About kids in Wal-Mart

Danalana wrote: I've been thinking about this...you know how there are always kids being carried out of Wal-Mart, screaming to the tops of their lungs? What if some of them aren't just unruly, spoiled kids having temper tantrums? Who's to say they even belong to the person carrying them out? I've seriously thought about that a lot. I suppose there's nothing that can be done, but it's scary to think that kids could be kidnapped and we would just pass it off as a kid being a brat.

Hillbilly Housewife replied: Yeah - I've been stopped before and been asked if the child was mine... probably bcause I'm "young" and not usually dressed like a mom...

now - dh and I always make sure the kids are seated properly in their carts before we leave the stores, just to avoid the hassle.

It's great that people look out for others... but anyways...

flirtycuddle replied: My mom and stepdad took my lil sister to Kmart one time and she was being a royal brat so he took her out of the store screaming. Someone followed him to the car and got the license plate number and then called teh cops saying a child had been abducted lol. The cops showed up right when my parents walked in the door. My stepdad was livid lol.

Crystalina replied: You know what really ticks me off about Wal-Mart? They say they have the "Code Adam" alert for a missing child. Supposedly, the doors are supposed to be monitered at that time and all floor personell are supposed to help look for the missing child. I've also heard that the registers are supposed to stop until it's cancelled. Not electronically or anything just the cashiers are to pause. That was on a website not by an employee where I heard the other protocols. But I have been in Wal-Mart about 4 times when there has been a Code Adam and none of the employees stop doing anything. There was one guy (the manager) on a walkie-talkie one time and we helped him search but not one employee anywhere (unless they were using the cameras). The second time I just happend to be by the front doors returning something and a Code Adam was called. I sat back and watched the women at the door and they were talking to someone and looking at portraits of this persons baby!!!!! Couldn't care less that a child was missing and could be walked right out the dang door. I told my husband after seeing that that if one of our kids ever come up missing that we are splitting up and heading straight for the doors. I'm not going to rely on some person at the door to stop my child from leaving with anyone.

I was severly disappointed with Wal-Marts security system when it comes to missing kids. They (and John Walsh) brag about it but in 2 differant Wal-Marts the same thing happend.

A&A'smommy replied:
lol

I have NEVER thought about that...t then again I have never seen that happen!!

CantWait replied: I've never really seen it happen, but TBH I think if it were actually happening we'd know the difference between a tantrum, and something not being quite right.

C&K*s Mommie replied: Hopefully if the kids are old enough to talk and understand, if they are being abducted that they could holler "this is not my mommy/daddy!", etc.

I have never seen it either, but I would wonder about it if I did. If I did I do not recall it.

Danalana replied: In both of the Wal-Marts I worked at, we actually did stop and look for the missing child. Shoot, we went in bathrooms, searched between clothes...the whole nine yards. And at least in those the doors were actually locked. I guess they're not all the same, though...that's sad.

holley79 replied: I have thought about it but I guess I would hope that the child would act differently if someone they didn't know had them. It's so hard to tell anymore and it's a very scary world we live in.

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: We actually just talked about this situation in a Child CPR/first aid class I took. The instructor said that you should teach your kids how to say "no, you're not my mom, you're not my dad" and to say it really loud. Teach them young. Most of our kids would walk off with someone they didn't know in a second. I know mine probably would. People these days don't want to get involved. It's just like when I lost Wil at the mall. I was sorta sick to my stomach knowing that other parents probably saw Wil wander off, but didn't want to get involved and point it out to me. I'm not trying to blame anyone but myself, but I truly think people wouldn't think twice if a kid was screaming while an adult was carrying them outside a store. It's awful to think about.

DillsMommy replied:
This same thing happened to me a couple months ago. I was actually in the check-out lane when they announced that there was a missing child. No one stopped to help look for the child. And the cashier said "oh, that happens all the time" after I had a concerned look on my face.

Crystalina replied:
That is really upsetting.

Kentuckychick replied: I was really disappointed when I worked at a major retail store (whose name I won't mention here) a couple years ago and they issued a Code Adam. First they issued the Code and announced that there was a missing child (fine)... THEN they said the child's name (still okay) BUT went on to give a full description of the child OVER THE INTERCOM TO THE WHOLE STORE! I was appauled. First of all they are supposed to only release the description to the associates and and managers/security/etc... and to give a description so that any predator out there could just snatch him right up. We all just looked at each other flabbergasted. I also don't think they locked the doors or had security standing at them for at least a good 10 minutes after announcing all of this.

We all did stop working and pitched in to look, but I think there needs to be stricter ways of doing this.

Thankfully the child was found... he had walked off into the mall and his grandfather found him walking back to the store (he was only 6).

Kentuckychick replied:
Lol... I'll never forget when my brother actually did that to our dad!

He was mad and throwing a tantrum and when my dad went to carry him out of the store he started kicking and screaming and yelling "NO!!! You are NOT my dad!!" "I don't want to go with you!"

And guess who did something... um... no one.

Cece00 replied:
I agree. If I hear a kid screaming about wanting a toy at the top of his lungs while being carried out by a parent, I'm not too worried that they are being abducted.

redplaydoh replied: The Safe Side dvd teaches the kids to yell (with their loudest, strongest safe-side voice) "Help!! This is not my mom/dad!!!"

MyBlueEyedBabies replied: when carrying Katy out of Sears during a tantrum becasue we wouldn't let her play on the riding lawn mowers she was screaming your not my mom...your not my dad...not one person even gave us a second look. it was a bit disturbing that no one thought to give us a second look but I guess if your calm or just looking annoyed and not scared that someone is going to stop you it looks more like you are the parents and not someone trying to kidnap teh child. Plus with a screaming fit like that I can't think of anyone else that would want her

hopefulmomtobe replied:
In my situation of my son going missing, Walmart came through for me. It was a new Super Walmart so maybe they were on their toes at the moment..who knows..but they stopped registers, all personal were on the floor and they even had customers help look. But, then again I was running up and down isles like a frantic person so I think that would get anyone to stop. They even paged every minute until he was found. No music was turned on, everything was shut down until he was found, employees standing in front of the doors blocking them and everything.

But, I have been shopping and heard a code adam and no one do anything, except for me..I always help look!

Crystalina replied:
I'm glad they they worked for you. I can't say that all Wal-Marts don't follow procedure but the only 3 times I witnessed it they did nothing. I always help also. I can only imagine the panic a mother is feeling. DH can cover aisles pretty quickly also when a childs missing. He has those long legs. Joking aside though it's a seriouse thing and should be taken seriousely at all times. I would not be able to continue shopping while I know a child is lost somewhere in the store.

stella6979 replied: I think the whole code Adam thing is great when it's done properly, but having said that, I also feel that parents need to pay more attention to their kids while they're in the stores. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that things don't happen and I know that you can't keep your eyes on your kids all the time, but whenever I go shopping around here, it amazes me at the amount of kids I see running around freely through the stores and their parents are no where to be found. And I'm talking kids of all ages. I once saw a boy who was no older than 4 and he was just standing in the women's clothing section all by himself and there was nobody else around. I approached him and asked him if he was lost and he didn't say anything, so I found a security guard who took him to one of the registers and paged the parents. Turns out, the Mother was in the dressing room. I mean, does that Mother not realize what can happen to her kid while she's in a dressing room? ok, enough of that rant and back to the original post. It's a terrfying thing to know that kids can be taken so easily, that's why I plan to teach my kids to scream, kick, pull, do whatever you have to in order to get someone's attention. Obviously a kidnapper is not going to want all that attention drawn to them, so the more they fight and the more noise they make, the better.

Calimama replied:
I agree. A couple days ago at Walmart we saw a stroller with a newborn in it in the women's clothing section and the mother was in electronics!! They are right across the aisle but still. Her excuse was that there were too many people in the electronic section and her stroller couldn't get through.

stella6979 replied:
It's things like that, that really make me angry. It's people who do these types things that are the first ones to blame everyone else. No one has the right to take a child, that's a give in, but we as parents should know that those kinds of people exist and it's our job to watch over and protect our kids. I mean, c'mon, leaving an infant in a stroller while you're in a completely different section of the store is just absurd and I don't care if it was right across the aisle. Children can disappear within seconds. I would have punched her.

Danalana replied: Awwww, that's sad....it makes me angry too
One day, while I was at work, a little boy came up to us in the vision center. He couldn't have been more than 3. He asked, "Have you ladies seen my mom?" I said, "what's your mom's name?"...his reply? "She's my mom". Awwww I just melted. I took him by the hand and we went to the service desk and his mother was paged.

Jackie012007 replied: yeah I used to work at Wal*mart, everyone is supposed to stop what they are doing and look - usually they would say "Code Adam, red shirt" or soemthing, to give a little hint of a description, but not the name or anything - that's an invitation to disaster. But I've seen associates do nothing when Code Adam is called... it's the quality of people they hire, I believe. They don't give a crap, they want to get paid to do as little as possible, and Wal*Mart wants to pay them as little as possible. I've worked at 2 separate stores and it was the same thing.

As for shopping with a newborn, I won't even step away from the cart! I'm always holding on to it while DF picks out items, I don't trust ANYONE... I can't imagine leaving Carly there and going two aisles over to get something... how awful!

Danalana replied: I can't imagine my child going missing. Lat year, my father was baby-sitting my dog. He let him out to use the bathroom, and he wandered off. He was gone for 10 hours and, luckily, I didn't know about it until it was almost over. In just the little time I knew about it (before JoJo came back), I was a wreck...I almost actually had a wreck, too. I honestly didn't know how i was going to deal with the idea of losing him (i've had him since he was a puppy and he is almost 10 now). he's like my baby.
I know it would be a thousand times worse if it were a child....I can't even stand the thought of it.