[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]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vision-master', 'H')ad 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.

[vision-master]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('gnm', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vision-master', 'H')ad 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.

[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]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('hope_full', '
')What's the solution for us simple-minded fools who continue to play by the rules?

[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]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('hope_full', 'W')hat's the solution for us simple-minded fools who continue to play by the rules?

[perdition79]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('JJ', '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

[timmac]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Southpaw', 'p')ersonally 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...

[jupiters_release]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('hope_full', '
')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.

[dunewalker]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('perdition79', ' ')

Simple rules of merchandising:

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

[HeckuvaJob]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('hope_full', 'I')t 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.

[JJ]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('dunewalker', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('perdition79', ' ')

Simple rules of merchandising:

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

[JJ]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('dunewalker', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('perdition79', ' ')

Simple rules of merchandising:

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