Staples is reminding Alabama consumers that state law requires them to use a hands-free device to talk on the phone while driving; which would be nice except Alabama is one of 45 states that has no such law.
Jim writes:
Greetings, Consumerist braintrust. Attached is a picture I think you’ll find interesting. I took it yesterday at my local Staples store. As you can see, it states that as of July 1, 2008, it is the law that you must use a hands-free calling device while operating a vehicle. And that’s certainly true. At least, it’s true in California. But I live in Birmingham, Alabama, which is a couple thousand miles away from California, and which has no such laws. There was no disclaimer on the display, just a “DO IT NOW!” admonition to comply with a law that doesn’t apply to you.
Five states restrict their residents from yabbering while driving: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Washington, and as of July 1, California.
Call us old fashioned, but we think public safety laws should be written by legislators, not marketers.
Cell Phone Driving Laws [Governors Highway Safety Association]
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@mindshadow: Sammy’s? It’s been at least ten years! I grew up in that area, in the 1960s. Hillside Circle apartments. Best seat in the city for 4th of July fireworks! Pretty big rooms, terrible heat, as I recall. My parents had to run the oven, propped open with a metal spoon, to keep the kitchen pipes from freezing in the winter. As to traffic, getting out onto Valley Avenue, yeowtch! I always felt like there should have been some kind of back way out into Rosedale…
Hey, anyone ever notice that cop radios aren’t hands-free? How come THAT’S legal?
@NumberFiveIsAlive: There is only so much detail you want to put on an advertisement. It’s expected that you understand the entire message, not just what’s written on the sign. Advertisements are supposed to get your attention and remember the product/store…
It worked.
California ships so much tax money to southern states, I guess we might as well ship our surplus “don’t forget about the cellphone law” advertisements there too.
I think it’s corporate. Oh, wait…Staples is based in Massachusetts. Maybe UPS mixed up routing numbers.
@acknight: I’ve heard that before, but cops are magically better drivers, after all, they’ve never been involved in any accidents, or killed anyone in one.
@serreca: I’m assuming you’ve never driven in New Jersey or California if you think Birmingham could even have a shadow of their traffic.
@BabyGorilla: Wait, July 1st of THIS month, or July 1st of NEXT month? I’m confused.
it should be the law.
Cellphone use during driving is proven to be unsafe.
I don’t mind this too much.
I see way too much douchebaggery on the road from people yammering while driving, not only because they’re distracted, but also because people who do this the most also tend to consider themselves more important than everyone else on the road.
I wish I had seen this earlier… i’m playing catch-up right now.
Staples sent out two signs for the top of those shippers. One said “Drive Safely” or something, and the other said “It’s the Law”. Also included was a paper which showed which states had the law, so that stores could tag the shipper accordingly.
This store put the wrong sign on. I’m not excusing it, just noting how the mistake was made.
JIM: I sure hope that you pointed it out to the associates or a manager rather than just snapping a picture and tattling to the Consumerist. Bad service isnt in mistakes, it is in how the retailer handles the mistakes after they have made them. The misrepresentation was more than likely a mistake, which is easily corrected if it is pointed out.
Let me just add- obviously I work for a staples store. If someone can tell me which Birmingham store this was, I would be glad to call them and tell them to fix their sign, then check the consumerist for a picture of their store!
highland04, I’m the Jim that sent this in. It was the Hoover Staples location. The one on Highway 31, just past the Galleria heading north.
And I planned on just telling the manager, but didn’t for a couple of reasons. For one, the staff wasn’t the most attentive, and I was in a big hurry to get home. (I’ve got a seven-week-old son at home. And I’ve worked with the public a lot, so I’m not a demanding customer. I don’t expect to be treated like royalty.)
Second, I was a little put off by something else. I went into the store to get a pack of 100 Sony DVDs that were selling for $22 plus tax. However, I couldn’t find them in the DVD section. When I got someone’s attention, he pointed me to a stack that was priced at more than $40. I said, “But I thought they were $22,” and showed him the sales paper. He said, “Oh, if it’s in the paper, we’ll honor that price.” The DVDs did ring up for the advertised price, but I wondered if that was always the case.
And I don’t have a big axe to grind against Staples. I’ve usually had really good experiences there. That just kinda made my “Hmmmm” radar light up.
Jim–
I called the store today and they informed me that it had already been taken care of. I know for a fact that Staples corporate pays attention to this site, simply for the responses they’ve posted to the few articles that have been featured on this site about Staples, so I assume corporate had already contacted Staples.
I hope I didnt sound too critical in my response.