[hope_full]

The other day, I walked into a large-chain drugstore that isn't too far from our downtown and so it has more than its fair share of homeless men wandering around.

As I walked in, I saw a very rough-looking guy walking out. He had a large back pack on, and he smelled bad and looked worse.

As he passed through the sensors flanking the door, the blinky red lights came on and the "beep, beep, beep" of the alarm started bleating loudly.

He did not have *anything* (packages or otherwise) in his hands. As he continued on his way, the cashier simply reached under the counter and turned off the alarm and he went on his merry way.

I also looked at the cashier and I wanted to say, "Really? Is this how the game is played now? Because, i don't need much stuff and I'm short on cash just now and I'd rather just grab what I need and be on my way, so is it okay if I just walk out without paying?"

But I said not a word. I selected my items and went to the cashier and gave up a few of my dollars and went home.

It occurs to me that our society is based almost wholly on good faith and good morals. And it seems that the criminal element is getting the upper hand, if they're free to steal us blind and walk away with no repercussions.

And if the economy continues to deteriorate, how safe are we in our homes? I know in our area, burglaries are up. Larcenies are up. It's pretty unnerving. And the #1 complaint: "The police said there's not much they can do about the theft..."

What's the solution for us simple-minded fools who continue to play by the rules?

[Southpaw]

personally i can't wait before things like these are considered normal. anyways I hope the whole damn thing collapses before 2011.

I just read an article that in 2010 they are gonna demand your fingerprints in your passport so the "bad" guys can't copy your passport anymore.

reminds me of those movies where you need to do an eye scan and now the bad guy has the take the eye out of the innocent guy with a tooth brush.

but some people like anti-fark and gas fart, and the african american dude who has a lack of sense can't wait for a police state where everyone has to drive their EV at a maximum speed of 20 miles an hour and if you don't follow the rules you have to do slave labor at the tar sands cause only a convict will work there once the alberta workers suddenly die from too high sulfur concentrations etc...

[vision-master]

Had to show ID in order to buy 50 rounds of 9mm at Fleet Farm the other day (cash sale). Guess I will take my business elsewhere from now on.

[gnm]

Biometrics are required for drivers licenses and passports now in the form of a digital face scan - wonder why they ask you not to smile for the drivers license now? Its digitized and records facial recognition data. The new passports as of today already require biometric information to be recorded on them (they include an RFID chip).

-G

[gnm]

Had to show ID in order to buy 50 rounds of 9mm at Fleet Farm the other day (cash sale). Guess I will take my business elsewhere from now on.

What was the excuse - did they think you were under 18 or something? I would have told them to stick it - on the spot - Does no good to take your business elsewhere unless you make sure and tell the fascist pricks WHY you are taking it elsewhere.

-G

[vision-master]

Had to show ID in order to buy 50 rounds of 9mm at Fleet Farm the other day (cash sale). Guess I will take my business elsewhere from now on.

What was the excuse - did they think you were under 18 or something? I would have told them to stick it - on the spot - Does no good to take your business elsewhere unless you make sure and tell the fascist pricks WHY you are taking it elsewhere.

-G

I was to shocked to respond. Yeah, 56 going on 18. My brother bought a rife there and said they had more paper work than buying a handgun in other gun stores.

[misterno]

These kinds of incidents are very common in downtown areas where the homeless and poor seem to be in majority. But I am sure it will get worse and worse. I guess you don't go to the stores located in downtowns or city centers.

[eXpat]

What's the solution for us simple-minded fools who continue to play by the rules?

Change your mind setup?

[JJ]

we have daily shopliftings at the grocery store where I work. Most grocery stores have a policy that you will be fired if you try to stop a shoplifter. (in this case a purse snatcher):
http://www.linkedin.com/answers/hiring- ... eCategory=
we usually just watch them go. Everyone eats grapes, bananas, cherries etc. in produce; some people fill their pockets. I've frequently heard comments such as "I spend two hundred dollars a week here. A peach won't hurt". I think one of my pet peaves are the people that a) tear up the bananas (everyone that buys bananas tears one off the hand, at the end of the day I have sacks and sacks full of loose bananas) and people that blow their nose and tuck the tissue in the produce under an apple or orange. this is all day long. I've got one guy who spits his tobacco juice in the produce, can't catch him. Also the people that rake off the salads onto the floor so they can get the "better" date in the back and the people who plug the watermelons and take a bite out of every fruit to decide which one they want. One day a lady took a bite out an apple in front of my wife and she said "you're going to eat that with out washing it? They spray it with poison." Not quit so farfetched; my boss said the old produce manager used to spray the department down with raid in the morning before the store opened in order to knock down the fruit flies, because we get so many complaints.

[Novus]

The real problem is that we live in such an uncaring society that we have as people and culture have forgotten about charity. It is something we have cut out of our budgets and hope the problem just goes away when really our uncaring ways just made it worse. Over the last 30 years we have done away with the institutions that used to care for the indigent, the disabled, the lame, and people who just weren't mentally right in the head. These people have no place go and no way to care for themselves.

So what to do you want to do with the shoplifters? Do you want a pound of flesh from the poor man. Shoot them all dead and pile them in mass grave? It costs $50,000+/year to lock someone up in our overcrowded prison system. It is foolish to spend such legal resources to lock someone up for stealing $10 worth of crap. For every bum we toss in jail the system has to early release murderers and child molesters on the streets. We live in a mad world and it is getting madder everyday and yet the sheople demand more madness. Think people think!!

[Armageddon]

It seems so easy to steal if you wanted to at the grocery store, especially for women. A lb of $10.00 turkey would be easy to stick in your purse.

[Outcast_Searcher]

What's the solution for us simple-minded fools who continue to play by the rules?

THIS is the question that worries me about the future of our society.

Jackson Browne had a great line in a song a while back "The Next Voice You Hear": "Forget your heroes, You don't really need those last few lessons." This is perhaps the saddest yet most perceptive comment on our society that I've seen.

Who in our modern society would be a good icon for our kids to look up to and learn morals? (i.e. a genuine hero)

Athletes on steroids or striking for even more pay? Crooked politicians? Captains of industry, bankers, lawyers, etc. on the take? Businesses that look for every lawsuit and political advantage to succeed, or use labor arbitrage (off-shore employees) to pad earnings? Bankers and Insurance companies for which cheating and bilking everyone they can to pad earnings has become a STANDARD way of business? Religious leaders, who spread lies to make political points or who hide decades of unthinkable abuse to children?

I can only think of ONE person who qualifies (IMO) -- Warren Buffett. (Since many people hate rich people, even self-made ones who didn't get there by lying and cheating -- this would NOT be universally agreed on.)

When just about ALL the examples are bad - people quit buying into the idea of being good. I still enjoy watching TV-land because of fond memories of all the great shows that actively had a MORAL lesson in the 60's and 70's. Aside from Barney saying to be polite, you don't find much of that any more.

So no moral fiber (and I'm talking simple honesty, not some religious POV), and you have a VERY screwed up society. Each looking out for themselves, knowing they really can't count on anyone without threats to sue, etc.

No wonder the masses yell "take CARE of me", and expect it. No wonder genuine productivity and honest success are vilified.

Folks, I think THIS is the core of why we're on a downward spiral -- expensive energy and a do-nothing attitude about dealing with it are just a symptom.

[perdition79]

I think one of my pet peaves are the people that a) tear up the bananas (everyone that buys bananas tears one off the hand, at the end of the day I have sacks and sacks full of loose bananas)

Also the people that rake off the salads onto the floor so they can get the "better" date in the back

Increased volumes of expired product or poor quality product in supermarkets are a couple more signs of the failure of the just-in-time delivery system. Merchants attempt to leave customers holding the bag for their own system's faults. Customers are protecting their own interests by being selective about the products they buy. Merchants exist to serve the customers, not the other way around, and the customers know this.

I had to reply to this because I had to tear apart five bunches of bananas today, just to find six bananas worth taking home.

Simple rules of merchandising:

If you wouldn't buy it, don't try to sell it.

If you're buying from a supplier, inspect his goods before you purchase them. Your right to refusal doesn't end when you say hello to the supplier, it ends when you sign a bill of lading at the consignee. If you're not in a position to control quality, don't get upset when the customer does the job the buyer should have.

[timmac]

personally i can't wait before things like these are considered normal. anyways I hope the whole damn thing collapses before 2011.

I just read an article that in 2010 they are gonna demand your fingerprints in your passport so the "bad" guys can't copy your passport anymore.

reminds me of those movies where you need to do an eye scan and now the bad guy has the take the eye out of the innocent guy with a tooth brush.

but some people like anti-fark and gas fart, and the african american dude who has a lack of sense can't wait for a police state where everyone has to drive their EV at a maximum speed of 20 miles an hour and if you don't follow the rules you have to do slave labor at the tar sands cause only a convict will work there once the alberta workers suddenly die from too high sulfur concentrations etc...

Southpaw only comes on here to attack certain people and especially Americans than leaves for a short spell than comes back for more,, over and over again, like a broken record..

Do you ever have anything proper to say or are you just this negative and ignorant in your lonely boring life...

[jupiters_release]

It occurs to me that our society is based almost wholly on good faith and good morals. And it seems that the criminal element is getting the upper hand, if they're free to steal us blind and walk away with no repercussions.

What do you call the history of banking? When has the criminal element not been in control of policy? 'Morality' was created couple thousand years ago as a means of preserving a totally immoral social construct. It never had anything to do with right or wrong.

A thread on some poor man stealing toothpaste while the Fed is stealing trillions dollars from everyone out in the open. A little perspective is all.

[dunewalker]

Simple rules of merchandising:

If you wouldn't buy it, don't try to sell it.

Wise words.

[HeckuvaJob]

It occurs to me that our society is based almost wholly on good faith and good morals. And it seems that the criminal element is getting the upper hand, if they're free to steal us blind and walk away with no repercussions.

What bothers me most is that these hungry homeless who are stealing food with impunity serve as bad role models for investment bankers, private military contractors, as well as a large percentage of our politicians and corporate CEOs. These titans of industry and elected officials are lured off the path of righteousness when they see poor minorities getting away with petty theft. It's not right!!!

As a society, we need to ask ourselves some tough questions. Our jails are overflowing with white collar criminals whose only crime was defrauding tax payers while dirty, unkempt hooligans are spreading thievery and body odor throughout our American cities. Does this sound like justice?

[JJ]

Simple rules of merchandising:

If you wouldn't buy it, don't try to sell it.

Wise words.

wise words perhaps, but when every customer demands that everything they buy looks as if it has been "squeezed out of a tube"... thus we have apples sprayed with petroleum based food grade wax because the public won't buy an apple if its not shiny. (We have actually had to throw away an entire pallet of organic apples because they weren't "shiny". I had a customer tell me "I don't like organic"". So yes, you may have had to go through five hands of bananas to get a decent one. Or your standards may have become unrealistic. I firmly believe that peoples standards are about to change.

note: a lady from Germany was standing there watching the people tear up the bananas the other day, and she said you wouldn't do that in my country. She said you touch it, you buy it. Another lady from Canada likewise expressed her shock at how wasteful Americans are. It's not only me noticing it. (We are feeding 10,000 people a day at the small grocery I work at. The customers don't realize this, they pretty much think they are the only ones shopping, and they want the best for themselves. But to me, it's not unlike working at a piggery. I think I've said this before. I just dump the food on the shelf, and then watch the customers fight over it, each wanting the best for themselves.)

edited for spelling

[JJ]

Simple rules of merchandising:

If you wouldn't buy it, don't try to sell it.

Wise words.

that WOULD eliminate most sales jobs...