The bus-eating abominable snowmen that commandeered I-95 early yesterday morning flummoxed our plans to return to New York on the Chinatown bus. As we wandered through Union Station assuring our mother that we would take Amtrak, we came across this magnificent sign in the music store FYE telling kids under 18—presumably a key demographic—to keep away until 4 p.m. As our friend took a picture, a surly FYE employee sternly warned that we were breaking the law.
(Photo: Robert Koeth III)
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@cp87: Sharper Image was one. Glad they are going belly up.
I actually work at an FYE.
However, we don’t have this policy of 16 or under after 4:00. We will just throw disruptive customers (teenagers) out. One idiot kid was putting some of the “Mature Viewing” DVDs in with the Childrens DVDs! Needless to say, he was thrown out. I think it sends the other delinquents a message when we throw somebody out. We haven’t had any other problems in a while now. It seems like the majority of the degenerates seem to go to the pornography, go figure.
@camille_javal: Can’t believe I made that typo >_< XD
But:
I would take simple printed text (and fonts are not copyrightable either) stating a policy to be one of those most obvious limits.
Various states have legislature in place limiting the activity of minors during school hours, some are limited to specific cities or metropolitan areas in which gang activity is both feared and rampant. Detroit had these laws in place for some time during my youth, I couldn’t tell you if they still do. Now, the reasonable exception, which is mostly ignored on simple signs, is evidence of a minor’s rightful freedom. A home-schooled student could carry the mandatory (in most states) proof of enrollment form, holidays are not often considered weekdays, but a school calendar would suffice to ward off suspicion of truancy and mischief. In other words, deal with it, learn the rules and manipulate them, complaining won’t help you (unless you intend to initiate referendum).
Actually malls are no longer considered private property in terms of gathering and expression. They are now considered public spaces and as such have more liberal use criteria.
I will NEVER shop at an FYE store. I have been getting spam from them for at least 5 years and I never signed up for it.
And I also haven’t bought a CD in years not because of prices but because the music being released is crap. Even the old bands I do like are releasing crap.
@cmhbob: right.
Another word would also be graduated.. not everyone under 18 is still in high school.
@SaraAB87: I’m still amazed people even wear Heelys. Saw some segment on them back when they first came out and thought it was the dumbest thing yet.
@drjayphd:
Its not as big of a problem here as it was last year. Its usually only a problem a week or 2 after Christmas because everyone gets the shoes for Xmess but then the kids realize that the shoes kill their feet and then they stop wearing them. The shoes can cause all kinds of problems though because they alter the way you walk and your posture. Being a podiatrist might be a good field to get into now because all these kids who wear heeleys and other ill-fitting shoes are going to end up having foot problems later on in life. Theres a reason they were voted worst toy/worst Christmas gift of 2005 or 2006 I cannot remember.
But as a family orientated person who likes to get out to walk in malls and stores, and who likes to shop with her elderly grandmother and mother who is just recovering from a hospital visit I would appreciate if malls and stores would have No Heelys rules that WOULD BE ENFORCED so that I can shop with my family in peace.
The only place I have seen it enforced is a Kmart, which is now closed, they had a security guard at the entrance looking at kids feet for the shoes and a big sign on the door. Most stores have the signs, but no one listens, they skate as they please and no employees even make an attempt to enforce it.
@Witera33it Have you ever heard of homeschooling? Normal school hours do not apply in that case.
Anyway, who cares about FYE. Don’t tell me people actually buy music from stores like that still. Ever heard of iTunes, or other online stores?
Another issue – what about kids in year round schools? My daughter goes to school 9 weeks on, 3 weeks off. So her breaks are at odd times. She’s not truant so why can’t she go in?
Or even homeschooled kids?
@redwall_hp and web_mom: The rule was clearly written to cover the majority of teenagers, those who are enrolled in public high schools with a 180 day, 9 month school year. Your homeschooled/year-round kid just has to suck it up.
@ptkdude &
@Antediluvian:
Actually, “till” is an acceptable, and arguably preferable form. “Till” looks like a misuse of the abbreviated form of “untill,” however, “till” has regularly occurred as a spelling of this word for over 800 years and it’s older than “until.” It is perfectly good English, traceable back to the Old English “til.”
I coordinate exchange groups to the US. Last August, I took 36 chinese teens, aged 14-17, to Patrick Henry Mall in Newport News, Va. Within 30 minutes of arriving, several students & myself were approached by mall security, asking that the students not take photos in the mall. Then another security guard informed us we were to leave the mall! I repeated back to him: Let me get this correct. You are telling me that my 36 students, and their thousands of dollars in American money, are not welcome in this mall? He stammered & tried to back down, as he & his partner slithered away. I remained in the food court for the next hour, as gathering 36 students is not an easy task. This wasn’t school hours…it was summer! It was over-zealous security, and paranoid kiosk vendors (ie: “they could have been terrorists, taking pictures of our kiosk!”)
@forgottenpassword: I dunno why, but there seems to be some mass misunderstanding that taking photos of things is illegal.
I was taking photos of illegally parked cars in my neighborhood (they were blocking the road from emergency vehicle passage), and had an owner come out to tell me it was illegal to photograph his license plate. He backed off when I reminded him that his license plate is on public display and it’s purpose is so his vehicle CAN be identified.
Where do these brilliant beliefs come from?