Well, at least she asked first

[NotAlBundy]

Today we had a well known customer come in to the store. Well, not so much a customer as much as a thief. Occasionally she'll buy something, but she usually just tries to steal something.

So, she came in today, with two other adult women, two toddler aged girls and a baby. I watched the kids (because they were picking up all kinds of accessories and I didn't want those to walk out of the store) while two of my co-workers watched the adults.

As I'm watching the kids, one of them looks up at me and says, "Can we steal from here?"

It takes me a second to realize what she has said, and when I do, I of course tell her no.

Her eyes get really wide and she says "Why? You will call the po-lice on us?"

So I solemnly tell her, that yes, I will call the po-lice on her if she steals from me.

It's bad enough to do it with the kids nearby, but to use the kids... makes me sick.

[flyingturtle]

As I'm watching the kids, one of them looks up at me and says, "Can we steal from here?"

D: That's awful.

[csquared]

I hope you are ready for the complaint.

"How dare you tell my child that she can not steal from you!"

[NotAlBundy]

I was actually bracing myself for that. I figured she would go tell her mom what I said, and then I would get accused of just telling the little girl not to steal, and how dare I assume that the family was going to steal from me.

[shopgirl15]

You can't get her banned?

[XCashier]

Who knows, maybe you'll have started the kid on the right path. Too bad that's actually Mommy's job...

[MoonCat]

Amazing. So this kid is so used to mom's behavior that she doesn't even see anything odd about asking if she can steal. And doesn't even realize that stealing is wrong (!), just that the police will be called. I'm sure mom has told the poor kid that the police are the mean old bad guys. Sad.

[NotAlBundy]

You can't get her banned?

No, because we haven't actually witnessed her put the merchandise in her big, empty purse. Sure, stuff comes up missing immediately after she leaves, and she was the only "customer" in the store, but I can't prove 100% it's her.

And even if we did, enforcing it is another problem.

[Sheldonrs]

I'm surprised they didn't pull the "But the other clerk lets us do it" line.

[mjr]

No, because we haven't actually witnessed her put the merchandise in her big, empty purse. Sure, stuff comes up missing immediately after she leaves, and she was the only "customer" in the store, but I can't prove 100% it's her.

And even if we did, enforcing it is another problem.

Why not security cameras? And signs all over the place "This facility is under video surveillance. Shoplifters will be prosecuted."

[blas]

That doesn't surprise me.

Some of the most notorious shoplifters from the gas station I worked at (obviously just like candy bars and sodas and whatever they could fit in their pockets or coats, oddly enough, they didn't steal in the summer time...haha), their kids were always wandering around the neighborhood and would come into the store and try to steal as well.