Sometimes the best stories come from unplanned trips. I wasn’t even supposed to visit MR. DIY last weekend in Bulacan. I just happened to see a poster near the mall entrance along the highway, and since I’ve always enjoyed dropping by MR. DIY branches in Metro Manila, I thought, “Why not?” Cheap but good-quality items, plus a few fun photos to remember the visit—that’s my usual routine. But this time, things took a very different turn.
After buying a few things at the mall, I headed straight to MR. DIY. As always, I browsed around, picked up some items, and like I usually do, I took some pictures inside the store. For me, photos are part of the experience. They’re little souvenirs that capture the vibe of the place and the joy of finding good deals.
But suddenly, the guard approached me. He told me to delete all the photos I had taken inside the store. Not only that, he stood there and watched until every single picture was permanently erased from my gallery. I was stunned. Was I really at fault? This had never happened to me in NCR branches. I’ve taken photos in Metro Manila stores without any issue, so why was this branch in Bulacan so strict?
The whole encounter felt uncomfortable. Instead of leaving with happy snapshots, I left with a sense of confusion and frustration. Luckily, one photo of my purchases survived the purge—proof that I actually bought something and didn’t just walk away with a strange story.
I’m sharing this because I honestly don’t understand the inconsistency. Why are some branches okay with photos while others treat it like a crime? If anyone knows the policy or has had a similar experience, please enlighten me. Thanks for reading my rant. I appreciate you taking the time to hear me out.
There's nothing wrong with what you did, you are a customer, and shouldn't be treated like that, but well, maybe that particular store manager has some special rules and that the guard is just following, maybe, never visit or support that shop again. Such as a hassle.
I felt so sorry for myself that time. 🙃 It was my first time being approached by the guard and asked me to delete all photos I've taken inside their store, I was so pissed off with what has happened when I visited the store.
Thanks for your thoughts, my dear. You're right. I won't go in that branch again.
well, on the one hand, there's nothing wrong with taking pictures in public places. what's more, sharing the pictures by customers on social network might even help the mall itself with promotion.
however, on the other hand, malls are private property, and guards may prohibit customers from taking pictures there for some reasons like:
a. protecting privacy of other customers;
b. maybe they suspect that images may be used for planning smth illegal like theft;
c. maybe they think that taking pictures makes other customers uncomfortable;
d. maybe they just have a bad day;