tied hands

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Well i started working this week at a large hardware store. im supposedly working as a security guard (sigh). ive done this before with a different company, they let us carry mace. they would have let us carry guns but it was a small company and they couldnt afford the insurance (we made 5.00 an hour).

this new company lets us carry squat, boss missed my folding knife, and our uniform is jeans and a blue plaid shirt. if there is a problem of any kind we are to call........THE STORE MANAGER?!?!?, i met the store manager she is about 5 feet tall, whoooo scary. i have a scanner, i use it to laser beem lumber. so im a security/checkout boy? wth!

i have a taurus .38, im stuffing that puppy in an ankle holster. if shtf nylon coated +p led will fly.

how can i provide security if i cant provide security??!!!!??!!! loss prevention i could get, stop people from taking stuff, this i can do. but its reeeaaaalllly hard to be intimidating in flannel. sigh, my only thought is i wonder if carrying my old trusty .38 is going to get me in trouble. i didnt sign anything saying no weapons and the boss didnt say dont carry anything, no one else does, and it seems kind of frowned upon. shrugs.

dont ask dont tell i guess.

anyone else see any security that is totally worthless if somthing goes down. gimme some examples.
 
No big deal. Your job is simply misnamed.

You are a customer service clerk with a minor in loss prevention. You are there to keep honest people honest and help out customers.

You don't even have authority to call the cops -- that has to go through the boss.

You are NOT there to see to the safety of the customers or staff.

If this damages your ego, you might not be in the right job. :)



At my Sam's club, a 60ish Vietnamese lady, who must weigh as much as 80 pounds soaking wet, checks receipts at the door. :)

Is she security? No. Loss prevention? Sure. I'm sure having anyone at the door is a deterrent.
 
So, you don't know any thing about unarmed combat, then?;)

Let me guess, you sit in a shack in the lumber yard and check that people grabbed what's on their reciepts and only what's on their reciepts, while they 'save big money' , correct?
What ever the company calls it, you are at best loss prevention, or a glorified customer service guy. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it sounds less like a security guard, and more like a loss prevention job. They probably just call it security guard to attract JBT types who will be overly vigorous in checking those 2X4's.
If you carry to protect yourself there, then, yeah, don't ask don't tell. I highly doubt you'd ever have an opportunity to use the .38 in carrying out your duties on the job, though. Just my .02, YMMV.;)
 
Guy, you do loss prevention, inventory control and, in the event of an altercation, you're supposed to observe and report. With the exception of bouncers, private security isn't meant for any type of crisis intervention nowadays. Liability and perceived liability prevent that.

I guess I don't understand working at a job that you perceive as that dangerous when your employer won't authorize you the tools to do the job and doesn't pay you well. If I were in your shoes, I'd work the job according to their guidelines while you look for another job more in line with your own beliefs.

Menard's, right?
 
Your screen name vs. your situation is kinda funny.

But on the serious side of things: Your ankle gun has nothing to do with the job. That gun's just like your pants or socks, things you "get dressed" with every day, no?

Don't ask, don't tell. A life ain't replaceable, a job is.
 
Let me guess, you sit in a shack in the lumber yard and check that people grabbed what's on their reciepts and only what's on their reciepts, while they 'save big money' , correct?
HA! I used to resemble that remark - about 20 years ago. Back then, Menard's used to *issue* us the revolvers that we carried on our belts. Each store had one firearm, handed from guard to guard as the shifts changed. At the end of the day, we'd lock it in the office manager's desk.

No one thought twice about this, and there were no problems.
 
my thought i guess is that if they are going to call you security you should be able to prvide some if somthing should go wrong, the only problem i have is that by labeling me security it says to gen pub that i am able to help someone in serious trouble while the authorities are in route. as a loss prevention guy thats all out the window of course.

i do carry my gun for personal protection, although here i dont see any potential to put it to use. if i do have a problem i can always go reach for ye ol knife or my military hand to hand training.

(checks) nope, no ego damage

job aint bad, just dont like the title. (still got my TV gig for fun and a little money)

so seurity isnt real secure any more, eh???

people arent that bad either, and the way i see it people make the job.
 
I think you're doing fine ... pack the snubbie and if you ever have to use it all you'll lose is a $5/hr job (but you get to keep your hide).

You might also look into an Asp.


I agree you're not really "Security", but I wouldn't sweat the title ... hell, it will look better on your resume then "clerk".
 
Put simply, you're there to draw the fire of the bad guy while the owner slips out the back. You're her "security"!

(As well as tend to the other "loss prevention" chores like Matt (and others) pointed out above.)

Better check the back of your "unifirm" (blue shirt) and make sure there's not a bullseye printed on it.

Don't get any ideas of playing "Rambo" ... at least not for $5 an hour!
 
scrammed the hell out of dodge today. not going back, cant make me.

decided i didnt need to be "bullseye clerk"

"pats glock" unless the black rose is thee no more security.
 
You're in a store that sells hammers, hatchets, sledgehammers, two-by-fours, and nail guns & you're whining about being UNARMED???? :what:


Get yourself one of those stitched-leather tool belts & load up!!! :evil:


(...or change your name to "walking-with-just-a-knife-in-my-pocket"... :p )
 
oooooooooooohhhh, good thought. once and a while i forget that this ol world is full of items that could be used as a instantanious behavior modification defice in a pinch.

quit the job though. i felt like i was harrassing people about trivial things for no reason. i guess thats the role modern security plays these days. ill keep my security strapped to my belt, and my eyes on the crowd.
 
First, check written store policy, not what people do or say. Second, never take a job that makes you a target by wearing a uniform and badge, but doesn't allow you to be armed.

That being said, if you are violating store policy on carrying a gun, you will not only be fired if caught, but if you have no other legal authority to carry (CCW) you might go to prison as well because the store manager will call the cops on you. It may not be much of a job, but the fact that you are doing it shows you need it. And of course, if you use the gun, the store will not stand behind you on any civil action that could result.

Do carry a cell phone with 911 on the speed dial, and look for a handy tool you can carry routinely as part of the job.

In all honesty, how many holdups has the store had? How often has it been invaded by hordes of screaming Al Qaeda terrorists riding camels and waving scimitars?

The reality is that there seems to be no need for an armed security guard, and you are not one. Leave the gun at home.

Jim
 
Did you carry your piece at your old job, or just mace?

My employeer has a no weapon policy, I don't agree with it, but I don't violate it and don't even carry a pocket knife.

It all comes down to obeying rules and laws...things like that, everyone is free to do what they like, but if you violate these things be prepared to live with the consequences. I'm sure if you former big lumber store was to catch you carrying you would probably be in jail for some reason...and become unhireable in the future.

Ok, time to get off my high horse :)

But one final thing...retail sucks.
 
I recall when I worked campus security. We were NOT allowed to carry even a pocket knife. I decided I would NEVER work without a knife. And on two nights I was armed.
My second security gig at the time was armed. I looked into (save big money) and brought a plastic cap gun to use. Lady doing hiring laughed but said I had to use real gun and it had to be loaded. :) I turned it down because they didn't allow concealed. I wanted to wear Blue store jacket with Security on back NOT the (wannabe LEO shirt/jacket) they wanted me to use. SO I declined job.
 
i carried at my former security job for certain duties, like serving papers and such. i always had my peice under the seat of my car. my boss said "i dont want to catch you carrying a gun, but if you happen to have a shotgun along for BIRD hunting thats fine, i know your into that" he he he

boss was great.
 
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