Follow up to - Kroger hypocrites banning CCW in Ohio stores

[Desertdog]

Original Story at;
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=79833


Kroger ''reexamining the issue'' after massive grassroots uprising
Posted on Wednesday, May 05 @ 11:30:52 EDT by cbaus
http://www.ohioccw.org/article2021.html


UPDATE: Kroger digs in for a fight.

Ohioans For Concealed Carry has been informed by Kroger Customer Relations that the company is reexamining its decision to post signs barring concealed handgun license-holders from its Cincinnati-Dayton area stores.

One of the most offensive parts of the decision by Kroger's Cincinnati region risk management division is that although that department controls stores in Northern Kentucky as well as Cincinnati and Dayton, signs are NOT being posted in the Kentucky stores! Many customers have asked why Kroger trusts Ohio citizens less than those from Kentucky or the rest of the nation. Why is Kroger discriminating against concealed handgun license-holders from Ohio?

Since OFCC first made the hypocritical move by Kroger management public last Saturday, the company reports having received a large amount of of phone calls, including calls from AZ, GA, MI, IN, KY, VA, WV, CA, FL, TN and other states. The complaints are being forwarded to the division and the home office. Customer Relations reports that home office is reconsidering the policy.

Headquartered in Cincinnati, the Kroger Company has years of experience with doing business in concealed carry states. It is likely that CHL-holders have shopped at Kroger-owned companies while armed on literally millions of occasions.

Until the hypocritical, discriminatory signs come down, concerned customers should continue to let Kroger know how they feel. Kroger's national customer service number is 800-576-4377 or 866-221-4141. Click here to share comments online.

Click here to view a list of other "business ban hypocrites" - and to see details of progress in the effort to treat Ohioans as they do customers in other states.

 

[atek3]

http://www.ohioccw.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2027

Critical Update.

They are not "re-examining". The policy is due to one anti named:
Mr. Bob Hodge
President, Cincinnati Division
150 Tri-County Parkway
Cincinnati OH 45246
513-782-3300

See the link for details.


Don't support business that don't support your rights!

atek3

 

[Tropical Z]

Kroger BLOWS!!!!!!!
Kroger is the !!!!!!!

 

[Gary H]

So, what can be done to you should you get caught ignoring a private owners demand that you not CCW?

 

[Standing Wolf]

Why is Kroger discriminating against concealed handgun license-holders from Ohio?

Because it thinks it can get away with it.

 

[Tropical Z]

Kroger thinks it can get away with just about anything.

 

[Molon Labe]

Signs or no signs, Kroger S-U-C-K-S. Why shop there when there are superior and non-unionized places to buy groceries?

 

[jimpeel]

atek3

By the description it sounds like Kroger's is redlining the areas where certain stores are located.

 

[sm]

May I see your Kroger Card?

Don't have one - I have this tho' ( produces gun, asks for money in register).

We have signage stating that persons with Conceal Carry Permits Cannot carry in here

I don't have a permit either.

Then why come to Kroger and Rob the Register...and get your hand off my blouse...hey stop that!...what do you mean we are going in the back...stop that you hear...?

Who is gonna stop me?

 

[SJG26]

Gary H........

Unless there is an OH law regarding signs, if a private party asks you to leave due to CCW - you do- no laws broken - only policies w/ no legal weight. If you do not leave, you may then be charged w/ trespass - now laws come into play.

 

[mrtgbnkr]

SJG,
It is my understanding (I'm looking for a source and quote) that Ohio put some teeth into the no firearms signs, making it a misdemeanor to ignore the signs and carry into a posted location.

 

[mrtgbnkr]

I figured that one more letter couldn't hurt, but this time I skipped the Customer Service route and mailed to the folks on the " insiders" list including:

Joseph Pichler, 63
Chairman

David Dillon, 52
CEO, Director

Don McGeorge, 48
Pres, COO, Director

W. Rodney McMullen, 42
Vice Chairman

J. Michael Schlotman, 45
CFO, Sr. VP

So far, it appears that I got their email addy's correct, so we'll see if any of these folks have any response to my letter.

Dear Sirs:
I am writing you today to bring to your attention a matter which has far-reaching implications for your esteemed company. I wanted to bring to your attention a severely discriminatory policy which has been put in place by ONE of your divisions, but which will cause repercussions through out the country.
The decision was made by the head of your Cincinnati Division to post “No Concealed Carry†signs in your Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio area stores following the recent passage of Ohio’s new Concealed Carry (CCW) law. I will be the first to acknowledge that the Ohio law gives business and property owners the right to post signs banning concealed carry in their establishments. I’m sure I will not be the first to tell you that making the decision to do so puts future earnings and sales levels at risk, and not just in Ohio.
This policy is foolhardy in that it purports to promote a “safe environment†in which to shop, but achieves the exact opposite result. Preventing law abiding citizens who have passed background checks and undergone extensive training from utilizing their CCW licenses is like advertising for thieves and thugs to stop in for easy pickings. Ohio CCW holders have passed background checks which certify that they have never been convicted of a felony or any drug related offenses. Can you say the same thing about all of your other customers or even all of your employees? I would also call to your attention the potential for liability if a disarmed CCW holder were ever to be injured or killed in one of your stores after having been disarmed by your signs. Do you really want to be 100% liable for the safety and security of each and every employee and customer 24/7/365?
This policy is also extremely discriminatory. Apparently, Ohio customers are far less trustworthy that customers in Kentucky or Indiana. The same Division manager who made this decision regarding southwest Ohio stores also oversees operations of some stores in both Indiana and Northern Kentucky, both states which have CCW laws and allow the banning of concealed weapons in businesses, but stores in those states have not been affected by this policy. Why is that? What makes Ohio so much more dangerous? I understand that Ohio’s CCW law is very new, and there is always some apprehension whenever change is effected, but CCW is hardly a new concept. Ohio is the 45th state to institute some form of CCW and crime statistics, especially violent crime, falls with the introduction of concealed carry. Michigan’s crime rates are lower than Ohio’s for the first time in decades following the introduction of Michigan’s CCW law 2 years ago.
If Kroger is this worried about CCW license holders in their stores (which has happened millions of times in states other than Ohio) then the policy needs to be evenly administered in every state which allows businesses to ban concealed carry. As it stands now, I can drive 45 minutes from my home to a store in Richmond, IN and not have to face a sign banning concealed carry, but the store 2 minutes down the street wishes to make me a victim and has lost my business until this policy has been changed.
There has been significant discussion of your company’s policy and its implications on-line. If you wish to see how your company is being perceived please visit either of these discussions of this policy: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=79833
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=80857

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter and consider the implications for your company. I’d like to close by pointing out one significant fact which I have yet left unmentioned. A criminal coming into your store to rob either the store or its customers will not heed your signage. They will enter at will and they won’t bother to check their guns at the door. The only person your policy will affect is the law abiding citizen who would have never considered robbing your store or harming your employees or customers in any way. I am including my contact information, if you wish to contact me to further discuss this issue, please feel free.

Sincerely,
Mark Berridge

OK, well, I got several back in a slow bounce from kroger.com but quite a few seem to have made it to their intended recipient. We'll see if it does any good.