. . . is not one found in federal legislation. But it is declared on a sign outside Trader Joe's in Woodland Hills, California. I did not stop to take photo of the sign and now I'm states away so can't just zip over to take one. Nonetheless, I'm still pondering about this sign and the right it promised. The finer print specified that in protection of its' shoppers' right to undistracted shopping Trader Joe's would not permit any sort of soliciting, petitioning, or other distracting behaviors in front of the store. This is possible, of course, because Trader Joes is a private enterprise although we might think of being in the store buying groceries as being out in public. Because the store is a private enterprise its owners and mangers can restrict what goes on there. What they want to promote is shopping, more to the point, buying groceries, so they will prohibit other activities that might inhibit shopping. In so far as being asked to consider political issues might inhibit shoppers' purchases, this makes commercial sense. And, in so far as I do not have an obligation to take a minute "to save the environment" or listen to any other plea from my fellow citizens, there is a certain appeal to being promised distraction free shopping.
But I also began to notice all the potential distractions inside the store: signs calling my attention to deals, nutrition labels, those loud shirts the staff wears, foods I did not come looking to buy. Not to mention the distractions I brought with me for which that information might be useful.
I take the point of the sign. If I lived nearby I might even find the promise an appealing one. But I'm also pretty sure that it can be filed along with other inflated promises that play to my more selfish self than to my better intentions to be an engaged citizen.
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