Attention Shoplifters

If you feel you have to stoop to shoplifting in a store that funnels donations to the Epilepsy Foundation, get a second job. SHAME on you. Especially if you have your two daughters with you, elementary and middle or high school age. Especially if you then leave the store with the 3 items you didn’t switch tags on and climb into a ginormous late model crew cab pickup truck. Your total purchases (before you switched tags) would have been less than $15. SHAME on you.

As you can guess, I went thrifting this weekend. I was in a local shop, Savers. Savers supports the Epilepsy Foundation. We do have Goodwill also, but I prefer Savers, since there is not a Salvation Army shop locally. They get most of my donations (it is a real kick to go in there and see something for sale that you donated and know that it is marked for more than you paid—so pay attention to labels, tags, and manufacturing details. I picked up my cute little aluminum stovetop coffee pot (when revealed at home, the kids broke into song “All I want is a proper cup of coffee, made in a proper copper coffee pot…” What can I say, I have weird children.) I also picked up two silver casserole holders. I am sure there is a better name for them, but they are used to hold glass casserole dishes to look pretty on the table. One is around 5”x 9” and other is larger with a lid. I think they’ll be lovely when polished. Need to go shopping at the recycle shed at the dump to get some silver polish. I know there was some there.

I was standing in line and the aforementioned shoplifter and her daughters were having their items scanned. Be aware that anything with an orange tag was 50% off. Her SIX ITEMS were all orange tagged by the time she went to pay.

Casher: Oops, this one is mislabeled, so I cannot sell it to you at this price. I have to ring it at the original price, and then deduct the 50%.
Thief: What?
Cashier: It was mislabeled. It happens sometimes. See, the tag shows that it should be miscellaneous, but it is women’s pants. Do you still want them?
Criminal: (mutters to her HS age daughter as cashier holds the pants up) No.
(My Spanish is very little and years ago, but the tone & words I caught sounded like she was fussing at her daughter)
Cashier: Okay. (scanner buzzes) Hmmm, we have another piece that is mistagged…this is supposed to be on a long sleeved ladies shirt. It will be like the other piece, the original price, then 50% off. (calls to manager) Shirley, what would the price on these be?
Shirley: $7.99 (so we’re talking $3.50 as they were going to give her the discount)
Cashier: Do you want them?
Crook: No (fusses at her daughter again)
In the meantime, the woman behind me in line and I are talking…I’d already told her that the pants she was getting would look really cute on her and her butt was not too big for them… Anyway, we decided that the robber wannabe had changed the labels, the manager overheard us and agreed)
Cashier: Okay, we have another mislabeled piece here. Same thing. Do you want it?
Swindler: (mutters) No.
Cashier: Okay, if you don’t want these pieces, I’ll hand them to Shirley so she can relabel them. Let’s finish here.
The following 3 items actually had the stickers ON the object so they couldn’t be changed. Although when the cashier said the item and price, I spoke up and told her no, that was a short sleeved shirt. (So I get snotty at times)
The Cheat and her children took the bag and left, getting into the vehicle that was roughly $35K a couple of years ago, 4 WD…appeared to be loaded. In talked with the manager, turns out she had been eying the woman and her daughter due to their behavior already. The cashier handled the situation professionally and beautifully. We complimented her AND let her manager know what a great job she did.

A lesson or two here. First, if you are going to change the labels ‘cause you are too cheap to pay the prices in the thrift store, make sure that you change like labelsf or like , i.e., pants label for another pants label. And don’t buy just a few items and change the labels on half of it. It looks SUSPICIOUS. We all know that things can accidentally get mislabeled, but when you bring up six items and three are mislabeled, that’s just stupid and obvious. Second, don’t bring your underage children along. When you are arrested, CPS takes your kids to foster care for the night, then there is a whole ordeal there. That younger daughter didn’t deserve that, although it would have served the teen right. Third, don’t rip off a thrift store that counts on retail sales for support of a charity. The people receiving help from the charity depend on it. Your thieving, selfish, self-centered ways mean that they might not be able to help as many people. And you’d better pray you never need their help, as you might be the one they can’t afford to help.

Your mama should have raised you better, and you should be raising your kids better.