Haverty's

[chasfm11]

I went to Coppell today to the Haverty's warehouse and guess what I found? A HUGE 30.06 sign!

The customer pickup area is in the rear of the Coppell location. I did not see a similar sign on store front but those doors were locked (I was there before normal store hours)

I pondered action and decided that it was too late to do anything about my purchase. I disarmed and went ahead and picked up my chair. Upon completion, I drove back to the store where I had made the purchase and asked to speak to the store manager.

I was very cordial but told him that this would be my last purchase with Haverty's. I started to describe the 3006 sign in layman's terms when he volunteered that he had a CHL. He said that the store had strict personal policies against employees with firearms. I acknowledged that my company had those, too, and that they weren't unusual. I explained that when the organization takes action affecting its customers, that takes the discussion to a different level.

I clearly said at two different points in the conversation that I acknowledged Haverty's right to post the sign. It is provided for in Texas Penal code. I also said that, based on the existence of that sign, I, as a consumer, had the right to make my own decision. I told him that I had taken a picture of the sign and would be posting to Texas3006 (he had never heard of that) as well as a forum to notify other CHL holders so that they could make their decisions, too.

I told him that I was frankly puzzled. The sign covers an office area that is probably less than the size of my living room. The rest of that building is marked "employees only." He agreed with me that the average customer would spend less than 3 minutes inside that office as they initiated the pickup activity and would spend the rest of their time on the outside portico where carrying a firearm is not restricted. I told him about the recent comparisons between CHL holders and both the general public and LEOs in Texas and wondered why the management team of the company thought preventing CHLs improved "safety". He acknowledged that someone with criminal intent would not be affected by the sign.

I also acknowledged that today's environment is highly charged regarding gun discussions and wondered why his company would risk alienating customers by weighing in this way.

I don't know if anything will change. He has my personal information so if the company does decide to change their policy, I suspect that I'll get notification. I explained that we are in the process of changing out a number of pieces of our furniture, that I had a good experience with his store and was pleased with what I bought but that I won't shop there again as long as the sign exists. He thanked me for my business and I left.

For me, the sign went well beyond being compliant. It was an "in your face" declaration. I'm sorry but I'm no longer tolerant of such things.