You have got to be kidding me!!

[goldtopper]

Pursue legal action? Are you kidding? She and her husband, whether truthfully forgot to pay or not, are not the victims here, Safeway is.
If a child is present when a crime is committed, child welfare is always involved as a safety measure to place the child.
The article was written from a complete victim mentality.
Bet they won't do that agin.

 

[Capvin]

So much for letting the punishment fit the crime...........as for lawsuits you are right, there will not be any because Safeway has already indicated that they will settle the matter privately with the people.

 

[KristyHall]

while the store may over reacted, the woman did steal, accidently or not. She ate food before she paid for it which is just wrong and rude, IMO.

And how do we know it was an accident. I have seen people do stuff like that then claim they just forgot to pay for the food they munched on throughout the store. A grocery store is not a buffet.

Also if a child is present when a crime by the guardian is committed, it is pretty common to remove the child. The child was not gone that long. It is not like the child was removed for a year.


I think the woman got off lucky and should be more embarrassed that she was eating food before she paid for it through out a store. This also includes picking grapes, and munching on "small things" without paying for them or before they pay for them. It's still stealing.

 

[turney31]

Quote:
It was a mistake. They probably didn't mean to shoplift.

Not only that, they offered to pay for them immediately.
If they had done it on purpose I'd think they would've denied eating the sandwiches.

I'd probably sue as well.

I would venture to say that most if not all people caught shoplifting say I FORGOT! I'LL PAY FOR IT!

 

[ChicksterJo]

What gets me is that she was eating the sandwich before she paid for it and that the punishment doesn't fit the crime...I guess some people do eat food before they pay for it at the supermarket but I've never done it. Both parties were in the wrong in my opinion.

 

[serendipity22]

I have been pregnant with a kid in a store. Forgetfulness, dizziness... Yeah, that sounds right. Eaten something to feel better. Yup, I've done that too. Forgotten to pay for something after forking over cash to pay for other items? Yup, done that one too. I'm lucky I don't have a record, I guess...

I don't think this couple did it intentionally. I don't think they paid $50 for groceries just to steal $5 in a sandwich. Were they wrong? Yes. Should it have been handled differently? Yes. Will this couple ever do this again? No.

Will this store lose business because of this? Yes.

 

[ChickenAlgebra]

I've been known when either very pregnant or with a very hungry child and I HAD to shop then or not at all to get a pre-packaged item (NOT grapes or something by weight) and munch on it in the store. If it keeps me from getting sick physically or a child having a total 100% meltdown, I'm all for it.

HOWEVER, I also pick up said item, take it to the front, check out with it THEN eat while shopping. I keep the receipt on me and when we check out in the end, I show them the wrappers and the receipt for proof that I've already paid, and I'm perfectly willing to pay again if that's what the store wants. I take that $3 as the fee for the convience of being able to eat while shopping.

Now, having done that several times over the last 18 years, I will say showing them the exact wrappers and the receipt, no store has ever had a problem with me doing that. Because I'm honest and upfront about purchasing the items at the start.

I guess it never crossed my mind to eat an item before paying for it.

 

[JulieNKC]

Quote:
x2

 

[bobcatridge]

Good grief! Have you had kids, gone shopping at a store, been exhausted, the kids are fussing (you can't leave them at home - there is no one to leave them with), paid for the items, and in the process of loading purchased items into the car you notice that your toddler or young child had grabbed an item and you didn't realize and thus hadn't paid for it? None of us are perfect and we all make mistakes, but the consequences should fit what was done. What happened to this couple did not fit the occurrence.

 

[ChickenAlgebra]

Quote:
Sure. I marched the toddler back into the store and made them pay for it and apologize to the cashier and manager for stealing an item.

I then make them earn the money by doing various chores at home.

I do this to them at 2-3, they are required to admit doing the theft at the store and pay for a $1 candy bar, then work to earn the dollar, they aren't tempted to steal again later on or so I've found so far.

I'll take being a strict and mean parent, it means my (admittedly whiny at times, curses of teenagers) well mannered children can function in polite society.