High Theft

[laborcat]

We've gotten to the point where we lock up the diabetic test strips (don't blame them, even the store-brand ones are rather expensive) and Frontline, and the Krogers in my area are writing their store numbers on the baby formulas and razor refill heads. I agree with not overly minding people stealing condoms, I'd rather see them stolen and used than having more babies and STDs floating around.

[Seshat]

At least in cities and towns in Australia, there's no need at all to steal condoms. Just walk into any of the charity and quasi-charity medical clinics and grab a handful from the bowl at reception. Some non-charity doctor's offices have such a bowl as well.

They're free. Quite deliberately free.

[EricKei]

Some non-charity doctor's offices have such a bowl as well.

When I was in college, the pharmacy had huge bowls of free condoms, no questions asked, for just that purpose. At one point, word got out that they had received a defective shipment of inferior product, which tended to be more delicate than these things really should be.

I was working for the school paper at the time, and naturally we did a cover story about this, summoning up all of the maturity and subtlety that one would expect out of a professionally-made, collegiate newspaper.

The article's headline was, of course, "Condom Story Breaks"

[DGoddessChardonnay]

I'm thinking name brands sell better at flea markets, etc, and therefore are more valuable money-wise to a thief.

That seems to be the case in my neck of the woods. And one of the reasons why Corporate put the Tylenol brand products in the anti-theft boxes.

It wouldn't surprise me if Tylenol is being sold on the street as well.

[Sunshine]

When i worked for cstore company 1, we had to be careful of the tire gauges and wire scrubber cleaners...the better to make pipes with.

[MoonCat]

Same with coffee. The smell of the coffee is *supposed* to mask the scent from drug dogs. How well this actually works, I don't know.

I don't think it works. A dog's nose is so sensitive it can pick individual odors out of a combo. I've seen it explained this way: Say you had a pot of beef stew. You and I smell...beef stew. The dog smells beef, onions, carrots, tomatoes, potatoes...etc. In other words, each separate ingredient. And a drug-sniffing dog is trained to zero in on the drugs.

[fireheart]

I don't think it works. A dog's nose is so sensitive it can pick individual odors out of a combo. I've seen it explained this way: Say you had a pot of beef stew. You and I smell...beef stew. The dog smells beef, onions, carrots, tomatoes, potatoes...etc. In other words, each separate ingredient. And a drug-sniffing dog is trained to zero in on the drugs.

Nobody said that crooks were smart!

[PepperElf]

not surprised. i mean my dog an go onto a lawn or field and manage to find where all the other dogs have peed.

i suspect the coffee one is just a hollywood thing.

[ArcticChicken]

Though am I weird for thinking it'd be a REALLY good idea to put out bins of free rubbers in college towns? Of all the things that they should give out free...

At my BF's college, they have free condoms in all the bathrooms.

[fireheart]

At least in cities and towns in Australia, there's no need at all to steal condoms. Just walk into any of the charity and quasi-charity medical clinics and grab a handful from the bowl at reception. Some non-charity doctor's offices have such a bowl as well.

They're free. Quite deliberately free.

Doesn't stop people from stealing them though.

I was doing stock rounds one night at my former job and came across an empty box of condoms. They'd taken the condoms and left the instructions behind.

My supervisor was somewhere between and when I showed her. She said that either they'd better know how to use them or she'd be more comfortable with them at least taking the instructions too!

(these were the extra large ones too )

ETA: The university's student services area has a TON of free condoms. Ironically, the doctors office doesn't.