is anyone else bothered by walk through anti theft devices?

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There is one of those walk through anti theft machines where I work. It makes a high pitched noise that makes me feel agitated, confused, and like I may have a seizure. nobody else can hear it or has these issues. I am fine with the ones in stores, I think perhaps it was the continuous exposure. luckily my coworkers are understanding and the device has remained unplugged for over a year now. Still, I am curious to know if anyone else has issues with these machines?

The don't bother me, but I usually always end up with one or two items that didn't scan properly and I have to go back to have them run them through there a time or two so that it will make the machine stop.

I like the one at Wal Mart. It's got a really nice soothing, several note sound. If I was the lady who had the job of standing there by it with that thing to fix the items that didn't scan, I would probably just stick something in there to make it go off from time to time when nobody was there, because it's got such a pleasing sound. Some people don't even notice it. It's not like the old one that would go DING DING DING Please step back DING DING DING Please step back.

The funny thing is, at our Wal Mart, they don't ever ask for a receipt unless they suspect you of stealing something. If it's fairly busy and somebody they don't suspect walks through and it goes off, they usually just wave you through and say go on. I've never been asked for a receipt there. If I have a lot of bags and something trips the alarm, the lady runs the paddle over each bag until she finds the one, then each item. Then we take it over to a register and have it ran over the scanner a couple of times to try and turn the alarm thing on it off. It usually works but when it doesn't, they say "Don't worry about it, just go on"

I know a guy who shoplifted there a few times. He says he always brings something in that sets off the scanner. Something he's got somewhere else, and the greeter sees it when he comes in, so she knows about it. He goes in and gets what he wants and then leaves through the same door he came in. He always asks the greeter when he comes in if they have such and such item. She usually doesn't know but tells him where to look. He doesn't take long in the store, and so when he walks back out the in door with the stolen item hid a few minutes later, he says to her "Nope, ya'll ain't got it, guess I'll try Western Auto" and when the alarm goes off, he points to his sunglasses or whatever it is that made it go off before. She says "You're ok!" and waves at him.

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I'm giving it another shot. We will see.
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Wow^^ That would never happen around here! ^^^ New Englanders don't trust anybody, not even each other.

I don't hate the things, but I do hate the fact that they need to be there. I don't steal, and don't like having to be inconvenienced because some other idiots with no principles do.

But...

it is what it is, so I try not to let it bother me too much.

Well, in a town where nobody locks their houses or windows or cars, and you can leave your bike in the yard, your truck windows down with your wallet on the seat and an expensive gun in the gunrack, you can leave your car running when you run into the Auto Zone, and you can leave your purse in the buggy at the grocery store and walk off to look at something, that's a pretty small thing to be waved through like that.

Cops don't even say anything when they pull you over and you get right out of the car and walk up to them before they even get out. On hot days, when I was in my car and the AC was broke, I'd just get out and walk back and go to the passenger side and get in Johnny's SUV when he pulled me over before he even got out. In some other places they would yell at you, point a gun at you, or shoot you for that. Not here.

_________________
I'm giving it another shot. We will see.
My forum is still there and everyone is welcome to come join as well. There is a private women only subforum there if anyone is interested. Also, there is no CAPTCHA.

The link to the forum is http://www.rightplanet.proboards.com

do you have metal tooth fillings ? if so
plug your ears if you still hear it, theres your answer
i used to repair those machines.
hope that helps

The reason I hate those things, is because they momentarily attract a lot of attention to you. The public library here has one of those things, too. Gone are the cozy days of just walking through the door of the library. Now you have to walk through the anti-theft thingy. Once, I had rented a DVD and had it in my purse to return it. I stopped at the library to pick up some books, and as I was leaving, the stupid thing went off. I had to show the librarian that I had a commercial dvd in my purse. Of course people were staring, too.

Where I live it seems like they do little good since they go off for no reason so frequently that people usually just walk through without getting stopped when it goes off.

YES YES YES...........in australia, they beep 10 times..........everytime I am in the shops and they go off I count in my mind up to ten as they are going off......I can't help it.....and it just totally distracts me from what I am doing. Sometimes I wear ipod while shopping so I don't get so distracted.......
Right there with you though, they s**t me.
verticalmum.