Winco

I, too, shop at one of the Winco's in Reno without issue. In fact, on my last visit a checker thanked me for carrying, and said she felt safer.

Sorry to hear of your negative experience.

When you write, you might point out that Walmart and Sam's Club have a WRITTEN policy that simply states that their stores will not restrict legal firearms carry, whether open or concealed.

Ask if he is aware that his policy is that only criminals may be armed in his stores.

If an employee or customer were fearful of motorcycle gangs, would a customer be asked to take his leathers out of the store? Or if the fear were gang violence, would someone with tattoos be asked to leave? Or if the fear were of people who aren't white, would a Latino customer be asked to leave?

At what point should we stop respecting people and start respecting phobias?

We visited the WinCo in Henderson, and frankly I was not impressed with the selection or prices. However, if WinCo is leaving the decision to allow open carry in their stores up to individual store employees, I'll certainly never spend money in their stores.

mbogo

I got two replies from them on twitter.

1.WinCo Foods ‏@WinCoFoods

thank you for the question, we respect and follow the law, but as private property we may ask visitors to not carry at WinCo


2.WinCo Foods ‏@WinCoFoods

...such decision would be up to store's discretion on a case by case basis. Thanks!

Vegassteve said:

I got two replies from them on twitter.

1.WinCo Foods ‏@WinCoFoods

thank you for the question, we respect and follow the law, but as private property we may ask visitors to not carry at WinCo


2.WinCo Foods ‏@WinCoFoods

...such decision would be up to store's discretion on a case by case basis. Thanks!

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I've been working on my letter to the Pres/CEO and should have it ready today.

TBG

I got two replies from them on twitter.

1.WinCo Foods ‏@WinCoFoods

thank you for the question, we respect and follow the law, but as private property we may ask visitors to not carry at WinCo


2.WinCo Foods ‏@WinCoFoods

...such decision would be up to store's discretion on a case by case basis. Thanks!

Click to expand...

While a corporate policy like Walmart's is preferable in preventing local stores from banning carry, at least WinCo is letting store managers decide unlike Scholaris which has a company wide anti-gun policy.

If my local WinCo manager continues to allow open carry customers, then I will continue to shop at my local WinCo.

Letter to Steven Goddard

The cut and paste ran everything together. be assured the letter was properly formatted.

TBG

06/04/12
Steven Goddard
President and CEO, Winco Foods
650 N. Armstrong Place
Boise ID 83704
Dear Mr. Goddard
I have an issue with Winco that I would like to call your attention to.
On Saturday June 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] I went to your new store located on Stephanie at Wigwam in Henderson, NV to do some shopping for the things I needed for my daughter’s birthday party. Along with me were my wife and my two youngest sons. I was interested in seeing your store as we saw some advertised specials that we were interested in and upon recommendation by friends. As we entered the store we saw some bread displayed by the door and stopped to pick some of it up. We were approached by a woman who bent over close to my side and said “is that a gun”? She then told me that “we are a family store and I don’t allow guns in here”. My wife asked her if that is her policy or the corporations. She seemed to be taken back by the question and then responded that it was corporate. I asked her if she realized that if indeed that is policy, did she know that none of your competitors have a problem with my firearm? She smiled and shrugged. I told her that we would not be back and she shrugged again which said to me she obviously didn't care. I asked what her position was and she replied "I'm the manager". I got the contact phone number from her for the Corp office and asked her name to which she replied "Sharon".
We left the store as we were asked and went to one of your competitors, Food for Less, and spent $200.23 for the food and supplies we needed for the party. This was just for this party. I have a large family and our food budget runs well over a thousand a month. I shop in or have shopped in all of your competitors with no issue what so ever including Wal-Mart, Target, Vons, Albertsons, Food for Less, Smiths, Smart and final, Fresh and Easy and Quevas none of which have a problem with the fact that I have chosen to protect my family. In fact at least Wal-Mart that I know of has a written policy that they follow local law with regard to firearms issues.
My wife and I both carry for our protection and have been doing so for several years now with almost no issues at all. I carry daily everyplace I go including work, Henderson City Hall, the parks, big box stores, mom and pop shops, banks and restaurants. This is in accordance with the Nevada Constitution which states “Every citizen has the right to keep and bear arms for security and defense” and state pre-emption which does not allow localities to establish firearms laws. As with most of the states in which your stores are located, we are an open carry state. That means that there is no restriction upon the wearing of a firearm except concealed which requires a permit. I have checked with many others that I know that open carry in NV, ID, AZ, UT and WA and I am the only one of them who has ever had an issue at one of your stores. In fact quite a few of them told me they shop open carry in your stores on a regular basis with no problem.
If as your manager states that you do not allow firearms in the store, how do you stop those who carry concealed, (and there are lots of them), from entering your establishment?
Your email support person, Cathy D. stated: “If a customer or employee feels uncomfortable to the point that they notify store management, we will in turn kindly ask the carrier to please leave their gun outside of the store during their visit.” I was not asked to leave my firearm in the car, I was asked to leave the store. Cathy’s response indicates to me that it is your policy to selectively decide who may or may not carry within your stores. Your manager “Sharon” indicated it was a hard and fast corporate rule. This is all confusing as at least a dozen people from the several states you operate in have told me that they shop your stores regularly with no problem while open carry.
Mr. Goddard if it is indeed your policy to prohibit firearms on your property, you have every right to do so. Keep in mind however that I have every right to take my business elsewhere, and will. Your competitors welcome those of us who carry.
Regards

Felid`Maximus said:

While a corporate policy like Walmart's is preferable in preventing local stores from banning carry, at least WinCo is letting store managers decide unlike Scholaris which has a company wide anti-gun policy.

If my local WinCo manager continues to allow open carry customers, then I will continue to shop at my local WinCo.

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We really do not know what their position is as we have heard my tales, depending on who you talk to. I have written the boss and I will reserve final judgement until I hear from him.

If however the reply is in the negative, I'd ask you to reconsider your thinking on this. It is very important that we all stick together. The strength of our numbers is all we really have to fight with. We do have alternatives in where to spend our money, none of us need them. As I stated in my communications with them, I have at least 9 other choices and none of them bar me my rights.

For me, if they refuse any open carrier, then they have just told me they don't need my business. It's up to you.

TBG

Firefighterchen on the WA section posted in response to my question there if anyone had been booted from Winco:



Not in the Tri Cities area. I spoke with one of the store managers, and while there are rules for employees (they are not allowed to carry any kind of weapon), they have no rules against customers. Their lost prevention was there at the time, and talked about a few people carrying in the stores, and that it was perfectly legal and fine. Kudos for letting the customers carry, too bad they restrict their employees.


TBG

TBG - thanks for standing up !!!

The Big Guy said:

I spoke with one of the store managers, and while there are rules for employees (they are not allowed to carry any kind of weapon), they have no rules against customers. Their lost prevention was there at the time, and talked about a few people carrying in the stores, and that it was perfectly legal and fine. Kudos for letting the customers carry, too bad they restrict their employees.


TBG

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Seems to be the way it usually goes. If open carry or CCW is ok, in accordance with corporate policy, it's no carry for employees, but okay for customers.

The Big Guy said:

If a customer or employee feels uncomfortable to the point that they notify store management, we will in turn kindly ask the carrier to please leave their gun outside of the store during their visit. This in no way means that we do not acknowledge your rights granted by the state. Instead it means that as private property we may chose to control it; in effort of providing a comfortable experience for all while on our premises.

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It seems to me, that we should all take a trip to WinCos and bring to the managers attention any child in any shopping cart and ask that they have the parent remove the child from the cart. It is far more dangerous for a child to be in a shopping cart in a store than a human to carry a holstered weapon. It should make us all "uncomfortable" that a parent would put their child in danger in such a way in a "family store". I would expect them to enforce your request to allow you a "comfortable experience while on (their) premises". If there is any question as to the dangers, simply google "shopping cart related injuries".

Also worth noting that WinCo is an Employee Owned Company, as such it may lend slightly different tactics in this battle.

They (sound corp) made up. Let's organise a meetup at one store. I love love love that so many came 'to my aid' for pts. I'll be there day or night, winco to shop any a place timed. TBG, I love you still. Your letters seem to gain the most ground. I'll send one to winco too. Gimme that persons email pls. I missed it in previous posts. I don't want it filtered to junk stuff. Gimme where you got progress. I'll push on from it.

I'll take a day off from work to go oc during shopping. Thankfully my work anniv is jun 15th. I now have 2 week vaca from jun 15th to do all this great stuff!

The Big Guy said:

Sir,

I do email support for WinCo Foods, it is my job to answer questions and route emails, as I find appropriate. This is our policy and it is our manager's job to provide for the safety of our employees and customers.

I'm sorry you do not choose to shop with us but if you change your mind we will be here to serve you and your family.

Cathy D.



Wow! I guess she told me. I will now be finding the CEO's address and sending a letter.

TBG

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Not only does Cathy D. have poor customer relations skills and is unresponsive to specific requests for information (referring you to a P.R. spin-jobber, when you specifically asked for the CEO's contact info.), she has accused you of being a danger to, "our employees and customers", without so much as giving an example of how a person who is peacefully going about his business with his family while armed poses a safety risk to either the employees or customers.

It seems to me that Cathy has it backwards: store employees or customers are the ones who jeopardize the safety of the armed and peaceful shopper--witness Erik Scott.

I await the CEO's reply to your letter. Depending on the outcome, I too will be writing to the CEO to either praise him for being a reasonable and rational man, who really does value all of WinCo's customers rather than merely insincerely parrot the words (see Cathy D.), or to let him know that I will no longer be shopping in his stores if he takes the same line as Cathy D.

For an interesting read, go to the Washington forum and look at the responses in my "Winco" thread. It seems Cathy D. has been active at least going back to 2010. She talks out of both sides of her mouth.

TBG

From JUGGLZO on the ID thread.

Interesting

TBG



"I work at winco during my training they specifically told me that "open carry is perfectly legal in this state and not to be alarmed". i was surprised! very cool! if you come in my store i will give you the thumbs up! they don't pay well but it's a job big surprise im not allowed to carry. can i with a license? what's the worst they could do fire me! "

The Big Guy said:

Interesting

TBG



"I work at winco during my training they specifically told me that "open carry is perfectly legal in this state and not to be alarmed". i was surprised! very cool! if you come in my store i will give you the thumbs up! they don't pay well but it's a job big surprise im not allowed to carry. can i with a license? what's the worst they could do fire me! "

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Is that from someone in the WA thread?

jdholmes said:

Is that from someone in the WA thread?

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From JUGGLZO on the ID thread.

TBG

The Big Guy said:

For an interesting read, go to the Washington forum and look at the responses in my "Winco" thread. It seems Cathy D. has been active at least going back to 2010. She talks out of both sides of her mouth.

TBG

Click to expand...

Cathy D. does seem a bit confused, doesn't she?

I'm wondering if a WinCo customer approached an OC'er and began to berate him/her for OC'ing, making the OC'er uncomfortable, would management boot the offending non-OC'er in the interest of having a family-friendly shopping environment?

I hope that the CEO has a clearer vision of what his company's firearms policy, and enforcement of that policy, really is and can intelligently communicate the same to us.

Tbg..

I hope that the way it displayed here in the forum, is not the way it is on your Word Processing App. If it shows the same way in both.. then please try using paragraphs.

Your letter was very hard to read.

It probably won't get much attention if he can't read it quickly.