Walmart levies lifetime ban against gay couple

Walmart (WMT) may position itself as the store for the common man, but sometimes it can act downright elitist. In fact, it even goes so far as to issue lifetime bans on certain customers. The most famous recipient of the ultimate shunning is actress Megan Fox, who, according to some sources, was permanently banished from Wally World because of a shoplifting incident when she was a teenager. Now, thanks to a pack of lighters, two upset children and a ham-handed response from the store's employees, a Chicago-area gay couple, Joe Paolucci and Thomas Hitchcock, have also been blacklisted.

According to a report in the South Bend Tribune,the couple, both of whom are attorneys, were shopping at a Niles, Ill Mi. Walmart with their two adopted sons. Hitchcock shepherded the boys through a checkout line while Paolucci picked up a few last-minute items at a self-service register. Store video surveillance shows that Paolucci scanned all the items in his possession, put them in a grocery bag, paid and left. However, as he met up with Hitchcock and the boys on the way out of the store, the group was stopped by security. The in-store guards asked Paolucci if he had purchased a pack of lighters. Paolucci said yes, handed over the bag, and showed his receipt, the newspaper reported. Unfortunately, things didn't end there.