Grocery chain gone anti-gun...

[gopguy]

A local issue has gone viral on the net, so I thought I would give you all a heads up on this. A member of my local gun club was grossly insulted at the Wilmington Ohio Krogers in late April. :banghead:

http://ccfsa.20.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?t=742&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

I was shopping Sunday April 18 with my wife and daughter at Krogers in Wilmington. I have my CCW and always pay attention to the door and around the door and i never have seen a no gun sign. We were walking down the aisle when I noticed two employees at both ends and one was a manger. I pointed them out to my wife. She always says I'm to paranoid about being followed. They followed us for about another two aisles. When we are in the middle of one aisle with no one else in the aisle with us. The mangers approaches me and ask if that was a gun that i was carrying. I told him it was and said I was not allowed to carry in Krogers. At this point I notice they have the aisle blocked off at the ends so no one else can enter it. I told him the store is not posted and by law it needs to be posted if they don't want firearms in there store. He proceeded to tell me it there policy and they are not allowed in the store. I told him i did not know that because it's no posted any where. He asked me to leave so i told that is not a problem and left. I went out to the car and put the pistol in the lock box and went back inside . The mangers were at the door and said we told you to leave. I said i did and showed them my empty holster. They proceed to follow us the rest of the shopping trip.

I nor my wife liked to be treated like common thugs, criminals or what you want to call it.

The issue was discussed at some length on the club's webforum. We did try to work quietly with the local manager and educate him on the CHL issue and state law. While we made progress with the local manager the issue has now been taken up by the Kroger corporate office in Cincinnati and they now forbid carrying. If you have a Krogers in your state it may behoove you to look at the thread and contact them to let them know if they do not change their no concealed carry policy you will take your dollars to another grocer. The contact information is within the thread on the gun club website.

 

[19-3Ben]

Why the heck did he go back into the store?!?!?!

If I were treated like that, I'd tell them "That's no problem. I'll leave now, and take my business to Food Lion/Stop&Shop/wherever."

I live in the northeast, so we don't have a Kroger anywhere near me, but thanks for bringing this to everyone's attention.

 

[Mags]

Funny, Smith's bought up all the Kroger's around here and they have no problem with me CCWing, I know I printed pretty good at least once when I used an OWB instead of the usual IWB.

 

[uspJ]

i'll make sure to send them an em@il and express my dissapointment. if any business doesn't want the money of a resposible citezen who chooses to protect himself and others then i have no problem going elsewhere.

 

[Tilos]

Guns in a Supermarket

Some of the Fred Meyers stores in Oregon sell handguns and I believe are owned by Krogers

 

[Gouranga]

Do you have any local groups that can contact Krogers? In NC we have GRNC that will contact a business like this and threaten a boycott.

 

[AnArmyofRon]

Not trying to get anything started but, Kroger goes by different names in different states. thekrogerco.com lists the other store names. Just an FYI

 

[Z-Michigan]

With that kind of treatment and the store not being posted, you could probably sue them and get something (not a lot) if you so desired. Might also be worth contacting the various RKBA organizations to start a boycott or get Kroger to revise their supposed policy.

I hardly ever shop Kroger anyway, but this won't make me any more likely to do so. Of course I don't know if that store incident was a store policy, a state policy, or a chainwide policy.

Of course, better concealment of the firearm might have avoided this incident entirely.

 

[SaxonPig]

I assume that somehow the gun was visible? Not supposed to happen although it doesn't excuse the irrational behavior of store employees.

I lived in Ohio for a number of years and it surprised me how anti-gun the state was. All the big cities had oppressive laws against pistols and "assault weapons" and the cops (at least in Cincinnati) were total asshats towards gun owners. While I was there from 1992-1996 there was not one gun shop open in the city limits of Cincy due to the laws. No FFLs were allowed at resident addresses, and the city officials were outspoken in their anti-gun attitudes. CCW didn't become legal until well after I left (and it shocked me when it did) and I am not a bit surprised to hear of lawful people being hassled in that state.

We have Krogers here and I will watch for signs regarding concealed carry. I think they are demanding a boycott.

 

[22-rimfire]

Your link does not help much. Were they carrying concealed? How did Kroger even know?

The issue seems to have moved up the Kroger chain of command. Kroger can choose to do what they want to with regard to the firearm issue. I don't particularly like their choice. Will have to look for signs on my next Kroger visit. I seldom really look for signs and nobody ever knows when I carry. In general I would adjust or I would take my business elsewhere.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

A member of my local gun club was grossly insulted at the Wilmington Ohio Krogers in late April.

I have my CCW and always pay attention to the door and around the door and i never have seen a no gun sign.

If you are careless enough to have your CCW spotted, then you are careless enough to suffer the consequences.

The issue was discussed at some length on the club's webforum. We did try to work quietly with the local manager and educate him on the CHL issue and state law.

Since the manager was not arguing that it was illegal to carry in his store, I am not sure how it was that you all were trying to educate him on the law. However, you might consider educating your insulted member on proper methods of concealed carry and keeping the gun actually concealed.

 

[mljdeckard]

I agree. Why did they know he was carrying? And when confronted, why did he tell them he was carrying if they were not police officers?

 

[Old Shooter]

concealed means concealed.

Give the boy a failing grade in "CCW 101"

 

[gopguy]

Ohio has allowed open carry since late 2003 and one can still do so without a CHL license and so the gun being visible should really not have been an issue as far as the law in concerned.

 

[Doggy Daddy]

Smith's and Food 4 Less here are owned by Kroger. Both are convenient to my house.

Walmart is just as convenient, honors coupons from Smith's and Food 4 Less and is NOT owned by Kroger.

DD

 

[Ala Dan]

Kroger's grocery stores bailed out on us folk's in Alabama many years ago;
so there is NO love loss between us~!

I'd find another grocery outlet, and give 'em my business.

 

[Doggy Daddy]

Give the boy a failing grade in "CCW 101"

If I were "without sin" I might throw that stone. But I've found myself reaching for that jar of dried beef on the top shelf while my shirt rides up and exposes my gun. Wasn't intentional, just one of life's boo boos.

It happened in Walmart. Nobody seemed to care or notice.

DD

 

[kd7nqb]

Some of the Fred Meyers stores in Oregon sell handguns and I believe are owned by Krogers

WHAT PART OF OREGON ARE YOU IN SO I CAN MOVE THERE QUICKLY? Yes Fred Meyer is a Kroger corp and the ones by me sell paintball/ bb gun stuff and its all behind lock box but no firearms stuff at all.

 

[HOWARD J]

We have a bunch of Krogers around here----no signs against guns in their stores so far.
Their insurance co. probably has a "give it up" policy. Give the money to the bad guy & he should leave. They don't want some cowboy starting a war with the bad guy--some people may get killed--LAWSUITS,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[Wolfeye]

I'm sending a calmly worded email to Kroger that outlines what law-abiding gun carriers are and aren't. I was sure to point out that we responsibly never forget when we're armed, and that we have to be careful not to set foot into places where we can be treated like criminals; if they make their stores such a place, it only hurts themselves.

 

[PTK]

Smith's, owned by Kroger, allows guns (here in MT, anyway, no idea about elsewhere). King Sooper (back in CO), owned by Kroger, does as well - even when open carrying rifles (I tested that in Colorado, in fact, they REALLY didn't care)


Funny story, though, when I was carrying my PS90 SBR into King Sooper in Colorado - I walked in, grabbed a cart, and saw the manager TEARING around the counter, looking straight at me, then he shouted "HEY!"


I turn around, he smiles a huge smile, and says "Oh my God, it IS a P90! Guys! COME SEE!!!"

They loved it, and I got a one-time 10% off coupon, even. I was thanked for making the store safer

 

[Doggy Daddy]

I turn around, he smiles a huge smile, and says "Oh my God, it IS a P90! Guys! COME SEE!!!"

They loved it, and I got a one-time 10% off coupon, even. I was thanked for making the store safer

Your story made me shed one little tear of joy.

DD

 

[gopguy]

Got to love Montana.

 

[Oregun89]

With that kind of treatment and the store not being posted, you could probably sue them and get something (not a lot) if you so desired.

This type of response is disgusting, it does nothing to support any cause, only ones greed. A merchant has the right to refuse service to anyone.

I also think that the "victim" deserved it. He obviously failed in his efforts to carry concealed.

 

[OregonJohnny]

Some of the Fred Meyers stores in Oregon sell handguns and I believe are owned by Krogers

WHAT?!?!? Can you please tell me where this magical store is? I've never seen a firearm of any type in any Fred Meyer I have ever been to. By "handgun", do you mean airsoft or paintball guns?