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Teen shoppers allowed in Jackson grocery store again

JACKSON (WNE) — After a brief stint of barring teens from entering without a parent, Smith’s has returned to normal operations.

Tina Murray, corporate affairs manager for Kroger, the parent company of Smith’s Food and Drug, said the Jackson store leaders’ actions that day were temporary.

“During after-school hours between May 22-26, store leaders temporarily asked kids to not enter the store without the accompaniment of an adult,” Murray wrote in an email. “This one-time decision was to quickly address elevated destructive and disrespectful behavior by some kids that resulted in damage to store property and customer vehicles, and derogatory comments being said to store associates.”

Since the “isolated incidences”(sic) in May, which Murray previously described as “damage to store property, customers’ vehicles, and, unfortunately, injury to a person,” the store hasn’t experienced the same level of disruptive behavior, Murray wrote.

Retired accountant Patti Roser, 66, said she witnessed poor behavior on behalf of 13- to 15-year-old kids around 3 p.m. the day the store started turning them away, May 22.

“They’ve got those fancy electric bikes that have throttles. … And they were playing around in front of the store in that open space between the door and liquor store,” Roser said. “I nearly got smashed by these kids playing around on their bikes and scooters.”

Roser said the kids made her and other shoppers uncomfortable.

Going forward, Murray said if disruptive behavior by minors occurs, “the store would follow normal processes to identify those that are involved, to notify their parent or guardian, and to involve police when necessary,” she said.

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