Apparently I look like a thief ...

I went to Kinokuniya today. I actually really wanted to see if they had that Yoshikazu Takeuchi book "The Reason I Love Arashi" or whatever it's called but I was too embarrassed to ask at the Japanese info counter. I know. I'm lame. I'm going to try another day.

I bought a really cute schedule book and "Growing Up Asian in Australia" edited by Alice Pung. So, as I was leaving the store the middle-aged, female security guard checked my bag. Which is fine. All I had was 2 uni textbooks. I had to take them out to show her a bit. I was with Jaimie (laimiejai) and I think she checked his bag too. As she was checking his bag I went through the security things and I beeped. I didn't think anything of it, I usually just go back in and tell the security person because I had nothing to hide. Totally innocent.

And she says to me "Why do you think you beeped?" And I was like "I don't know." I forget if I had to go through again with my bag. Maybe. And I must have beeped again. So, she goes to me "Come back inside." So, I did and she grabs my arm - and I can still kind of feel her hand on my arm, it wasn't rough but I can feel it - and tells me "More inside". And then she's like "I'm going to have to take you to the room." All I could think was "If I go to the room this is going to take a while. And Oprah said not to go to the second location." I said to her, "Look, can you check my bag because I really didn't take anything." And she pulls out her mobile phone to call some other person. And this other person comes and he checks through my books and makes me walk out with just the items I have just purchased and I beeped. So the guy gets it that it's the books that haven't been demagnitised or whatever. (Btw, I remember thinking to myself after the check out guy handed me my books, "I don't think I saw him do the demagnitise thing.")

And then I got to leave.

As soon as we were out the door Jaimie goes "Dude, she was following us the whole time." We had been in the store for about an hour. We went from the stationery section to the Japanese/Chinese section to the language section on the other side of the store. I remember seeing her in the Japanese magazine section and thinking, "What is this middle-aged lady doing here?" And I may have also bumped into her on my way to the Japanese section. Maybe what made her suspicious was me opening my bag trying to find my scrap of paper that had the name of the guy who wrote the book about Arashi.

So, yeah. Apparently she was following us. Maybe I just shouldn't have gone back into the store after it beeped. I should have just walked. I don't know. But I didn't think anything of it. I'm not doing anything wrong, I was just doing what I thought I should do. And if you were a thief why would you let them look freely into your bag?

I'm more embarrassed than anything. The other people in the store must think I'm a shoplifter. I'm going to write a letter to whoever I should be writing a letter to. I had a good time looking at books for about an hour at Kinokuniya. I didn't realise I was being followed. And she just zapped the fun out of it. I think she was new. An experienced security guard wouldn't just take you straight to the room.

This might be wussy but I don't feel comfortable going back right now. I was going to go again tomorrow to buy this other book. But I feel weird. Falsely accused. I know it's little but it really made me feel bad. But I'm sure I'll get over that but I think I won't be bringing a bag to Kinokuniya anymore. It's really made me paranoid. And I don't want to see her again.

So, if you're going to Kinokuniya, she's middle-aged, got an accent, curly brown hair. The big tip off would be the security badge she wears under her blazer.

Btw, I think they got a new security team. Because the guy was walking around tell people that they're not allowed to have drinks in there. Which is a rule but I've never seen it enforced before. People had leave the store. Doesn't make the experience that enjoyable.

So, yeah.

I just needed to get that off my chest. I want a drink. Preferably alcoholic but yeah ... I have none in my house.

Oh, if someone does see that Yoshikazu Takuechi book, tell me!

x-posted

ETA: Also, they're selling DVDs and CDs at Kinokuniya now? They weren't there yesterday ...

Comments

[yygall]

didn't even know kino had a 'room'.

she had no right to grab your arm, actually. that's probably enough grounds to file an official complaint, i'd think.

kino security guards tail random innocent fangirls? that's just... weird. and unsettling.

[盧家宜]

Ahhh I'm so sorry you had to have that experience >< it doesn't sound too good at all! You really should write a letter to Kinokuniya asking for a personal apology! She was so accusatory, and it sounded like she manhandled you a bit roughly.. I would really hate that because to me the place is such a haven where I can hang out with friends, or just stay in there for hours reading books.. to have such feelings attached to it! Even citing unnecessary physical contact.. its psychological/emotional distress, that doesn't reflect well on the bookstore at all.

(lol... what would Oprah do?)

I've been aware of the security guards for some time.. the guy that once opened shop was nice, I smiled at him because everyone was so eager to get in. My friends are always writing down names of artists/designers from books-- and once security told us we couldn't take down information from books! Soo.. mostly I write a sms to myself now lol. But I've seen.. a girl taking photos of every page of a book before.

If you need any help writing a letter~ I will help you lol, because I'm wordy like that hahh.

[Steve Jones]

[this is good]

Hi Sefi

[sefi]

Hi Steve!

[sefi]

Thanks for the reply. I really do enjoy coming to Kinokuniya so I'm glad there's someone looking into it.

Out of curiosity, how did you find my blog? Do you just randomly google Kinokuniya of a morning? ^^ 

[sefi]

http://darenothope.livejournal.com/169014.html?thread=324150#t324150

I got a reply from the General Manager of Kinokuniya, which was totally unexpected.

[sefi]

How early do you get to Kinokuniya that the security guard has to let you in? Like right on 10am? XD 

[盧家宜]

omg please lock these entries now. XD

Yeahh 10am, I had to go to work which ends around 7!

[Crowdcontrol]

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Female Security Guards