Hoodies in service stations

[incognito]

Just had an incident with a petrol station attendant. Went in to buy a packet of cigs and he asked me quite rudely to take of my hoodie.

I asked why and he said it was store policy.

I almost did but then I thought this guy is being very rude and possibly all jacked up with the poo brain. So I said no.

This guy pumps himself up and says its store policy and MY policy. Anyways I politely say no and give him

My card to pay, and he says " u think ur real tough, would u be this tough with the police?"

I start shaking my head as obviously this guy is a few stubbies short of a six pack.

U felt like really stirring this guy up but go with my better judgement, leave my hoodie on, pay and say thankyou an get out of there before the poo brain infects me.

My question is, do these guys have the right to ask u to remove ur hoodie? I understand full face helmets, but will this extend to hoodies and hats?

If so these guys are going to have a bastard of a job policing it.

Really

Just did my head in.

[niggles]

Once they have made bhurkas illegal im sure hoodies will be next, but hoodies come after bhurkas in the banning progression due to the lack of face covering.

[incognito]

Service station attendants need a major pay rise then. Or suits of armour.

[Alice]

I looked into this a while ago too, in regards to helmets. I could not find any Australian law that stated that your face must be visible when at a servo, however it is often written into company policy so they can refuse service and ask you to leave the premises if you do not comply.

So really it just comes down to courtesy. Maybe if he wanted his company policy adhered to then he should have been courteous to you and not acted like a jerk.

[naja naja]

pretty sure that they bought it into law here in W.A. a few months ago.

Wat I want to know is.... if you owe them like $60 for a tank of fuel, are they really going to refuse to serve u and let u pay that money to them, just cause ur wearing a hoodie? I think it's stupid, but with how dangerous working night shift in a servo in some area's can be, I understand why.

[dionysus]

despite going to the same servo almost every day for the last 15 years (since i was able to walk to a shop on my own accord) they still don't open the door for me if i have a hood on and it is past 10 pm, regardless of the fact that i went to primary school with around half of the attendees and know the other half on a first name, friendly basis. if someones boss says "we do this now" they generally start to do that...

perhaps they're just trying to get me back for all the red skins and loose change ive made them count over the years. i really do like those red skins, makes me feel guilty supporting such a discriminatory product lol

Edited July 13, 2012 by dionysus

[Psylo]

Incognito.. Thugz life, yo. Dress properly and you'll be a_ok

[shortly]

My boys have run into the same problem, they & all their mates just boycott the shop involved & encourage everyone the meet to do the same.

Oddly enough the shop involved seems to be getting quieter & quieter.

[incognito]

Yeah its fair enough.that said it was 8am and -1 degrees, and i am as bald as a babys behind.

what he should have done was politely explain the reason why? i was spinning out just thinking he was trying to be a staunch hero.

I mean he was really calling on a violent incident if he had spoken like that to the wrong guy.

I guess its like some hospitality workers who get a little bit of power over the general public, they go mental with it.

I mean if i spoke to truckies like that coming on site at work in regards to their safety helmets they would string me up to the nearest powerline by the genitalia.

[Bush Turkey]

dress properly??? are you serious Psylo? Which is the "propper" way to dress?

your making a judgement that all hoodie wearers are thugs?

ive been asked to take mine off but i said "no, its my religion" with a cheeky grin, the clerk had a laugh and left it at that

but i do think its good manners to take all hats off inside, even hoodies

on another note, my mate got refused entry to a servo because he had his face painted

[Sallubrious]

The servo down the end of my street gets robbed nearly every week and most of the time it's by someone wearing a hoodie, the kids know their faces don't show up properly on CCTV when they have one on.

That guy sounds like a goats arse but I don't think the policy is unreasonable. It's not much to ask just to pull your hood down.

Working in a high risk job for fuck all money would make me uptight too I reckon.

Edited July 13, 2012 by SallyD

[incognito]

bt hes havin a joke bruz ;)

i was looking for something to say to him, but he was a large kinda lad and puffed himself right up. I think he was having a bad morning. In a past life i could have razzed him right up and get him to beat the shit outta me on camera and came away with a few thousand dollars. But im tryin'reallllll hard man.

I think its alot to put on the shoulders of these guys. I mean do they get payed alright to enforce these rules?

edit-I agree its a fair policy, but what they need to do, which would also take the stress of the servo attendants, is put a sign on the front door so that before u enter you know what the rules are. Im sure there would be people out there with deformitys/ medical injuries/ plain ugyness that would rather not show of their melons in public and would rather go elsewhere.

I think having attendants enforce the rules without prior warning is asking for trouble within the establishment.

edit again- my bad just told my sister the story and she said theres a big sign at the front door saying no hoodies or bike helmets.

now i feel i owe him an apology

Edited July 13, 2012 by incognito

[Legba]

OHS. Obviously haven't covered dealing with an incognito hippy. Discretion is a lost art i guess.

[whitewind]

Interesting, I think youths wearing hoodies - especially in a large group - can be a bit intimidating but I rspect their right to wear anything they want (especially when it's cold, ffs). I get asked incessantly to have my bags checked and I dress pretty respectably nowadays, except for the long hair. Last time it happened in Target I think I backed away from the pram (shows how respectable I am!) and said go ahead. The girl in question looked a bit taken aback, did a cursory glance (didn't even check the bags underneath) and waved me through. Fucks me off a bit as they also have these beeping devices that go off anyway so why do they need a bag check? I am invarialy polite though as I think it's the best policy for everyone to experience just how friendly long haired people are, and to see how surprised they are when asked if hey are being honest. And the last thing I want is to get in to a tussle with security, that's the surest way to trouble.

So I think the same response should be acceptable for hoody wearers - prove to them you are respectable, pleasant and honest - drop your hood, smile and wave at the camera, and then ask if you can pull it back up because your f*cking freezing might be the best response - makes them feel like a dick instead of giving them the righteous thrill of standing up to a scary youth type person.

[dionysus]

I am invarialy polite though as I think it's the best policy for everyone to experience just how friendly long haired people are,

 

 

[ballzac]

Well, in relation to bag searches, the law is that they have the right to post a sign saying by entering you agree to have your bag searched, but you are entitled to change your mind after you enter the store. However, if you do change your mind, they then have the right to ban you from the store because it's private property and they can make the rules.

But, surely there must be limitations to this? I mean, surely they can't just ban anyone they like from entering the store based on, for example, racial prejudice. So does this mean that being banned for standing up for your rights isn't illegal discrimination. I think it would need to be tested in court to be sure.

I think this parallel's well with the hoodies versus burkas issue, because if they ban you from the store for wearing a hoody, no one's going to care, but if they ban you for wearing a burka, there will be an uproar about religious discrimination.

Funny thing. One time at Dan Murphy's I bought a bottle of single malt. I knew exactly what I wanted so went in, went straight to the shelf and took it to the counter. The lady asked to look in my bag and I said "no". She said she couldn't sell me the bottle then. I basically told her I hadn't stolen anything, but if I had, wouldn't it be better for them if I also bought the bottle? She didn't seem to get the rationale, so I walked out without buying it. Ended up going somewhere else and not being asked to show the contents of my bag.

Edited July 13, 2012 by ballzac

[whitewind]

 

 

 

 

Can I get some cash out, please?

 

 

[incognito]

Lol that would be freaky

[Bush Turkey]

of course you can sir, must be cold out, stay warm

[whitewind]

Sad thing is, that if you were going to be mugged / held up by someone in a hoodie, or a helmet, or a burka, the chances of you gettng to ask them to remove it (let alone get a positive response) would be petty small. So unless ou can prevent someone from entering until they have shown their face, this policy simple isn't reasonable anyway.

[El Presidente Hillbillios]

I woulda removed my hoodie, shirt and pants!

[Bush Turkey]

i think a zz top beard and sunnys is more of a disguse then a hoody, next will be no beards

[incognito]

I'm on eBay now getting a pair of funny nose and moustache glasses

[Distracted]

Few facts i've learnt.

A representative of a store has the power to refuse sale or remove anyone from the premises(not physically of course). Anybody refusing to leave once asked is trespassing and can be charged by a peace officer.

If somebody fills up their car with fuel and makes an attempt to pay and is declined by the console operator, it's not the customer's fault as they have attempted payment, this is restricted however to what can be accepted as payment at the service station. It is lawful to decline any purchase made using silver coins above $5, and any purchase made using gold coins above $20(not 100% sure, but 90% sure that's the right number).

When reporting a drive off the key term the police need to hear in order to act is that the offender made no attempt to pay.

What i'm wondering though is if you're declining entry based on clothing(hoodies) if that is discrimination or not. I don't think it would hold up in court but that's purely speculation.

Scariest thing about working at a servo during winter in the middle of the night is that EVERY SINGLE FUCKING PERSONS LOOKS LIKE THEY WILL ROB YOU.

Hoodie up, with a beanie, hands in their pockets. Scary shit. You learn to live with it.

I personally think it's extremely rude to enter a store with a hat on your head or hoodie up. Same as talking to people wearing sunglasses, extremely rude. I think it's ruder to point a camera at me though, so I keep my hoodie up to hide my identity.

Edited July 13, 2012 by Distracted

[dionysus]

dis, i was under the impression $6 gold and $4 silver. a low threshhold, but i know i wouldnt want to count $5 in 5 cent pieces during rush hour. they make the threshhold so low that it comes down to attendee discretion. (i learned this from aunties 'can we help' series about 2 years ago, possibly out of date)

this means you can spend coins up to the equal amount of the second lowest denomination note, you should not theoretically ever need to use any more change.

Edited July 13, 2012 by dionysus