Posted on Saturday 16 February 2008
Police raid Spencer Gifts novelty shop inside Layton Hills Mall 
Deseret Morning News
news story by Ben Winslow comments in red by BluezMama
It was a full blown raid as Layton(Utah)Police searched a Spencer Gifts novelty gift shop inside the Layton Hills Mall on Tuesday, February 13, seizing 15 boxes of items they said were sexually explicit. They took hundreds of items they say are against the law because they were sold in the plain view of minors.
(offending items pictured below)
The raid happened Tuesday morning just as Spencer Gifts was opening for business. Police said a search warrant was drafted, seeking numerous items that may violate Utah laws on dealing materials harmful to a minor.
“It’s based on several complaints we’ve received over the last year or so,” said Layton Police Sgt. Mark Chatlin. “People complaining about the material they’re selling.”
While none of the items in the shop are illegal, authorities allege Spencer may have run afoul of the state statute by having sexually explicit items available for purchase and display to minors. Police were vague in their descriptions of the items seized but acknowledged seizing games, food items and items that could be described as “sex toys.”
http://bluezmama3.blogspot.com/2008/02/spencer-gifts-vs-wal-mart-which-is-more.html
………It’s about frickin’ time! I’ve often wondered why that store has been allowed to sell that stuff at my local mall located in Springfield, Oregon at the Gateway Mall! I mean, give me a break! That stupid store puts Playboy memorabilia right out front in their displays! Go inside and you’ll find a mix of Adult related stuff! Now, I could care less if your an adult that chooses to use that stuff but a store like that, selling that stuff, located in a public mall is an absolute disgrace! My daughter is 6 years old, my son is 10 years old, they have NO BUSINESS being exposed to that crap! And because of HOW Spencers Gifts display their products you only have to WALK BY THE FRONT OF THE STORE TO SEE IT!!!!!!! So what gives?! Why are so many malls and so many communities willing to let it slide by? Why shouldn’t the police respond to the VALID complaints of local citizens and remove those products! Why would a business like that even have to be told that those products are inappropriate for viewing by minors? Why? Seems like COMMON SENSE to me, right? It’s right on the label of most of that crap! If your a local business owner in the state of Oregon and you have a Oregon lottery machine at your business…..It cannot be IN VIEW of a minor! Why would a dildo be any different?! If it’s o.k. to sell a “dildo” in the view of a minor, is it o.k. to purchase one, take it home and leave it on the kitchen counter when you have minors in the house? I wonder what “Childs Services” would think of an adult that did that? In my opinion the negligence of this Spencers Gifts isn’t any different! I’ve seen young kids brought into those stores by unsuspecting parents, who quickly cover their kids eyes and leave!
Spencers Gifts SUCKS! And my hope for everyone who reads this to write letters, put in complaints and BOYCOTT SPENCERS GIFTS!!!!
…….Your an adult and you wanna buy adult toys? Order them out of a catalog or go to an Adult shop! But keep your crap out of our malls!
What’s the problem with what they’re doing? Why is it so wrong to have our culture move toward sexual transparency? Didn’t God make us so that we’d reproduce?
Ah, LOL! Leading! …………so what’s the problem with what their doing? Exposing minors to adult related things before their ready? We ARE sexual beings…..right? The way God intended it…..right? Or is sex, like anything that we as a society deem to be an “adult” activity……one that requires responsibility and holds certain dangers such as disease, hurt feelings and in some cases abuse? Knowing that, is that a question we, as adults who are “aware” of those concerns when it comes to sex, do we need to ask that question? Or do we already know the answer? Is engaging in sex as an adult so simplistic that a child can do it……or is it complicated and sometimes dangerous? I think the answer is simple: sex isn’t something that is always safe for adults to participate in, let alone exposing minors to adult related material without the simple benefit of “time” for them to prepare to handle such things. So……that’s why what their doing is wrong……they are robbing young kids of their opportunity to grow and mature and be ready for the responsibilities that engaging in sex brings…….make sense? They are being thieves!
I have no problem with us as a society acknowledging that we do engage in sexual activity…..I don’t believe it’s a topic of discussion that we should avoid with our kids. But I also believe that we have a responsibility as adults to instruct our children of some of the pit falls that we as adults encounter and sex is like an elephant……..it’s best to eat it, one bite at a time! The forum of which, shouldn’t be in the middle of a MALL!!!!
you son of a bitching prudes.
spencers rule.
and your just gay.
i love sex toys and playboy brand stuff.
your just ashamed b/c you dont know how to use sex toys and you dont look good in playboy clothes.
fatties.
Prudes? Did you even READ what I wrote? Or do you simply have your head so far up your ass you’ve grown accustom to smelling your own farts?
I’m NOT against adult bookstores or adult activities. What you choose to engage in as an adult is your business but the key term in this sentence is the word: ADULT…..get it? Or should I slow it down for you…..A D U L T. Maybe you should look it up? The disagreement I have with Spencers is that they choose to place their shit in the middle of family oriented malls…..um, duh! Get that? Or should you just go back to looking at porn on the net and spanking your little pud!
such adult language……?
LOL, Adult language? Coming from a guy that’s known me for almost 20 years…..I’m not inclined to apologize! LMAO! (You saying, you would have put it any different?…lol, don’t forget pal, I also know you! )
I would like to say that i love your blog http://www.buycommonsense.com a lot
now.. back to business lol
I cant say that fully agree with what you wrote… care to elaberate?
Elaborate? Sure…..but about what? Are you questioning something specifically in what I wrote or just the overall concept in general?
I’ve never been one for legislating morality or giving the government more power in any realm, but people have to realize that a lot of these malls are partly taxpayer funded (through subsidies, tax cuts, etc.). Is it really proper to have any sort of material that offends the same people who paid for the place in the first place? While I personally don’t agree with the articles viewpoint, the debate isn’t whether you are pro or anti sex. The issue at hand is whether or not it is alright for a store that traffics in sexually explicit material should be in an environment where kids are usually left without guardians. My only concern with laws like this is the slippery slope. Once laws like this start being enforced, where does a community draw the line? If something offends 1 person should it be removed from the mall? What about 100 people? I personally think the problem is having the government involved in commerce like this in the first place. If taxpayers weren’t partly paying for places like this, it really would be a non-issue.
I personally don’t see much of a difference between “laws” and “morality”….the concept of both terms to me is tied in “proper” human behavior. “The church” tries to regulate that from the pulpit, “governments” try to regulate it through the passing of laws, etc. I would agree with you in regards to your point that this is not about whether a person is pro or anti sex. To me its about common sense. And regardless of who or how its funded the underlying question remains the same and THAT IS THE ISSUE! Is it o.k. to have this type of material readily available to minors? I think “most” people would say of course not. Given that reasoning….what’s it doing there? And why should we as citizens have to try to explain that position to the owners of that business or our government? Isn’t it self-explanatory? Sex IS a complicated thing, isn’t it? If not, then why do so many adults struggle with it? Seems naive to me for people to think that by exposing minors to sexually related material at an early age that they are not in some way hurting, damaging or scarring them….for life. Christian or non-christian, believer or atheist, isn’t this a “no-brainer” ? Are people REALLY this retarded that they can’t understand it? Would you give your keys to your 5 year old without first giving them the benefit of instruction on how to drive your car? No? How is this any different? Introducing sexually related material to minors without the benefit of understanding and experience IS negligence. Something that in my opinion this company, SPENCERS, is guilty of.
Come on i mean everyone knows whats in spencers. its just a fun store to get novelty items. some of us cant go to adult stores to get poles or outfits. so spencers is a good alternative. in my opinion. if u dont like what they have to sell the it makes your life a lot easier. just DONT GO IN THE STORE. you dont like whats in it? avoid it. why try to take something away from younger people. would you guys rather them be in there looking through that stuff or out on the streets doing drugs and other bad shit.
Dianna-
I appreciate the post but perhaps you should read through some of the other posts before you post a response? Everyone is NOT aware of the type of content that Spencers carries. That’s the problem girl! And it’s location is ridiculous! You don’t have to go into the store to view the adult content that they knowingly place in full view of passerby’s. And if you are so naive or ignorant as to the valid concern over the content that young people view, do your self a favor, don’t ever pull that head of yours out of the sand……you may be shocked to learn that through sight and repetition people learn to do all kinds of things like….uh, read and write and drive and etc. etc. etc.
my husband worked for them 8 yrs. he was let go for things he didn’t do. no verbal and no prior write ups. why? the manager hates men. plain an simple. she has said it herself “i hate men’” . also to add to her comments “i don’t bother interviewing men because they wont’ pass the test”. all of her staff is female except one. he has been there before she came and is looking for a new job now,. tow others were fired or ran off. this company also put out hookahs for sale without a license. they waited to pull them until they were caught. also , there is a playground right outside the store my husband worked at. spencers floor plans put the offensive t-shirts right in front … right across from the playground. valentines day? all the sex content stuff is right in the front window. i can go on and on about how this company is twisted. but i will stop after one more story. this company doesn’t want you to prevent shoplifting , they want you to catch them. they award you with lightning bolts for each catch. what happened to prevention is the key?
Kristi-
Wow, I have no idea what their employment practices are. As far as how they conduct their business, ya I think its disgraceful. Truthfully, I don’t think they care. Its obvious in their marketing approach that they care little about the communities they are located in or the exposure young kids have to the content of their store. Local officials SHOULD be giving them the hammer every time they open up a new store!
IMO, it makes perfect sense that not everyone is aware of what exactly is sold at Spencer’s. That being said, it is not up to the community to censor what should or should not be sold to the public. It is a parents’ responsibility to monitor every bit of information their child gathers and let them know what is and is not acceptablt. In other words, if a parent sees a store that may or may not sell “questinable” materials, that parent should go in and see what said store is selling and then enforce to their own child whether or not they are permitted to go into it or not. It is no one’s responsibility but the parents’ to be aware of what media the child is seeing.
To Kristi -
If your husband did indeed work for Spencer’s, he would have been well aware of the “lightning line”, which can be used to alert LP of discriminatory practices. If he chose not to utilize this option and as a result was fired, it is his own fault for not making this known before the fact. A single instance of sexual discrimination, however, is not indicative of how the company as a whole is run. As far as apprehending shoplifters, prevention is key, but a part of this prevention is to reward employees who catch shoplifters and prosecuting to the fullest extent of the law for it so that word gets out that Spencer’s is not a place you can steal from lightly. They also did refrain from putting sexual objects on display of anyone walking by for this past Valentine’s Day. Out of curiosity, which Spencer’s did he work at that supposedly had an outward facing door that led to a playground?
As an employee of Spencer Gifts I am appalled by the “old school” attitude some of you have towards Spencer Gifts. When I was told about bible thumping morons like you I didnt believe it at first, however now after seeing it for myself I must add my sense into this matter. Spencer Gifts has gone through all of the legal crap that is necessary to sell adult items and would not be doing so if they had not. At the front entrance of each store is a parental advisory sign that clearly states that parents should either limit their childrens access to the store or forbid them from entering whatsoever. You people need to realize that sex is everywhere we look and wether you like it or not your child is going to see a human private area sometime before they are “ready”. What many of you need to realize is that just because Conservatives, Christians, and paranoid mothers try to influence their primitive ways on the rest of the world doesnt mean it is a legal issue. WAKE UP PEOPLE!!! SPENCER GIFTS IS HERE TO STAY AND IT SHOWS NO SIGNS OF DEATH IN THE NEAR FUTURE!
I work at Spencer Gifts in Alabama. I don’t know about other stores, but if we see an underage person in our “love” unit, we ask them to please move to the front of the store. If there is someone in the store who looks under the age of 16, we ask if they have their parents in the store with them and, if not, we ask them to leave the store. If you do not want your daughter or son in the store, ACCOMPANY THEM!! DUHH! How hard is that?? We try on our part as employees… how about being a decent parent??