Scrolling Saturday, Edition 2

Originally posted on my other blog on December 19, 2007

Nothing says "Welcome to Virginia Beach" like...

....like having my XM radio stolen out of my van, along with my cell phone charger, and a container of CDs....which my son found in the bushes, minus *1* CD....the one positive in the whole thing...they must not like my taste in music!!!

So, I just spent a ton of time on the phone with XM, cancelling service to that radio, and reporting it stolen, and with the police, filing a report. What a pain in the rear!!!

Nothing makes me more mad (madder?) than dealing with people who steal. While working at Walmart, it was THE ONE THING that really made me mad. Grumpy people, tired people, fussy kids...none of that is too bad. People stealing...now THAT really works me up. I will never understand people who think it's okay to steal from a big company, because "they'll never miss it anyway," or because it gives them some kind of adrenaline high, or something. To me, it is just WRONG. Wrong to think that way about someone else's possessions. Wrong to justify it that way. Wrong to teach your children that it's okay to steal from ANYONE.

I MUST tell this story. While I was working at Walmart, a kid (12-14 years old) was caught leaving the store with 2 bottles of $50+ weight-loss medicine. Never mind that he had no need of this....he was stealing it. He was caught. His mother was called. She came, and was overheard severely castigating her son...."I told you never to steal anything worth more than $10.00!" WHAT?!?!?!?? This mother was basically telling her son that it was okay to steal, as long as it wasn't too expensive, and/or he didn't get caught. That is one parent you really want to slap...and then throw in jail, herself.

People that stole from us at Walmart must have really thought we were stupid, or something. They think we don't notice that they're not buying anything? That they just spent an hour in electronics, for the 5th time tonight, and for the 5th time, are walking out after purchasing nothing?!? Or that we don't know where they stash all the packaging that they ditched in the bathrooms, on the rug aisle, in produce, in dairy, in the seasonal stuff....we know. We REALLY DO know.

Oh, and don't think that this stealing doesn't affect you because it's not you doing it. If you're not stealing from the stores you shop with, I applaud you. Thank you. But realize that those people that ARE stealing ARE affecting you. THEY cause prices to be raised, to compensate for the losses that the store is suffering. Oh, and those grumpy cashiers....they just had a really bad day, because of that kid stealing from the store. He just cut their bonuses in half. Give them a break!


Go see more Scrolling Saturday here.