WOW! No one would think that taking a pic of a sign on the front door would wind up escalating to that kind of accusation. I've never been hassled for taking pics on a shop, although certainly there were people who were curious.

@charleybuddy wrote:

a young girl (12-13 years old?) saw me and thought i took a picture of her, and then told her mom, who came over a few minutes later and ripped my phone out of my hand while i was counting items, calling me a pervert and demanding to know where her daughter’s picture was.

it escalated to the point where the police were called, who looked at my phone and said nothing was improper. obviously, as the girl wasn’t even in the picture.

@charleybuddy wrote:

i did a sizing audit once and the instructions require you to get the manager’s name, which is usually posted on a sign in the front of the store. as i passed by the sign when i walked in, i discreetly took a picture of it.

a young girl (12-13 years old?) saw me and thought i took a picture of her, and then told her mom, who came over a few minutes later and ripped my phone out of my hand while i was counting items, calling me a pervert and demanding to know where her daughter’s picture was.

it escalated to the point where the police were called, who looked at my phone and said nothing was improper. obviously, as the girl wasn’t even in the picture. the police were more curious about why i had pictures of pricing/sizing tags for multiple stores, which i also had to explain. it was the wildest thing i’ve had happen on that type of project.

You never know how someone may react (or over-react, as it were). I do those audits, too, and I'm careful about which ones I'll do. I do not do any that require me to check sections in the young ladies intimates area. That area also tends to be one of the most disorganized, so there are two good reasons right there.

I am sure you were scared, even though you had not done anything wrong. I'm curious where was the store manager in all of this? The store manager could have easily sorted this out because they are fully aware of the program. Either way, you were outed. I'm curious as to whether you went through the audit, did the MSC approve?

In your situation I would not have willingly turned my phone over to law enforcement. You were not legally required to do so unless they have a warrant to search the phone. Police are not your friend in that situation. The reason why we have a constitution is that we, as citizens, have the rights, not the police. They could have gotten a warrant had they had probable cause to believe a crime had been committed. Based on the information you described, I do not see any probable cause. I would have told the cops to KMA and left the store. I then would have explained it to the MSC. There are some things more important than money.

I think many people who do things like this are just bullies, and just need an excuse to do thing they are already prone to do. Crying about their child is just an opportunity to get away with it. Not saying a parent doesn't have a right to be concerned, but there is a wrong way and a right way to go about doing it.

i had to check how it all ended as this happened a few years ago. i wasn’t able to finish the audit that evening, i was about 1/3 of the way through my counts when the issue arose. i alerted the program manager via text that evening after i was asked to leave the store and explained what happened in a longer email once i finished my route and got back home.

the MSC checked with the client and confirmed the incident at the location, however since i did not drop cover until after the police were called, it wasn’t considered being “outed” as the auditor. for that reason, i was allowed to complete the audit on a date a few days later. the MSC paid me $5 for that location that evening (however i did have to chase that $5 down, but it was paid quickly after noticing the discrepancy).

the female manager on duty seemed to be siding with the mom and daughter, and things were kind of escalating quickly so i was actually the one who requested the police to be called. i know my rights and you’re allowed to take pictures in public spaces of anything (unless there’s a no photography sign, you have to abide by that on private property). if the store considers me a disturbance, they can trespass me from the store. however until that happens, i can take pictures of anything i want (within reason).

once i asked the police to be called, i also informed the manager on duty that i was an auditor and i was in the process of a sizing audit. she said she was unaware of any such program. i also asked her to call the store manager to confirm the program.

once the police arrived, they separated me from the mom/daughter and got each side of the story. i never handed my phone over to the officers, i explained that i was an auditor, showed them pictures of pricing tags/manager signs from that location i was completing and also from previous audits i had completed that day. i showed them the MSC’s website where i upload my work and then also showed them the texts i have from the program manager assigning me the locations.

the officers understood and were the ones who de-escalated the situation, surprisingly. they informed the mom/daughter they are not allowed to assault an individual and grab their phone based on perceived pictures being taken, and that i, as an individual can take pictures anywhere in public spaces. however since the police (not the store) considered me a disturbance in the establishment that evening, i was asked to leave.

i finished my route of two other sizing audits that night and didn’t have any other issue that evening, or on any other audits.

like i mentioned, since i didn’t drop cover until after the police were called, and that the officers, not the store, considered me the disturbance (the store did not trespass me), i was able to return later and complete it. i did remember seeing that manager again and she stayed clear of me in any section i was working in.

as a quick aside, the MSC used to allow auditing of the backup category instead of ladies intimates; i had asked the project manager about this at one point years ago. however during the start of a new program year, something changed where i was informed that wasn’t possible anymore. as a guy, it was nice to be able to substitute a men’s bottoms category (or whatever the backup category was that round) instead of sizing a div8 panties category. i think it’s pretty much a dead giveaway you’re the auditor when you’re a guy and counting ladies intimates; especially when they’re all out of order and mis-sized and you need to make notes. but what do i know lol

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/06/2024 05:02AM by charleybuddy.

I once did a Circle K shop where the shopper must discreetly take a photo of both the cooler and the beverage dispenser. Unfortunately, I did not realize there was a store employee in the aisle ( she was short and I did not see her as I took the discreet beverage photo).
"Why are you taking a picture of the soda?", she asked. Thinking quickly, I spoke in an over the top French accent, that I was visiting the country and had never seen such a dispenser. I wished to send the photo to my friends in France.
She seemed satisfied with my explanation.
I made sure that I never did that site, at that time again!

I'm always a bit apprehensive about taking photos in restrooms, which are often required...I mean you read about creepy things happening in restrooms and I am the last to be a creeper anywhere lol....I usually go into stall, make sure the restroom is empty...open the door a crack, take quick pic of the sink area and scramble.
I've seen signs on restroom doors in urban areas that they have been permanently closed due to drug activity.

Regarding the post about men looking at women's lingerie. Plenty of men purchase lingerie for women for gifts so I don't think it's that over the top.

Especially in the discount stores where the size audits take place. I see men and women shopping all departments all the time.

I tell them I am vision-impaired and need to use the magnifying feature on my phone to read what is on the menu board.

@MsJudi wrote:

I was doing a covert assignment in a grocery store and thought I was being so careful while taking pictures in aisles when no customers were nearby. I was surprised to be approached by a guy in plain clothes who flashed his badge and told me he saw me taking numerous photos and told me to leave promptly, which I did. They must have been watching through their cameras. Those app shops got to be too tedious with too many photos. Don't do too many of those any more.

As soon as he flashed his badge, I would have been tempted to flash mine.

@French Farmer wrote:

I once did a Circle K shop where the shopper must discreetly take a photo of both the cooler and the beverage dispenser. Unfortunately, I did not realize there was a store employee in the aisle ( she was short and I did not see her as I took the discreet beverage photo).
"Why are you taking a picture of the soda?", she asked. Thinking quickly, I spoke in an over the top French accent, that I was visiting the country and had never seen such a dispenser. I wished to send the photo to my friends in France.
She seemed satisfied with my explanation.
I made sure that I never did that site, at that time again!

I love it! This is probably the best response I have ever heard. Kudos to you for your creativity and quick thinking!

Here is one piece of advice I think all of us should heed when taking required pictures "covertly." Do not overthink it or spend time framing and focusing. That was necessary in the days of old SLR cameras and slow film, as well as the very early digital cameras. Today's smartphone cameras make this unnecessary.

Just be nonchalant, quick, and take the shot! It takes less than the blink of an eye to get the shot (unless you are using a timestamp camera app). If you are worried, wait until the employee blinks, and then take the shot. Cashiers are easy, because they always have to focus away from you at some point during the transaction. Remember, it takes less than a second to take a couple shots. With a small bit of practice, you can even learn to confidently shoot from the hip.

@charleybuddy wrote:

i was allowed to complete the audit on a date a few days later. the MSC paid me $5 for that location that evening (however i did have to chase that $5 down, but it was paid quickly after noticing the discrepancy).

the female manager on duty seemed to be siding with the mom and daughter, and things were kind of escalating quickly so i was actually the one who requested the police to be called. i know my rights and you’re allowed to take pictures in public spaces of anything (unless there’s a no photography sign, you have to abide by that on private property). if the store considers me a disturbance, they can trespass me from the store. however until that happens, i can take pictures of anything i want (within reason).

Thank you for sharing more details about what happened. It sounds like you know your rights, and I'm glad to hear that. I am still highly disappointed that once again law enforcement overstepped their bounds by asking you to leave. Kudos to you for complying. I'm also glad you at least got $5 out of that event.

They also told me I can no longer swap to the back-up category.

@foodluvr I agree that for the women's section it is a little less creepy. The store in question has a young girl's section (think tween/teen). That's not a category I would be comfortable doing undercover. If the manager knew, that would be different, because I would simply put on my Independent Contractor/Auditor badge, so people would know I was working. When you cannot have paperwork with you and you are trying to be discreet, I don't think it is worth the headache. Plus, as I noted before, women's sections in general tend to be the most screwed up. It doesn't matter if it is clothing or shoes, it's all the same.

As @charleybuddy alluded, they used to allow you to swap to a back-up section if you were assigned that young girl's section. They changed it and no longer allow you to do that.