Okay... I'm really really ****ed off now..... I'm putting this here to let
everyone know what happened..... read the following and know why!!!

Both letters are an account of the occurrence that transpired..... I need to
hit these scumballs where it hurts the most... in the wallet!!

Damn but I'm just so friggin' ****ed off at this whole thing!

Anyways.. it's long... two letters written to our local paper.... both about
the same incident..... I'm starting a friggin' campaign. This woman is
devastated about this and has been in tears.

Any Help would be appreciated.

As Follows:

I am writing to you to express my disgust with the above company's
policy and actions following an incident that recently occurred at the
Zellers Store in the Bedford Place Mall. A friend of mine's elderly mother,
living on a fixed income and suffering from Alzheimer's and Terminal Cancer,
mistakenly walked out of the store with a pair of sunglasses without paying.
The security people stopped her and gave her a document that stated that she
would be charged with trespassing if she entered the mall during the next
six months. She forgot to tell her son (and legal guardian) what had
happened, and her son was unaware of the prior events or the trespassing
warning issued by the security people. A few weeks later, my friend's
mother went shopping at Zellers in the Bedford Place Mall again, and was
stopped by security after removing a few pieces of Kleenex from a full box
in the store. This time, security called the police and had the senior
citizen charged with trespassing. Her son explained to security that he was
unaware of the first incident or the earlier trespassing warning that they
had apparently issued, and further advised them of his mother's fragile
medical condition. He pointed out that, given the circumstances, the
additional stress associated with a court appearance for trespassing was the
last thing that his mother needed at this point. The security people
ignored this, deciding instead to file formal trespassing charges against
this 72 year old lady.

While I can understand that Zellers and the Bedford Place Mall must protect
their merchandise from theft (normally done by troubled teenagers or
professional boosters), I cannot understand why they would persist in
prosecuting my friend's mother. If their actions were aimed at deterring
future incidents, under the circumstances their punitive action is severely
misguided in my opinion. If a four year old takes a chocolate bar from
Zellers without paying and is caught, do the security people issue a written
warning to the child and instruct them to pass the document on to their
parents? I am sure that if my friend had been advised of the first
incident he would have spoken to security immediately to explain his
mother's medical condition, and reassured security that he would accompany
his mother when she went shopping there in the future.

I have mentioned the above to several of my friends, and they are as
appalled as I am about the seemingly total lack of compassion and human
decency shown by Zellers and Bedford Place Mall security towards this
harmless older lady. I would welcome an investigation by your newspaper
into the above. Hopefully this would raise public awareness about the
mistreatment of defenseless senior citizens by some large corporations. I
would respectfully suggest that Zellers and the Bedford Place Mall have done
more damage to their public image through their heavy-handed action than
they have to gain by prosecuting this "case".

My letter as follows:

I thought this might be of interest to you....

It deals with corporate policy and the mistreatment of the elderly!!

If you wish contacts to verify this please contact me and I will be happy to
liaise your request to the party involved. I'm taking this to task because
it irks me to think this is the sum total of respect and consideration I
might one day have to face when in my golden years of retirement.

I was informed by a friend that an acquaintance of mine's aged mother living
on a fixed income and suffering from Alzheimer's and Terminal Cancer goes to
Zellers Store at the Bedford Place Mall.. She had been at this branch
before. Apparently she tried on a pair of sunglasses and forgot they were in
her hand when she walked out... easily explainable but the store decided
that although she had been a regular customer, they would issue her a
document stating that if she returned to the store again within the next 6
months she would be charged with trespassing.

So a month or two later she returned to the store... apparently she forgot
to tell her son what had transpired... I wonder how that could have
happened! He only found out after she had been arrested and charged for
trespassing on Zellers property. They won't back down and are taking her to
court because it's "Policy". NICE!!! She not only has her current medical
difficulties to deal with.... but now thanks to this ignorant corporate
entity's 'Policy'.... she now this added stress to cope with!! Is this
indicative of the respect and value that ZELLERS places on it's elderly
customers?

Seriously now... I would expect this behaviour directed to adolescents or
career criminals... and it may not amount to anything in a court of law
considering the circumstances.... but the appalling lack of basic
consideration and common decent human values totally evades me. Even after
her son spoke to Zellers on her behalf and attempted to explain things... he
was given the "Company Policy" speech!

Enough is Enough!! I'm sick and tired of the manner in which these
corporate entities act without due regard to circumstance or respect.

Needless to say I'm ****ed and the objective of this letter is to let as
many people know what happened as feasibly possible.

I would appreciate any investigation and a full public accounting of
ZELLERS!!!

So that's it!
I'm friggin' livid about this incident...... I'm not putting up with this
crap from some pencil necked pimple faced wanna-be cop in a friggin' store
stealin' what little time this person has left!!!

For those unaware... ZELLERS is a Canadian Retail Chain like Wal-Mart...

CM