There is always a Deposit Area at the entrance of the malls and other buildings where you can deposit temporarily your luggage (they don’t accept valuables) and even the tourists can leave their baggage here. This is a measure to combat shoplifting. Entering a store with plastic bags is strictly prohibited (excluding handbags and other kinds of bags). If you don’t know this rule or if you forgot to leave your plastic bags in the Deposit Area, the guard will stop you and tell you to please deposit them in the Deposit Area.

　        Actually, I got pissed off at a certain famous mall the other day.

        I was carrying a small single strap knapsack when I went to the mall. When I was just about to get inside a supermarket, the guard stopped me and told me to leave my knapsack at the Deposit Area. But why did he allow a wife carrying a big tote bag made of cloth to get inside? The guard did not stop her. When I asked the guard why small knapsacks are not allowed inside, he said that it’s the mall’s rule. Somehow if a superior tells me that it is their rule not to allow knapsacks, then all knapsacks are not allowed whatever their size while handbags and tote bags are allowed even they are big in size. In the first place, a Filipino employee is not given the authority to decide things by himself so it would only be a waste of time to argue with him. So as told, I went then to the near Deposit Area.

        There were lots of people at the Deposit Area and I also fell in line. After a while, when it was already my turn to give my knapsack, the man said “We cannot keep this, Sir”. So I answered “But why? The guard at the entrance told me to leave it here”. He said “Yes Sir. But knapsacks can only be kept at the Deposit Area in the building entrance, Sir. You need to go there and leave your knapsack there, Sir”. (He always says “Sir” at the end of his sentence. If it is a polite expression in English, then it’s like there is resistance. It doesn’t feel good. Sir. Damn it. Sir.)

        “Hey. You should have told me from the start that I should leave it at the Deposit Area outside.”

        The Deposit Area outside is quite far.

　        … That is right! I just have to insert my knapsack in my tote bag so I can get inside. So I did this technique so that I can return to life (exaggerated). I hid my “prohibited knapsack” inside my “permitted tote bag” and I went back to the supermarket. Without looking at the Deposit Area, I was able to get inside carrying my big tote bag. Excellent. I was able to shop at the supermarket.

　        Checking just the form of the bags being brought inside and not the contents of the bag is not an effective way to secure the place. This is the Philippine style. Philippines has all the knowledge in recycling unnecessary things well but when it comes to this one, it needs improvement.

http://plaza.rakuten.co.jp/joyjoycebulife/

From April 2008 issue