Your Dolls and Security Officers-ever a problem?

OT, but there is more than one city in the US that has at least attempted (and I'm sure somewhere it has passed, but it's too late for me to look it up) to ban baggy clothing (especially meaning the kind of pants that are worn under the butt, over boxers) on the streets. They claim it's because of "exposed underwear" being indecent, but really it's probably because of their perception of the people who wear that type of clothing. It's not right, but it happens. Malls aren't "public spaces" in the same way parks and streets are anyway, so they can attempt to restrict things if they choose.

To be on-topic, the only time I've ever even noticed a mall security officer was because I knew him from high school. I've not taken either of my boys to the mall, though. I do know no one working at the Walmart even seemed to notice him the one time I took Riddick - not even the cashier when I was checking out and my sister asked to hold him, and then I fussed at her for having his face pressed into her coat. I think the girl was trying as hard as possible to pretend she didn't see anything!

 

I wouldn't have a problem where I live, but looking at the other somments I'd have to agree not to take anything you cared that much about to the mall
=)

 

I can't recall if I posted this before, but a few months ago, I took Kori into the mall with me for a brief trip. I was just walking through, I had wanted to show a friend who works at the local FYI my boy, but she wasn't working that day, so I left shortly after arriving. It was busy because of the holidays, but I didn't really see any of our security guards that time.

I was there last Friday shopping with my friends. I noticed that there seemed to be more security, and even a few police officers there o.o I'm not sure why there was a sudden boost in authority figures, but our mall has been slowly getting stricter over the years...I'm not sure if Kori will be 'welcomed' if I ever take him back.

[/end randomness]

 

wow you should have been to the meet here in maryland one day,
well what happend is we (we mean about 10-20 people) went to the mall like they do every month, and this old mall cop said we could take pics in the mall for "commercial reason" even though we had premission from the guy who runs/owns the place. but at this posint i kinda stop listen so i dont know what happend afterward

 

I don't think any of the security guards at the local teen trap malls in my area would be bugged about a doll... of course I don't have a doll yet and have never tried

well at parkway they arrested a clown once for being a creepy clown with balloons (one of the oddest things I've experienced... he wasn't supposed to be there)
and at grossmont..... well anyone who gets in trouble there normally deserve it... like the idiots I know who skate there at midnight and egg the cops and cars (it's an outdoor mall)... oh and girl scouts who aren't selling cookies in their designated spots (yeah... they yelled at girls scouts... one of them being a younger me and escourted us back to our designated area)

but other than that I don't think la mesa (or east county san diego) malls have too much of a problem with oddities.... I mean I got away with wearing a jacket with 300 pins on it to the mall every time I went (every weekend for the year and a half I was a mall rat) and no one ever bugged me about it (except a few idiots my age who like to make fun of me for being weird)... so my mall would be fine with BJDs!

 

I don't have my boy yet, but I do know that our local mall has security, and I know they always sort of scope out the 'strange' appearing folks, but they've never bothered me in my strange attire of men's jeans (comfortable and functional, great thing), a brightly coloured T-shirt with an obnoxious saying on it, under a jean jacket that I've worn since 3rd grade (and it still FITS me! o-o) that had a giant lightswitch fabric painted on the back with big bubble letters that say TURN ME ON AND FEEL FREE TO FIDDLE AROUND WITH ME.

Somehow that always seems to amuse them and they just smile and wave as I walk past. I just smile and nod and meander on my merry way. I don't think that they will bug me about a doll and if they do, well, I'm slightly obnoxious and snarky, and will probably make a scene about it because "Its a doll, I came in with it, I plan on leaving with it, what do you think I'm going to do with it? I'm browsing and you are preventing me from making this mall more money, and I'm not sure they'll appriciate that later. Do I need to ask to speak to your supervisors?"

XD It wouldn't be the first time I got lippy with authority. Its happened before and usually they just back off. If not I have no problem talking to supervisors. My mommy didn't raise me to take people's crap. Even if they are low-rent mall security. What will they do? Tell me to leave? Ban me? Big whee. I don't go that freaking often anyhow.

 

Kiyakotari, it's hard to feel charitable towards people who are being deliberately awkward even if they are our fellow human beings. Some 'rent-a-cops' are being jobsworths and heavy-handed when they have no reason to be and I don't see a problem in responding in kind to that sort of self-important person. I wouldn't deliberately go out of my way to annoy security and if a security guard came up to me and politely asked me to move on I would...but if someone treats me badly and I haven't done anything to deserve it, I don't think I should go out of my way to be kind in return.

It might be the perception of people who follow that fashion, but it most likely is because it's indecent and slovenly! I can't stand being out and about and seeing some guy's butt hanging over his trousers It looks lazy, not fashionable. There's baggy pants and then there's people too lazy to get a belt for their baggy pants. Urgh.

 

I agree with Jessica. If some low-rent mall-cop jerkoff if hasseling me for sitting in the food court, eating my meal, plotting how best to hit up my favorite stores in a manner designed to get me in, out and back in my car BEFORE social anxiety disorder kicks into over drive and sends me into the bathroom to throw up and have a panic attack, with a DOLL of all things...

Well, I think I have plenty of reason to be a bit irate and unreasonable in return.

And on the baggy pants thing.... You are not my boyfriend. I don't need to see your butt. Pull 'em up or I'll pants you in the middle of the street and walk on by while you flail around trying not to trip and pull your pants up at the same time. Buy a belt. Better yet.... BUY PANTS THAT FIT. That "trend" is so rediculous and irritating. Your boxers don't interest me any more than my panties showing over MY jeans interest you. Not that I allow that to happen since I buy clothes that FIT me.

 

I`ve taken my dolls with me on planes two times. First time, no hassle, I even got to have them in the seat next to me, all neatly strapped safe, and bought them one of those 150ml Cokes.

Second time I had all four with me (at the time) in my big pink Dollmore bag, and sent them through the scanner. Both officers made the WTF face, and the girl smiled, asking me:
- Are those dolls?
I just smiled and: YUP! and got to pass through. But my purse got inspected, since I had a bottle of orange juice in it (which I demonstrated by bottoming the whole thing at once in front of them) and walked along. I had the dollbag in my lap at the plane, deadly scared someone would run off with them (couldnt have them in the seat next to me, since there was my poor, scared kitten in her carrier)...

Traveling is hard with a heavy backpack, cat in one hand, and four dolls in the other. 0.o

 

i don't like the baggy pants look either, but you know some people don't want to see your doll but you can take it out in public, so they can wear baggy pants if they are comfortable with them.

we don't need fashion police of any kind. they do that, then you can't wear goth bondage pants next. followed by maybe low cut shirts. all the way till you loose the right to choose what you want to wear. and then maybe after that, they go to unless you are under this age you can't bring a doll out in public.

agian just to state, just cause you don't like it, doesn't mean your opinion is right.

 

I've only taken my boy out in public once(other than meetups), and I took him to a restaurant. I was so freaking scared the whole time, but it went fine, nothing bad happened to him, and a group of cute li'l old ladies smiled at me. I think they thought he was cute. It made me happy.
I'm thinking about taking him to Chicago with me when I visit for spring break, so these stories have been very helpful to me. Still not sure if it's worth the risk, but reading this thread has helped me tremendously. ^^

 

we've never have any problems security guards in our malls here, or ever been chased away whenever we have meets. and our doll meets are sometimes quite big ^^;
we do get alot of stares and questions from shoppers who walk by though.

there was once i had to leave a meet early. only having just my msd carrier bag, i had to carry my friend's sdelf she left in my care before rushing off somewhere else. our MRT stations (or subway station if you call it) has alot of security guards walking around, i got stared at by them, but i just smile and walk on, never got stopped for carrying a SD doll around the train. i get alot of stares, and that's common. hey, it's not everyday you see a 26 year old girl with a doll in her arms do you? haha...


as for travelling overseas, i've only brought my 2 boys to Kuala Lumpur via coach.
they were in my large hand carry bag, and went through the x-ray scanners. i've never been stopped, questioned or asked to open my bag at all on the way there, and coming back to Singapore

either i was lucky, or security's lax : x

 

well goodness! I should hope you wouldn't get in trouble for bringing a doll to a mall! Sheesh, that seems so ridiculious to me!
If it's one thing I've learned from growing up in the suburbs, however, is suburban cops are bored. They'll get ya for whatever they can because they're unhappy with their current position. They're so anxious to see 'action' that they'll end up putting the public in danger more often than not.
Example:
A few weeks ago, my boyfriend and I were going to his friend's house (They live in the suburban ghetto, both of them.). While we were driving over, we were going through an intersection and almost got nailed by a car going at least 50.
So, we were all like, "Woah!" But we kept going, and then, two cop cars go screaming around the same corner, almost nail us again and chase this truck.
So we shake it off and keep going to his friend's house (my dad, ever so politely offered to drop us off cuz he had some errands to run). So, in the five minutes it takes us to get from the intersection we almost got hit at and the intersection turning onto his friend's street, we see this car chase four more times, seven more cars have entered the chase and they're driving around on residential roads at 6:30 in the evening, the day before the 4th of July with kids and people running around all over the place.
As a nanny, I know the first thing that happens when a 7-year-old kid hears sirens is they run to the nearest street to see if they can spot anything.
Well, the chase ended in a crash on a residential road. There were three people in the car that got hit. A mom, a grandmother and a little baby girl. The baby died. Grandma died a week later due to complications. The guy who was running from the police didn't have a scratch on him.
One has to wonder if it's really worth it to chase one guy who was probably running because he was gonna get busted for pot.

*** note that not all cops are like this. Every once and a while, you'll meet a really nice guy or gal who gets into the professon for the right reasons.

 

No security problems yet. I don't really take them anywhere. But let me say something.

My brother in law is in the security business. We call him paul blart.
He does like to kid around. "excuse me you cant stand there." to some innocent kid minding his/her own business.
They have to stand there and be in one place for hours. And when they get bored! psh. Everyone gets power drunk too.

But, teenagers have made a reputation for themselves. Only takes one to ruin for everyone.

 

Not mall security (though they did come up to me once, for a good reason - we got out of a late movie and were running around the mall at midnight), but I've had issues with airport security, who ALWAYS PULL ME ASIDE FOR THE WAND. ALWAYS. Clearly, the next terrorist is going to be the opposite of the previous ones, and it's going to be a young white woman traveling alone, hiding bombs in her bra, or something. Oh, and the thing that beeps is the button on my jeans. o.O

Anyways, so I usually don't mind, they're just doing their job and whatever (though, to be honest, I know a guy who works with companies supplying all the airports with their security systems, and he says that a professional is capable of getting around them, so they're largely useless), but this one time I was bringing Michael with me, and they got suspicious of his face-cap. Fair enough, but then I see one of the security ladies grab my bag and head off with it somewhere. So of course, I run after her yelling that there's an expensive item in there, and the other security ladies start yelling at me for running past some rubbed-out white line that I'm supposedly not supposed to cross before they allow me to... Well, excuse me, you're dragging one of my expensive possessions god knows where, I'll crawl through that x-ray box to come after you if I have to. They were quite rude to me afterwards, when I got them to let me open the bag for them and show the face cap.

Oh, I have no issues with them doing their job provided they do it politely. I wrote up a complaint that same day about rude and belittling behaviour of those women. Seriously? I've never met a rude male security guard, but the moment I find female ones, all three of them end up witches. With a capital "B".

RE: Lowriding pants. I believe there is an actual etiquette among guys regarding how low the pants sit. Anywhere below half-way down your butt, and you're a loser. I don't like baggy pants, but I love it when guys wear their pants (that are normal width) a little lower, which most [guys you'd want to look at anyways] wear with a longer shirt. It makes them look gracefully relaxed.

 

Never had a problem at airports (I keep my doll in a carry-on, well-padded with clothes and stuff).

Have had problems several times at the Huntington Gardens with the guy patrolling the Japanese Garden part. He just doesn't seem to like the dolls--thinks they cause problems with the crowds and shouldn't be in the gardens without a permit/permission of some sort. Other parts of the gardens are OK, it seems, it's just a few guards in certain areas!

'Haven't tried having my doll in a mall, so far. Had 'em at Downtown Disney just fine--no problems!

 

I've never had an issue with security guards... for anything. Ever. In fact I hardly even notice them in the shopping centers (Malls), usually they don't really give a toss unless you're looking obviously shifty or being an overt idiot. I was actually really stunned by this post, that it's even an issue!

But it might be different circumstances over here in Australia. Our Security don't carry guns, to begin with...

 

Fe-fellow citizen~ -grabs your hands-

I didn't get stopped by any mall cops over here though. A group of friends(me included) did get stopped when one 'wise ass' decided to proclaim loudly 'what if we stashed small items or drugs in our dolls' bodies and get away with it?'. That was when we got stopped.

It was a painful experience for a few of us as some of our dolls are strung rather tight. But she had a painful experience as we all gave her a slap each on her back.

Maybe Singaporeans are nice in the way that they just stare at you and not make comments. But I've had a few people who asked me loads of questions about my dolls when I have to carry them outside. It always happens in trains...I don't like to carry them outside their bag when travelling home or to a place as I can't play my games~

I've been to Indonesia a few times with my dolls. When passing through customs at the Singapore side, I enjoyed freaking the people out when my bags had to get x-rayed. Indonesia side didn't bother...or they did but I don't understand their language. XD