Hmmmmm maybe I should start going to walmart...

That's... different.

1. Oh for christ's sake lady, just chain your bike up at the rack out front. I have a $600 langster that I boogie around town in, and I chain that thing up all over the place on my shopping trips. If you really feel uncomfortable doing that sort of thing, then restrict your cycling to excursions where you don't have to leave your bike unattended.

2. pics or it didn't happen ;)

addendum: of course, if the store has no bike rack, then it is evil and you shouldn't be shopping there in the first place. wouldn't surprise me, this IS wal-mart that we're talking about here...

should there be a tagline for "batshit crazy consumer"? "completely irrational consumer"? "makes walmart seem reasonable consumer"?

A self-absorbed melodramatic bike asshole. What a surprise.

@MikeToole: I, too, have no problem leaving my bike chained out front either. Most stores (yes, even Wally World) have no problem with someone chaining a bike to a fence, cart return or anything else that's solid as long as the bike isn't causing too much interruption. Sounds like she should have invested in a $560 bike and a solid lock.

This isn't Europe or Boulder, CO! Get a car!

They don't sell cars at Wal-mart, so I could probably drive my car in the front door so that nobody steals it out in the parking lot.

having lived in bike friendly places like Chicago and now Portland I have NEVER seen anyone just mosey around a store carting their bike around. Maybe to pop into a minimart to grab a vitamin water, but to think of someone just leiusrely strolling around a department store with their bike is just stupid.

It's this sort of entitled attitude that bikers are starting to get (check out the past 2 weeks in Portland at oregonlive.com to see the daily fistfights between bikers an motorists) vis a vis "we can drive anyway we want; we can take our bike anywhere we want" that is really making people irritated.

i also question Carey tagging this post "activism" since the biker wasn't really standing up for some greater good, she just wanted special treatment for herself and permission to be a huge tw*t

@PHX602:

You say melodramatic and self-absorbed, I say a good-humored person with fun ways to make life interesting. She didn't write any complaint letters or an eecb or anything, she just took off some clothes. No harm, no foul, just good times and smiles! Except you, you're just bitter.

Thats alittle much.. I mean she wouldn't let you take your bike in! ITS A FREAKING BIKE! So you take your clothes off? Well at least the people at walmart got a free show that day!

ReachHigher, you're my new favorite person in the whole world. Brilliant!

@xanax25mg

I agree. It seems like these days more and more bikers want to be both a "pedestrian" and a "motor vehicle" at the same time. I have been stuck behind several bikers lately impeding traffic and not giving enough room for people to pass. They seem to think they deserve as much of the road as anyone. If they want to use the road they can't impede traffic any more than a driver is allowed to impede traffic. Then they'll hop up on the sidewalk and go through crosswalks to avoid red lights and other inconveniences of driving. Grrr.

Hello Everyone! I suggest that those who post comments read the full story first. I personally think that she is a little less irrational than most people think.

@nealb: my bigger beef, as a pedestrian, are bikers who view red lights and Stop signs as mere suggestions rather than rules of the road they are obligated to obey.

YOUR $600 bike can be locked up outside, next to my $30,000 SUV in the parking lot..

@sreppok: i read the full story, in what way was she not irrational? Walmart had a perfectly reasonable policy, her response was to take off her clothes. She took walmarts request to the utmost extreme "you sell clothes so I should take mine off so you dont think I stole them" which is just silly.

@sreppok: I read it and if this woman was a man I'd think of them as being a tool. It's bad enough people bring children strollers into stores that do nothing but clog aisles, last thing I need to see is some douche on their bike. By the way, lick it.

Which VA walmart was this? The Fairfax, VA one?

It really isn't the same because you're walking in with the shirt on your back, etc. If I walk out empty handed with just the clothes on my back I won't be stopped, the fake security by the door will assume I did not purchase anything. However, if I walk out with a BICYCLE they may think it belongs to Wal-Mart. Nevertheless, they just should have given her permission to take her bicycle in. They could have put a small tag on the handlebards, etc, like they do in hardware stores when you bring your own tape measure, etc.

But I really do believe this lady should invest in a high-quality bike security system. :)

This woman makes all bicyclists seem like nuts. They won't let you bring it in because you are going, to like, push it through the store which could constitute a safety hazard. The clothing example is stupid because you are, you know like, wearing the clothes. *rolls eyes*

Yeah, reachhigher, the crowd wasn't there in solidarity, they were there to watch you get naked. Brilliant, indeed.

@tc4b: Or, as a psychologist I can say her whole "I'll take off my clothes because walmart wont let me drag my bike around the store" as both narcissistic and histrionic. Not only did she do this but she wanted to post a blog announcing it to the whole world how she stuck it to the man. That's not different than any other consumerist post on EECB'ing or a long winded complaint letter. Watching a crazy homeless person on a bus scream that Oprah is controlling their mind while they take a shit on a seat is also making life interesting, but it's also irritating too.

@tc4b: Sure I'm bitter. I had ACL surgery a few weeks ago and can't ride my bike. If I can't ride my bike, I can't go to my local Big Box and start stripping off my bike shorts.

Read
The
F**king
Article
Before
You
Comment.

RTFABYC, Learn it, Use it.

There was no bikerack, so much for being green Wal-mart. It takes a bit more than just selling Compact-Florescent lights.

i thought it was a pretty funny and witty way to make a point. of course not everyone has a sense of humor.

@DePaulBlueDemon: the point is why should they do all the things you reccommended walmart do? If I have a 210 lb Bovier dog I don't feel like chaining to the lamp post outside should they allow me to bring that in because I want to? She chose to not chain/lock her bike to something she felt wasn't secure so that's her problem, it's not up to walmart to come up with a whole security system that suits her needs.

@sreppok: I read the story (following the link). She still seems irrational to me. As someone already mentioned, you can lock a bike to a fence, the basket corrals. Yes, there is a chance your bike will get hit but those who park cars in parking lots also face those dangers. You make choices with your mode of transportation.

As an avid biker myself, I hate hearing this stuff. Read an issue of bicycling magazine and you will hear stories and letters about how bikes can drive in the same lanes as motorists, and its the law! Just plain stupid! We know that we are already a bit meddlesome to traffic, we shouldn't make it worse.

And this lady! Whew! She's lucky they didn't throw her out, and she is actually doing Wal Mart a favor by not going back.

I can't believe so many people are bashing the woman and not even questioning whether or not the reason was because she simply couldn't bring her bike in or rather due to the managers illogical explanation. Her reaction make perfect sense to me. What if I want to bring my bottle of water in with me. Can I not do that because they sell bottled water there? If the reason is rather due to it being obstructive or a liability or whatever, then why not just say that?

@JoshMac: You would do best just to move out to the middle of the country. You seem to have issues with people in general.

By that logic, I suppose the original poster wouldn't have an issue with bringing a motorcycle inside, particularly since Walmart (no hyphen anymore) doesn't sell motorcycles. However, they probably do sell motorcycle tires and accessories in some locations, so to reduce confusion, be sure to leave those at customer service. :-)

@RoboSheep: every walmart I've been to has traffic signs in front of the store "i.e. No Parking/Loading Zone, etc" that she could have tethered the bike to. Walmarts also are almost always in shopping plazas with other stores nearby that may have bike racks or some other object to lock it to. She just wanted her bike parking experience to be perfect to her standards and wanted everyone else to conform to it.

And wait, when there isn't a bike rack I tie my bike to lamp post, or some of fixed object. What a moron!

As an avid cycling enthusiast and Walmart hater, I think this woman is a disgrace. She's most likely the belligerent type of cyclist that antagonizes cars and trucks to make a statement and makes it tough for the rest of us who just want to get along and enjoy the sport.

The truth of the matter is Walmart CAN restrict what you bring in, or wear. They can refuse you admittance if you don't follow their rules. It's your choice to enter under their conditions.

I realize whar a craphole WalMart is and as a result just don't go there.

I'm wondering why this "Cyclist" even needed to go to WM on her ride anyway. I'll bet it was most likely to cause a scene.

Wonder if she threatened to sue.

She should not just be allowed to bring her bike in the store and walk around with it, however the manager should have used a different rationalization. It would be perfectly reasonable to say that a customer cant walk around with the bike in the store as it could be disruptive to other customers (especially in a cramped store). Taking off one's clothes in the middle of the store could also be considered disruptive to other shoppers so you get two birds with one stone.

Many of these consumerist stories seem to stem from managers not reasonably dealing with situations that arise. This gives the customer a sense of entitlement to blow the issue way out of proportion. Few of the posts seem to be legitimate abuse of the consumers. Still entertaining stuff though!

The point isn't that they wouldn't let her bring her bike in. The point is that they gave a completely stupid reason why she couldn't bring her bike in.

In case you don't get it, most of the purpose of this site is to take the side of the *consumer* against horrible, nonsensical behavior of businesses.

@nealb: a bike is not a car and a person on a bike is not the same as a person walking. There are different rules and laws. Most resentment comes from people trying to apply car or pedestrian methods to bikes.

let's look at the broader issue-- she wanted to bring her bike in and walmart told her a policy she did not agree with. So if she wanted to have lunch at a 4 star restaurant and there was no bike rack out front, is she then entitled to bring her bike in? If she doesn't like their explanation the bike will be in the way, it's unsightly, etc, does she have the right to hold some sit-in or create a scene that, according to some of you at least, "keeps life interesting and fun"?

@dtracker: why does walmart have to give her any reason? they are a private company that can tell her not to bring it in. How is their behavior "nonsensical"? If there are lampposts/traffic signs, etc she could have chained her bike to but instead wants to roll it around a store how is her behavior anymore sensical and rational? If you go to your friends house (a private party just like walmart) and you want to bring your bike in his small apartment and he says no because it would get in the way (his policy) is it not reasonable to just accept that and either abide by it or leave?

@dtracker: In most states vehicle laws are vehicle laws. They apply to cars, trucks, mopeds, motorcycles and *GASP* bikes. Most of the resentment comes from cyclists that don't want to be inconvenienced by laws.

The problem was with the Walmart excuse: you can't bring it in because we sell them. The should have used practically any other excuse, such as, it's store policy, or that they just don't like bikes in the store. They do allow strollers and other such people moving vehicles in the store. why not bikes? Her actions were just the logical punchline to the manager's fouled reasoning.

I wish this would happen at my Walmart.

@tc4b
But seriously, just because someone (like PHX602) tells it like it is doesn't make him bitter. xanax25mg is right on the money, too.

@hoffmeister_hoff: She needed to buy some CD-Rs so she could send a file to her university. That raises my bullshit alarm too.

You guys are all just ticked off because you missed the show.

@RoboSheep:
Now the point of the story is no longer the woman who acted irrationally, but Walmart sinning against Mother Earth by not providing bike racks to stop global warming. Let's stay on point here.

Wonderful! Love it.

@xanax25mg: I agree. Walmart doesn't need to give her any reason for not bringing her bike in. "No bikes allowed in the store" is a perfectly fine policy. But, again, that's not what the story illustrates. The point is that they gave her a completely stupid reason and she called them on it.

@CMU_Bueller: It obviously depends what the laws are in your area. And the resentment I was talking about was the whole "oh crap, there's a bike in front of my car slowing me down"/"oh crap, look at that bike on the sidewalk, why aren't they in the street, where they belong?" that some drivers have. And, yes, cyclists do run stop signs and breaks laws, but the experience of riding a bike is completely different than the experience of driving a motorized vehicle. I always thought the laws should be updated to reflect that. But that's a whole other issue.

For those of you who have not read the link, please allow me to paraphrase it for you:

{i}I hate Wal-Mart with every fiber of my being. However, the fates determined that I must journey down the dangerous four mile road and enter into the gates of HELL to pick up a CD-R spindle. Because Wal-Mart hates the earth and all of its living creatures, they had removed all vertical objects to which I could secure my $600 bicycle.

"So I walk into the walmart and the most evil grandmother I've ever met grabs my arm with her claws and says I can't bring it into the store." She does suggest that I leave it in the foyer where she is stationed (likely so that she can urinate on it).

Undeterred, I continue to argue with the old bat and she calls a manager over. The evil moron again tells me no, and gives me the lame excuse that they sell bikes and they wouldn't want to confuse their idiot employees and that it could also lead to a safety issue. "So I asked her why she thought a bike controlled by an adult was more dangerous than a shopping cart being pushed around by someone's bratty kids."

The manager, defeated, went back to the lame excuse that they sell bikes in the store so I couldn't bring another bicycle in. I asked her if they also sold shirts in the store. She said yes so I took off my jersey and said well then I'd better not bring this in either. I continued to take off my shorts and shoes and asked if I could leave them at the service counter while I shopped. At this point, the bitch had the gall to tell me to leave the store.

"She threatened to call security if I didn't leave so I told her that I would never be coming back to that store again and that I was glad I hadn't driven there since the gas to go four miles was probably more expensive than what her underpaid employees make in an hour."{/i}

The manager should have just approached her at the beginning and informed her that they have the right to refuse service to anyone and asked her to leave.

@nsv: Not really. I would assume that this lady is divorced and in her mid-40s. She makes a big deal about having to bike 4 miles (I bike 5 miles to and from work everyday, and you wouldn't want to see me without my shirt on) so I would bet that just down to the spandex and sports bra was rather horrific.

@anthonyhasp: True, but then you would have had her blathering on about how they refused her service for no good reason, blah, blah, blah. It is a no win situation for a business when you have irrational customers.

"I was glad I hadn't driven there since the gas to go four miles was probably more expensive than what her underpaid employees make in an hour."

Any respect I had for this person, (which admittedly wasn't much), just went out the window.

Essentially declaring that you're soooo much better than folks working in retail and therefore you should get what you want isn't activism. It's snobbery.

As hard as it is for me to type this, Walmart was in the right. If they told her no, she should have left without causing a scene and taken her business elsewhere. Accuse me of blaming the OP if you like, but I don't see how that kind of behavior reflects well on consumers, nor do I think that it should celebrated.