Potomac Mills / Burlington Coat Factory --- Fun :)

I found this slightly amusing...

     Just got home from an outing of olive garden, fishing, and last but certainly not least Burlington coat factory at the Potomac mills mall.

     Now I have been OCing for about 3 months now and this was my first odd experience. As we approach Burlington coat factory i tell my wife go on ahead to the baby section (another on the way yikes lol) and I will meet up with you I am going to just use the bathroom a minute.
     After i finish up i head over and once I round the corner to head down the home stretch I pass an employee carrrying a bunch of metal frames. I notice him eyeing my pistol as I pass him. As soon as I actuall pass him I hear the metal frames slam the ground and I know he is staring at me. I opt to continue on since he didnt say a word. I get about 100 feet down almost to my destination and I know he didnt move because i didnt hear him pick up the frames.
     So at this time i decide to peek back real fast and sure enough he is pointing at me and staring as he talks to another employee. I continue on to my wife and daughter and soon as i get to them i smile and tell her what happened. I also say they should be over shortly. So now we continue to look through the expensive cribs and baby stuff preping what im going to say when they approach.
     Sure enough the employee and what looks like the store or department manager arrive but my pistol is facing away and out of their view. The "manager" asks if we are finding everything alright I smile and tell him "yes pretty soon we are going to need alot of new baby items." All the while he is walking around me and peeking to see if i really am carrying. All he says to my response was "Oh ok thats good." He then tells the employee ok we gotta go around cant get to there from over here and then leaves. I couldnt help but think sarcastically nice cover up .
     We are over in that area for a while looking and figuring out which items we want and never see the manager again the employee stays around putting frames together building what looks like more shelves. He never looks over and doesnt say anything. Soon after we leave with no issues really.


     I just thought i would share this with you all. I really thought the manager did a very good job assessing the situation. I just found it humerous how he slammed the frames down as i passed and tried to cover up the spy job as something other than that.

     Any comments or questions?

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...Isn't the notice about no guns supposed to be prominently displayed?...

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rugerdon wrote:

...Isn't the notice about no guns supposed to be prominently displayed?...

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Well, the word is, "conspicuously". The standard definition of "conspicuously" as applied to printed words, is that the words in question must be at least as large and obvious as the largest other printed matter. That would be kind of funny in this situation, since "NO GUNS" would have to be as large as "Potomac Mills", I reckon.

Put it this way: I wouldn't go into or spend money in Potomac Mills (nor will anyone in my family). However, if I were defending someone arrested for having violated that "notice", I would be perfectly comfortable arguing to a jury that the text in question was not conspicuous and that no one in his right mind actually reads all that crap they post on the doors.

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As an aside, I'd point out that it's illegal to use the word, "factory", in a retail business name or trademark unless one actually operates a factory. Va. Code section 59.1-200. Burlington Coat Factory did have a factory at one time, which it still maintains as amuseum. They take the position that the museum is a factory, because it once was. But it doesn't produce anything sold in the stores, and is not in fact a factory, because nothing is manufactured there. So anyone who "suffers loss" e.g., by buying something at Burlington Coat Factory is entitled to five hundred bucks, minimum, and up to fifteen hundred (or three times the actual damages whichever is greater), plus costs, interest, and attorneys' fees. Va. Code section 59.1-204. The problem is that people are naturally deceived by thinking they're getting special prices on goods manufactured by the seller; when in fact, Burlington buys low priced, well, not first-rate, goods from distributors and sells them retail at a profit, but because the products are, well, not first-rate, the prices are lower. It's illegal because people are likely to think they're getting first-rate stuff at low prices because of having "cut out the middle-men", but that's not true.

Anyone who wants to go there and buy a pair of socks so as to have standing to sue can use me as a witness (I'm thinking specifically of the Prince William County store); I've told store managers and written them letters, about this issue, and there's no question that their continued use of the word, "factory" is a willful violation of Virginia law.

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As an aside, I'd point out that it's illegal to use the word, "factory

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§ 59.1-200. Prohibited practices.

A. The following fraudulent acts or practices committed by a supplier in connection with a consumer transaction are hereby declared unlawful:

12. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, using in any manner the words "wholesale," "wholesaler," "factory," or "manufacturer" in the supplier's name, or to describe the nature of the supplier's business, unless the supplier is actually engaged primarily in selling at wholesale or in manufacturing the goods or services advertised or offered for sale;

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It's true!

§ 59.1-200. Prohibited practices.

A. The following fraudulent acts or practices committed by a supplier in connection with a consumer transaction are hereby declared unlawful:

12. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, using in any manner the words "wholesale," "wholesaler," "factory," or "manufacturer" in the supplier's name, or to describe the nature of the supplier's business, unless the supplier is actually engaged primarily in selling at wholesale or in manufacturing the goods or services advertised or offered for sale;

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How do these stores get business licenses to open?

TFred

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