My favorite part of my local K-Mart's electronics section has ALWAYS been how they barricade it after 10 or 11. Don't remember if they're all laid out like this, but mine is square, with three full walls and a fourth wall that's about 3' high, with an opening and counter at one end. After 10 or 11 they move a couple of carts full of stuff, and block up the entrance. It always makes me want to vault the short wall whether I want to get in there or not.
Anyway, same deal at mine, they had to scan it. Sounds like your place could be to your advantage, though - since you're in the know, you can have them scan, without them tagging anything with sale prices to alert passers-by. The person who has the nerve to ask for stuff often gets lucky in these situations. And as long as you ask nicely, you don't usually get too much crap. Please and thank you go a long way.
Note - this is general advice, not directed at the last poster. And I know it sounds obvious and condescending, but I'm not surprised any more when I see customers being jerks to retail types when it isn't any harder to be polite.
