Do you get cell phone service in stores?

[beaucoup]

Or do they block them somehow?

My old phone never had service in our 2 grocery stores, Walmart or Home Depot, and now my iPhone also doesn't. Yet I do have service right outside the store. I don't know about other stores since I don't really go too many places.

Come to think of it, I don't really notice too many people on their phones in the stores.

I was looking forward to using the new barcode scanner app for price checking, but I can see that ain't gonna be happening.

 

[Dax]

Both DH and I are unable to use our phones in Publix...and I also have issues in Walmart.

 

[ready123go]

Both DH & I have had problems, especially in larger stores (i.e Meijer, Costco, Sam's Club, Home Depot) towards the back of the building. The further back, the worse the reception.
The front of the stores are never too bad.

 

[jen0610]

It's hit or miss in a lot of stores for us.

And I am of the mindset, while I am in Wal-Mart, if I need to verify weither we need something or not, I had better be able to do it while I am standing front of that item. If I have to move to find cell reception, I don't pick that item up at Walmart. If when I get home, I find out I did need it, I go to the mom and pop store close by our house and pick it up if they carry it. If not, I'll get it the next time. Blocking my ability to call home, just made you lose a sale.

Have been know to walk out of a store several times, minus a few items I would have gotten, had I been able to make a call in that store.

 

[SydSim]

Service for my Verizon phone can be sketchy towards the back of some stores like Sams, but I was the only one of my group to be able to get service on my cruise ship to the Bahamas This was quite a few years back. I'm sure that the newer phones can all do that now

 

[beaucoup]

It's hit or miss in a lot of stores for us.

And I am of the mindset, while I am in Wal-Mart, if I need to verify weither we need something or not, I had better be able to do it while I am standing front of that item. If I have to move to find cell reception, I don't pick that item up at Walmart. If when I get home, I find out I did need it, I go to the mom and pop store close by our house and pick it up if they carry it. If not, I'll get it the next time. Blocking my ability to call home, just made you lose a sale.

Have been know to walk out of a store several times, minus a few items I would have gotten, had I been able to make a call in that store.

I agree. Not being able to call home from within Home Depot is really frustrating when DH sends me to get something and I have questions once at the store.

 

[tlbwriter]

I can't imagine why a store would block reception - it makes no business sense. How is my husband going to text "buy me some Oreos" if I don't have reception?

Anyway, I have an iPhone and AT&T and I can't think of any stores where I don't have reception. Many years ago I couldn't get a signal in the center of the mall, but that's not an issue any more.

The football stadium, on the other hand...

 

[golfgal]

It is the construction of the building that is causing the issues. With my Droid I haven't noticed any issues with reception in any stores but with my Blackberry, Palm and my previous dumbphones I had issues in many stores, especially in the back of stores like others have said-where you are more surrounded by the block walls, etc.

 

[Rora]

Odd.

I get service pretty much everywhere with my iPhone 3G.

 

[momof1princess]

my phone doesn't usually work in wal-mart. example: saturday, DH dropped DD and i off at wal-mart, then went on to the bank. he called me about 5 minutes after dropping us off, because he'd forgotten to get a check from me that needed depositing, and the call went through. when he got back from the bank and tried to call me to find out where we were in the store, he called twice, and i didn't get either call.

 

[kafitty]

big concrete & steel buildings = trouble for wireless signals.

 

[tvguy]

I can't imagine why a store would block reception - it makes no business sense.:

Some movie theaters do block cell signals, but I have never had a problem with my 4 year old dumb phone in a store with Verizon.

big concrete & steel buildings = trouble for wireless signals.

This is why I am amazed at how many of my co-workers don't have a hard wired phone at home. They live in a steel and concrete apartment building, and there are like 2 places in their apartment that they can get cell service.

 

[NotUrsula]

Google "Faraday cage" for your answer.

 

[beaucoup]

Google "Faraday cage" for your answer.

Dad, is that you?
That's the type of answer my Dad would give.

 

[NotUrsula]

Not unless your Dad is a forty-something female

It's just a bit complicated to explain in a post here, and I'm not an engineer in any case. I prefer to leave this explanation to experts: http://www.physicstogo.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=9235

I work in a building that is essentially an accidental Faraday cage. It's a huge place, but we have very little wireless reception from the outside because of the metal reinforcement in all of the exterior walls.

PS: The use of electronic jamming equipment by private parties violates Federal law in the US; that power is reserved for the Federal Government only. The laws that apply are the Communications Act of 1934 and the Telecommunications Act of 1996. It's a big deal because a lot of local and state governments want to use jamming technology to stop cell phone use in prisons. If you know of any theatres that are doing it you are looking at companies that are breaking federal law.

 

[RitaZ.]

Odd.

I get service pretty much everywhere with my iPhone 3G.

Same here, but with our Blackberries.

We usually check Amazon's prices before we make a buying decision. We were at Walmart a couple of weeks ago looking at a video game. I told DH to check Amazon's price. Sure enough, it was cheaper from Amazon. He ordered the game from his Blackberry inside Walmart.

 

[pixiewings71]

I have an EnV3 and don't usually have problems with cell service.

 

[descovy]

People complain to me at the checkout at Target, that their call is dropped.

Works for me, because I find it rather rude to talk on the phone while you should be interracting with the human cashier in front of you.