NationStates Jolt Archive

Well, this little story starts today when I got out of school early. I went to a local Barnes and Noble, and then went across the street to get a slice of pizza for lunch. I ordered a slice and sat down to eat it without any trouble. On the way out of the store I noticed a handwritten sign hanging on the door that said "No students allowed on this property between 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM." There happens to be a large, mostly lower class, minority high school very close to the location of the pizza store.

I had a long time to toss a few questions around in my head, and I was wondering what you people thought of them.

-Is that age-ist? Are stores allowed to prohibit people from entering based on their age?

-I am obviously a student who is around high-school age, so why didn't the people at the store give me shit? I look white, and was not dressed ghetto, so was it a case of racism or classism?

I was thinking of going back there dressed ghetto during a time where most other high school kids have school, see how they react, maybe call their bluff, so my final question is: if it were you, would you try to go back and mess with the store?

damn i hate paranoia threads, makes me start thinking on my own paranoia. and yet i'm drawn to them like a moth to flame.

Tell the next ghettoy or black people you see who are under age to go to the store :p

shops and places like that, just do it to try and limit the crowds of students that usually congregate around certain shops. Its not age/class/race-ist, its just a way for them to cope. There was one cheap sweet shop just a few mins walk form my old school and they limited the number of kids allowed in at one time, they had to otherwise they would just be swamped.

ageism is one of the few legal and openly intitutionalised prejudices left. the other legal/tolerated ones are anti-welshism and anti-gingerism :p. but proprietors of private businesses have the right to deny access to whoever they like i think, as long as they don't state racist reasons. at least proprietors of drinking establishments can, can't see why it wouldn't be the same for shops and cafes and stuff.

i do tend to try and push things like this just to see how serious and up tight they are about it. could be they were genuinely terrorised by some kids from the school, but equally they could be daily mail readers frightened of anyone wearing trainers and a hoody. i got arrested the last time i tried to push this sort of thing though, so just make sure you're not drunk and belligerant when you do it!

They might be trying to discourage kids from hanging out there when they should be in school, to try and show that they arn't supporting school truancy. Though 'til 4 pm seems rather extreme, and the only way I could see it suceeding as a policy is if it was mostly ignored

Ok, first of all, the isn't the whole idea of that because you aren't supposed to let HS kids come into your buisness if they have closed lunch, which A LOT of poorer schools have to raise money and shit by charging for it?
You should see if its a closed campus first. If not, then they're being ageist/racist/economist. And you totally should get on them for it. (if they take credit cards, "accidentally" pull out your student ID instead. See what happens)
~Princess of Dissolidarity~

I think your over reacting big time. I'm annoyed with these people who still scream racism at every turn as if it still exists in the same way it did 100 years ago.

There is a coffee shop down the street from me that has a similar sign, you wann know why? because a bunch of people hang out there for hours on end and use the free wi-fi.

I talked to the manager about it one day, and she says "they just show up and order water and get on the internet and never leave" to which I replied "why do you have free wi-fi if you don't want people to use it?"

:p

That being said, she runs me and my group out of there just as often as she does the teenagers....it just gets to be too much, she has 8 tables, when we take 2 of them for 4 hours, she is losing money.

I don't understand why stores have to be "-ist" at all. As long as people are coming to your store and supporting your business, then you don't need to prohibit certain peoples from coming into your store to buy from you.

Tell the next ghettoy or black people you see who are under age to go to the store :p
I can look plenty ghetto.
shops and places like that, just do it to try and limit the crowds of students that usually congregate around certain shops. Its not age/class/race-ist, its just a way for them to cope. There was one cheap sweet shop just a few mins walk form my old school and they limited the number of kids allowed in at one time, they had to otherwise they would just be swamped.
But they apparently don't allow any students, and it's a big pizza shop. It was also mostly emty when I was there.
ageism is one of the few legal and openly intitutionalised prejudices left. the other legal/tolerated ones are anti-welshism and anti-gingerism :p. but proprietors of private businesses have the right to deny access to whoever they like i think, as long as they don't state racist reasons. at least proprietors of drinking establishments can, can't see why it wouldn't be the same for shops and cafes and stuff.
Apparantly there is a local video-game store that dosn't allow anyone younger than 18 during school hours, so I guess it's more practiced than I thought. Although it dosn't make any sense, they're throwing away perfectly good business.

i do tend to try and push things like this just to see how serious and up tight they are about it. could be they were genuinely terrorised by some kids from the school, but equally they could be daily mail readers frightened of anyone wearing trainers and a hoody. i got arrested the last time i tried to push this sort of thing though, so just make sure you're not drunk and belligerant when you do it!
Apparantly there is a local video-game store that dosn't allow anyone younger than 18 during school hours, so I guess it's more practiced than I thought. Although it dosn't make any sense, they're throwing away perfectly good business. But thanks, I'll try not to be drunk.:p
They might be trying to discourage kids from hanging out there when they should be in school, to try and show that they arn't supporting school truancy. Though 'til 4 pm seems rather extreme, and the only way I could see it suceeding as a policy is if it was mostly ignored
Yeah, I didn't get the 4 PM thing either. I guess they don't want it to be an after school hangout or something.
Ok, first of all, the isn't the whole idea of that because you aren't supposed to let HS kids come into your buisness if they have closed lunch, which A LOT of poorer schools have to raise money and shit by charging for it?
You should see if its a closed campus first. If not, then they're being ageist/racist/economist. And you totally should get on them for it. (if they take credit cards, "accidentally" pull out your student ID instead. See what happens)
~Princess of Dissolidarity~
Good suggestions, I will try some background reseatch first.

But they apparently don't allow any students, and it's a big pizza shop. It was also mostly emty when I was there.

Maybe that was why you weren't kicked out?

Probably because between 8 and 4 the students are meant to be in school, not a pizza shop?

It certainly sounds like a poor business move. I remember in high school the local pizza place was rather popular and filled with business around lunch time up until they raised their prices. On the other hand, the price raise meant I didn't have to wait as long when I went.

I fail to see why telling students they aren't allowed to be on the business' property during school hours qualifies as any sort of prejudice.

Were I a business owner, I'd rather not have all these truancy offers about. :|

generally, those rules aren't enforced unless they need to be, as in, loud, rude customers.

I got kicked out of a Rite-Aid when I was in eighth grade, in the middle of suburbia, with me being as white as they get. It's more like the place just trying to lower the risks they face.

I would check to see if it is some sort of anti-truancy measure.

Last I checked, kids are supposed to be in school between roughly the hours of 8-4.

You should have asked the owner, like a confident, mature adult would have done.

"Messing with the store" is stupid and childish, and is probably the reason the sign is there.

generally, those rules aren't enforced unless they need to be, as in, loud, rude customers.

But that doesn't require a rule specifically prohibiting students. That requires are rule prohibiting loud, rude people.

The convienience store down the street from my Jr High school only let 3 students in at a time because they were worried about theft. And kids really did steal stuff, I saw it :eek:

From experience, I'd say it's probably the school has asked them not to serve students when they should be at school. How prominent was the sign? I mean you only noticed it on your way out... The shop probably only has the sign up because they want the school off their backs, but probably don't bother to enforce the policy.