I thought this was funny.
Several weeks ago a guy came up to the service desk with his son (4 years old, maybe 5) to check out. Now our service desk stops short of the glassed in entranceway, so there's a space a few feet square between the desk and the foyer. Right now there's a rack of street maps in there. At the time it was empty.
So while the father was checking out, the son stood in the empty space with his back in the corner between the desk and the front wall. After the father paid, he said to the son "Would you get the door for me?"
So the kid starts sidestepping his way to the door, careful to keep his back against the wall, away from us (myslef and the father). I found his behavior more than a little unusual. So when he rounds the corner to the door (still keeping his back against the wall - now at the glassed in area) both the father and I saw why he was doing that.
He was holding a StressBall and was trying to "sneak" it out of the store.
Well I didn't even have a chance to say anything before the father reacted and yelled at the kid "HEY! You bring that back right now!!!!!!!"
The kid bolted. He ran right out the door and into the parking lot, oblivious to the danger, with the father hot on his heels. He actually made it past the first row of parking spaces and almost to the berm when his father grabbed him by his jacket, hauled him off his feet and carried him back in to the store, whereupon he pulled the StessBall out of his hands, gave it to me, and apologized profusely for his son's behavior.
I thanked him for his honesty and told him not to worry about it. As they were leaving, I could see the guy yelling very forcefully at the kid. I'd imagine he got his seat warmed when they got home.
Right afterward one of the ASMs came over, pointed at them and gave me a WTF? look. I laughed and explained what happened. ASM just rolled his eyes and went into the front office.
Hopefully this kid had his shoplifting tendancies nipped in the bud. At the very least, the father's reaction was a refreshing change of pace from the horror stories I've read on this site where the parents defend/excuse their children's thieving ways.
Several weeks ago a guy came up to the service desk with his son (4 years old, maybe 5) to check out. Now our service desk stops short of the glassed in entranceway, so there's a space a few feet square between the desk and the foyer. Right now there's a rack of street maps in there. At the time it was empty.
So while the father was checking out, the son stood in the empty space with his back in the corner between the desk and the front wall. After the father paid, he said to the son "Would you get the door for me?"
So the kid starts sidestepping his way to the door, careful to keep his back against the wall, away from us (myslef and the father). I found his behavior more than a little unusual. So when he rounds the corner to the door (still keeping his back against the wall - now at the glassed in area) both the father and I saw why he was doing that.
He was holding a StressBall and was trying to "sneak" it out of the store.
Well I didn't even have a chance to say anything before the father reacted and yelled at the kid "HEY! You bring that back right now!!!!!!!"
The kid bolted. He ran right out the door and into the parking lot, oblivious to the danger, with the father hot on his heels. He actually made it past the first row of parking spaces and almost to the berm when his father grabbed him by his jacket, hauled him off his feet and carried him back in to the store, whereupon he pulled the StessBall out of his hands, gave it to me, and apologized profusely for his son's behavior.
I thanked him for his honesty and told him not to worry about it. As they were leaving, I could see the guy yelling very forcefully at the kid. I'd imagine he got his seat warmed when they got home.
Right afterward one of the ASMs came over, pointed at them and gave me a WTF? look. I laughed and explained what happened. ASM just rolled his eyes and went into the front office.
Hopefully this kid had his shoplifting tendancies nipped in the bud. At the very least, the father's reaction was a refreshing change of pace from the horror stories I've read on this site where the parents defend/excuse their children's thieving ways.
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