Highly Classified Trade Secrets

I don't know if I've ever told you guys some of the burlesque (trying someting new: not sure if that's the correct use of the term or not) that goes on in Egypt. Like the time we were at the Suez Canal, and armed military guards forbade us to take pictures of it due to national security. As such, I proceeded to take pictures of it, just because I could. No, it wasn't difficult "outsmarting" the egyptian soldiers. As if American spy satellites or stealth aircraft couldn't do the same (with better results).

So fast forward to modern day, when Courtney, Ella and I were at the Wild Oats. This place is pretty cute, because they have a customer in training program--which Ella loves. Give her an opportunity to push something, she'll jump at it. And if that something is important, even better. She'll even push other people's carts around if left unattended...

So she's pushing around her customer in training cart, and I'm taking pics and video of it. Cute is an understatement. Right up until the manager of the Wild Oats informs me that I can't take pictures. At first, I ignore him, because it doesn't even register that he's talking to me. Then it registers--but it registers as a joke. Ha Ha, I can't take pictures of my daughter--very funny. Then it registers that he's being serious; he honestly doesn't want me to take pictures of his store. So I look at him with a wtf face, and point to my darling little customer in training be-bopping around his store. He then acquiesced, and asked that I minimize the backdrop. Ok--fine. [And for the record, I honestly got the feeling that he felt like a butt trying to enforce said rule; and was just doing so to follow 'regulations'.]

So what's the deal? Is the organic supermarket industry that cut-throat where secret shoppers will collect data in which to undermine the competition? I just never would have expected that Egyptian security policy would mirror that of Wild Oats.