Saturday, November 3, 2007

Do You Like Your Purse?

I have difficulty understanding why women insist upon placing their purse, bag or wallet in the child seat area of the shopping cart while they are grocery shopping. I have even more difficulty understanding why they are so surprised when said purse, bag or wallet suddenly and mysteriously disappears.

While grocery shopping today, I watched a woman who had placed her wallet in the shopping cart. She repeatedly walked ten feet away from her shopping cart to get something off a shelf while her back was turned to the cart. She stood in the produce area for a good five minutes with her back to the cart. If I was a dishonest person, I could have had her wallet and she would have never noticed. I was actually hoping for someone to pick up her wallet while I was watching. I never had an opportunity to inform her of the error of her ways.

I have taken more theft reports in exactly this situation than I care to count. Most of these women will just lay it out there in the open for all to see, or steal. Sometimes, she shows a bit of forethought and covers the purse or wallet with something to make it more difficult to steal. This begs the question, if you want to make it difficult to steal your wallet, why put it in the cart in the first goddamn place? You obviously know there is a possibility that someone will try to take it, so why provide the opportunity?

It is quite troubling to see this so regularly. Granted, today I was in a rather upscale town where crime is LESS of a problem than in my city. Unfortunately, less of a problem is still a problem. People are so naive these days. They can't believe crime will ever happen to them. It always happens to someone else. Well, I'll tell you what. If you want to encourage crime to happen to you, just leave your belongings out in the shopping cart while you shop. Just please don't do it in my city, okay?

I even had a gal tell me she thought she knew who took her purse out of her cart. How did she know? Because the person looked around a lot and bumped into her cart when she wasn't looking. Why didn't she say something? She didn't notice her purse was gone until she was in line to pay. Eegads! There really are criminals everywhere!

Then there was the young lady who couldn't imagine who had taken her wallet. Why? Because nobody in the store "looked like the criminal type". Tell me something. What exactly does the "criminal type" look like, huh?

So many sheep. It boggles the mind. It really does.

3 comments:

Front Porch Society said...

Very true. When shopping, I never let my purse leave my side. I wish more women would do the same.
Too many people take for granted their nice neighborhood and they think crime could never happen to them or to their neighborhood. They are sorely mistaken and only setting themselves up. Crime is not prejudice - it hits everyone, poor and rich alike.

Liz said...

No one looked like the criminal type! I remember those days. Back when I was in highschool I couldn't believe that anyone I knew would actually drive drunk nor did I have any idea what someone on meth looks like.

I was reading somewhere that it's good that the sheep are so sheep-like. It means the sheepdogs are doing a good job and the sheep don't know there are wolves about. Still, it would help if the sheep were a little cautious.

Officer "Smith" said...

I always have to remind myself that if there were no wolves, there would be no need for sheep dogs.

I'm still trying to figure out a name for the folks like my wife. She is not a sheep dog, but she is definitely not a sheep either. I guess she's kinda like a shepherd. She takes care of herself and the kids and keeps the wolves at bay, without directly challenging them. Definitely not a sheep.