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Macy’s and Barneys Among Stores to Post Shoppers’ ‘Bill of Rights’

Shoppers will find an unusual addition to the traditional decorations at Macy’s, Barneys New York and other major stores this holiday season: a “Customers’ Bill of Rights” that addresses racial profiling.

The one-page document, released on Monday by retailers after meetings with the Rev. Al Sharpton and other civil rights advocates, is the latest and most public effort by stores in New York City to respond to accusations of profiling of black shoppers. Three customers have sued in recent months, and many others have informally shared their tales of unpleasant encounters while shopping in the city.

“Profiling is an unacceptable practice and will not be tolerated,” reads the document, to be posted in coming days in stores like Bloomingdale’s, Lord & Taylor and Saks Fifth Avenue. “Employees who violate the company’s prohibition on profiling will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.”

The document, which draws from existing store policies prohibiting racial profiling, amounts to a promise from retailers to abide by those strictures and a recognition of the deep resonance that reports of profiling have had with a large number of minority shoppers.

“If there was not a problem, there would be no reason to post it,” Mr. Sharpton said in a telephone interview. “The added pressure is that they’ve acknowledged specific rights.”

Among those rights outlined in the document is a requirement for store security personnel — some of whom roam the aisles in plainclothes — to identify themselves when interacting with customers. Prohibited is “the use of excessive force” or “threatening, vulgar language” when detaining people suspected of theft. People suspected of engaging in a crime can be detained “only in a reasonable manner and not for more than a reasonable time.”

It also defines profiling broadly to include not only race, religion and sexual orientation, but also “appearance or any personal or physical characteristics.”

“I think it’s a marketing ploy,” said John Elefterakis, a lawyer for Robert Brown, an actor in the HBO television series “Treme,” who is suing Macy’s over a stop this year. “We don’t believe that this is a solution. We’re moving forward with our lawsuit.”

The suits, against the stores and the New York Police Department, were filed after episodes this year at Macy’s and Barneys in which black shoppers were stopped by officers after making purchases with their credit or debit cards. None were charged with a crime. The stores have denied any involvement on the part of their employees, blaming the police. The Police Department has said its officers acted on information provided by the stores.

The state attorney general’s office and the city’s Human Rights Commission are conducting parallel investigations into the episodes and into store security practices more broadly.

“The policies in place are not adequate,” said Scott M. Stringer, the Manhattan borough president and comptroller-elect who took part in the meetings with store officials. “We have a lot more work to do.”

Mr. Stringer and Mr. Sharpton said they had requested a meeting with the incoming police commissioner, William J. Bratton, to discuss how officers collaborate with security personnel inside stores.

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section A, Page 24 of the New York edition with the headline: Some Stores to Post Shoppers’ ‘Bill of Rights,’ Addressing Racial Profiling. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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