I was in a coffee shop yesterday in a mall on the Gulf Coast of Misssissippi. I walked up to the counter with my e-cig in my mouth and the man behind counter said, "There's no smoking in here or in the mall, (I had already cleared it with mall security and they said it was fine). I told him that I was not smoking and that it was an electronic cigarette and that what he was seeing was water vapor. He said, "I just saw the smoke, you are smoking and get out of my store." I showed him the device and unscrewed it and he became more belligerent. He said, "I am not going to tell you again, to get out of here of I will have security throw you off the property."
I told him to call security, in that they were aware that I was puffing on a e-cig and then I told him that he was being rude and wanted his name. He said that he was the "general manager" and then said, "get off of my property you '....ing punk.'" I continued to ask his name and that is when his shoulders rolled back and I could tell that he was getting ready to physically assault me. I said, "are you threatening me"? He gritted his teeth and said, "don't you ever step foot in this store again, you punk." I continued to ask his name to file a complaint and he would only tell me that he was the "general manager." I contacted mall security to tell them what happened and they gave me the name of the owner and then I called the owner who apologized profusely, saying he knew exactly what an e-cig is.
I am a 53 year old clean cut male, who was wearing a business suit. I work in the area and I was on my lunch break, I was utterly shocked by this man's behavior. I later found out that the manager contacted mall security to tell them that I was 86'd from the coffee shop for smoking and security told him that I was puffing on an electronic device that produces water vaper. This manager still didn't get it and kept saying, "there is no smoking in my store, and that ....... was smoking inf front of children.
This happened at a mall in Mississippi. I am from Southern California, with the most hardcore cigarette nazi's in the country, I never expected this from someone in a southern state like Mississippi where smoking is still not completely banned everywhere. The Casinos allow people to smoke real cigarettes and some stores do too.
My question is there anything I can do about this, like file a suit or something? I am still pretty mad by this guys behavior.
Thank you,
Doggy
I told him to call security, in that they were aware that I was puffing on a e-cig and then I told him that he was being rude and wanted his name. He said that he was the "general manager" and then said, "get off of my property you '....ing punk.'" I continued to ask his name and that is when his shoulders rolled back and I could tell that he was getting ready to physically assault me. I said, "are you threatening me"? He gritted his teeth and said, "don't you ever step foot in this store again, you punk." I continued to ask his name to file a complaint and he would only tell me that he was the "general manager." I contacted mall security to tell them what happened and they gave me the name of the owner and then I called the owner who apologized profusely, saying he knew exactly what an e-cig is.
I am a 53 year old clean cut male, who was wearing a business suit. I work in the area and I was on my lunch break, I was utterly shocked by this man's behavior. I later found out that the manager contacted mall security to tell them that I was 86'd from the coffee shop for smoking and security told him that I was puffing on an electronic device that produces water vaper. This manager still didn't get it and kept saying, "there is no smoking in my store, and that ....... was smoking inf front of children.
This happened at a mall in Mississippi. I am from Southern California, with the most hardcore cigarette nazi's in the country, I never expected this from someone in a southern state like Mississippi where smoking is still not completely banned everywhere. The Casinos allow people to smoke real cigarettes and some stores do too.
My question is there anything I can do about this, like file a suit or something? I am still pretty mad by this guys behavior.
Thank you,
Doggy
