I'm in the process of buying a new digital camera at the moment. I looked online, but model numbers and prices don't stick in my head unless I can actually see the unit firsthand. I wanted to get an idea on how much things cost, what feature sets I could expect at what range, and what model numbers were easy to find. I went to the local Carrefour chain, paper and pencil in hand to write down a few things and to do some comparative shopping.

I didn't intend to buy anything considering the store was non-negotiable, the prices are inflated, and I had no money on me at the time. However, I wanted to check there under the rationale that I could, "Do no worse". Any significant money saved when I visited electronic markets could be could be compared to the highest priced competition so I could know how well I had done. Plus, I could see the cameras or accessories, and write down my impressions of the size or key features easily.

I wrote down basically all the information I could have wanted for about ten minutes. All the time I was writing things down the people behind the counter didn't say anything to me. I just went around the display case writing down things and noting prices.

I had moved on to memory cards when two people finally approached me. One man, in perfect English asked me what I was doing. I told him that I was writing down prices because I wanted to research things more before I bought something. He said I couldn't write down things such as that in the store. I told him that if he expected me to shop in the store that was what I was going to do, because I wasn't going to buy anything without looking into the prices. He told me to stop, at which point I left.

There would be cause for concern if I was working for another mega-store, taking prices to use as a way to hurt their store in some way. He didn't ask why I needed the prices. It's within their rights to deny me service for whatever reason as well, I suppose. But it's not a wise way to treat someone that dumps a lot of money into a store, especially one considering an expensive digital camera purchase.

I wasn't going to pass on any information to anyone else. This was my own personal reconnaissance mission, and I wasn't going to be hassled by people like this.
This is beyond what I am willing to tolerate while shopping, as my right to be an informed consumer is something I value highly. I'm going to boycott the store on principle, and also try to pick up things in smaller, independent stores, or online if possible from now on.

Asking someone to shop in ignorance of the best deals is simply the "old way" to do things in my opinion. Too much information is available to those willing to seek it, and trying to hide behind rules to deter competition isn't going to succeed in the long run.