What Would You Have Done In This Situation? (hell, Christians, Christ)

[GCSTroop]

The way I look at it is this:

There's an old woman who may or may not be a kleptopath. She may or may not be very poor. She may or may not be very senile. She may or may not also have grandchildren whose parents (her own sons/daughters) have run away. We don't know any of the variables. All we know is that she "shoplifted" a few small items. Chances are this is not the first time its happened but then again we don't know that either.

My thoughts are that as Montana mentioned, this is not necessarily a good part of town and while East Nashville is not necessarily a warzone it does have its fair share of crime and certainly a need for a police force. To me, the situation did not really warrant alerting any of the store workers because I'm familiar with the shoplifting policies in the state of Tennessee. It requires police intervention and almost undoubtedly a police car would be dispatched to the store and they would probably do nothing more than write her a ticket and mandate a court appearance. Nonetheless, I think that it's a waste of time and government resources to drag this old woman through the mud over a can of tuna fish or something equally as inexpensive or small.

Let's also keep in mind that cops are often like cockroaches in the sense that where there are one of them there are about a hundred more that all seem to gather around and chit chat any time you see blue lights flashing. It's as if the whole police squad convenes over a traffic ticket and they'd probably do the same thing over something stupid like a woman shoplifting a can of tuna fish. When I was in high school, I worked at a major electronics retailer and every time we caught a shoplifter there were always four or five cop cars coming to check it out even though the poor teenager who got caught was cited with nothing more than petty theft. My thoughts are that in a higher crime area the cops have bigger and better preventative measures they need to be taking than worrying about some old woman stealing some small items. Again, it seems to be unnecessary.

If, as some have suggested, the woman was senile than I really don't think it'd matter anyway. Senility would mean that more than likely she would just do the same thing again without realizing what she was doing and over and over again if every time she were caught, there would be policemen speeding through traffic to get to the store where said woman was pocketing packets of bubble gum.

Do I think that theft is wrong in any capacity? Sure I do. I don't even take ballpoint pens from work but that is beside the point. We don't know what the situation was, only that she was technically "shoplifting". Let's also not forget that it's not our jobs to be policemen over every minor and stupid thing that we see people do. I don't see people calling and reporting those who drive one mile an hour over the speed limit but that is also breaking the law and they are technically "speeding". Perhaps we should all call the cops every time we determine that someone is speeding?

Finally, I'm also under the impression that the store had security measures of some sort in place. Whether they were mirrors, cameras, or they employed people to walk around the store looking for shoplifters, I would imagine that they had some sort of security procedures in place. The store will take an inventory probably once a year, account for their lost items, and they will write it off on their taxes. Does that mean that we should all shoplift? No! All I'm saying is that given the situation, the store will eventually find out they lack security measures anyway based on their astonishing inventory reports showing that this old woman has robbed them of millions of dollars in Chicken of the Sea. On top of that, I'd much rather see policemen out preventing crimes than stopping at a grocery store to chit-chat while they are citing a little old woman for highway robbery.

[Rance]

They feed inmates in jail. Maybe she was hoping to get caught so she would have a decent bed to sleep in and some food.
Pesonally I would have probably offered to buy it for her...but these days there are some very good elderly scammers. Don't judge a book by it's cover!

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by allforcats

That information is irrelevant. The woman's life is none of the OP's business and he has no right to interfere in her life.

Normally I'd agree, but when shoplifting/stealing is involved, it isn't just HER life - it affects every consumer who shops there. Did you know that they raise prices to cover "product loss" every year? And the more they steal, the more the prices will be raised?

I can't say I'd do anything differently, but let's not fool ourselves... stealing is everyone's business, and usually affects the innocent more than the guilty. I probably wouldn't report an old woman stealing a loaf of bread (for example), but I'm not going to pretend it doesn't affect anyone else. However if we're only questioning morality, then no - I don't think it's any private citizen's responsibility to report it. If you did, though, I would say that is your right as a PAYING customer.

[Oakback]

Assuming she didn't put a diamond ring or a plasma TV in her pocket

I would have found a way to help her make restitution.

[elgusano]

Let's also not forget that it's not our jobs to be policemen

Technically, it is. Do a study of the history of police ("Take Back Your Neighborhood" has a pretty good, concise history of it). We simply hire them to assist us in policing. You can get a ticket book and write tickets to people if you want. (I write tickets to people who run through the red lights on my bus all the time, and I've never had one rejected.)

It is everyone's responsibility to deal with theft. Why is it wrong to stop a thief and protect the rightful owner of the product? Why would you not protect the owner?

Is it more wrong to steal something from a poor person that it is from Bill Gates?

[jennaflorrie]

This is a tricky one!! If it had been me, I would have caught up with the lady and talked to her - told her I had seen what she had done and that stealing was wrong, but that I would help her in any way I could.

If she acted genuinely senile - I would try to find out where she lived, who looked after her etc. Then possibly tried to find extra help for her.

If I saw her stealing again, I would report her. Maybe, by being arrested she would get the obvious help she needed and that I had been unsuccessful in getting for her the first time.

[Lior Arel]

My wise Mother once taught me to pick my battles. Really, would turning in the old lady at the grocery store have accomplished anything? Probably not. Just created emabarassment and possibly fines for her, more work for the clerk/manager at the store, the cops, the courts... resulting in people spending hundres of dollars, loads of time, all for $1.99?

Pick your battles; save yourself for the ones that really make a difference.

[MontanaGuy]

I realized this wasn't the crime of the century when I started the OP but I do think it brings up some interesting points about how bystanders should react if they see something that is illegal taking place. People have commented about her senility but as I mentioned I came to the conclusion that it was all an act because first of all she was the only person at the register when I walked up behind her and I don't know if she even saw me. She had enough sense to have distracted the clerk with what I think was a check which she was holding in her right hand while she tucked away the item into her purse with her left hand which at that moment was out of the view of the clerk. That was a preplanned act, obviously not equal to a successful bank heist, but something I would guess that she had done before. But as others have mentioned it does bring up the desperate financial situation that a great many elderly people find themselves in as their fixed incomes are reduced by inflation over the years. Also, I have alot more sympathy for someone like this who's obviously just scaping by as opposed to some CEO who leaves his company almost bankrupt while he leaves with millions of dollars in benefits. After reading some of your comments it's making me wonder if maybe doing nothing like I did was the right thing to do afterall, I just don't know.

[cg81]

Originally Posted by MontanaGuy

After reading some of your comments it's making me wonder if maybe doing nothing like I did was the right thing to do afterall, I just don't know.

I really don't know what I would have done.. More than likely, I would have probably done the same thing as you.. watched in amazement as the old lady pocketed the item, wonder if I was seeing correctly, and wonder too late if I should have alerted anyone.

Or I might have nicely asked her if she put something in her pocket, by mistake. I hate to make a scene, but this way, she could confess without really confessing, and as the clerk listens to the conversation it would give the lady the option to put it back and resolve the situation... and then let the clerk figure out what he wants to do as I go out the door knowing that I wasn't part of a crime.

[camping!]

That is a tough one. I think my answer would be different if it were a healthy looking person between the ages of 16-50, but an old lady.....

I think in this instance, inaction was the best recourse. If you ever see her doing it again (unlikely, I know) I would tip off an employee. If nothing else, by being cited or even arrested she will have an opportunity to meet with a social worker. Perhaps that will give her the extra help she needs so that she won't have to steal.