[net.legal] bell-ringing in malls .. an unusual phenomenon in Hoosier-land...

mlf@teddy.UUCP (Matt L. Fichtenbaum) (12/12/84)

In article <690@pucc-k> ag5@pucc-k (Henry C. Mensch) writes:
><<>>
>
>	A few days ago I was shopping at a local mall (Tippecanoe Mall,
>right across from Tyler Too Plaza <if you can believe that>) and noticed
>that the Salvation Army volunteer was shaking two sticks with paper
>bells on the end of each stick.
>
>	As it turns out, it's supposedly illegal for these volunteers to 
>ring bells in malls...  Is this true, and has it happened in other places?
>
>	And, *why* would this be illegal?

   The legal precedent goes back to medieval England, when ringing a bell
was the symbol of victory, e.g., the conquering leader would ring a bell
in front of the vanquished leader.

   But why prohibit ringing bells in shopping centers?  Well, everyone knows..

	YOU CAN'T WIN A MALL!			:-)

Cheers!

dwl10@amdahl.UUCP (Dave Lowrey) (12/12/84)

> 	A few days ago I was shopping at a local mall (Tippecanoe Mall,
> right across from Tyler Too Plaza <if you can believe that>) and noticed
> that the Salvation Army volunteer was shaking two sticks with paper
> bells on the end of each stick.
> 
> 	As it turns out, it's supposedly illegal for these volunteers to 
> ring bells in malls...  Is this true, and has it happened in other places?
> 
> 	And, *why* would this be illegal?
> -- 

We have that in our mall in Columbia, MD. The Salvation Army
person has two wooden cutouts that look like bells. On one
side it says "DING" and on the other it says "DONG". The person
stands there and raises each one up and down as if "ringing"
them.

I suspect that it isn't "illegal" to ring bells in malls. I think
that the mall owners don't want to bother the shoppers and the
shop owners with all of that ringing. So the Salvation Army
(or whoever) uses the fake bells. After all, there are a heck of
alot of people that shop there, so not being able to ring their
bells is a small sacrafice for all of the potential "donations"
that are there!
-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                               Dave Lowrey

"GORT...Klatu borada niktow"

                               ...{amd,hplabs,ihnp4,nsc}!amdahl!dwl10

[ The opinions expressed <may> be those of the author and not necessarily
  those of his most eminent employer. ]

faigin@ucla-cs.UUCP (12/14/84)

In article <690@pucc-k> ag5@pucc-k (Henry C. Mensch) writes:
>
>	A few days ago I was shopping at a local mall (Tippecanoe Mall,
>right across from Tyler Too Plaza <if you can believe that>) and noticed
>that the Salvation Army volunteer was shaking two sticks with paper
>bells on the end of each stick.
>
>	As it turns out, it's supposedly illegal for these volunteers to 
>ring bells in malls...  Is this true, and has it happened in other places?
>
>	And, *why* would this be illegal?

There was an article in today's (12/14/84)  Los Angeles Herald Examiner 
on that very subject (unfortunately, I didn't buy the paper). It pointed
out that many mall shop owners said that the bells interfered with their
business, and so they got the mall associations to kick the volunteers out.
They also pointed out that one enterprising group of volunteers took to
ringing wooden bells with "ding" painted on one side and "dong" on the 
other.

-- 

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dwl@hou4b.UUCP (D Levenson) (12/15/84)

Perhaps they should only be permitted to ring bells in malls during
daylight hours.  That way, they cannot disturb a mall and the night
visitors!

ron@brl-tgr.ARPA (Ron Natalie <ron>) (12/17/84)

> 
> 	A few days ago I was shopping at a local mall (Tippecanoe Mall,
> right across from Tyler Too Plaza <if you can believe that>) and noticed
> that the Salvation Army volunteer was shaking two sticks with paper
> bells on the end of each stick.
> 
> 	As it turns out, it's supposedly illegal for these volunteers to 
> ring bells in malls...  Is this true, and has it happened in other places?
> 
> 	And, *why* would this be illegal?
> -- 
They have been using the paper bells here for a few years.  I don't
think it's illegal to ring bells but maybe they decided that they
got more contributions by not getting on peoples nerves.  If someone
was ringing an obnoxious little bell, I'd walk on the other side of
the hall.

-Ron