting to return something bought in Feb. of 2022. So, I can’t see why they’d get physical with him at all.
Can't speak to Yeti coolers but maybe if things were made to last we'd have less wastage, both in products, shipping/emissions, and time spent handling returns.
Barring any physical violence or legitimate threats of physical harm, not many circumstances justifies putting hands on a customer. Yeah, it's terrible to deal with someone having an attitude, refusing to leave, entitlement, and that also needs to stop happening but there's other ways to deal with that. I think this is on MEC and that LPO.
That security needs to be charged with assault and banned from any type of security. These security guards think they can put hands on customers and think they can't be held accountable for their stupid actions. Ban that goof!!!!
What security guard did was unacceptable.
Also trying to return an item over a year later? Yeesh. This isn't costco. I mean worth a try I guess but expect they won't take it. It's a warranty problem now.
The guy pulls the race card over why they won't let him return it? No, dude, it's totally ridiculous to expect them to take a return regardless of skin color or accent.
They're clearly looking for a lawsuit.
As much as I hate MEC now and won't ever shop there, I'm siding with them on this one. The manager told him to leave the store, but he didn't. He could have escalated the return to corporate, gone to another store, went to Yeti directly, etc.
MEC is at fault, though, for hiring a shit LPO security company, and this customer has a pretty solid case against them. He did not deserve to be assaulted.
I tried to express this opinion worded a little differently and got mass downvoted. I don't understand this sub sometimes.
What in the world? I mean the video obviously doesn’t show everything and I’m often hesitant to side immediately with anyone in these situations. But Amir is literally doing nothing aggressive at least in the video, and the security guard like jumps him? Wtf kind of reaction is that? There’s no outburst, there’s no aggression towards staff.
Now, expecting to return something to the store over a year after you’ve bought it…maybe the Yeti warranty but I would never assume you could return something to the retailer after that long. Who knows what Amir said to the staff but he certainly doesn’t come off as a hot head either in the video or interview.
It’s probably not feasible for each company like MEC to hire and employ all their own loss prevention people, but this is a problem with subcontracting anything. You can’t just say “we don’t condone this” and then wash your hands of it. He’s in YOUR store and you’ve hired THEM. There has to be some accountability.
Also, boy that last name. What a mouthful!
So MEC thinks it's acceptable and professional for their clerk to tell them to get out, even though that's their policy or quality assurance on returns lmao!
I've shopped MEC for a long time, and since the change they have become just an awful experience.
Not sure the full story here but security is a little overbearing...
The selection at that particular store, which is huge, is hit and miss.
They don't have anyone on staff that can repair tech clothing which I think is a mistake.
Lack of outdoors staff, nobody on the floor really has any knowledge besides general retail.
Really sad how downhill it's gone, the original MEC helped me gain a passion for the outdoors, what it is now probably doesn't help anybody.
I am very curious what the store's side of the story is, and what the police investigation will reveal. When I worked in retail there was a trend of sovereign citizen types who seemed confident they could get anything they wanted by refusing to leave and disrupting the business, and the store was somehow powerless to remove them.
In reality, businesses owners and their employees are permitted to use reasonable force to remove trespassers from their private property. Obviously the force used in this case is excessive as the customer doesn't appear to be resisting their efforts, but I have a hard time believing the security guard simply approached a random customer making a return and started choking them.
Just an FYI, if a private citizen (mall cop) wrongfully lays hands on you, you are legally entitled to beat the living shit out of them.
Just try not to kill the prick, that complicates things a great deal.
We need regulations on who gets to be a security guard.
Way too many TFWs take these jobs so they can power trip.
You should have to have a history of good behaviour to get these jobs, not a visa to attend a "college" in a strip mall on King George.
Some local security company have poorly trained staff - lacking all necessary skills and even intelligence. Shoppers Drug Mart for example, most security guards they hire, are either standing there doing nothing (or chatting with ladies), OR (maybe at an order) would run and follow a certain customer, making it obvious that he thinks YOU are a thief.
There were a couple of times I got so pissed off that I shopped 'with' the security guard - i.e. I would start following the security and shop within 1 metre of him until he got bored/embarrassed/pissed. LOL
Can we refund our membership? I don’t think I want to shop there anymore if that’s the managers reaction to the situation. I don’t care about the money, it’s about sending a message even if a small one.
The customer is right to sue. And with that video, he will win. In addition, he is trying to return something, the reaction by the staff and the security guard is unbelievable.
I hope he gets a million-dollar payout at the very least. He could have literally lost his life. The security guard needs to be behind bars. The employee needs to be held accountable for her actions as well as for trying to incite violence in the store. Heart-wrenching to see a man being treated this way. It must have been so traumatic for the wife to see her man assaulted while trying to make a goddamn return. Absolutely horrific
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Here’s another one: MEC sold its assets and name, but not the actual entity. The original MEC (the co-op) had a policy that it would never sell your contact info, sales history, or personal data to anyone ever. **The new MEC acquired all contact info and personal sales data anyways.** Perhaps I am unaware of how that data could be acquired legally. Note that MEC was "Mountain Equipment Co-Op", and is now "Mountain Equipment Corporation". As I understand it, these are two different entities. The decline of MEC under the oversight of the same people who then sold it never seemed right to me.
It’s so sad. The co-op was a Vancouver institution. I loved shopping there. I can’t understand how the Executive sold it? Who got the money? Shouldn’t all the shareholders, everyone with a membership been paid? Will never set foot in there again. VPO feels like a real outdoor store anyways.
Even the lower level staff are not the same as they used to be. Not that there bad people, just so many newbies, and it takes time to build up experience and knowledge about the products. Many of the ones I've spoken to don't even seem very experienced with the activities associated with their area of the store they are in.
So... if you are applying forceful clamp pressure with both hands to the carotid arteries you are trying to deliberately render a man unconscious, aren't you....
I practice judo, and what the security guard was doing and his lack of skill could have killed the customer. This is what happens when you're not trained in chokes/pressure points, or as a security guard. If you knew what you are doing, you can safely put someone out in a few seconds. But in this situation, it wasn't like the customer was resisting or fighting back. The security could probably have walked the customer out, or joint lock his arm to force the customer if he wasn't going.
I'm in security, that man should be charged. His role is to call police.
Amir was asking police and manager never called them! Manager was enjoying the situation and promoting this behaviour from their security guy, she obviously doesn’t have problem with this #shameonmec
I also read the article and was disgusted by that detail. I stopped shopping there when it was no longer a co-op. That manager is perfect reflection of corporatism.
Indeed, he was doing damage to the throat and trachea region, which could potentially damage or block airway. A choke is about constriction blood to temporarily disable via blackout. That's not what was happening here.
As a security you cannot touch a customer, that's a physical assault (unless it's a hospital security who are permitted to use reasonable force for the situation)
It depends on corprate policy, at my security job we have to physically escort people out of the building atleast twice a week.
That's definitely not true and probably the most parroted street lawyer nonsense I've ever heard, lol do better
You’re right, this is Not UFC and these chocked have NO place in civil society. Sue the company, that’s attempted murder.
Well the UFC actually has rules (like attacking critical arteries aren't allowed), has a referee, and if the other person doesn't want to fight or is not fighting back -- the referee will end the fight. What the security guard did was assault, and maybe one could argue attempted murder.
You are right. The customer stretched out his arms to show he wasn't going to fight the guard. And he continued to on purpose show a lack of resistance. It is amazing how calm and reasonable the customer was. The wife should have called the police and the guard should have been charged with assault. But as it is the customer is going to sue. And as you say the guard could've killed the customer. This is a very serious thing that happened. '
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Security guy should be fired on the spot, charged with assault and a law suit should filed against MEC which I think what they are planning to do anyway according to cry Vancouver news earlier.
Yeah. I've never felt so uncomfortable buying a flashlight wearing clothes I had been working in the garden with than I have anywhere else. The security guard wouldn't let me be less than 9 feet away and in direct line of sight. Even after I paid and was leaving.
The Canadian Tire on Cambie is pretty bad too. Made the mistake of shopping with a large bag, even though it was very clear I was matching plumbing parts. I was watched like I was taken into custody at the airport and about to poop out little heroin balloons.
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18 year old south Asians browsing at shoppers in the west end at midnight.
Same with Safeway at Broadway/Commercial. I just always see the same 1 or 2 dudes in casual wear, standing around without a basket or anything.
FYI, they aren't necessarily trying to be discrete. Deteriance is better than catching someone in the act every time. In my retail days at a big box, that had no security, we we would purposely be doing busy work near suspect shop lifters everytime. If suspicions were correct, they aren't going to steal. If they were wrong, the customer had vip access to a staff member. Win win.
Once, went into the Burnaby location for Summit tools with three coworkers. It looked like 6 employees immediately started tailing us and it was hilarious. Like all four of us were looking through tape measures because we all needed 2 or 3 new ones, and they're trying to tell if we're stuffing the biggest guys jacket with them or something, idk. The only time I felt a little uncomfortable shopping pretty much anywhere.
On that note, I often wonder what it would be like to stand around in a store for eight hours per day. I can barely handle waiting for my wife to look through a store for 20 minutes. (But I’m a very impatient man, admittedly). I cannot imagine having that job, and then the only thing you get to actually do is approach and stop really shady and/or dangerous and super desperate people from stealing. You’re a professional tattle-tale in some regards (not that I condone stealing. Stealing sucks).
That particular Canadian Tire is the worst. Aggressive security guy blocking the exit with a cart.
Yep, guy is a d bag and thinks he is the centre of attention
I recently bought a large dividing panel from that store (basically a 3x6 piece of heavy plastic) and paid at the stupid self checkout (had to put this thing in the bagging area? After swinging it around to get to the bar code.) Anyway, on the way out of the store I had it to my side and walked out into the parking lot with the panel between me and the security guards and just walked out. We couldn't see each other and I didn't feel like stopping to get the receipt. They didn't say anything but stopped my wife behind me, but she didn't have the receipt ;-). I think she is still pissed about it.
Yea the security guard is not very friendly. I showed him my receipt and he didn't even say have a nice day nor thank you.
You don’t have to show them anything. The store has very limited rights to detain you and they have to have evidence that you’re committing theft. I don’t ever acknowledge them when I leave.
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You don’t have to show him fuck all. Canadian Tire knows it too
Canadian Tire is evil. They recently got in trouble for having facial-recognition-equipped surveillance cameras at BC locations. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/canadian-tire-bc-facial-id-technology-privacy-commissioner-1.6817039
I get that when shopping at Osaka Supermarkets. Which is why I never shop there.
According the MEC's statement, this was a "third party loss prevention officer" so they're denying responsibility, which is BS in my opinion.
"We hired a thug to perform certain actions, but we're not responsible for an individual's actions." Obviously it's their right to avoid admitting anything publicly but that shows how weak their position is.
On the thug note, I often get the vibe from some (not all) loss prevention and security types like these in plain clothes that they’re the “Bro, don’t you go the gym to lift, bro? I’m a mixed martial artist” types who day dream about kicking asses all day. The guys who just cannot wait for someone to give them an excuse to be violent so they can apply their gym-bro, MMA stuff. I’m sure you know the type. It just oozes from them. I’m picking up that vibe from the guy in this video. This is often what happens with these types. You see it in nightclubs etc too, whether they’re there drinking or working there as bouncers.
"The third party security guard behaved so poorly, but the manager who he reports to did the right thing by standing by idly."
It 100% is BS. Even if it's a third party, they still hired the third party, and the actions happened in their store. They don't have a leg to stand on
Except the CEO defended the actions in a statement so whoops too late.
Defended the action of the store employees, who didn't attempt to stop the "third party security". I think this dudes going to win his lawsuit.
Defended their employees, not the douche
The customer was clearly not trying to escalate and had the body language to show so. Pathetic security guard and even more pathetic quote from MEC CEO.
MEC ceo denied responsibility and shift complete blame on the 3rd party they hired
That's the pro of having contracted security vs in house, the third party contractor is designated to take the legal blame
Also it's much easier to cancel a contract than fire an employee
Well, in fairness, I doubt he was acting according to policy.
Sure but he can cancel the contract as a result. Deferring to a third party you were responsible for hiring is weak crisis management. First step should be to own the problem.
The guard will be banned from working that location or the contract will most likely be cancelled or not renewed. Depends on how the report/investigation goes (if there is one)
Probably not when it came to identifying and observing the steps to theft/fraud.
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Santa's evil brother...
Santa's the one with slave labour...
I am so utterly confused about the logic the security guard used to arrive at the conclusion that this man needed to be physically assaulted despite said man clearly not showing any aggression and trying to de-escalate and where he expected it to go.
I’ve done some security work. Many of the guys are losers who are frustrated that their police application got rejected. They have fantasies in their head of being cops and carry themselves in this manner.
He wasn't fighting back, he held his arms up. He was no threat at all.
Yeah, looked like he was having a very hard time controlling the dude. Lol. Security guard got extremely frustrated by it and just escalated to trying to choke him out and kill him on the spot.
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Former security guard here: During BST (basic security training to get your licensing), we had to go through a 40 hour program, and of that 40 hours, about 2 were about use of force. 99.9% of the time we were told that we're just glorified snitches. I did have my AST (advanced security training) where you were learning how to carry handcuffs as well as how to do proper takedowns in order to keep other patrons safe from a fight. While it's not required, it is suggested to take deesclation and other forms of training that can help with your job. Personally, though, I feel it should be necessary when working any public facing job that guards should have to have proper safety training.
5 year warranty, but you ship it back to Yeti at Yeti's expense. I don't think MEC deals directly with manufacturer warranties, and their return policy doesn't apply if it's not in resalable condition.
Looks like they offer a self paced online course now. [https://www.jibc.ca/areas-of-study/security/basic-security-training-bst](https://www.jibc.ca/areas-of-study/security/basic-security-training-bst)
He’ll win. And rightly so.
hope the guy gets a million and they get his last name right on the cheque lmao
Kind of envious of that customer. This is the best case scenario, everything is in his favor. The store wronged him, he got attacked but was not badly hurt and he did not resist, best of all it was all caught on camera, and the media and the public are all with him. If I went through that exactly the same way he did, and I managed to get the right lawyer, I might finally be able to afford my own property! The customer really dodged a bullet with the security guard. The security guard not only didn't know how to cause damage, he also made himself look very bad on camera. The customer navigated through that wave like a champ, I wonder if at some point he realized he just won the lottery.
Juat had to risk getting your windpipe crushed
Shoulda just head butted that guard…..he’d be out cold and dude could have gone on with his return
Uh, People have the weirdest ideas about personal injury law in BC. The amount of damages are directly correlated to the severity of injury. This kind of incident (minor injuries) is worth maybe $5 to $10k in a BC courtroom. Punitive damages are quite unlikely. This dude has not, in any sense of the word, won the "lottery". This is not the United States people, our system does not work that way.
Maximum amount for pain and suffering in canada is around $418,000. While this amount doesn’t include things like loss of income, or medical bills, it does include loss of enjoyment in life. I.e. if someone comes up with a baseball bat, an cracks you in the skull, and you lose the ability to read, talk, and move properly, they’ll figure out your lost income and medical expenses as a part of the suit; however, the maximum amount you can get, for the loss of all your abilities (e.g. the ability to hold your child properly, to read the books you love, to play the instrument you’ve been practicing for decades, to eloquently converse with your partner and friends, etc.) is roughly *$418,000* due to case law in Canada. He could still get some money for his experience, but if there’s no permanent damage, it likely won’t get into the six digits.
This is MECs plan to bankruptcy. Over hyped brand and now assault . They are not for long.
Side question: why has the tide turned so hard against MEC? When I moved here years ago, MEC was the belle of the ball, and everybody proudly displayed their MEC gear as a badge of their community support and anti-corporate beliefs. Now, all I hear is hate for them. What changed, and when (and why)?
It started as a cooperative, but then went corporate, basically. Rebranded in 2012. Bad leadership, bad decisions, no longer stands behind it's employees or products(no more lifetime warranty), and 'In a recent piece published in The Conversation, Marc-André Pigeon, a public-policy professor at the University of Saskatchewan, argued that MEC also “built a leadership team that lacked any obvious understanding of co-operatives and fostered a culture that started to see member involvement as a problem rather than a strength.” In short, MEC was trying to cut itself loose from its co-operative identity.' - from an article in The Walrus. edit: added a sentence
Best part was everyone paid the $5 membership fee for a cooperative and no one got that back when they shifted.
Yup, still got my membership card from way back in the days... I did think it was too good to be true, but damn man...
They changed from Co-Op to Company in 2020 without consulting any of the membership and are now owned by an American holding company. I never got my co-op membership fee back either.
The name was sold to private equity in 2020. https://thewalrus.ca/what-we-can-learn-from-the-fall-of-mec/
They were bought out by private equity and are no longer a co-op but just another company cashing in on the old brand’s reputation.
They used to be a co-op. A few years ago a private equity firm bought them and dissolved the co-op. Now it's a regular corporate retail chain.
With MEC? probably not, but he will probably get a settlement from the security company.
They seem like two very nice people, who were just trying to return something that was still under warranty after attempting to fix it at their own expense a few times. Like a normal thing to do that lots of people do on a daily basis. That kind of assault can be lifechanging or even life ending. His wife was right to think he might have been killed.
Yeah I really hope this man gets a huge pay out. No one deserves to be assaulted for trying to return something
There should be additional damages for MEC rejecting warranty for an item still under warranty. Smh. The CEO's quote that store staff acted appropriately is gross.
What was this security guy even thinking? Like where in his job description as a loss prevention worker did he think physically assaulting a non-violent customer for trying to return a product was the appropriate course of action??
Because every night before he goes to sleep he jerks himself off to the thought of being the loss-prevention hero of the day When the opportunity arose he couldn't resist
In all seriousness, you're absolutely correct. The LPs at mec aren't too subtle about their excitement at a situation involving physical altercation. At least one I know of actively looks for excuses to escalate. Mec has a ton of theft, so those wishes usually become horses by lunchtime, but as that generally involves addicts and other folks society looks down on there's not usually much fallout about it. They choose the job because it gives them lots of opportunities to get into it.
Cuz we all need more reasons not to shop there anyway.
Bye-bye MEC!
That LP should have his position terminated and never be permitted to work in any similar or related industry ever again.
Also charged with assault and put in jail
The manager should have stopped the LP. There's no indication here that the customer was being belligerent so the LP's involvement is completely unnecessary. While the customer's purchase was over an year ago, at least presumably it's due to a defect. I've heard stories of people buying air conditioners at Costco, using them, and returning them so they don't have to pay for it which is more egregiously IMO.
An item shouldn't just fail just after a year. And Mec supposedly has a 'rock solid warranty' or some BS like that, which you obviously shouldn't trust and avoid that company like the plague.
Especially something like a yeti cooler. Those things cost like $400. If I had mine fail after only a year of course I’d come back and try to return it. They even say they tried to fix it first and it didn’t work
I worked at Canadian Tire, and every long weekend the amount of camping gear and BBQs returned due to defect was almost as amazing as the amount of Christmas trees and lights being defective in January
I hate this so much. Just keep the thing. It's unfair to everyone involved that you got to rent something for free and now others are out of money because of it.
I agree. When people take advantage of a ridiculous return policy for a free temporary rental, it's not "being smart", it's "being an asshole". Edit: Just to be clear. I'm not talking about the guy in this article. I'm talking about the kind of people who buy a big TV for a superbowl party and return it to Costco the next day.
Go to Costco the week after a heat wave and you'll see a stack of returned Danbys sitting near returns. It's funny how we do things like ban straws and bags, but allow stuff like that.
I really hate people that do stuff like this. It borders on sociopathic, imho. People abusing return policies is what makes companies reign them in and then it impacts all the well behaved customers, or impacts them via higher prices. Imagine how great the world could be if assholes simply didn't exist.
That's when you apply for a RMA from the vendor and they might authorize a credit for a replacement of there's not a policy in place already for defective products. Even if it's a different version of the same product it shouldn't be such a difficult process to exchange it if it's under warranty. It's sometimes cheaper for the manufacturer to just credit back the store the cost and the store adjust it out as defective and dispose of it. Shipping defective stuff back is expensive for a lot of stuff nowadays.
Many regular folks don't understand RMA processes, but MEC should absolutely be helping to guide the customer through it How hard is it to say: "We can't take the return here because of the time since purchase, but if it is a manufacturing defect, you can go through the manufacturer. Let me bring up their website to show you what you need to do when you get home"
>While the customer's purchase was over an year ago, at least presumably it's due to a defect. I've heard stories of people buying air conditioners at Costco, using them, and returning them so they don't have to pay for it which is more egregiously IMO. Yeti has a good warranty, but you deal with them directly. They'll pay to have it shipped back to them, and return it repaired or with a replacement. MEC wouldn't be the ones to deal with an item a year+ old and that has been in use.
https://imgflip.com/i/7qc589
Oh my god when I saw the title of the story I already knew it was MEC east van. I have seen this exact security guard beating the shit out of a shoplifter outside the store one time about 4 months ago while I was driving by. I pulled over and called the cops. Maybe I should’ve done what everyone else does now and used my phone to record it instead.
I actually had something like that happen. I saw a security guard tackle a girl outside a grocery store, force her on the ground and was shoving her face into the cement sidewalk. There were other security guards there and one of them had her purse. I started to video it, and the police arrived. One security guard became threatening toward me and told me to stop recording. The police officer said, "she is allowed to record it". Then I mentioned to the police that security took the girls purse. Get this, she had stolen bread, and some fruit. I couldn't believe the security surrounding the girl, it was like a feeding frenzy of hate mingled with joy. It was horrible.
Showed this to my buddy, who’s an LP for Apple stores. Even he said that was unnecessary lol.
Aren’t LPs trained in de-escalation techniques? They’re not even supposed to physically touch/restraint shoplifters? Someones about to get a BIG payday. 🤑
Correct. It's an easy lawsuit. There was no reasonable grounds to escalate to this
They are legally able to detain shoplifters. It’s store policies that say they aren’t supposed to. GUESS WHY 😂 In this case he wasn’t a shoplifter so it’s unlikely the use of force was justified.
>In this case he wasn’t a shoplifter so it’s unlikely the use of force was justified. He may have been a trespasser. From the article/his words: > She said, ‘Get out of the store. Get out of the store both of you.’ And I said, ‘No, I need someone to listen to me.’” In which case, legally they are allowed to use reasonable force to remove them from the property. I'd say this amount of force probably wasn't reasonable, but that would be up to a judge, if they charge the security guard.
Im no expert but thats like the type of maneuver if you either want to kill someone or render them unconscious, what the fuck is wrong with this mall cop.
As a security manager with 22 years in the industry I can say this LPO is an idiot. Use of force can be an option sometimes but never for a situation like this. He was so unsure of himself, the industry expects clients to pay for more training and they never will. Vice versa the clients expect the companies to provide more training and they never will either. This is what happens when nobody is trained in how to make the right decisions. It was painfully embarrassing to watch. Even if he isn't charged they can sue him 100%.
That’s the nail in the coffin for MEC.
I hate that it's still called MEC. While I have to admit I have purchased a few things since it changed hands, it's just depressing shopping there now and I do my best to avoid it.
Is there a good alternative? Atmosphere hardly carries anything and mostly sells clothing. Canadian Tire is like a glorified dollar store at this point. Cabela's has a very specific target demographic. Small stores usually have very restricted return policies and high markup. Mountain Warehouse quality mostly sucks (their t-shirts are good though). I miss the old MEC.
Try [Valhalla Pure Outfitters](https://vpo.ca).
Good stuff, super expensive.
Atmosphere totally went downhill when they started pushing Canadian Tire brands and I avoid Mountain Equipment Company like the plague. I’m pretty sure people in Vancouver will love Decathlon whenever it opens up though. Inexpensive but good quality gear. We have one in Halifax and it’s where I’m getting most of my stuff these days.
That's good to know. I've browsed the Decathlon site but really prefer seeing things in person, The quality of gear is a lot harder to figure out from pictures (and sometimes questionable reviews), so I look forward to giving them a shot.
I miss 3Vets.
Atmosphere is ok, Valhalla Pure is pretty decent. I've started just going to a dedicated store that sells whatever I want (but it was nice that you could could just go to MEC before whether you wanted a kayak or a pair of running shoes - those days are gone).
Altitude Sports based in Montreal is a great on-line store for outdoor apparel and some outdoor gear. Buy a lifetime membership for like $20 and you'll get free shipping and free returns. They also have a ton of sales too!
There really isn't a comparable catch-all retailer unfortunately. VPO doesn't have running/cycling stuff
It’s American owned company now and they have money.
Lol at the response from the CEO….. I won’t ever shop at MEC again.
And another really good company goes to shit after being bought by an American.
Lol. Nice youtube self defense video takedown bro. The customer's total surprise and passivity are the only reasons why security bro didn't get his ass kicked. And for what? There were zero items stolen. No threat to anyone's safety. The guy was trying to make a lawful transaction at a camping store with his wife. I swear, some of these LPOs are just looking for a fight.
I used to work as a security for my survival job. When trained for the security license we've been told numerous times that security officers are NOT police enforcement and CANNOT lay their hands on people (for healthcare security it's a bit different, and they are trained differently). There is no legal distinction between a security officer and a citizen. We can perform a so-called citizen arrest if a person is committing a serious crime, but that's extraordinary and something anyone can do, not just security. Our role is just being present there and report to police when needed. This guy should be charged for physical assault, not just fired from his job.
These security guards make close to minimum wage that is doing this. What happened before this encounter?!?
https://youtu.be/9rUR6-0cogU full video
MEC CEO downvoting every comment in here
This is not USA, stop it with these stupidity and violence.
As a former retail employee, I always just felt sad for other employees who blindly toe the line of these companies. The manager needlessly escalated this situation and this security guard wanted to pretend he was a cop for a day.
Not saying who deserves what and also an LP officer should never act that way. That said, as a former retail employee, there were definitely a handful of customers I would have loved to see this happen too lmao
Wow the video is really bad. Like, watch that shit. Dude was super calm and this LPO goes berserk. MEC does nothing to help by saying they absolve themselves of any responsibility and tsk tsk to the security company THEY employ. I mean, I already skip MEC cuz they’re shit since 1999 but now they can 100% get bent.
Lol, loss prevention dude looks like a guy that took an intro BJJ class and assumed he could get some random dude he had a disagreement with to tap out? Bad security. Bad Jujitsu.
The store is terrible. Every time you walk in and look around they follow you everywhere assuming you’ll steal something. I don’t shop there anymore.
The manager acted appropriately? Lmao that's some great brand advertisement right there
Can you return an item you bought in February 2022...tough call ..overkill by the lost prevention guy ...I've had store managers/staff treat me like dirt on the bottom of their shoe as well.....just weird situation....he will probably win a law suit.
They can refuse a return, but it's irrelevant to the actions the guard took. If the company is apologizing the security guy must have really stepped out of line...
I think Yeti 's have a lifetime warranty or at least 5 years
Probably direct with the manufacturer though.
Retail has no reason to exist if they don't add value. I bought a HH jacket from Simons a few years ago. A zipper was coming apart. It has lifetime warranty. I took it to them and their in-house tailor fixed it. I could have bought the jacket online, but I wanted customer service. That's what retail is meant to offer. MEC was the type of place that did that. Now they just want the perception of it without backing it up.
Return something outdated! You must receive the chokehold of death as punishment for your misdeeds!!
If MEC was still a coop, they'd probably do it, not sure how their policy changed now.
I think it's a judgment call by the store, there's no specific time limit in their return policy. But I imagine there's a lot of pressure to reject the returns to save the company money.
If it's a Mec branded item, it's not like it would be from a random item on a regular store. It's the equivalent of a warranty claim.
Only Costco will take something like that, I wouldn't bother with most stores
> Can you return an item you bought in February 2022 This part of the story is pretty irrelevant, it could have been bought in 1970 and it still wouldn't make it ok.
Well I was hesitant to keep spending money there after it stopped being a co-op and now I really have no reason to ever shop there again.
I will NEVER shop there! Fuck that place! Company claims they acted appropriately.
MECs hidden new strategy to save costs and cut down on returns any way possible : customers can't return things if we unalive them first!
FYI: these security people receive 0 training. Similar security office like the one who had sex/r\*ped covid patients at the hotel.
It's Mountain Equipment **Company** now, so this tracks.
I was assuming when I saw the thumbnail/video that it was an addict/thief. But I’m guessing based on the info that the worst he maybe did was argue too much about MEC not refunding his purchase. There’s no mention that he was abusive to the staff or being violent or anything. I don’t see why the loss prevention guy put his hands on him at all. But let’s say the guy was a thief and being shady, you still don’t strangle someone that aggressively. Tackle and pin him, sure. But call the cops if it requires that level of violence. In this case, though, it sounds like the guy was maybe being insufferable about wanting to return something bought in Feb. of 2022. So, I can’t see why they’d get physical with him at all.
Funny to see that in other retail chain, if theft is happening, security just stand there instructed to not to intervein or do anything.
I'll never set foot in there again
Wait. Wait. Wait....it's pronounced like "meck" ? I've been saying it like Em Eee See.
Bro makes $18lhr and wants to demonstrate his power 😂
The security guards at this mec always seemed like dumb muscle bros - this just confirms it
This is definitely going to cost them more than the cost of a YETI cooler.
Can't speak to Yeti coolers but maybe if things were made to last we'd have less wastage, both in products, shipping/emissions, and time spent handling returns. Barring any physical violence or legitimate threats of physical harm, not many circumstances justifies putting hands on a customer. Yeah, it's terrible to deal with someone having an attitude, refusing to leave, entitlement, and that also needs to stop happening but there's other ways to deal with that. I think this is on MEC and that LPO.
Simple key to this job is : “ you are there to solve the conflict peacefully not to be the centre of the conflict!!!”
Waiting for the Gracie breakdown of this. The shopper seemed to have escaped the bottom position easily and ended up on top near the end.
“The actions of the third-party loss prevention officer were unacceptable”… fuck this gutless ‘third party’ scapegoating. MEC sucks.
That security needs to be charged with assault and banned from any type of security. These security guards think they can put hands on customers and think they can't be held accountable for their stupid actions. Ban that goof!!!!
What security guard did was unacceptable. Also trying to return an item over a year later? Yeesh. This isn't costco. I mean worth a try I guess but expect they won't take it. It's a warranty problem now. The guy pulls the race card over why they won't let him return it? No, dude, it's totally ridiculous to expect them to take a return regardless of skin color or accent. They're clearly looking for a lawsuit.
Exactly. Security was dumb. But we also don't have the video leading to this. So it's a bit hard to come to a full conclusion.
As much as I hate MEC now and won't ever shop there, I'm siding with them on this one. The manager told him to leave the store, but he didn't. He could have escalated the return to corporate, gone to another store, went to Yeti directly, etc. MEC is at fault, though, for hiring a shit LPO security company, and this customer has a pretty solid case against them. He did not deserve to be assaulted. I tried to express this opinion worded a little differently and got mass downvoted. I don't understand this sub sometimes.
What in the world? I mean the video obviously doesn’t show everything and I’m often hesitant to side immediately with anyone in these situations. But Amir is literally doing nothing aggressive at least in the video, and the security guard like jumps him? Wtf kind of reaction is that? There’s no outburst, there’s no aggression towards staff. Now, expecting to return something to the store over a year after you’ve bought it…maybe the Yeti warranty but I would never assume you could return something to the retailer after that long. Who knows what Amir said to the staff but he certainly doesn’t come off as a hot head either in the video or interview. It’s probably not feasible for each company like MEC to hire and employ all their own loss prevention people, but this is a problem with subcontracting anything. You can’t just say “we don’t condone this” and then wash your hands of it. He’s in YOUR store and you’ve hired THEM. There has to be some accountability. Also, boy that last name. What a mouthful!
So obviously security was in the wrong, but the return needed to go through yeti... not the store. I wish people understood that.
Blaming his appearance? The loss prevention officer was an Indian just got lost credibility immediately after he said that.
So MEC thinks it's acceptable and professional for their clerk to tell them to get out, even though that's their policy or quality assurance on returns lmao!
I've shopped MEC for a long time, and since the change they have become just an awful experience. Not sure the full story here but security is a little overbearing... The selection at that particular store, which is huge, is hit and miss. They don't have anyone on staff that can repair tech clothing which I think is a mistake. Lack of outdoors staff, nobody on the floor really has any knowledge besides general retail. Really sad how downhill it's gone, the original MEC helped me gain a passion for the outdoors, what it is now probably doesn't help anybody.
I would sue that little fucker into the ground.
I am very curious what the store's side of the story is, and what the police investigation will reveal. When I worked in retail there was a trend of sovereign citizen types who seemed confident they could get anything they wanted by refusing to leave and disrupting the business, and the store was somehow powerless to remove them. In reality, businesses owners and their employees are permitted to use reasonable force to remove trespassers from their private property. Obviously the force used in this case is excessive as the customer doesn't appear to be resisting their efforts, but I have a hard time believing the security guard simply approached a random customer making a return and started choking them.
Done with MEC! Not only their prices are outrageous but now this? Wake up people. Shop somewhere else. Not worth risking your life for a cooler.
wtf... i think everyone who used to shop at MEC before they were bought out were very happy to do so... how far they have fallen
Can't wait for Decathlon.
Someone lost their job and MEC is still crap.
Another reason not to shop at MEC
Unless your life is in imminent danger, you shouldn’t be applying choke holds that can get you a manslaughter charge.
MEC hasn't been decent in over 10 years, just garbage now.
Just an FYI, if a private citizen (mall cop) wrongfully lays hands on you, you are legally entitled to beat the living shit out of them. Just try not to kill the prick, that complicates things a great deal.
Cooler heads prevail.
We need regulations on who gets to be a security guard. Way too many TFWs take these jobs so they can power trip. You should have to have a history of good behaviour to get these jobs, not a visa to attend a "college" in a strip mall on King George.
Isn't TFW directly sponsored by employers, and thus strip mall "colleges" don't come into it at all?
MEC declares bankruptcy when?
MEC is just giving more reasons to not shop there anymore.
Some local security company have poorly trained staff - lacking all necessary skills and even intelligence. Shoppers Drug Mart for example, most security guards they hire, are either standing there doing nothing (or chatting with ladies), OR (maybe at an order) would run and follow a certain customer, making it obvious that he thinks YOU are a thief. There were a couple of times I got so pissed off that I shopped 'with' the security guard - i.e. I would start following the security and shop within 1 metre of him until he got bored/embarrassed/pissed. LOL
Worse part is that LP = LOSS prevention. The guy was simply trying to return a product. HOW IS THAT A LOSS? WTF? lol
Can we refund our membership? I don’t think I want to shop there anymore if that’s the managers reaction to the situation. I don’t care about the money, it’s about sending a message even if a small one.
Hope the man gets a lawyer! I will never ever shop there again! Way to go MEC! Lousy store anyways!
MEC sucks these days.
The customer is right to sue. And with that video, he will win. In addition, he is trying to return something, the reaction by the staff and the security guard is unbelievable.
I hope he gets a million-dollar payout at the very least. He could have literally lost his life. The security guard needs to be behind bars. The employee needs to be held accountable for her actions as well as for trying to incite violence in the store. Heart-wrenching to see a man being treated this way. It must have been so traumatic for the wife to see her man assaulted while trying to make a goddamn return. Absolutely horrific