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The Shoplifter

Zeostar

Zeostar

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    I was listening to the radio this morning, and there was a notice about a high rate of shoplifting occurring in our area. There was some talk about being a good samaritan.

    If you were a customer in a store and noticed somebody blatantly shoplifting, would you take action?

    Honestly, I probably wouldn't. You never truly know how somebody may react, and I wouldn't want to risk my life. Generally when I go into a store, I'm trying to get what I need, in and out as fast as possible, and get distracted as little as possible. Chances of me noticing this kind of thing are slim too.
    ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    Somewhat unrelated, but my mother was ordering chinese takeout food, and an older "gentleman" was encouraging her to sneak money from the tip jar. I forgot her full response, but she proceeded to tell him how wrong it was.
     
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    I honestly don't think I'd do anything, just pretend that I didn't notice. Not out of fear for my life, I don't really care if they shank me, but it's like....I really can't feel sorry for Walmart or some other big company losing a couple dozen dollars here and there given the state of the world.

    It'd be different if someone directly approached me in the store and was like "hey wanna help me steal shit?". Then I'm reporting you to store employees, because if I don't, I'm now an accomplice to your (attempted) crime and I'm going to prison along with you, and I'm not interested in going to prison.
     
    Small business? Yes.
    Big box store? No.

    Especially if it's food, I'd even help them. People need to eat.
     
    Yeah I'd be more likely to pay for someone who is shoplifting food than snitch on them.
     
    Would probably stare at them silently. May tell a store employee after that. Depends whether the shoplifter noticed or cared.

    Ignores it completely in the case of something necessary like food.

    Adds another variable: age. Stands a decent chance of confronting a young, unaccompanied child. Probably says something along the lines of it not being a good thing to do. Mentions possible hidden security cameras too. Ought to suffice.
     
    It's conflicting to me paying for a shoplifter, considering the popularity in stealing for thrill.

    I guess you could always try and gauge this by appearance.
     
    I'd probably tell a store clerk if I truly saw something for sure yeah. Wouldn't directly confront.

    I don't think stealing in that blatant way is okay in a civilized world.
     
    Her said:
    So many narcs in here lol

    Couldn't convince me to care about shoplifting like that at all, a drop in the bucket compared to the wage theft done even by the little Ma and Pa stores
    Not in my interest to fuck up someone's life like that
    Click to expand...

    I feel so much better knowing I'm not the only one who wouldn't do anything, regardless of circumstances, lmao

    But yeah, I'm not going to personally stop a shoplifter. People be crazy as hell, and I'm not gonna be the one to poke the bear when I have my own life to think about. Far be it from me to be the one to get shot. Then again, could be the environment in which I was raised (shitty inner-city gang, sound off!).
     
    CiCi said:
    I feel so much better knowing I'm not the only one who wouldn't do anything, regardless of circumstances, lmao

    But yeah, I'm not going to personally stop a shoplifter. People be crazy as hell, and I'm not gonna be the one to poke the bear when I have my own life to think about. Far be it from me to be the one to get shot. Then again, could be the environment in which I was raised (shitty inner-city gang, sound off!).
    Click to expand...

    Yeah like that's the thing
    Who actually really cares about shoplifting lol! I'd wager that if push came to shove, most people moralising would just stare and walk away, it's not an actual concern for most people beyond what they can say to others later on
     
    Shoplifing would probably pass over my head without me even noticing. When I am shopping, and I usually don't look that closely at what other people are doing, like Zeostar mentioned, I'm just trying to get the things I came for, and go. Say I did see something though for the sake of the question, I can't think of a situation where I would honestly try to apprehend anyone in the act of shoplifting.

    If someone was holding me up personally up at gunpoint I think it would give the thief my wallet, and hope they take it and run, rather than try to fight a stranger for the 60 dollars in my bag. Money is just not something worth getting beat up or maybe killed over, including my own money, so I definitely wouldn't die on the hill for a corporation's merchandise. If I clearly see it, then they probably will spot it too, and they are in a better position to protect their goods with security guards, metal detectors and cameras than I am to defend it, and even if it gets by them, they can still afford to lose far more than I would, without even feeling the loss, especially considering the relatively small amounts that a person shoplifting would be able to plausibly take undeteted.

    Now if this was a small mom and pop shop that's working hard and looks like they are barely getting by, then I would feel bad for them. The person stealing though might also have my pity, if they look desperate, and are stealing something like food, diapers for their baby, some medicine, a can of dog food. I think I would honestly not try to judge anyone in this situation, and stay out of it.

    The situation of stealing the tip from a food worker who is getting paid literally less than minimum wage would be the scenario where I think I would feel the greatest worry for the people being stolen from. I wouldn't approach that person on my own, but if for some reason somebody turned around and actually said to me, "let's take the tip the waitress earned," then I would shake my head, and ask them not to take it, that person needs the tips they're trying to save up. If they took it anyway I would respond instead to this situation by adding a big tip of my own to the jar to help the cooks, instead of calling the police and seeing someone go to jail over a few dollars, or shot by the cops.
     
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    Unless it's some tiny family-run store ran by a sweet elderly person or the like, I probably wouldn't care much either. Corporations are not your friends and there is a lot they do wrong to people and the environment. That and I absolutely do not feel safe confronting anyone since I'm hardly able to defend myself.
     
    Her said:
    So many narcs in here lol

    Couldn't convince me to care about shoplifting like that at all, a drop in the bucket compared to the wage theft done even by the little Ma and Pa stores
    Not in my interest to fuck up someone's life like that
    Click to expand...

    What's a narc?

    I'm likely a type of person who wouldn't notice if someone is trying to shoplift, and I also wouldn't have the balls to say anything if I did.
     
    Turn a blind eye, especially if it's just something small. Not my coporation, not my problem.

    I shoplifted a pen once. The life of crime is pretty wild.
     
    I probably wouldn't notice in the first place since I pay next to no attention to other people while in stores.
    Assuming I did somehow catch it, I would either report it or will get up in their face about it.
    Also reporting shoplifters is not narcing whatsoever, sighs 😔

    I find the distinction people are making between shoplifting from big corporations and smaller stores curious. The people in charge of the 'big corporations' won't be affected, but the clerk is probably gonna get into trouble for it if it's done regularly while that clerk is there. Docked pay or possibly getting canned. People working as a clerk are usually not that well off financially already. Turning a blind eye to someone shoplifting is just bad imo

    Also theft is theft, no matter how big or small. You consciously decide to take something that is not yours. You deserve any punishment you get when caught.
     
    Nah said:
    It's short for narcotics officer
    Click to expand...

    So... drug police, got it.

    (this is not a joke, I really didn't know, I'm sorry.)
     
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