Thrown out of Poundland

mossychops

Cycled to Stratford today and popped into Poundland to get a drink, security guard nods at me on the way in and then after I've been in there a few mins the security guard comes over and says I cant wheel my bike through the store. I then notice the manager hiding behind him. I said

Me: "OK no problem, I'll leave, but I dont really see why, no dirtier or dangerous than a pram or motorised wheelchair thing"
Manager "you cant leave a pram outside, can you? But you can leave your bike outside"
Me "Well, I wouldn't, it's a nice bike it will get nicked, I don't have my lock"
Manager "No one will nick it, this is Stratford"
Me "Why do you have a security guard in Poundland, if no one nicks anything?"

Sainsbury's were more than happy for me to go in with my bike and get a drink. I do take the bike into quite a few shops (obviously only if the shop is a big shop and it wouldnt be dangerous or dirty or anything) and no one ever seems to mind apart from this bloke today.

Is it a common occurence for thieves to pass my unlocked road bike outside a shop and walk in and rob stuff with a maximum value of a pound?

suzyb

mossychops wrote:

Manager "No one will nick it, this is Stratford"
Me "Why do you have a security guard in Poundland, if no one nicks anything?"

Jay dubbleU

Its the same mentality that lets prams onto trains but refuses bikes

cornerblock

Should have bought a lock. They're only a pound!

Jay dubbleU

Cornerblock wrote:

Should have bought a lock. They're only a pound!

And can be opened with a piece of damp string

cornerblock

Jay dubbleU wrote:

Cornerblock wrote:

Should have bought a lock. They're only a pound!

And can be opened with a piece of damp string

Which is also coincidentally...... a pound.

PBo

anyone see last week's The Apprentice where two geniuses tried to supply a pound shop with £20 duvets? should have just been called into the bladdy board room and fired on the spot.....

optimisticbiker

Had the same issue in Lidl when they had the recent bike promo on....

apparently the bike was 'a danger to other customers' yet two 10y old scrotes racing trollies around was 'just kids'

Go figure...

They lost the opportunity to sell me a tool kit and other stuff... went to another Lidl later in the week for them.

cornerblock

OptimisticBiker wrote:

Had the same issue in Lidl when they had the recent bike promo on....

apparently the bike was 'a danger to other customers' yet two 10y old scrotes racing trollies around was 'just kids'

Go figure...

They lost the opportunity to sell me a tool kit and other stuff... went to another Lidl later in the week for them.

That showed 'em!

mossychops

I did think of shouting "Do you know who I am? I could buy anything I like in this poxy store" but I reckon he's heard that one before.

Didn't think of getting a lock, I could have done that, gone outside, torn it apart with my bare hands and then he'd have had to let me back in to return the lock.

You could understand it if the bike was dripping wet or dirty. Might boycott them and take my business to 99p store. They're £2 down already by asking me to leave.

optimisticbiker

Cornerblock wrote:

OptimisticBiker wrote:

Had the same issue in Lidl when they had the recent bike promo on....

apparently the bike was 'a danger to other customers' yet two 10y old scrotes racing trollies around was 'just kids'

Go figure...

They lost the opportunity to sell me a tool kit and other stuff... went to another Lidl later in the week for them.

That showed 'em!

Yep

CycleOfViolence

My local Police have taken to paying for the goods stolen from Poundland rather than arrest the shoplifter, it works out cheaper for the public purse.

rebs

Ah Stratford... a peaceful utopia is ever their was one....
I'd not even want to chain my bike up in Stratford!

I've been stopped by a Security guard for not being allowed to bring my bike in a Asada in Beckton only for one people working in the store telling the guard that is fine. Lovley lady she was. The guard was rude but no mor ethen anyone else.

shouldbeinbed

If it's that nice a bike shouldn't you be making sure you can secure it rather than expecting other people's goodwill?

mossychops

shouldbeinbed wrote:

If it's that nice a bike shouldn't you be making sure you can secure it rather than expecting other people's goodwill?

Yep, you're right and actually I went in slowly in case the security guard asked me not to. I still don't really see the problem, it's not dirty, bright red and much less dangerous than most things in the store.

It was a 46 mile round trip (I wish they'll open a poundland near me soon) and no way I was going to carry a lock all that way. I usually nip into garages but got all the way there and hadn't passed a single garage in 23 miles. Bike Route Toaster picks some lovely quiet roads (and 2 miles of fields I carried the bike over).

It's a nice bike to me anyway, worked hard for and paid for. Not the most expensive in the world, but wouldn't want anyone to steal it.

jamesco

mossychops wrote:

Manager "you cant leave a pram outside, can you? But you can leave your bike outside"
Me "Well, I wouldn't, it's a nice bike it will get nicked, I don't have my lock"

Nah, not quite the same, if your 1yr old was in the kiddy seat, you wouldn't leave the bike & him/her outside, would you?

Bikes are greasy, dirty & awkward and I can understand why someone wouldn't want one in their shop. It's no big deal one way or the other, but also no surprise that the manager would throw a hissy fit. Take it with good grace and he might change his mind for the next time.

bdave262000

FFS just make sure your water bottle is full before you head off. Then you don't need to stop at crapland. its not difficult.

Jay dubbleU

Went into Boots in Newbury last week and someone had parked a well travelled ie muddy locked Trek complete with panniers inside the door - no-one seemed concerned

HadronCyclist

the guard at waitrose follows me around drooling at my dogma whenever i go in there....

joelsim

I had that in the Sainsburys petrol station in Cobham. And it's probably got the widest aisles of any petrol station I've ever seen.

"Just leave it outside sir". Hmmm, I don't think so, I'll just go elsewhere fella.

daviesee

mossychops wrote:

Bike Route Toaster picks some lovely quiet roads (and 2 miles of fields I carried the bike over).

Try telling bikeroutetoaster and/or Garmin that you are just a slow car. It keeps you off off-road routes that way. So far in my experience anyway.....

CiB

I've been thrown out of worse places than £Land; Evans for a start. Bunch of oxygen thieves.

Sainsburys in Asbourne don't like you taking a bike in (twice in fact), but a v nice woman of a certain age who works there is happy to look after it whilst you grab a few bits & bobs to make it on to Rochdale & beyond. She's a good sort, even if I suspect she was only doing it to drool at my manly cycling legs.

Headhuunter

I've taken my bike into loads of shops - Tesco Metro, shops at petrol stations and small corner shop type places. I tend to leave it by the door though, I don't wheel it along every aisle whilst I choose what I want, creating an obstruction.... No one has ever told me that I can't leave it by the door....

bails87

Headhuunter wrote:

I tend to leave it by the door though, I don't wheel it along every aisle whilst I choose what I want, creating an obstruction.... ..

Bike<shopping trolley

I've only ever taken my bike into B&Q. I figured it's dirty anyway, with wide aisles and the great unwashed pushing round trolleys full of leaky bags of cement//soil/wallpaper paste so a clean road bike is no more cumbersome or dirty than anything else in there.

I wouldn't expect to be able to walk it round John Lewis though.

joelsim

Quite right. I'd expect one of the staff to push me around John Lewis.

Confusedboy

HadronCyclist wrote:

the guard at waitrose follows me around drooling at my dogma whenever i go in there....

More euphemisms?

Guys, try and see this from the shop's point of view. I know you can't understand why they don't get your reluctance to leave your Cervelo in the car park, but all they can see is a bike. Now, try sitting outside a pub on any busy high street and count the number of bicycles of any sort, BSO included, you see in the time you drink your beer, and then imagine what it would be like in the shop if thier owners all pushed thier bikes around Tesco, or even £land, every time they went shopping. There has to be a rule, and it has to cater for the worst case scenario. Bikes are, potentailly, an obstruction in a shop, particularly the sort of shop which provides it's own obstacle course of 'special offer' bins and promotional nonsence in the aisles anyway.

discurio

I have had the same situatiion in sainsburys.

"if i have to leave the bike outside then you can leave your guard standing there watching it while i do my shopping, you can go for a spin round the carpark if you like, could do with shedding a few pounds"

neither saw the funny side so i left them to it and went elsewhere.


i have the same battle about taking my motorcycle off when popping into the shop pick up a few things.

veronese68

discurio wrote:

i have the same battle about taking my motorcycle off when popping into the shop pick up a few things.

I've never tried to take my motorcycle into a shop. I do object to being told to take my lid off before they turn the fuel pump on though.

SimonAH

I was thrown out of John Lewis. The woman at the perfume counter asked me what grooming products I used and I responded "Haribo, puppies and Facebook"

verloren

CiB wrote:

Sainsburys in Asbourne don't like you taking a bike in (twice in fact)

Not surprised about that - it can be a struggle fitting a trolley through the poorly designed entrance, let alone a bike!

noodles71

I watched a guy not long ago park up out the front of the newsagent opposite the Lewisham Poilce Station. He looked around for someone who looked like they might nick his bike (no souf lundun jokes please) and went in. I doubt it was longer than 10 seconds for some fine, upstanding citizen decided waiting for the bus was not for them and jumped on and took off. All over and done with in the amount of time it would take to get change back from a £5 note.