Ross Dress For Less stand by while I scream that I was groped by a man in the shoe department

Ross Dress for Less at 640 Concar Drive in San Mateo, CA 94402.

Friday April 27, 2007 at approximately 12:45pm.

I was in the shoe department, looking at the shoes and trying them on. As I was standing there I felt someone grab me from behind, and between my legs. I immediately turned around and there was a man standing there. It took a few seconds to register in my mind what had happened. I then said “what the hell!?!” and screamed “Security, security!!” The man didn’t say anything, and walked toward the back of the store. I went out into the aisle screaming “Security, help, a man groped me in the shoe department!!” “Help, does anyone work here?!” I continued to search for any employees, constantly yelling for assistance. No one helped me. No one admitted to working there. Finally a male employee said “What happened?” I told him that a man had groped me, and we had to make sure he didn’t leave the store and that police were called. I had lost sight of the suspect, but one of the other female customers pointed out where he was. He was calmly walking around the perimeter of the store trying to get to the exit in the front. I yelled that the police needed to be called, and that we had to make sure the man didn’t get out. No one did anything. I ran to the front of the store to “block” his exit. The man calmly walked past me and stopped at the cash register in front of the exit. He still didn’t speak. I said “that’s him!” The cashier looked at him, paused for a moment, and then said “get out” in a very calm matter of fact way. I walked out after him, and took a picture with my camera phone of him getting on his bicycle.

A few of the female customers were irate, and kept going into the store to demand that the employees call the police. One told me that an employee said “that’s not my job.” Finally, after about 5 minutes of those customers insisting, a store employee (Patricia) did make the 911 call and described the suspect. One police vehicle entered the parking lot, but did not stop. Soon after, 3 black and whites appeared. The officer that dealt with me was very kind and patient.

Miraculously the suspect was caught, and positively IDed.

I am still disgusted by the lack of concern shown by the staff. There were probably 8-10 employees in the store, and no one was willing to help me in any way. Had it not been for the persistence of those female customers who assisted me, the police may not have caught this man. Each cashier has a phone at his/her station, and all that was being asked was that one of them dial 911. Dialing 911 from a cell phone does not work as the calls are all routed to the California Highway Patrol. If one of the employees had called 911 when I began screaming for help, the police (whose station is a few blocks away) may have been able to catch the man before he even left the store as he did so in a very slow and nonchalant manner.

I am thankful for the kind women who helped me. One even got a picture of the suspect on her camera phone, and stayed for an hour to give her report and ID the suspect.

Comment On This

Im really sorry, but it's a known corporate policy for many retailers to not allow their employees to get on those kind of situations due to the fact that the company would be liable in case of that employee being hurt or killed.