Bi-lo No Weapons Allowed!!!

[carsontech]

I'm preparing a similar letter, even though the BI-LOs in SC allow carrying. I have a feeling that the only reason the BI-LOs located in NC don't allow carrying is so they can keep the open carriers out. The way BI-LO sees it, banning both ways of carrying, open or concealed carry, was a way for them to not "discriminate", while keeping the "sheeple", I mean their other customers, from being scared by the "scary men" with guns on their hips.

BI-LO is on my "do not shop" list now down here in SC until they allow the carrying of firearms in their stores in NC. As I said before, I'm in the process of typing up a letter and email for BI-LOs headquarters, explaining my decision, and why.

 

[WalkingWolf]

I'm preparing a similar letter, even though the BI-LOs in SC allow carrying. I have a feeling that the only reason the BI-LOs located in NC don't allow carrying is so they can keep the open carriers out. The way BI-LO sees it, banning both ways of carrying, open or concealed carry, was a way for them to not "discriminate", while keeping the "sheeple", I mean their other customers, from being scared by the "scary men" with guns on their hips.

BI-LO is on my "do not shop" list now down here in SC until they allow the carrying of firearms in their stores in NC. As I said before, I'm in the process of typing up a letter and email for BI-LOs headquarters, explaining my decision, and why.

This is most likely exactly why Bi-Lo is posting such a piss poor sign. They figure they can appease one group, while assuming open carriers is such a small group they will not offend the concealed carriers. If not for the over zealous security guard nothing probably would have been said. This is why I hate signs which try to hide the intent. If a business has something to say, then say it, don't whisper it. Then I can take my business somewhere else. It is a shame that the rest of people who do support gun rights don't understand the open carry is the forefront of those rights. It was the intent of 2A. A gun locked in a safe, or even hidden on the person does not convey the message to those in power that they work for us, and not to violate our god given rights.

 

[r1dramma]

I'm preparing a similar letter, even though the BI-LOs in SC allow carrying. I have a feeling that the only reason the BI-LOs located in NC don't allow carrying is so they can keep the open carriers out. The way BI-LO sees it, banning both ways of carrying, open or concealed carry, was a way for them to not "discriminate", while keeping the "sheeple", I mean their other customers, from being scared by the "scary men" with guns on their hips.

BI-LO is on my "do not shop" list now down here in SC until they allow the carrying of firearms in their stores in NC. As I said before, I'm in the process of typing up a letter and email for BI-LOs headquarters, explaining my decision, and why.

I don't know if you guys saw this but here is the response I got. She has a SC phone number maybe giving her a call, along with filing the complaint might help.

 

[WalkingWolf]

I don't know if you guys saw this but here is the response I got. She has a SC phone number maybe giving her a call, along with filing the complaint might help.

I just tried to call, seems they are not answering their phone...LOL

I just wanted to ask her opinion on being boycotted. I'm sure if she is not answering her phone she is deleting her emails in relation to the letter. We need the contact for the CEO of Bi-Lo, and the media should be contacted that members of the 2A community are boycotting the chain.

 

[carsontech]

I don't know if you guys saw this but here is the response I got. She has a SC phone number maybe giving her a call, along with filing the complaint might help.

Yea, I saw that. That response was what I was referring to in my first post in this thread:

Now that I've seen this post, with a scanned in policy with a Bi-Lo letterhead letter, I may probe Bi-lo about this.

I saw that number and was going to call that number Saturday, but didn't get to it. I guess it will have to with until Thursday now that my work shift is in full swing.

 

[carsontech]

I just tried to call, seems they are not answering their phone...LOL

I just wanted to ask her opinion on being boycotted. I'm sure if she is not answering her phone she is deleting her emails in relation to the letter. We need the contact for the CEO of Bi-Lo, and the media should be contacted that members of the 2A community are boycotting the chain.

I've thought about this, myslef. IMO, it would be hard to get any story about this ran, unless there was a demand (lots of people calling in and asking for it to be ran). Then there's the worry about how the media can distort the situation to match an agenda they may have. On the other hand, it may hit home to Bi-Lo and they may change their stance. There is that old saying, "any publicity is good publicity", but for who?

The sad thing is, most of all the "pro-gun" people down here in SC don't give a rat's ass about standing up for there gun rights. The people here keep giving money to places that don't respect the citizens rights to carry firearms. Even if a pro-gun news story was ran about how Bo-Lo was trampling peoples right to carry in their stores in NC, the 2nd amendment supporters and pro-gun people here in SC would still shop at Bi-Lo. There are a ton of sellouts down here.

 

[WalkingWolf]

Unfortunately there are sellouts everywhere, then you just have to add in plain old apathy. People just do not care about a cause unless it involves them. We see this among our own ranks. I admit I am not as feisty as I used to be, and I do my best to not break laws even if I don't agree with them. But I do tend to speak out for what is right no matter what side it is on.

A lady in left coast told me once what took place in New York on 9/11 did not concern her because it did not affect her personally. But did it? Until a action, reaction, or lack of action hits home nobody cares.

 

[Grapeshot]

. We need the contact for the CEO of Bi-Lo....snipped......

Michael Byars is the current CEO of BI-LO, LLC. Michael Byars is the current CEO/President. You can find Michael Byars' linkedin profile, twitter, and biography on BI-LO, LLC's Lead411 profile, as well as BI-LO, LLC email addresses with the @bi-lo.com domain.

 

[NC-Heel]

I don't understand the no more Gun Buster sign attitude. If a business does not want me to be armed please put the biggest sign possible on your door so I know to go elsewhere. Bi-Lo is working both sides of the fence here in N.C. This sign allows you to legally carry concealed and is so inconspicuous that most OC'ers will miss it but allows the store to ask you to leave and point it out on your egress. If I am confronted by a business about carrying the first thing I will state is they can post at the entrance and that will stop me and my pistol from entering.

What everyone should do is go to Bi-Lo and load up a huge buggy of groceries before someone spots your weapon. Then loiter up front by the registers till they ask you to leave. Tell them I wont be needing this buggy of groceries anymore as I am sure Harris Teeter has the same products.

 

[r1dramma]

I don't understand the no more Gun Buster sign attitude. If a business does not want me to be armed please put the biggest sign possible on your door so I know to go elsewhere. Bi-Lo is working both sides of the fence here in N.C. This sign allows you to legally carry concealed and is so inconspicuous that most OC'ers will miss it but allows the store to ask you to leave and point it out on your egress. If I am confronted by a business about carrying the first thing I will state is they can post at the entrance and that will stop me and my pistol from entering.

What everyone should do is go to Bi-Lo and load up a huge buggy of groceries before someone spots your weapon. Then loiter up front by the registers till they ask you to leave. Tell them I wont be needing this buggy of groceries anymore as I am sure Harris Teeter has the same products.

How does this sign allow you to CC?
It says no weapons allowed.

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[Dreamer]

I may stand to be corrected, but I think the worst you could expect would be to be charged with trespass IF you did not leave when advised to do so from a retail business like a grocery store or shopping mall.

That is the situation in Virginia and I believe NC law is similar.

Grape, your assertion is 100% correct and accurate under NC law.

Trespassing the worst thing you can be charged with for carrying onto "posted" property, and then, ONLY if you don't leave after an employee brings their policy to your attention.

 

[Dreamer]

How does this sign allow you to CC?
It says no weapons allowed.

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Technically it DOESN'T allow for CC--it specifically forbids ANY mode of carry.

But some folks consider their personal safety and exercise of their fundamental human rights to be worth the risk of getting caught in an establishment that is posted...

By this mode of thinking, concealed means CONCEALED, and if they can't see it, they won't have a reason to ask you to leave.

I'm not suggesting anyone break the law. Just explaining the (slightly convoluted) reasoning behind the "CC Loophole".

 

[NC-Heel]

How does this sign allow you to CC?
It says no weapons allowed.

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Firstly, I thought N.C. used to have very specific rules about how big the sign had to be and everything, when did they do away with that?

Secondly it does not say No Weapons Allowed, it says No Weapons. Does that mean they don't sell weapons? My belt buckle can be used as a weapon should I enter with my pants around my knees?

The General Statute that covers this says "any premise where notice that carrying a concealed handgun is prohibited by the posting of a conspicuous notice, or statement by the person in legal possession or control of the premises.

That sign would look something like this.

 

[rotorhead]

Firstly, I thought N.C. used to have very specific rules about how big the sign had to be and everything, when did they do away with that?

Secondly it does not say No Weapons Allowed, it says No Weapons. Does that mean they don't sell weapons? My belt buckle can be used as a weapon should I enter with my pants around my knees?

The General Statute that covers this says "any premise where notice that carrying a concealed handgun is prohibited by the posting of a conspicuous notice, or statement by the person in legal possession or control of the premises.

That sign would look something like this.
View attachment 7883

1. I don't remember NC having specific guidelines concerning signs. It's always been pretty much unaddressed by statute as far as I remember. You can spell it out using dried lima beans attached to green construction paper with Elmer's Glue as long as it's posted in a conspicuous location. SC, by contrast, does have very specific rules for signs.

2. I don't see where the confusion is based on the information posted in just this thread alone. It's clear that Bi-Lo doesn't want guns in their stores. In NC, that's their right under law. The only decision to be made is to whether or not gun owners continue to shop there and that choice is an individual one each person has to make for themselves. I personally think that they should post a bigger sign if they are going to post in the first place, but that's just me. I prefer business owners to be clear with their intentions. That way, there's less confusion and people can be better informed concerning their choices of where to shop. A sign with tiny letters could be easily missed.

3. NC, I believe, leaves the statutes hazy to provide business owners the flexibility to make up their own minds when it comes to allowing gun in their stores or not. Even businesses that normally allow for carrying can use that flexibility to handle specific incidents where a gun seen on someone's hip inadvertently causes an issue with other customers. There's a few different ways that each incident can be handled by the store owner of a representative. They could try to handle it by asking us to leave. They could try to handle it by using reason with the customer that has an issue with our guns. They could simply tell the other customer that customers that wear guns are more than welcome there. They could also handle it in other ways, too.

We have that same flexibility as home owners, too. Actually, it extends to residents of any home. If our friends come over and the kids freak out because they are wearing guns, we can either try to calm the kids down, or we can ask the friends to either hide them or put them in the car for a while. It's the same for business owners- they have the right to handle the situation as best they see fit to protect their customer base. Not in terms of physical protection so much but in terms of protecting their investments and keeping the peace on their property.

Business owners try to appeal to the widest possible customer base as a rule. If 100 people won't go to a store because one gun owner shops there, you can see which way a store owner would generally side with. One of the issues is purely related to numbers. If more people carried openly and the practice was more commonplace, we'd see a general reduction in businesses that barred gun owners form shopping there while carrying.

It's all about the perceived needs of the customer base when you think about it. A store owner (notional) in the rural areas where most residents carry would probably not bar weapons in their business due to the type of customer base they serve. A store owner (notional) that ran a cafe on the sidewalk of somewhere like Cary would have a much different customer base and would probably be more inclined to bar weapons there. NC law simply allows for that flexibility, and I don't personally have a problem with it all that much. What I do care about is having the owners be honest enough to make a decision one way or the other so I can make my decision to shop elsewhere if needed.

 

[sawah]

Send 'em a note: 'Dear Bi-Lo, I was in your store the other day and was horrified when I saw a man in possession of a firearm. I was stunned and amazed when it didn't jump out of its holster and start killing everyone. In fact, I noted some seedy types starting to go in and saw the firearm and turned around and got back in their car. Maybe you should reevaluate your policy?'

Also, I don't consider my firearm a weapon. (I was advised of this by my CHL instructor, btw).

 

[r1dramma]

Firstly, I thought N.C. used to have very specific rules about how big the sign had to be and everything, when did they do away with that?

Secondly it does not say No Weapons Allowed, it says No Weapons. Does that mean they don't sell weapons? My belt buckle can be used as a weapon should I enter with my pants around my knees?

The General Statute that covers this says "any premise where notice that carrying a concealed handgun is prohibited by the posting of a conspicuous notice, or statement by the person in legal possession or control of the premises.

That sign would look something like this.
View attachment 7883

No Weapons means no weapons, cc or oc! I don't know I might be wrong but at this point I have done everything that I could including not shopping there anymore.


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[XaqFixx]

My Adventures with Bi-Lo and their policy

Hate to revive and old thread like this but someone commented on a post on my chronicling my experiences with Bi-Lo, their head of legal council, and their firearms policy.
Although I work primarily from home in South Carolina I maintain an office in Charlotte, NC so cross into NC once or twice a week. Unless I am going to the office (no firearms policy, can't even keep it in the car) or one of the many places that NC law forbids it, I open carry. I had been open carrying at Bi-Lo off and on for about a 8 months at the same location without incident - besides one employee making a bad joke about not shooting him for bad service - until March of this year.
Then, one day, when shopping with my wife I was approached by a manager in the frozen foods section and asked to disarm myself. She apologized, said that she supports open carry and thinks everyone should do it, but that a customer had complained and said open carry is against company policy. I apologized, said I didn't see a sign and took my gun to the car - where I unloaded it, disassembeled it, and locked it up. The slide and magazines I kept with me. On my way back in the store I tried to find the sign, and after searching for a few minutes I found the minuscule sign and took pictures, and asked my wife on our way out if she could find the sign... she couldn't until I showed her.

When I got home I wrote and sent a letter on March 29 to to the CEO, Senior VP of Marketing, Senior VP of Store Operations, VP of Risk Management, VP of HR and Diversity, Director of Facilities, and the Marketing Manager. I also posted that letter, along with pictures of the sign on my website. In the letter I shared my experience, informed them their signs didn't meet the legal requirements in NC or SC, explained that their policy was anti-safety and anti-consumer and asked them to reconsider.

The following week, on April 2, I heard back from the head of legal council. He claimed that "BI-LO’s policy is based on its sound business judgements and seeks to honor the saftey and security of employees and customers. This is the same policy adopted by all other major retail chains of which we are aware." but that they would "review the current signage in place at our stores to ensure that it fully complies with applicable state law."

I replied one more time providing examples of national retail, food service, and grocery store chains that allow armed customers as well as facts and figures showing that open and concealed carriers are less likely than the general population (or even police) to shoot someone and that in some cases they even save lives.

... they never replied.

It has been 4 months and their signs remain the same on both sides of the border. They seem to be content to ignore facts, figures, and even the law in order to main their anti-gun stance.

More detail, including the texts of the emails here:
http://www.xaqfixx.com/blog/2012/03...ry-chain-on-firearms-policy-and-notification/
http://www.xaqfixx.com/blog/2012/04/02/bi-lo-grocery-chain-responds/
http://www.xaqfixx.com/blog/2012/04/05/bi-lo-response/

 

[Grapeshot]

Please, please do NOT instruct/cause merchants on how to posts signs - such is counter productive.

While I have written numerous letters, I have yet to even mention signage. Causing signs to be put up, made larger etc. just increases the general public's impression that guns are bad. It does nothing to help our side.

Oh, Welcome to OCDO. Please review our Forum Rules, acclimate yourself to the site and enjoy.

 

[WalkingWolf]

Between Food Lion and Walmart who are gun friendly is there any reason to waste time with Bi-Lo? Just Sayin'

 

[PistolPackingMomma]

Please, please do NOT instruct/cause merchants on how to posts signs - such is counter productive.

While I have written numerous letters, I have yet to even mention signage. Causing signs to be put up, made larger etc. just increases the general public's impression that guns are bad. It does nothing to help our side.

Oh, Welcome to OCDO. Please review our Forum Rules, acclimate yourself to the site and enjoy.

As I read it, the sign was posted prior to his incident, and he did not (in his post) mention advising or advocating for signage; merely that the signs were there and have not yet come down.

I looked for the sign on Bilo's doors, and would probably never have noticed them if others on Opencarry.org had not forewarned me, as the signs are rather small and off to the side. They are easily missed.