for those of you who think of buying gift cards...

[metalripper666]

Called Police On Black Customer
Company Ended Up Spending $13,600 On Target Gift Cards Instead

POSTED: 9:40 am EST December 14, 2005

TAMPA, Fla. -- Wal-Mart has fired a Florida store manager who called police about a black businessman mistakenly suspected of trying to pass a bad check.

The store chain said the manager used "poor judgment" that resulted in "poor customer service."

The manager called police on Reginald Pitts after he couldn't verify Pitts' check for more $13,600. He's a corporate human resources manager.

Pitts was trying to pay for holiday gift cards for his company's employees. It turns out he had a privacy block on his account. But the check couldn't be verified and rather than check with Pitts again, the manager called the law.

Pitts said he suspects he was treated that way because he is black.

Wal-Mart denies any racial profiling but has apologized. Pitts' company decided to buy its gift cards from Target instead.

[DustyBottoms]

Down with Wal(China)Mart!

[RosieWolf]

a 13,600 dollar check???.. doesnt his business have a business visa/mc/amex card???? would u really want to shop at a store that would take a check that size from ANYONE when it couldn't be verified?.. heck, next thing u know all those checks start bouncing, prices have to go up and up and up.. etc.. happens all the time, which is why most business's won't take checks at all anymore..

surely with that much money in his checking account, he had a check/debit card??... why didn't he use that? this sounds too hokey , something very fishy going on.

[Idnew]

That's a heck of lot of gift cards. The employee shouldn't have gotten fired but I guess he should have called someone higher up than himself.