Posted on 07/12/2020 11:11:17 AM PDT by Kaslin
One aspect of the various executive orders being issued all around the country impacts most retail businesses and private social groups, as well as public offices and spaces. Many of these EOs require stores and other public-facing operations wishing to reopen to mandate the wearing of face masks for not only employees but visitors to the establishment. This is quite common where I live, and the rules apply to most operations in a large number of states. But such an order leaves one very big question unanswered. What if the customer or visitor refuses to don a mask? Who is responsible for forcing them into compliance or physically blocking their entrance to the facility? That’s a question plaguing some of the nation’s major employers this month. NBC News published a brief report on this topic this week. (YouTube)
Countless viral videos show retail and restaurant employees taking heat from customers over mask requirements. While some business owners are training staff on how to deescalate the situation, others think employees shouldn’t be the ones required to enforce mask policies.
While this may not sound like a huge deal to some people, at least at first glance, we have already seen numerous examples of just how wrong such a situation can go. One of the worst of them took place in France, where bus drivers were given the responsibility of not allowing any passengers onboard sans face mask. One bus driver attempted to follow this mandate by asking four passengers to put on masks before boarding. He was rewarded for his trouble by being dragged out of his bus and literally beaten to death. (CNN)
A bus driver in France who was beaten up by passengers refusing to wear mandatory face masks died in hospital Friday, French Prime Minister Jean Castex and the victim’s family have said.
Philippe Monguillot, 59, was left brain dead after the attack in the southwestern city of Bayonne on July 5. His family decided to switch of his life support on Friday, news agency Agence France-Presse reported.
“We decided to let him go. The doctors were in favor and we were as well,” the victim’s 18-year-old daughter, Marie Monguillot, told AFP. Four men were detained and charged following the assault.
We’ve seen plenty of examples of similar incidents in the United States already, though thankfully none quite so brutal as this. But don’t be surprised if the same thing happens in America at some point.
And that brings us to the question of the day. If the local, municipal or state government issues an order saying that masks are mandatory inside of stores, churches, or anyplace else in the private sector, whose responsibility is it to enforce that decree? Sure, the store can put up a sign saying that masks are “required” to enter and do business. I don’t leave the house much these days (obviously) but I’ve seen plenty of such signs on the rare occasions when I’ve had to venture out. But what happens if someone ignores the sign and walks in anyway?
Certainly, an employee or manager could politely remind them, but the person could just as easily refuse. And then what? You can tell them that they won’t be served and wait for them to give up and leave, I suppose. But if they become belligerent, you’re probably going to have to call the cops on them. Given how long the average police response time is, you now have some time on your hands with a stock clerk or cashier facing down a potentially violent individual. And I’m sure that stories about your place of business calling the cops on somebody looking to pick up a bag of grass seed will do wonders for your customer approval ratings.
I’m not saying there’s an ideal solution to this problem staring us in the face. There aren’t enough cops in any precinct in the nation to station one outside every Target, Walmart and gas station to make sure everyone is complying with the local mask orders. But it’s the consumer who refuses to wear the mask who should be held accountable if anyone must be. Fining or otherwise punishing businesses and churches for being unable to control the behavior of their customers or members can not be allowed as long as a good-faith effort was made to inform the public of the rules.
Why? Maybe 20 years ago there could be gain from RFID but the thing with RFIDs is they’re short range and you need RFID readers all over the place. In this modern world where almost everybody has a cellphone in their pocket, which gives your positional data on much wider range with no additional hardware. There’s no there there. And really, you’re probably paying with a credit card, so privacy on that front was dead a long long time ago.
Can you point me to where that diktat has been passed legally by any state legislature making it law??? And don’t tell me to google it. I am asking you the question. There’s zero federal LAW. Zero state LAW. Only diktats.
Emergency powers are broad, and have stood up in court, repeatedly.
The story I posted in #12 is a perfect example of a retailer who has cleverly managed to tell the government to get lost while at the same time avoiding a situation where it pisses the customers off.
Certain ones, yes. This is not one of them. Arresting people for not wearing something “they” think is helping but doesn’t, will not fly. I know I wouldn’t pay any fine and God help any police department that arrests me for not going along with their farce of a diktat.
Perfect.
Actually very much this. They can order evacuations. Martial law. Asset seizure. Very little they can’t do in a “state emergency”. And even less guidance and what is or isn’t a “state of emergency”.
And it perfectly addresses the current covid crazy! Love it
That market is going to get crushed.
I’m talking about the biblical mark of the beast. What will YOU do when confronted with that choice?
At one time the store policy was blacks to the back of the bus and separate water fountains...
You did good.
Absolutely
Yes, it is.
A real medical mask is useful for preventing the spread of bacterial infections which is why they are worn in surgery.
It does almost nothing to prevent the spread of viruses. And the bacterial laden cloth things are a health hazard.
It’s not being an ass.
Actually asking people to do a worthless kowtow to your superstitions is indeed being an ass.
Having done time in retail I know much it can suck.
As I said I do it six days a week. Occasionally I run into a sucky customer. Much more often I run into a sucky government regulation.
I also know how little of what people mad at them for they have any say in.
I have no idea how to respond to that as your thought is unclear. Are you saying that the retail employee has little control over things that might be the cause of customer irritation?
But that is contradicted by your next statement.
And finally I know just how many little tools they have available to them to exact revenge. It’s amazing how many discounts I’ve gotten just by being nice. And out of stock items suddenly found in the back.
So they have no control except when they do. Uh-huh.
All kinds of good stuff happens just by remembering that they’re people and deserve to be treated with basic human dignity.
I have found that to be the case with customers. If you just are nice to them and do your best they are generally nice in return. It helps to remember that they are the ones paying you.
And the customers are definitely NOT fine. All these confrontations making their onto youtube are entitled jerks.
It seems to be a case of "Don't start nothing, won't be nothing". The employees I am seeing in the youtube posts are power tripping like a just elected democrat.
You are a retail employee, yes, yes, yes.
You are not a police officer, no, no, no.
The customer is the reason you get, paid, paid, paid.
Forget that and you will be, broke, broke, broke.
No wonder the store is prominent.
It doesn't matter one damn bit if it's some BS executive order. If a private business sets a policy that masks are required and must be worn on the premises that's their right and the employees as agents of the business do have the responsibility to enforce the rules or face termination. Whoever thought this " Retail employees are not law enforcement officers" was some sort valid, logical argument doesn't have a firm grasp of the private business/private property principal. We all have the right to not patronize any retailer whose policies we disagree with. Of course right now that could leave you SOL for food and merchandise unless you do all your shopping on line.
‘I was almost kicked out of Safeway about 1/2 hour ago.’
I got into a tiff about masks today with a store manager; I had written BAAA! BAAA! on my mask, to express my disdain for being forced to wear them, and this apparently triggered someone, a busybody female I suppose, who told the manager that my mask was not over my nose...and, instead of nodding and forgetting about as an intelligent person would do, he confronted me, and I blew up...I wish I had acted better, had not not used the language I used, but I was pissed...then I was was heckled about not being Christian by a bunch of tight pantied females, all because people are so stupid as to believe respiration from the nostrils is going to infect someone...
just some stupid, stupid people out there; I could see if I hadn’t worn a mask at all, but petty shit like this over my nose being free to breathe the way it is supposed to be...?
‘Getting confrontational and crappy with the employees is stupid.’
what if you have been confronted by a manager not for being maskless, but because someone ratted on you that your nose wasn’t covered; especially when a number of the employees keep their noses uncovered for periods of time...?
‘Or simply pull them down under their noses therefore rendering them totally ineffective. But hey, you have your mask on.’
you really think people breathing through their nostrils are going to infect someone...? the masks over the mouth can stop coughs, and if a sneeze occurs, it can be pulled back up instantly...but if you’re thinking breathing normally is constituting a mortal danger in a store, then, I don’t know what to tell you, bud...
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