IMHO - Target and Wal-mart should both have VISIBLE security at their locations. After I was assaulted at a Target store 10 years ago the next time I visited a Target (months later) they had ARMED security guards in the area from that point forth. I have no idea if it was because of what happened to me or not, and I don’t know if it was temporary or a corporate change made for that region. I know that Targets here in Wisconsin doesn’t have armed security. It would have actually HELPED had they been in place the day I got assaulted - not some overweight woman who was barely 5’0” pretending to be “security”. (Not a slam against overweight women - just that if I couldn’t restrain the guy (and I tried my best), there is no way that “security” guard could have done a better job, and she was nowhere to be found until AFTER we all met with the police that day.
As for a “greeter” stopping a kidnapper - it’s not going to happen. ALL employees (except security) are instructed to NEVER, EVER try to stop a criminal. You may get some good people whose instincts outweigh their “orders”, but they are few and far between (and most likely won’t be the 70-year-old woman handing out carts).
After I was assaulted at a Target store 10 years ago.
Wow. Sorry to hear that. I read your entire post but that stuck out. I agree with you about being told not to do anything. There have been plenty of articles that prove that.
We’ve got a Wal-Mart in the area that I refer to as the crappy Wal-Mart. It’s been revamped into a mini-Super Wal-Mart so it isn’t as crappy as it once was. Anyway, it’s a fairly crappy area of town so I’m sure the store has encountered a lot of problems. The security that rides around in his little truck is the size of Mickey Rooney and probably the same age—maybe a little younger. What’s he going to do? ‘m not sure if they still have him there or not, but the last few times I’ve been to that Wal-Mart and the Sam’s up the road they actually have cop up front. I feel much more comfortable with that presence than I do with Mickey Rooney.