You have got to be kidding me!!

[greeneggsandham]

Quote:
This couple has only lived in Honolulu for two weeks and moved there from CA. I highly doubt they have been "stealing" things from this store especially since the article also stated that they had gotten lost and ended up at the Safeway. Seemed like it wasn't the normal grocery store that they go to.

 

[Beekissed]

They obviously knew she had eaten the sandwiches in the store or they wouldn't have stopped her and arrested her AFTER she left the store. The proper thing to have done was, during her checkout, ask her if she would like to pay for the sandwiches she had eaten during her shopping....thus giving her the opportunity to remember to pay for them.

If she was intentionally stealing, she would have answered, "What sandwiches?" and refused to pay, at which time they could have arrested her when she left the store and reviewed the tapes that showed her eating the sandwiches. Either way they get their money or their thief. Stupid store managers.

All it took was one little question to ascertain if this person was sincere or was stealing. One question to avoid the whole ugly mess. Technically, it was stealing if she consumed the food and left the store without paying for it, yes. But if she had consumed the food and then remembered to pay for it, would it still be considered stealing? No. The difference? Geography. One step inside the door, one step out.

 

[greeneggsandham]

Quote:
I will definately agree with that.

 

[mom'sfolly]

I think there was a huge overreaction on the part of the police, but not neccesarily the store. Having the police handcuff and take you away shoplifting $5 worth of stuff seems like overkill, and why take both parents. My guess is that there is something else not being mentioned here. If they had only charged one parent and left the kid with the other everything would have been fine.

Personally, I hate to see people eating in the grocery store; especially parents giving their kids food in the stores. Like I really want drooly little kids dropping crumbs through the store, getting their sticky little hands all over the cart, and the parents teaching the kids that it is okay to munch your way through a grocery store. IMHO this is rude! Rude to the other customers, rude to those who work in the store and rude to anyone who comes in after you. And yes, I have shopped while pregnant with a whiny two-year-old.

The other thing I hate to see is people shopping with toddlers who are clearly exhausted, and are at the end of their ropes. Way to set your kid up for a major meltdown in a public place. Yes lives are busy, but pay some attention to the needs of your child.

Stepping down from my soap box.

 

[KristyHall]

mom'sfolly :

I think there was a huge overreaction on the part of the police, but not neccesarily the store. Having the police handcuff and take you away shoplifting $5 worth of stuff seems like overkill, and why take both parents. My guess is that there is something else not being mentioned here. If they had only charged one parent and left the kid with the other everything would have been fine.

Personally, I hate to see people eating in the grocery store; especially parents giving their kids food in the stores. Like I really want drooly little kids dropping crumbs through the store, getting their sticky little hands all over the cart, and the parents teaching the kids that it is okay to munch your way through a grocery store. IMHO this is rude! Rude to the other customers, rude to those who work in the store and rude to anyone who comes in after you. And yes, I have shopped while pregnant with a whiny two-year-old.

The other thing I hate to see is people shopping with toddlers who a clearly exhausted, and are at the end of their ropes. Way to set you kid up for a major meltdown in a public place. Yes lives are busy, but pay some attention to the needs of your child.

Stepping down from my soap box.

 

[SourRoses]

I drink unpaid items in the store all the time. I used to go up front to pay for it.. then on several occasions the busy checkout clerks would tell me "Oh don't worry, just bring the bottle for scanning when you check out and I'll throw it in the trash here for you too" "No point in waiting in this line just for a bottle of soda" ect... to that effect. I've been drinking stuff in the store, usually every time I shop (thirsty!) for years... no ones ever had a problem with it! Maybe the rare weird look by some customer that obviously doesen't remember their shopping list... but the checkout clerks always give me a smile when I hand the bottle over.


And this couple? They were in a new city... took the bus (with a 3 year old!) got lost... got out at the safeway.. and decided to do some shopping. They obviously had reason to be quite frazzled... doesen't sound like their day was going well, and doing it all with a young child and pregnat emotions and bodily effects.... If the pregnat mother had fainted in the store I bet most everyone would be wondering why she hadn't eaten sooner!

What happened to them is ludicrous. I would be suing. What if the mother had a miscarriage from the stress? And no... LOL.. I don't feel sorry for a big corporation almost loosing out on $5 when they'd just gotten $50. It doesen't effect real people... just some number on some board someone thinks would look nice being a different number. They could have had that $5... now I bet that store location in particular will be loosing out on alot more than that in buisness.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

WOAH. WHOA.

Hold the phone.

Doesn't effect real people?! Who do you think lose their bonuses because of stolen merchandise? The employees. People don't steal from the store, they steal from the people who work for the store.

Stores keep in contact with each other. If something was stolen from another store, they will contact other stores within the area to notify them. Also, asking the customer if they would like to pay for the merchandise that was eaten will only serve to get the associate/cashier/manager into hot water because they were "insinuating" that the customers were not going to pay for their items, i.e. accuse them of stealing.

This way, they were proven to have been shoplifting. Nothing "assumed" here.

 

[mom'sfolly]

I really hate the attitude of "I don't feel sorry for that big corporation who got ripped off". One person per day per location really adds up. This shoplifting is factored into the prices of everything we buy. As far as I'm concerned, stealing is stealing. It doesn't matter who you are stealing from and if they can stand to loose it. Their status doesn't matter, the thief's action does. Robin Hood was wrong, cheating on your income taxes is wrong and Wall Street taking bailout money was wrong...it is all stealing.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:

Well stated.

 

[SourRoses]

Buisnesses who make their money off of customers have to remember something very important... Customer service.

I've worked in the food industry and other customer service industries... and theres something to always keep in mind... Customer service is what brings the customers back.

I would happily take a little inconvenience to do a good job at the jobs I did.

It would not have been so hard for them to ask if she wanted to pay for the items, now an easy for the customer to miss wrapper.. at the checkout. They didn't, because all the employees were so busy covering their own selves they forgot that without customers, they don't have a store. Whatever happened to reminding someone just to be kind?

Corporations are obviously still there... thriving... when all the little guys and family ops have been run out. I don't see the hurt in that big Walmart logos eye, cause it doesen't have one.