The Bunker Blog

At first glance, when I read this story, I thought it was just another parenting geniusry article where a mom goes into a store and then uses her children to help her steal. Then I read the comments.

I was absolutely amazed at how many people feel sorry for this woman. She was shoplifting from a grocery store, and using her kids to conceal the merchandise she was stealing. She got caught, and the police have charged her with shoplifting and child endangerment.

What about this deserves pity? Why do we assume that she is poor and can’t afford food? Why do we assume that she has absolutely no other choice but to steal? I just don’t get it.

There are plenty of good charities out there, including the “government sponsored” welfare system, which is available for mothers with children before anyone else. There are just too many other options available out there. Stealing with your kids is not an acceptable one. Besides that, there is no mention in the story of anything that would indicate that this woman is poor, or that she needed the food.

Anyway, this “mom” goes into a store and takes some food and hides it under her kids’ jackets. She then instructs her oldest to place his jacket over even more. Then, she goes through a register and purchases some articles, in an attempt to throw off any suspicion.

Anybody want to weigh in? Should we assume that this mom was desperate and in need of food to feed her kids? Do we assume she is just a low-down, dirty thief? Or, how about this: Even if she did think she had no choice but to steal her food, did she have to take her children along? You tell me what you think…

Union Leader – Manchester, New Hampshire

Technorati Tags: NH Mom steals with kids,shoplifting with child,shoplifters,shoplifting food

Popularity: 22% [?]

I woke up this morning and, while going through my daily routine of reading before leaving for work, I saw that ShariV over at Express Marketing Memo had “tagged” me. I just finished reading KoTa’s “Strange But True” article before going to bed last night, so I knew what this meant. I have to say, I was surprised to be “tagged”, since my blog is just over a month old, and I am very new at this.

So, here goes:

7 Strange But True Things About Me

1. I have a strange eating habit. I don’t mix my food, and I eat one thing from my plate at a time. I don’t even eat a burger and fries together. I eat my fries first, then my burger. I have no idea why, I have just always eaten that way. If I have a plate full of different foods, I’ll decide which I like least, and eat that first. Then I’ll eat one thing at a time, saving my favorite for last.
2. I once worked at the National Security Agency in Maryland. It’s true! When I was in the Army, I was assigned to the 741st Military Intelligence Battalion at Fort Meade. While there, I worked at the NSA as an analyst. I also served during the first gulf war, Desert Storm.
3. I was a certified instructor for Oleoresin Capsicum, or OC. Most people know it as “Pepper Spray”. Back in the day, I used to train security officers, and I’ve trained over a thousand trainees. At each training, I would get sprayed first, so I’ve been sprayed with that stuff over 300 times. And no, you don’t get immune to it. And yes, it hurts… A lot!
4. I have always worked in the security field. First, I was in the military, right out of high school. Then, I began working as a security officer. From there, I trained and became a licensed Private Investigator. That was not a very stable income, so I started doing retail loss prevention, part time at first. Then, I decided I really liked it, so here I am today.
5. I once went over a 70 foot cliff on an ATV, and survived (obviously). I was working as a security officer on a mine site, and we patrolled on ATVs. I was chasing a guy who had been vandalizing the equipment, and he had tried to get away by going across the mountain via a small trail that winded along the top of a cliff. We were going pretty fast, and as I started into a curve, my ATV slipped over the edge, and I fell 70 feet, through the trees, to the bottom. I climbed back to the top before calling for help on my radio. I had a dislocated shoulder, but no broken bones; just a lot of bruises and scrapes.
6. I learned to play guitar when I was 33 years old. I had never played before, but my father-in-law is very good. He offered to teach me, so I started trying to learn. He is a very good teacher, and I guess I have some natural talent for it, because I was playing songs within a week or two. I find that playing relaxes me more than anything else. I play acoustic, and I love bluegrass.
7. During a brief period of unemployment a few years back, I read the entire Bible, cover to cover, Genesis through Revelation, in just over a month. Now, if only I could apply it all…

Okay, so now I think I’m supposed to tag someone else. So, I’d love to read “Strange But True” Articles by:

Joe Godfrey @ ProAmerica Store

David @ Confident1.com

Jeremy @ Gearpipe.com

CottageGuru @ CottageBlogger.com

Risawn @ Risawn.com

Have fun, gang. Can’t wait to read them.

Technorati Tags: blogger tag,strange but true,7 things about me

Popularity: 48% [?]

For a limited time only, you can download my free ebook “Loss Prevention For Small Business” for free. This ebook is a 20 page sample of a full book that I’m working on. I’d love it if you, my readers, would download it, read it, and then give me some feedback.

Get your copy HERE

And don’t forget, please email me here with your feedback once you have read it.

Popularity: 17% [?]

Police in Florida arrested 18 suspects in connection with a theft ring that was stealing from retailers and then selling the merchandise on eBay and at flea markets. These people are accused of stealing between 60 and 100 million dollars!

18 arrested in shoplifting ring bust
According to police, these people were getting up to $4500.00 per trip, and were taking an average of 3 minutes to get the goods and get out.

Technorati Tags: shoplifting,organized retail theft,18 arrested in shoplifting case,stealing,flea markets,eBay

Popularity: 36% [?]

A woman in Utica, NY was arrested for shoplifting recently. When police processed her, they found that she had been arrested 23 times in the past. According to the news story, at least one of these arrests resulted in a conviction for manslaughter in 1989.

So, what’s the answer here? Apparently the courts have failed at stopping her. If she is legitimately ill, she isn’t getting treatment, obviously. If she is just a thief, she has no fear of jail. So, what is the answer?

This brings up another question: Why do they continue to do it? Since we know that shoplifters very often don’t stop, even after being caught, I can’t help but wonder why that is.

Some would say it is because they have a sickness, and they need treatment to help them understand the illness and overcome it. Others believe that the reason they don’t stop is because the reward far outweighs the cost, even if they are caught.

I happen to believe the latter, but I’m trying to keep an open mind. I think they continue because the courts are so overloaded that it has become all-too-common to plea even shoplifting to lesser offenses, with almost insignificant sentences. Shoplifters stand to make a lot of money by stealing merchandise and then re-selling it. Any fines the courts impose are usually minimal, so it is just a cost of doing business for them.

So, anybody want to weigh in? What do you think? Are shoplifters really just sick people who need help? Or, are they criminals who deserve harsher penalties from the courts?

A Utica woman who has been arrested 23 times under eight different names was charged following a shoplifting incident at the Kids Deal store on Monday, police said.

Woman with 23 arrests charged with shoplifting – Utica, NY – The Observer-Dispatch

Technorati Tags: shoplifters,repeat offenders,multiple arrests,courts,overloaded,illness,criminals,retail crime,loss prevention

Popularity: 18% [?]