Taking helmets into shops etc...

[True Blue]

I was at a football match recently which I travelled to on my bike. I parked up and entered the stadium. After handing over my ticket and getting a pie as usual, I went up the stairs to find my seat. I was just about to sit down when a steward ran over and grabbed my arm. She said to me that I couldn't come in here with that, pointing at my helmet.

apparently it's a trip hazard. Yeah right! The guy in front of me with the 4 bags full of crap from the club shop, that isn't a trip hazard I suppose? She said i'd have to give her the helmet and she would put it in the turnstile box thingy. Yeah right. How about NO!. A lengthy argument ensued involving the police and I eventually got them round to my way of thinking.

That's quite a few places now that don't seem to like people on their premises with a helmet

It got me thinking. Where else has anyone had problems with this?
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[Gazdaman]

I havn't had any problems as yet. Supermarket security keeps their eye on me because they think I'll stash something in it.

Gaz

[mchaggis]

I've not had any problems, other than the people in Morrisons offering to "take the weight off my hands" and keep it at the customer services desk. I take it off in supermarkets anyway, as it's a handy carry basket! The petrol stations I go to are fine with keeping the helmet on too, primarily Total, Tesco and Sainsbury's.
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Mmmm, Guinness
Discovering the delights of Hammerite and a 3/4" brush.

[True Blue]

Makro wouldn't let me in to their store without taking my lid off me And B&Q too.
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[Josh]

I get a lot of security staff following me around shops and often checking I fully empty my helmet at the cashiers, it is a nice little basket but it does look suspicious.
And I know all of the staff at my local petrol station so if I am just stopping for petrol I keep it on and they don't care, I hate going into the bigger towns petrol stations, so mistrusting :<
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[mchaggis]

I do find it a bit odd why they should want to. They would claim it's for crime prevention and to be helpful to the bikers or something. Ha ha. I can understand not letting you wear the helmet into the store, but once you've walked in without it on, they've got all the video of your face they need anyway. If you put it on to raid the tills after that, you'd be a bit of a retard. (You'd be a retard to raid the tills fullstop, but that's beside the point).

Do those other stores tell you they won't let you in with it, or just 'Sorry sir, but you can't go in with that...'?
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Mmmm, Guinness
Discovering the delights of Hammerite and a 3/4" brush.

[True Blue]

When I was in a shop recently I was actually wearing my lid as I'd just nipped in for a particular item. As I was waiting in the queue the security guy asked my to take my lid off. Fair enough, but if I was going to rob the place would I really be waiting in a queue at the checkout before I did it?
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[mattsmith95]

As a courier I always take my helmet off, it's mainly a habit because I'm often asked to remove when collecting/delivering goods. So when I go into shops I carry it with me, I just do it to avoid getting some spotted gimp asking me to remove it.

This is except petrol stations, always wear my lid, never had a complaint.

I would of thought taking a crash helmet into a football ground would be the last thing to do, makes a very handy weapon.

[True Blue]

I'd have a job throwing a helmet over 100 metres at the opposing fans Using it as a weapon wasn't the issue. the problem was that it apparently was a tripping hazard.
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[mchaggis]

A good, but expensive weapon... Much rather have a snooker ball in a sock. The trip hazard reason is a complete non-starter, it's just health and safety nazi pc bullshit. I bet they never said who might trip over it, did they though? They'd be pushed to be liable for some idiot member of the public who'd tripped up over your helmet. And I'm quite sure if they're worried that you might trip over it, you're just as likely to trip over it somewhere else (quite unlikely of course)...

Just like the woman who won compensation from a store for tripping over her own child.. It just takes the piss really.

Hmm... True Blue? A Gers supporter then? Not that it matters or anything.
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Mmmm, Guinness
Discovering the delights of Hammerite and a 3/4" brush.

[WildGoose]

i get really sick and tired of people giving me shit cos i carry a helmet with me

garages are the worst obviously, often refusing the start the pumps unless you either take it off, and throw money at them, annoying

obviously walking into a bank wearing it, is stupid and its fair enough that they dont like it, lesson learned

but everyday shops that tell you to get out, cos you are carrying it, or making you put it down somewhere, "in case you knock something" etc, its a load of bollocks, a helmet is a legal requirement to ride a motorcycle and nice ones cost a small fortune, so why is it so surprising people carry them everywhere they go

feeling your pain..
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So in other words, he stopped you for being flagrantly in posession of a motorcycle in direct contravention of the Hippies, Darkies and People Whose Face I Don't Like The Look of (Police Powers) Act. 1976

[iCraig]

If I go into a shop and they tell me I can't take my helmet around with me, I'd just walk out and take my money and custom elsewhere.

Luckily I have yet to come accross any shops like this, but I do get it occasionally at some petrol stations.

[Gazdaman]

I've never worn my helmet into a petrol station, I always take it off, mainly as a politeness thing I guess.

Nearly all shops ask you not to wear it.

Gaz

[zaknafien]

[McJamweasel]

I've never been asked to take it off or hand it over. If someone did insist on taking it off me then I'd insist on a receipt and them agreeing to take responsibility for any damage. And then once I had the receipt I'd 'change my mind' about shopping there and walk out.
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[Weed]

I take my helmet off whenever I go into a shop EXCEPT petrol stations, they dont have a problem with it either
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"Just Believe"

[Retro-Man]

I always take my helmet off when going in to shops as courtesy thing I guess the only time I don't bother is if it is a shop or garage I frequent on a regular basis. In the theory that the staff recognise me and don't feel threatened.

What we all have to remember is that to the non-biking public a man in a large bike suit and helmet can look quite threatening, mainly because of the cctv footage and publicity armed robbers get for using helmets as a disguise, and the fact that some bike gear can make the smallest of us look like brick shit houses.

I've never been asked to remove my helmet yet, but think about this way If a young 22 year old shop assistant thought you might rob their shop then they are unlikey to simply say so. They are more likely to use an excuse such as health and safety or possible damage to goods.

Also try and remember that in a lot of case's it is store policy and the person is simply doing their job.
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[Danny]

When I was doing the staff training for working in the cinema, the training manager said that we, the staff should discourage customers from carrying helmets into the screen because they were a h+s hazard.
I was absolutely livid, a 1/4 hour argument ensued and she eventually very grudgingly agreed with me, although she may have just said that so I would shut up.
Luckily all the other managers are not stupid enough to discourage customers from taking their helmets into the screens.

I almost always take my helmet off when entering shops, except petrol stations. I would take my helmet off in a shop if asked to, but there is no way in hell I would allow them to 'store' it for me. I would tell them to give me the request in writing and walk out.
Then I would make sure everyone knew about their policy.

[mchaggis]

Taking the helmet off, fine. But I think the problem here is being asked to leave the helmet at the front desk/ turnstile/ wherever, because there are some imaginings of harm going to come to someone just because we have a cubic foot of polystyrene and polycarbonate/ carbon fibre with us.

It could be a weapon of sorts, 1.5 kg swung on a rather too short length of strap to make it go very fast. Then again, if I wanted a weapon in the supermarket, I'd probably be lobbing cans of beans or jars of jam... Hell, I could 'borrow' a box cutter from a member of staff, or even just get a carving knife from their kitchenware section.

I've no problem removing my helmet if I'm asked, I do it in supermarkets to have a handy place to carry the couple of items I might be getting, and so as not to look like I'm going to hold the place up. Being asked to leave my helmet at the front desk or they won't let me in is over the top. If Morrisons are really so concerned about my convenience that they're happy to secure my helmet at the entrance to the store, then all credit to them. I'm not sure I really want to give them £200+ of kit I can't ride without though.
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I must not be a troll...
Mmmm, Guinness
Discovering the delights of Hammerite and a 3/4" brush.

[True Blue]

Yeah, asking me to take the helmet off is understandable. but I take exception to being asked to hand it over to some geezer in a turnstile etc. Being asked to hand it over in a shop is like implying that you are going to steal something. It's insulting, they don't make people hand over their handbags on entry do they? What's the difference?
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[True Blue]

[Retro-Man]

Imagine walking in to say for example toys r us and handing your helmet to a member of staff to store.

you peruse the store buy your product and set off on the journey home.

Unknown to you the member of staff dropped your helmet on the floor inspected it for scratchs could find non and did not inform you.

on they way home a car pulls out across you path leaving you no where to go except over the roof, you crash heavily against the road and suffer brain damage as a result.

question.

who is ever going to know that you now can't talk correctly because of the lack of education of store staff, and what chance do you have of compensation

if you must hand over your helmet always ask to have it stored somewhere to your satisfaction and place it there yourself, otherwise, simply walk away.
if questioned explain the safety hazard of a dropped helmet and no one could really refuse.
be nice and you never know you just might help educate someone

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[Sadie]

[True Blue]

another thing that annoyed me though was that I was frisked by a cop on the way in. I had my textile jacket on as it was raining. He looked at my bulky jacket and said in a grumpy tone " how am I supposed to pat that down

Then the guy at the turnstile takes my ticket off me and lets me in. Then once I'm in the ground they think it's a good time to tell me I'm not allowed in the stadium with a helmet. Couldn't they have told me that BEFORE I came in?
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[True Blue]