Parents Kicked Out of Dollar Store for Ill Behaved Kids

[roddma]

.Two parents with 4 kids each were thrown out of a dollar store becasue the kids were destructive. Though kids will behave like kids, 8 kids is a lot to take around and the parents need to control behavior. But if they were all acting like brainwashed over controlled robots people would complain too. There must be a gray area.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/story/news/local/2015/11/11/women-told-to-leave-store-because-of-rowdy-kids/75626448/

[Khan]

As someone who spent many years working in retail,  I would hardly complain about a well behaved child. I wish more stores would eject parents who don't control their children. "Kids being kids" is a BS excuse for not teaching your kids to behave in public. The quote about wanting it phrased in a nice way? Oh, please. If it gets the to point where someone has to ask you to leave it's not a 'nice' situation anymore.

[Ennui]

If the kids' behavior is bad enough that the parents were asked to leave the store, that's far beyond "kids will be kids" behavior. I have three kids, aged three and under, and I realize that sometimes they get rowdy; however, if you're going to take them out, you have to be on top of it. Control their behavior or don't take them to the store. I apologize if I sound harsh, but I hate it when people behave as though they are the only ones who matter and their behavior is thus irrelevant.

[blessalessi]

However did that story go viral? People get asked to leave places for inappropriate behaviour all the time.  That's bread and butter work for security staff. 

[roddma]

What made it viral is someone posted a video, and plus kids are involved. . 30 yrs ago, even 20 it would have likely never made anything but local news, if that.

I didn't pay attention to the age range of the kids and dont recall it being mentioned.

[salex]

In olden days, when I was working retail,  disruptive kids were used by some people as a distraction by shoplifters. It was one of several known methods used to redirect employee attention.  That was my first thought when I read the article.

[sawasdee]

In olden days, when I was working retail,  disruptive kids were used by some people as a distraction by shoplifters. It was one of several known methods used to redirect employee attention.  That was my first thought when I read the article.

Same experience - in UK. Where were you?

[salex]

Same experience - in UK. Where were you?

Kansas, early to mid 80s.   

 

 

[HeadshipRegent]

Can't wait till Zsu sees this and rants about how big families are being opressed or smnth.

[socalrules]

Let's be real. We have all seen, or known, people that walk into a store, or event, and let their kids go wild while they go about their business. Some people have no desire teach their kids how to behave in public. I have no problem with kids being kids but it's parents who watch their kids make a mess or cause destruction and do nothing about it that bother me. I get irritated when people bring their kids, and I am not talking about babies/toddlers, over to someone else's house and do nothing when they walk all over someone's furniture, go through their things or make a mess without telling their kid to clean it up.

[sawasdee]

Kansas, early to mid 80s.   

 

 

Same the world over. Bad is bad.

[twin2]

It is hard in situations like this to know who is telling the truth, which is usually somewhere in between the the sides of the story.

However, more often than not, I choose to lean away from the parents point side.  I worked for 6 years in a restaurant.  By far, most kids are well behaved and those that aren't, the parents appropriately take care of the situation.  However, I will say, there are most definitely parents, who do not pay any attention and let their kids do whatever they want, staff or other patrons be damned, because kids are just kids after all!  I had children running up and down aisle, yelling, never mind waitstaff trying to walk through with trays of hot coffee, milk in glass pitchers or a stack of dishes or the other patrons around them trying to enjoy their meal and converse with others in their party.  We had a group a kids playing ring-around-the-rosy in the open space in front they buffet units. One time there were two children crawling under the hot units, when a staff member told them sternly that was dangerous and they needed to stop, the parents yelled at the waitstaff for being 'mean' to their children.

 

[polecat]

Kids being kids doesn't excuse parents from doing their jobs. According to the other patrons, it sounds like these kids were particularly badly behaved. And if the clerk asked them to leave several times, they were actually trespassing, and maybe the clerk should have gotten police involved at that point. The screaming struck me as being over the top, but I have no idea what prompted the reaction so will reserve judgment on that part

 

 

[roddma]

I don't consider 4 kids a large family. I doubt if Zsu Zsu will see it anyway.

Not many kids visit here anyway except immediate family, but agree with parents visiting with kids and let them run amuk. our friend would bring his now grown kids over and once brought his two plus his two great nephews. It. I have nothing against kids visiting and he made sure the kids behaved, but being without kids myself, i dont have a kid oriented environment. They will get bored easily over here,and I like to know ahead a time if any are coming. And just because Im married doesnt mean I always enjoy them.

Can't wait till Zsu sees this and rants about how big families are being opressed or smnth.

[unsafetydancer]

Oh god this! I worked in fast food for a year and while most kids that came in were ok we got some awful little shits. The one that stands out is a large extended family that came in one summer and completely destroyed the place in the space of an hour. Also the thing salex said about shoplifters I've heard from some friends who work in retail.

I like kids but putting up with other people's badly behaved brats can wear you out. The worst ones are when the parents think they're little angels even as they're drawing on the walls in full view of everyone. If the store worker asked them to leave several times and they STILL didn't then they're lucky no one called the police.

[Granwych]

In olden days, when I was working retail,  disruptive kids were used by some people as a distraction by shoplifters. It was one of several known methods used to redirect employee attention.  That was my first thought when I read the article.

I did retail from '76 to '82, and a local shoplifting gang used their kids as distractions.  Once when security went in for the nab, the grownups left a 2 yr old holding a shopping bag of loot.

[ADoyle90815]

To me, the term Howlers doesn't just describe that group of Duggar kids who act that way, but any group of kids who are allowed to run wild by parents who don't teach them how to behave. If a parent does remove a rowdy child, that's one thing because they actually care about having well behaved children. When I think of large families, I think of those who have 5 or more children.

[Gimme a Free RV]

I was also a former retail worker at one of the well-known cosmetic counters.   While mom was at another cosmetic counter, totally absorbed in herself and her needs, three or four-year old junior was climbing up on the makeup chairs and rubbing his finger on every one of the opened tubes of display lipsticks.  When I asked him where his mommy was, he pointed to her.  "Why don't you go over there and stand beside her?" I said...patronizingly.  Junior ran back to mommy and tried to tattle on the lady that wouldn't let him play with the lipsticks, but mommy was still too focused on her own interests to give a flip.

 

 

 

 

[DaffyDill]

The old mantra of "kids will be kids" shouldn't really be used in relation to a shop, a restaurant, or any other public place where they can damage or break things, or even injure people by their actions. Parents need to teach their kids the acceptable behaviour for whatever situation they are placing their kids in. 

I taught mine to have an outside voice and an inside voice, as well as inside and outside behaviours. For example running was a thing they could do outside but was never to be an inside behaviour. Before we went into a shop when they were little, I'd remind them "Remember, inside voices and inside behaviour". Along with "Look with your eyes and not with your fingers".  

Kids aren't stupid. It may take some time, patience and you may have to make sure you follow through if they lose themselves in excitement when out somewhere, but if you're prepared to be consistent, they can certainly understand appropriateness of behaviour if you teach them. Trouble is, some parents don't. Hence, Exhibit A from the OP.

[19 cats and counting]

Another former retail worker here.   Kids need to be taught that there's a time and place for everything.  I don't mind the occasional meltdown from a toddler (to be expected at that age) but I do mind when kids are running wild and the parents are completely oblivious to it (or on their phone, etc).   But Burlington Coat Factory (a place where I see kids running wild all the time) is not a playground and is not the place to run up and down the aisles, hide under clothes racks, etc.  

When I was in retail, it was typically an immigrant nanny doing personal shopping while the child clearly does not want to be there and nanny was not paying attention to the kid at all.  (I've done my fair share of babysitting, and I would never do personal shopping while on the job--- in fact I never did any shopping with the kids beyond 'pick up a gallon of milk' or occasionally getting gas).  (I worked in a big box dept store).  

[TXGirlInAMaterialWorld]

The last time I was getting my car serviced there was a Mom in the waiting area and her kids were running absolutely wild while she talked on her cell phone.  First they were digging in the trash cans in the vending machine area.  Apparently, they ran out into the Service Bays and darted right in front of a car that was being brought in.  That mechanic came in and read that lady the riot act.  

Bad parenting can happen just as easily with 1 or 2 kids as with a whole herd.  But I do see that the more kids people have, the more they seem to tune it all out.  

[VelociRapture]

My Grandparents went out to dinner a few years ago. As they were leaving, a young kid (about 6 or so - old enough to know better) was crawling under his parents' table and went right out in front of my Grandparents. My Grandmother tripped and fell, pretty hard.

Needless to say, Grandpa was furious - not at the kid, but at the parents (who allowed him to do what he wanted) and at the restaurant staff (who saw what the kid was doing and did nothing to stop him.) All the adults in that situation are fucking lucky my Grandma wasn't injured.

[Gimme a Free RV]

Walmart--the nation's capitol for toddler meltdowns.

I swear, parents seem to wait until a toddler's nap time to go shopping.  I have YET to visit Walmart where at least one toddler wasn't screaming, crying, hitting parents, arching his/her back, doing the "boneless chicken" routine, flailing arms and legs, or any/all of the above.

 

ETA:  Undisciplined children on airplanes.  Go.

.Two parents with 4 kids each were thrown out of a dollar store becasue the kids were destructive. Though kids will behave like kids, 8 kids is a lot to take around and the parents need to control behavior. But if they were all acting like brainwashed over controlled robots people would complain too. There must be a gray area.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/story/news/local/2015/11/11/women-told-to-leave-store-because-of-rowdy-kids/75626448/

And speaking of Dollar Stores...

True story:

Back in the late 80s, I was visiting a Dollar Store when I heard the sound of a stream of water spilling on carpet.  At the end of the aisle, in the corner of the store, a mother was standing behind her son (who was elementary school-aged) while he was PEEING in the corner, on the floor of the store!!!!  The mother was looking around, checking to see if anyone was watching.  To this day, I kick myself for not reporting them.  I left the store and never returned.

[bingbangboom]

Poor kids, they are headed for a hard life because the adults in their life don't seem to care to teach them how to conduct themselves.

[Jingerbread]

I look at what statements non-involved witnesses say, and the witness in that article backs the store.  I've seen kids behave so badly that I want to go Michael Pearl on them and their parents.  A few years back, a woman didn't do anything when her extremely rowdy sons slammed into me, which caused my brand new iphone to fall from my hand and shatter, and the way I fell on my wrist resulted in damage I still deal with today.  She said "boys will be boys" and "kids will be kids," and refused to replace my phone, and I couldn't call the police from a broken phone.  It resulted in a screaming match with the manager telling her to get her monsters, who were still being very rambunctious, out of the store.  The Apple store was kind and replaced my phone when I went in a few days later with a copy of the ER report.

Unfortunately this isn't the only time I've seen bad stuff.  I've left stores because of uncontrolled kids.

If kids are being monsters and their shitty parents aren't doing anything and they've been told to leave, then I support clerks yelling at people to make it CRYSTAL CLEAR TO GET THE FUCK OUT.