Matt writes:
Yesterday I went through the horror of taking my 15 year old brother to the Best Buy in Orland Park, IL on LaGrange Ave. I had close to $100 in Best Buy Gift Certificates given to me for Christmas. My brother and I were en route to dinner and we decided to swing by the aforementioned Best Buy to pick up a video game, Assassin’s Creed, and XBOX Live Gold. We entered the store. I browsed the camera aisle looking for a cable to possibly purchase for our flat screen then headed to the video game section. I picked up the said items and headed to check out where hell will shortly ensue.
I stepped up to the red haired, slightly obese cashier and she immediately gave me a look of disgrace as if I did something wrong. I replied with a “hi” to make the tension less awkward. She immediately asked me for my ID. I’ve never been carded for a video game before so I politely handed it to her while asking my brother for my gift cards I gave him while I was busy shuffling through my car just 20 minutes earlier.
She then left the the register booth with my ID and video game and went to her manager. The Best Buy cashier then came back and shouted that I’m purchasing a video game for a minor in front of everyone in line behind me and her fellow cashiers. She even had the nerve to ask, “Is that even your brother with you?!” Hell yes he is! I was embarrassed! It’s like she was condemning me for purchasing alcohol for a minor. [ed. Assassin's Creed is rated "M" for Mature, meaning it's considered not suitable for kids under 17. It's a game where you play an assassin during the Third Crusades and you take out various historical figures.]
I quickly responded back that I am 21 year old and that the video game and peripheral are for me. She shook her head with a menacing grim and said that she saw me take gift cards from my brother and that what I am doing is illegal. Enough of this obese 17 year olds shenanigans! I demanded a manager. Unfortunately the manager was probably about 18 years old as well.
In front of the store again he told me that I am illegally purchasing a video game for a minor. I responded back that they are my gift cards! I want to make a purchase. That’s when he picked up Xbox Live GOLD. I then asked if I couldn’t buy that either. He then took a few minutes to scrutinize the box looking for an online peripherals rating. He never found it and said to me, he’s not sure, I might not be able to do that either (Xbox Live was also rated E for everyone mind you). I continued to repeat that these are my gift cards, I’m 21 and I want to make my purchase. The cashier and manager continued to condemn me in front of all that I’m illegally purchasing the game for a minor.
I brought up two ultimatums. “So I have to go drive miles outside Orland Park, IL to another Best Buy to purchase the video game then?” The manager shrugged and said, “I guess so.”
I also brought up the option then that if I left the store with my brother, came back in by myself and made the purchase, would that be legal then? The manager replied, “Technically, yes, that will be OK.”
I then told them to hold on to the Xbox Live Gold since it was the last one left. I left the store with my brother, told him to go to the car. I then walked back into the store. The manager earlier told me that I can’t use the old video game I originally had in hand because it was deemed under “penalty.” I then had to walk all the way to the back of the cavernous store, pick up the video game then walk back to the line I was originally in. I stood in line for another 10 minutes waiting. I finally got back up to the obese red head cashier where she smirked and looked at me and said, “Yeah, we can’t sell you that video game.” What?! “Those gift cards are illegal.”
How the hell does she know someone didn’t just give me the gift cards on the street or if I had more of my “OWN” gift cards from the car. They just told me that I was able to purchase the video game once I walked my brother out.
I told them that they made a fool out of me before everyone in the store. She continued to be as politely as I can put it a “bitch” to me. I purchased Xbox Live Gold and said to the hell with the game. After making the transaction I told her I didn’t need a plastic bag since all I’m carrying out is a small little hand held cardboard box. Who needs a plastic bag for that? She then told me that under company policy if I wanted to exit the store I needed a plastic bag. Absurd! For me to exit the store I need to kill the planet now? I never see people with bags over DVD players that are twice the size as the flimsy Xbox Live cardboard box.
Anyway I left the store, we ate dinner and on the way home we stopped at the Best Buy in Mokena, IL. I purchased the same exact video game, Assassin’s Creed with my brother right beside me. I was never carded, I was never interrogated, I was never questioned. I had a wonderful experience there but I had to go through a three hour ordeal of going to the Best Buy in Orland Park, eating dinner than spending another 20 minutes at a Best Buy miles away all for a video game.
Three things Best Buy, first drop the mandatory plastic bag policy. Second, you need to revamp your treatment of customers and not threaten them of their illegal actions in front of all. Three, can I get reimbursed for some gas money for driving miles and miles out of my way since I was banned from buying a video game at your store in Orland Park, IL?
Cheers,
Matt D.
That is one crazy story, Matt. Now, if you had a copy of The Consumerist.com Consumer Action Manual (an as-yet unwritten pocket-sized book in the style of those “How To Escape From Anything” Books), you would turn to page 42, under “Dealing with in-store employee’s wacky interpretations of store policy” (just a working section title). There you would see that when little Mr. and Mrs. Blueshirt have decided they are the petty dictators of the cash register universe, you calm yourself down and call their corporate headquarters or customer service line and let them know what is going on. Oftentimes, this results in a call to the store from official company people with a few more firing brain cells who can straighten the whole matter out. Perhaps then corporate would have informed this store that video game ratings are just voluntary recommendations, it’s not “illegal” in any sense of the word to sell them to a minor, and especially not to an older sibling who just happens to have a minor with them. We offer this advice based on testimony from readers for whom it has worked, as well as former employees of various retail establishments.
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Argh! That’s the only word for it. How can anyone shop at Best Buy and maintain any shred of self-respect? Granted, this guy had a few gift cards (probably purchased by well-meaning middle-aged relatives who remember when Best Buy first opened and they actually had comparable prices and somewhat decent service–but those days are gone!). But short of free merchandise, anyone who takes a moment to speak with any of the employees, almost none of whom have graduated high school, will quickly discover that they’re full of it.
One of many of my little stories: I called the store nearest me checking the cost of a particular item (so what if I have fond memories of watching Babylon 5 in high school?) and was very politely told that, yes, they price match. That’s all. Just ‘yes, we match competitor’s prices.’ So I did a little more shopping around online and found no fewer than three stores in a one-mile radius that all were selling what I wanted for $10-20 LESS than Best Buy. They just didn’t have them in stock. (I called each to check.)
I went to Best Buy and was told I had to have a printed ad stating the price. I asked if it could be an internet price, and they said yes. Because I don’t have a printer, I asked if they could get on one of their many, many computers in evidence at the service center and look it up. No. Apparently the “brand new” policy states they can neither look at competitor’s websites OR CALL the competitor for a price check.
This is not rocket science people. And it’s worth it to me to order it from Target for $20 less and, even with shipping, save myself $15. (We won’t even talk about in-store pick-up.) If only the rest of the world could figure this out…
man i woulda told the lady fuck you and sued them for slander. Which im pretty sure is possible because they made an open spectacle about how you were doing an illegal act (and therefore soiling your good name) even though really you wernt.
Best Buy people are supposed to be nice, and I’ve walked out of best buys without a bag for a game (or bigger or smaller things) before.
The girls weight definitely plays into the story. You know why? Big people go on power trips sometimes because they are insecure about themselves. Don’t blame me, it’s the truth. Both the cashier and manager need slapped.
[gamma.serverbox.net]
When Illinois’s gov Blagovich signed that law making it illegal to sell M rated games, we knew it was wrong, and unconstitutional. It’s basically censorship. Unless the material is considered “obscene” and really very very few things meet this standard, it’s completely legal to purchase.
A store has the right of refusal but it’s not illegal. The Illinois law was overturned, and the state had to pay the legal fees of several million dollars to a retailers group who challenged the law.
I wrote an editorial that run alongside a piece by our Governor in a local paper. I’m so sick of everything being done “for the children” to the exclusion of an adult’s freedom.
Here is the editorial I wrote:
As for the issue, I recently wrote a letter to my local paper after a letter to the editor was printed supporting the proposed law.
My letter is the following:
After reading the letter by The Illinois Family Institute�s David Smith praising Governor Blagojevich�s proposed legislation to prohibit the distribution, sale, rental and availability of mature video games to children younger than 18, I was disturbed and quite honestly frightened by the reasoning used to support such a law.
First, I should state that The Illinois Family Institute�s intentions are noble and quite understandable, however, the slippery slope that this legislation would create should have most citizens concerned.
Most people will agree that media have become more sexual, violent, and profane over time. This could be said for television, movies, music and of course video games. Even the evening news is filled with descriptions of violence. There is no problem with the need to protect children from such potentially harmful media, but this is not the way to do it.
Are video games violent? Yes, some are, others are wonderful at teaching or providing non-violent entertainment. Are movies violent? Many are, but others are wonderful at telling stories, providing humor, or teaching about history. Is some music explicit? Yes, but there is also a wealth of music that avoids profanity and is just as easy to dance to.
Movies are rated by the Motion Picture Association of America. Television is rated based on guidelines established by the Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board. Music that may be offensive carries a parental warning sticker, usually placed by the recording label. The Electronic Software Ratings Board was created a decade ago to rate video games with age-based ratings:”E” for everyone, “C” for early childhood, “T” for teens, “M” for mature, “A” for adults only, and “RP” for rating pending. The ratings are displayed on the game box, as well as the content descriptors, to help consumers and parents make appropriate choices.
Between July 1996 and December 2003 over 5600 movies were rated by the MPAA. 67% of all the movies rated during this time period were classified as �R� (Restricted), meaning typically not suitable for children under 17 years of age, because they contained graphic violence, sexual situations and strong language.
By contrast, in 2003 only 10% of video games were given a rating of �M� (Mature), these games have content that typically are only suitable for persons ages 17 and older.
The average price of a video game in 2003 was $30.70; the average price of a DVD movie is $14.72. A movie ticket in 2003 was $6.03.
An argument can be made that there is a greater need to regulate movies. There are a higher proportion of violent movies and they are cheaper to view or own. That should logically make them easier for children to obtain right?
However, there are no laws in Illinois penalizing those who allow a child to view a rated R movie, or listen to �explicit� music, or watch television rated �Mature�. There is no reason video games need such legislation now. If a law restricting access to video games based on content is passed, what will the Governor target next? Movies, books, newspapers?
I have no problem with restricting access to violent material to children, but it’s the parent’s job. Most retailers are already carding children and not selling violent games to them, and I expect no less. Creating legislation to take the decision of when a child is mature enough for certain things and giving that decision to the state legislature is wrong. Deciding maturity based on predetermined ages does a disservice to everyone. I know fourteen year olds who act more mature than some forty year olds I’ve met.
Parents are, and should always be the ones that control what their children watch, listen to and play. What appears like a decent law at first glance becomes dangerously chilling when given a closer look. As a citizen of Illinois I believe there are many other issues facing our state that Governor Blagojevich and our elected representatives should be spending their time on and resources on. Leave the parenting to the parents.
Chris Falco
The Illinois law banning sale of mature games to minors was overturned as unconstitutional, and the state had to pay millions in legal fees to the retailers group that challenged the law.
As for the issue, I wrote an editoral for my local paper after a letter to the editor was printed supporting the proposed law.
My letter is the following:
After reading the letter by The Illinois Family Institute�s David Smith praising Governor Blagojevich�s proposed legislation to prohibit the distribution, sale, rental and availability of mature video games to children younger than 18, I was disturbed and quite honestly frightened by the reasoning used to support such a law.
First, I should state that The Illinois Family Institute�s intentions are noble and quite understandable, however, the slippery slope that this legislation would create should have most citizens concerned.
Most people will agree that media have become more sexual, violent, and profane over time. This could be said for television, movies, music and of course video games. Even the evening news is filled with descriptions of violence. There is no problem with the need to protect children from such potentially harmful media, but this is not the way to do it.
Are video games violent? Yes, some are, others are wonderful at teaching or providing non-violent entertainment. Are movies violent? Many are, but others are wonderful at telling stories, providing humor, or teaching about history. Is some music explicit? Yes, but there is also a wealth of music that avoids profanity and is just as easy to dance to.
Movies are rated by the Motion Picture Association of America. Television is rated based on guidelines established by the Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board. Music that may be offensive carries a parental warning sticker, usually placed by the recording label. The Electronic Software Ratings Board was created a decade ago to rate video games with age-based ratings:”E” for everyone, “C” for early childhood, “T” for teens, “M” for mature, “A” for adults only, and “RP” for rating pending. The ratings are displayed on the game box, as well as the content descriptors, to help consumers and parents make appropriate choices.
Between July 1996 and December 2003 over 5600 movies were rated by the MPAA. 67% of all the movies rated during this time period were classified as �R� (Restricted), meaning typically not suitable for children under 17 years of age, because they contained graphic violence, sexual situations and strong language.
By contrast, in 2003 only 10% of video games were given a rating of �M� (Mature), these games have content that typically are only suitable for persons ages 17 and older.
The average price of a video game in 2003 was $30.70; the average price of a DVD movie is $14.72. A movie ticket in 2003 was $6.03.
An argument can be made that there is a greater need to regulate movies. There are a higher proportion of violent movies and they are cheaper to view or own. That should logically make them easier for children to obtain right?
However, there are no laws in Illinois penalizing those who allow a child to view a rated R movie, or listen to �explicit� music, or watch television rated �Mature�. There is no reason video games need such legislation now. If a law restricting access to video games based on content is passed, what will the Governor target next? Movies, books, newspapers?
I have no problem with restricting access to violent material to children, but it’s the parent’s job. Most retailers are already carding children and not selling violent games to them, and I expect no less. Creating legislation to take the decision of when a child is mature enough for certain things and giving that decision to the state legislature is wrong. Deciding maturity based on predetermined ages does a disservice to everyone. I know fourteen year olds who act more mature than some forty year olds I’ve met.
Parents are, and should always be the ones that control what their children watch, listen to and play. What appears like a decent law at first glance becomes dangerously chilling when given a closer look. As a citizen of Illinois I believe there are many other issues facing our state that Governor Blagojevich and our elected representatives should be spending their time on and resources on. Leave the parenting to the parents.
Chris Falco
good sotry Matt, but I don’t think her obesity has anthing to do with it , does it?
*story
Wow I would have been extremely pissed. You should definitely get in contact with someone higher up at Best Buy and explain your ordeal.
Well they should have called the police and had him arrested if he was truly doing something illegal right?
In the state that submitter is in, is it actually illegal to purchase an M rated game for a minor?
Hardly likely.
@stopNgoBeau: President Clinton pushed for aggressive ID-checks for rated-R movies and rated-M games. There was never any LAW stating you had to be 17+ to watch/play said movie/game. (Link: [www.cnn.com])
All this came from the Columbine shootings in 1999, where people say the shooters liked to play games like Doom, which made them go on their shooting spree. In fact, this is what started the whole “violent games make violent teens” ordeal.
So, in relation to this story, Matt shouldn’t have been so vindictive about the cashier’s weight, as that has NOTHING to do with the issue. That just seems like a little retribution on his part. I know for a fact that if you look young, and are in the presence of young peers, you will either be carded or denied the sale.
Same goes with alcohol. If a group of peers walk up to a register with a case of beer, all of them looking 18-21, every single person is going to be carded. What the cashier should have done was ask both people for an ID, then use the act of discretion to refuse the sale.
A lot of wrong here on both the cashier and customer’s part.
Best Buy’s employees are creating new, arbitrarily restrictive rules and imposing them on a whim.
The laws do not say ‘you may not buy video games if you are travelling with somebody who is younger than the specific age’.
There is no reason to shop at Best Buy. None.
If a group of peers walk up to a register with a case of beer, all of them looking 18-21, every single person is going to be carded
I’ve bought beer while my little brother was with me. Hell, I’ve bought ammunition, a pistol, a shotgun and cigarettes while he was with me, too.
Not once was I stopped, because it was all completely legal.
Wow… damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
We defend content in games by saying that parents need to monitor their kids. We point out that there’s a voluntary ratings system in place to better inform people of what games contain.
And here we are knocking Best Buy for actually heeding the content label?
Best Buy is right. End story.
@BugMeNot2: I don’t agree. It might be possible that the scenario you pose is true, but you have no way of knowing that.
That’s about as lame as saying it’s relevant if the cashier was skinny because she’d probably be crabby from hunger.
Almost everyone feels insecure about something, but you don’t know if that person is insecure about their weight, and beyond that you don’t know (if they were insecure) if it would affect their performance at work.
It probably isn’t relevant; it seems that the OP is just trying to paint the employees in the worst light possible. A way to puff up the story?
If I was on the same scenario I’d laugh my butt off.
Oh I would have been screaming! I would have demanded that the ‘manager’ give me the name and number of his boss and his full legal name. I would have been speaking as loudly as I could so as to alert all the other shoppers about what dillweeds these idiots were.
My response whenever someone tells me I have to do something stupid like use a bag “because it’s policy” is to explain quite clearly that just because something is their policy doesn’t make it mine.
However I probably would not have had the confidence to do that when I was 21. It does take a few years to build up to that…
I really wish these things would happen to me, it would be endless fun.
Another thing, if I had a 15 year old son I would buy him all the M rated games he wanted as it would keep him from shagging chicks like I did at that age.
You still bought the stuff, dude you seriously need to get a back bone. I know your only 21 but if any person ther etreated me that way not only would I put them in theri places I would be on the phone to corporate headquarters, writing a letter and reporting them to BB. Totaly lame man, they treated you like crap, I would have done everything to try to get them fired, no one should be treated that way in a store.
The only thing you did wrong was go back and buy stuff from that store.
If I were you I would report this to corporate after you get those two peoples names. At least you will get some kind of letter, maybe a gift card and most thye get booted out of their jobs.
Sorry I wouldnt put up with that crap.
I’m awfully surprised that the cashier even cared about the rating. Speaking as a teenager, I probably would just scan the game as fast as I could get to the next customer. Not my problem what the customer plans to do with the game. Also, even if the cashier was worried about losing her job, she really had no reason to be verbally abusing the OP in public like that. He should have been able to buy the game after he left his brother in the car. The two workers were just being dumb, there was nothing wrong with what the OP said. Why should they even care what the heck the OP buys? They should be happy he wants to buy stuff so maybe they can get bonuses for selling the most videogames in the area or something. They’re just on a power-trip is all.
I’m so tired of the PC-ness over weight. How is stating a FACT, “She has red hair and is obese”, a bad thing to say? She really DOES have red hair and she really IS fat! The OP didn’t make her fat and never insulted her by calling her fat or making fun of her for being fat. If she’s fat, she’s fat.
When someone tells me about a situation, it’s nice to hear details, so I can picture it in my head. I thought of the next door neighbor from Small Wonder being the cashier. That woman made tons of money, and she has red hair and she’s FAT. So what? People are fat. Most people in the U.S. actually are FAT.
Yep. FAT FAT FAT FAT FAT FAT FAT FAT FAT.
If you think that’s a reflection of his opinion of her, then you’re the asshat, not him. Why would you think he means “stupid” when he says “obese” unless that’s how YOU use the word?
@Alpha_Omega: rather like what happened when my ex bought GTA for our son.
Although i’m not a full on greeny treehugging granola cruncher I despise bags. Not just plastic but all bags. I cringe when someone puts a gallong of milk (with a nice handle) into 2 plastic bags. I have a strict policy. If I can carry it to the register with no bag, I can take it to my car with no bag. I have encountered this “must take it out in a bag” in both Best Buy and Comp USA. The girld Insisted… and I mean insisted on giving me the item in a bag even though I told her absolutely not. She then put it in the bag and handed it to me. So I simply grabbed the bag. Removed my DVD and receipt. And left the bag on the counter.
I can’t believe people are actually supporting how the cashier treated him. Since when is it corporate policy to mistreat your customers because they didn’t leave their little brother locked in the car while they were shopping? They made him walk in and out of the store, then the whole way to the video game section and back, and wait in line all over again just to smirk and say he still can’t buy the game?
Then you’re going to sit there and support that asshole of a cashier while insulting the OP for just giving a physical description of her to create imagery?
All this because a 21 year old tried to purchase a video game, which he has every right to do… I’m almost ashamed to be living in this sorry excuse for a ‘free’ country.
Personally I would have just smirked right back at her, left everything at the counter and said “You can put these back yourself. You could use the exercise.” Then I would have left for a different store entirely, NOT another Best Buy.
I can kind of understand where a lot of you were coming from on the issue of how it seemed like his little brother was paying from the cashiers point of view, but that doesn’t excuse the way he was treated. Her job is supposed to be customer service. Instead she’s throwing around false accusations and publicly humiliating him over a simple video game purchase just because he took his little brother shopping with him.
@SJActress: I found that pretty interesting myself. The people who think they’re defending the cashier on the weight issue are the ones that are actually making it a negative comment to begin with. If he had said “the red haired, slender cashier” no one would be on his balls about it. I never knew describing someones physical appearance was more inconsiderate than forcing someone to leave their little brother in a car while they have him walk all throughout the store and still happily deny him the purchase.
@Lydiechan: That’s always bothered me about Best Buy. Their prices are just outrageous. It’s terrible when you can order anything online and, with shipping and handling, still have it cost less than if you went to the store and got it yourself (even more so when you factor in gas prices). You’d think you should end up having to pay extra for the convenience of not having to make the trip to the store, not the other way around. It’s almost like we’re being encouraged to be lazy.
@Vecha: Absolutely true. The notion that video games breed killers is completely absurd. I’ve played violent video games every day of my life since I was about 5 years old (and watched plenty of horror films and the likes). I have never been in any serious confrontation, physically or verbally, for as long as I can remember. In fact, most people would recognize me as among the nicest people they ever came across.
The whole thing is just media hype. It doesn’t matter how much people believe otherwise, a video game won’t turn any mentally sane person into a killer or criminal so long as they’re old enough and have been taught to understand right from wrong. If they do occasionally (as I’m sure they do), it’s because of an underlying mental condition that either wasn’t diagnosed or was taken too lightly, or the result of extremely poor parenting. The video games and their creators shouldn’t be held accountable for either of those, and consumers like this one shouldn’t be treated like this because of the misconception that the video games are to blame.
I know this is old but seriously… /stabcashier
That employee is made of bitch!
OP is a douche for talking about the cashiers weight, that has nothing to do with the situation. Yes I work at Best Buy, and no I’m not a fucking cheerleader for the place, trust me I realize there are some issues with the way things work. But, Best Buy can actually be FINED for selling a M rated game to a minor, as well as the employee can be fired for it. Granted my store works a little different, we just care about who’s paying for it just like alcohol sales.
This is crazy! It’s not illegal to buy Assassin’s Creed or any other Mature-rated game for a child. The ratings are there to inform buyers – to give them an idea of the level of maturity the game is designed for, nothing more. They should certainly not be used by tinpot dictators to police purchases.
This whole video game witch hunt has gone on long enough!
I actually had a very similar issue at a Gamestop. I walked up to the register after giving FEAR and FEAR 2 to my little brother to carry (he was 16 and I was 18 at the time) while I dug out my cash. So we walk up, me carrying my wallet and him carrying the two games I was buying for myself as well as Need For Speed Underground for him, they told me I was unable to buy the two FEAR games since he had been holding it upon arriving at the register. They also said that if I went out and came back in I still wouldn’t be allowed to buy them.
I think they should sell it even directly to someone who’s obviously under 17. There’s no law against it, and if I owned a game store, I certainly would.