A Wal-Mart Christmas Toy Story: Shopper Jailed For Removing Dangerous Baby Toy

[RamboLiberal]

Long story to get the gist you really have to read it.

Every year a Massachusetts-based non-profit corporation called W.A.T.C.H. (World Against toys Causing Harm) publishes during the Christmas shopping season, its annual "10 Worst Toys" list. On the 2007 "10 Worst Toys" List is a product called "The Dora Explorer Lamp," made in China. It looks more like a plastic cartoon character than a lamp. It retails for just under $13 in the baby department at Wal-Mart, and comes with the following manufacturer's warning in small print: "This is an electric lamp, not a toy! To avoid risk of fire, burns, personal injury and electric shock, it should not be played with or placed where small children can reach it. HAZARD: Potential for Electric Shock and Burn Injuries!"

According to W.A.T.C.H., "This colorful lamp, based upon the popular Nickelodeon 'Nick Jr.' character, is in the form of a smiling plastic figurine. The packaging encourages children to 'light-up your room with Dora!' Incredibly, children are further instructed to 'unplug the product when leaving the house, when retiring for the night, or if left unattended.' The manufacturer's proclamation that the Dora cartoon character is not a toy has little meaning to small children, who may be attracted to the figurine and thus be exposed to the potential electric hazard."

----

After trying to get the manager to pull the lamp.

Childress dialed 911 on his cell phone, and was connected with the Searcy Police Department. He told the officer who answered the phone where he was, what had happened in the toy department, and that he intended to take the lamp outside the store and destroy it. "He tried to get me not to do it," Childress admits, "but I told him I was going to, and that I'd be waiting outside the store for the police to arrive. I expected to be arrested there, and taken to the police station."

Childress says he took The Dora Explorer Lamp outside the store to the sidewalk. "I destroyed it," he says, "I stomped on it, and then waited for the police to arrive." Before the cops arrived, five or six Wal-Mart employees came out of the store and surrounded Childress. They ordered him to accompany them back inside the store to an office in the back. "I told them I would go, but I would rather wait until the police got there. Their reply was, "You're coming with us now."

Back inside Wal-Mart, employees took Childress' cell phone away from him, and refused to let him make any calls. "They put some papers in front of me and instructed me to sign them," Childress says, "but I refused." A Searcy policeman came in, and the Wal-Mart people said they were charging Childress with shoplifting. "The officer was very courteous and professional, and told me procedure required him to put me in handcuffs." Childress says he then had to take one of the most humiliating walks of his life from the back of the store, out through the front door, handcuffed and escorted by the police. In retelling the moments of his arrest, Childress' voice is unsteady, and choked with emotion.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/al-norman/a-walmart-christmas-toy-_b_75026.html

[uppityperson]

1. When I was a kid...

I held my fingers between the 2 prongs of a vacuum cleaner while plugging it in to guide it into the socket. Zap! I felt really stupid when I realized how stupid that was. A younger sib put a knife in an electrical socket. ZAP! and boy was that toddler a blue color. We're lucky we didn't lose her. Musing here. Yes, there are dangerous toys, dangerous things. Seems he went a bit overboard, even for WalMart.

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. There is an easy way to avoid this kind of problem

Don't shop at WalMart.

Seriously, though, I don't understand what this guy thought he was going to accomplish. He DID shoplift the lamp and he was rightfully charged with that crime.

[Rabrrrrrr]

3. Well, he did break the law. I applaud him for not bying into WalMart's asshole tactics

of trying to get him to sign something, which I'm sure was some kind of awful punitive piece of shit that no human being could have come up with, only a WalMart lawyer.

Still, it seems a better tactic might have been to work to get the Consumer Protection whatever-it-is to ban the toy. But, of course, under Shrubbie the fucking evil shitbag, the head of the CP whatever-it-is hates what the CP does.

I wish there were a way to just take WalMart out of business and teach all their current customers how to act and dress properly so they can go to other stores without ruining the ambiance.

[Occulus]

16. It occurs to me that he could have

asked the store manager to move the item into the lighting section, and out of the toy section. Quite clearly, this Dora item is a small lamp, not a toy.

Failing that, perhaps he should have had his wife print out the URL for the Worst Toys List, and brought that and some tape to the store with her. They could have pasted the URL in a easily read font down one side of the package.

Hmm. I like that idea. Go through a Wal-Mart with some scotch tape and a fistful of URLs. You'd eventually get thrown out, but it would be beneficial to the buyers with the right addresses...

Edit: He could have bought the damn thing. He could have gotten together a group to buy all of them at that store, and then destroy them. He could have created a movement to do just that in other areas if the toys weren't yanked, seeing as how he and his wife are internet savvy.

further edit: The whole Mafioso "we're gonna take ya into the back room" behavior of the Mal-Wart employees seriously bothers me. That really ought to spur an investigation of some sort- the employees have no authority to take anyone into custody.

[Freddie Stubbs]

4. What did this chucklehead expect to happen

If he wanted to remove the item from the store and destroy he could have done so legally if he had paid for it first.

[Ghost in the Machine]

7. But.... but.... but *that* would have cost *him* about 13 bucks. The way he did it cost Wal-Mart

...... about 13 cents






and cost himself probably $2,500.00 or more in attorney fees & court costs.....

He didn't think *that* one all the way through, did he?

[emilyg]

15. He expected and got attention.

[Freddie Stubbs]

17. I hope that it is worth what he will pay in fines, attorney fees, and court costs

[Djinn]

5. Dangerous toy?

How about a more sensationalist heading? Did this loon remove ALL electrical items that might injure or kill if dropped into a bath?

Is it a retailers fault if a parent decides to plug in things and leave them near jnrs bath?

This is a laughable case of "wont someone please think of the children" gone nuclear.

[NMMNG]

6. While his intentions were good,

He did steal and destroy store property. Therefore they had the right to have him arrested.

[RamboLiberal]

8. I agree - a better way would be to go to newsmedia

And even pursue through internet activism!

[fenriswolf]

9. if your gonna do something to make a point

be proud of it, not scared and humiliated

Childress says he then had to take one of the most humiliating walks of his life from the back of the store, out through the front door, handcuffed and escorted by the police. In retelling the moments of his arrest, Childress' voice is unsteady, and choked with emotion.

[pipoman]

10. I don't recall Ralph Nader

going around destroying people's Pintos and he had a pretty dramatic effect on auto safety issues.

[Kokonoe]

11. Nader destroyed lives. And is dammed proud.

[notadmblnd]

12. he should have paid for it first.

but since he had called the police and was waiting for them, was it right for walmart to force him into the store?

[Orrex]

14. It depends how they "forced" him

If they coerced him physically, then he has a pretty solid assault case against them, thanks to Wal*Mart's phalanx of security cameras scanning their parking lot and storefront.

If they simply instructed him in a forceful manner to reenter the store, well, I'm not sure. What would have happened had he refused?


Would they have demanded that he show his receipt?

[MercutioATC]

13. I'd have to see the packaging, but I seriously doubt that "children"

are instructed to unplug the lamp.

This gentleman seems to be an idiot. The fact that he called 911 in a non-emergency situation affirms this.

Intentions notwithstanding, he deserves to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.