Your Dolls and Security Officers-ever a problem?

This is all very much the same here in the States, although laws on trespassing vary from state-to-state, so be sure to read up before doing anything...er, questionable.

 

ive brought my doll to MANY places. one time my buddy and i went to the gardens mall and we saw some girls who jsut bought "build a bear" bears and they about dropped their jaws when they saw our cuties XD we never laughed so hard in our lives li e"muahah u spent your money on teddys that you can get ANYWHERE and youve missed out on the luxury of gorgeous BJDS D

 

I don't mind taking my dolls with me, it's kinda fun to see how people react to them. And Im used to getting followed around in the local mall (I allways have a backpack, never a purse) so there is no problem there.

But what I found interesting was my last day in Japan. Most of the japanese people just smiled at my MDD (Sakura), but allmost all of the non japanese (exept one guy, from the UK) just stared...not the kind staring, more like the
Even the lady's in the japanese security handeld here with care. She gently lifted sakura up, patted here wig, then let the other security lady look at her before gently giving her back to me.

Walking in Norway with a doll usually triggers two responses -> = or

 

whoa,some of these are harsh.well,i've never had issues with security guards,but one time my family went to a big county fair and my dad wanted a picture of me and my sister.after that,i wanted one of me and my doll.well,this lady turns around and starts freaking out that we were taking pictures of her daughter,so we had to go.

 

I don't think I'd have problems with security around this area.. maybe if one of my dolls had a gun or something, it might turn into something, haha.

Oh yeah, I heard about that D: Sadly I was only able to make the panel, but I would have been majorly ticked at the security! (Even though I would have understood *le sigh*

 

Just a note on the spikes thing, here in Vancouver, BC, I believe they are actually considered to be weapons (or so my school's police liaison officer told me back in the day), so they fall under the same rules as say, a knife (which you would generally not be allowed to carry into a mall)
So, mall security guards are not necessarily too out of bounds asking for spikes to be removed. They may legally be considered weapons where you are too.
It's rather silly, I agree, but someone probably used some to do some real damage, so they were grouped in with weapons.

 

For my state it is so small whenever someone goes to the mall the security never bothers you unless a store from the mall called them because of you for some reason.

 

Well, the picture thing i can COMPLETELY understand. Malls do not let you take pictures, EVER. It actually does not have to do with customers...it has to do with the businesses. They do not want to be associated to any activity in your pictures, so, there is a STRICT rule against taking photos in the malls...so far as i've seen that's ANY mall. In other words, they don't want to have a picture floating around of some woman beating her child in front of FYE, and then people start thinking that FYE condones this type of behavior, just because their store-front sign is in the background. And if you have ever taken a photo in the mall, you know it's nearly IMPOSSIBLE to avoid getting a shot of a store-front sign.

HOWEVER, if you had been just sitting there with your dolls, they CANNOT ask you to leave, unless u are taking pictures. We had a similar situation here not to long ago. Cadmium_kyo, and his brother and a few others were waiting for me to get out of work, so that we could hang out, and they had their dolls, and mine, while i scurried about trying to finish my sidework. Then, two security officers came over and told them that they had to put the dolls away because "they were attracting too much attention".

I FLIPPED OUT when i heard about that. I went to the customer service desk, and reported the security guards in question, and everyone filled out a report. The desk clerk said that they have no authority to tell someone to leave unless they are breaking the rules somehow, and carrying a doll into the mall does NOT constitute breaking a rule. I found out later that the security guard who did this was suspended for a week without pay.

Don't let people walk on you. Just because someone flashes you a badge does not mean they are right. If you want to hang out and have your dolls out, and they tell you you can't, just go to guest services. Explain to them that you are waiting for friends, and that you aren't going to take pictures or anything, just sit there, socializing, and talking. They CANNOT make you leave, unless you are breaking the rules somehow.

Just for the record, security cannot ask you to leave the mall either, for how you dress. Dark clothing or baggy clothing cannot be a reason to ask you to leave. Nor can studs. If they are imbedded in your clothing, they have no right to ask you to leave. I talked to one of the security guards about this the other day after i first read this, and he told me that some security guards get a bit of a power trip from their position, and use it to bully people. The only time you can be asked to leave the mall if you are dressed in appropriately is if you are scantily clad, and it is indecent. As long as you are covered, and no inappropriate appendages or body parts are exposed, then they cannot ask you to leave.

Whenever this happens, everyone wants to assume that the rent-a-cops are right. STAND UP for yourself, go to the guest services desk (all malls have a customer service desk) and then explain the situation. BE AS NICE AS POSSIBLE.

The only possible reason a place could have a problem with baggy clothing is thievery. And if that is the case, they best stop allowing women to carry large purses into the mall.

Just make sure that when you talk to the guest services, let them know that you feel like you are being discriminated against because of how you dress, and that you are EXTREMELY upset. Explain that legally, you KNOW that they have no right to tell you what you can or cannot wear as long as you are properly covered, and that you do not intend to let it slide, and that you'd like to make a report on the security guard who did it.

If a guard even starts giving you problems suggestively (Constantly approaching you, questioning you, following you) you can have a SERIOUS, and VALID complaint.

Don't let people walk on you just because they seem to be in some sort of authority.

When i complained to the guest services desk, they took care of it IMMEDIATELY, and sincerely apologized to everyone involved.

I will say that IF you are trespassed, and you return to a mall, you can be arrested, this is true. But you are not going to get Trespassed for wearing bagging clothing, or for carrying a doll around the mall. This is a violation of your civil rights. NO ONE can tell you what to do, as long as you are not a danger to anyone or yourself, and as long as you are abiding by the rules that are set up for everyone in the mall. The day they show me the rule that says "No Ball Jointed Dolls allowed in the mall", right along side the "No Pets allowed in the Mall", then i'll stop taking mine in.

and just a side note....For the man who was arrested "looking for his car"...i hope everyone knows that this is a common excuse for car thieves. They are found wondering around the lot, looking at cars, trying to make it look like they are searching....then security approaches them, and they have no proof that they even HAVE a car in the parking lot........That sounds fishy to me. They caught a man doing that when i was in Florida, and he was 60 years old...it was discovered later that he actually WAS a car thief. LOL

 

comicbookartistboi~ I wander around the parking lot. a lot. I'm twenty one. I can't EVER remember where I put my car. ;____;

I've never personally ahd a problem with security guards. The people here in Idaho are generally level headed nice people. They might this a doll is creepy, but they're not stupid enough to ask me to leave because I have one. The ladies at Jo-Ann's have never had a problem with me taking Shas out of my bag and putting him back in, and neither have the bookstores. I live in a safe area, and everyone is pretty honest with each other. California, where I used to live, isn't quite as nice to their costumers, but that's because there are more people. I do have a friend who had a t-shirt stolen from her in a mall by some stupid kid. She ran after him and was stopped by security guards who didn't want her running. Of course, they didn't go after to purse snatcher, they just kept her from moving forward and trying to get her stuff back. Major douches, really. I'd be much more hesitant to bring dolls and other expensive items to malls that are more crowded.

And about photographs, I have no problem with that, though a mall is a fun setting to take pictures at, for dolls. I went with my dorm wing to Walmart for a pajama christmas party, and we were taking pictures with our phones, not bothering anyone or making any noise, but the staff asked us to put away our phones or leave. If the no photo rule is because of perverts, I highly doubt a bunch of twenty year old girls are going to go to walmart in their pajamas to get jiggy off some kid photos. I'd be more suspicious of a person carrying a doll. XD

 

i don't believe all malls have the no photogrpahy rules. cause are mall here in ohio has no problem with the tons of cameras and videos during the suncoast event.

 

I've never had any problems with security. I mean, I've never taken Davey to the mall, but in stores I'v never had problems... I mean most people know the such things aren't sold in such places.

~Chaos

 

Sorry if this question has already been asked before, but I'm planning to bring a doll across from Northern Ireland to Scotland to visit a friend who really wants to meet him. However, I'm really worried about airport security because of the stricter rules and stuff that's been put in place. There's no way I'm going to put my precious baby in a suitcase to be thrown about by luggage handlers, so I would have to bring him on as hand luggage.

Has anyone else brought a doll on a plane with them? Did you have any problems with security and did they have to be x-rayed and stuff? My biggest fear is security taking my doll apart or banning me from bringing him onto the plane! Has anybody had any airport problems at all?

 

dolls and travel thread lots of post in it

 

Perhaps you could link the thread?

 

Yes please! ^_^

 

Until the thread's linked, I've had no problem. My dolls fit right in my purse, and I keep my purse very close to me. While being scanned, a few people ahve looked funny at the screen, so I smile and politely apologize if it looks funny, then offer to take out the doll so they can see it's not a tiny human inside. They all say no, that's fne, just something they haven't seen before. I don't know how friendly airport security is in the Isles, but here in America I've had no problem. Mexico I've had baaad experiences, though, so I wouldn't take anything very valuable with you, even if you plan to keep it on your person the whole time. D:

As long as you don't act defensive, you'll be fine. Act like you have nothing to hide (because you don't), and be cheerful and polite. Offering to let them look is generally a good idea, because then they'll see you're willing to let them look, there's probably nothing dangerous, and they'll not want to bother.

 

Thanks! That helps a lot! I've heard that security in America is stricter than over here, although I have no personal experience! Hopefully everything will go alright when I go through security, I am expecting some strange looks though! ^_^

 

http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=197&highlight=travel+airlines

this one i'm sure will be merged.

 

Thank you so much! *hugs*

 

Same here.
I don't think I've ever seen authority figures in a mall, weather it be around where I live [small town], or in the big city. [Occasionally I like to go to Vancouver to shop.]