I've discovered an alarming trend, there are more and more places now that won't let you in with a backpack. Since they're complete nazis about it, I think they deserve the appropriately chosen Backpack Nazi tag. If you walk into a store, there's a chance they have a security guard guarding the entrance (from god knows whom) who will insist on you leaving your backpack at the counter at the entrance of the store. And it's impossible to reason with them "look man, I have valuables in here that I won't trust just anyone to keep for me" "please leave your bag at the counter, sir". Nazis. So what do people do? They stuff their pockets with everything in the bag that they consider valuable, WHICH IS THE FUCKING REASON THEY NEED THE BAG IN THE FIRST PLACE, and then leave a sweater in the bag and go in the store. Then after you come out, it always takes a few minutes for them to find your bag, verify that it's yours and you can leave. So add 5-10 minutes for every store with a Backpack Nazi policy and it slows you down considerably.

Just a few days ago I was in a museum in Warsaw where I witnessed a 20 minute discussion a visitor had with the staff about taking his bag into the museum. He actually had tons of stuff in there that wouldn't fit in his pockets no matter what and the bag was a small backpack that couldn't possibly do any damage. Finally, the security guard went over to the gift shop, got a plastic bag for the guy to keep his stuff in, and the backpack of course had to stay in the coat room. Before you ask why a plastic bag is incomparably safer to carry and is worth a 20 minute discussion I'll go ahead and tell you that I don't know.

Isn't this an infringement on our civil rights or something? I know I barely walk into Backpack Nazi stores anymore, when they tell me to leave the bag I just walk out.