The “Water Cooler” is a feature on Claycord.com where we ask you a question or provide a topic, and you talk about it.
The “Water Cooler” will be up Monday-Friday at noon.
Today’s question:
QUESTION: Have you ever witnessed someone steal something (from a store, from your car, home, etc.), and were they caught?
Talk about it.
Standing in line at the old Fry’s food store on Willow Pass late one night about this time of year in ’74. Three people with Halloween masks robbed all the checkstands while I was being rung up. They went from register to register grabbing all the paper money. Both my arms were full of groceries when one robber came to the register and pointed a S&W .38 “6 barreled revolver about a foot from my face. I couldn’t even tell the cop what kind of mask he had on, all I saw was that handgun with looked more like a cannon at that moment. The three of them were caught the next day in Martinez as I remember.
…oh yes… most recently from the Auto Zone on Clayton Rd… perp grabbed some stuff – employees yelled him but didn’t do anything else. He got into a waiting car in the parking lot – no effort to get license plate number or anything… so it’s ok to steal now, openly do drugs and heard hallucingenic drugs are next – some cities are even providing places to openly do drugs now … this is what our culture and society has become… sad
Husband watched a man fill a back pack with bottles of booze. Then 2 more in his hands and walk out of Safeway on Oak Park. Told employee and he said they just let them walk, nothing he can do. But if one of us paying the bills did, we would be arrested. 🙃
K~
We saw a guy with a shopping cart, no joke, leave Safeway on Willow Pass Rd. with a bunch of bottles of booze.
Wonder if it was the same guy. This happened about 3 weeks ago.
Every time we are in Safeway at Treat and Clayton Rd., we watch somebody walk out with an arm full of merchandise. The checkers just watch them walk out and shake their head. There is nothing they can do. Mabey we should fill up our carts with groceries and skip the checkout line take it straight to your car. If everyone did that something would be done to stop the daily shop lifting.
I worked for the Gap at Sunvalley Mall along time ago, I saw it too often and nothing ever happened to the thieves. I worked for a grocery store as well and only a few times I had seen store leadership do anything about stopping the thieving but nothing ever comes of that as well.
About 3 months ago I was going in to Home Depot and there was a guy coming out with a large power tool on a cart and he was confronted by a guy (I gress he was a employee) when I left the tool was still there and the guy was long gone.
Employees are not allowed to stop a shop lifter at most of the bigger stores. I have seen people walk out with all they can carry, or push a full cart out, sometimes right past a store manager. Almost every day. We signed a paper we would get fired if we intervened.
Yip….my Wife stole my heart. She got caught.
On another note…kind of liking this new format.
I think you wanted her to, since you tried to steal her heart ….. 🙂
You set her up place your hart where she would not be strong enough to temptation, she could not see or feel anyother love or even notice another available hart. Like a fox that fell in love with a chicken .you sly dog you.
I loved your opening line to her. “You said if she marries you she’ll never have to cook dinner because you eat out every night” great job
I looked out the window one day and my next door neighbir was trying to pull one of my solar lights out of the ground. I opened the door and went out and he stopped. I said “Hi, Frank,” and he asked me what it was. I told him it was a solar light, so I can’t really be sure if he was yrying to steal it or not. The thing was, he had to walk way out of his way and around behind a large bush to get to it in front of the house, so I had my suspicions.
Other than that, I’ve just seen people in the supermart eating grapes, or nuts from the bins, or opening a drink bottle and taking it along with them while they shopped.
Yes, I was a store detective at Montgomery Wards 1971, times were different then, we actually could bring them back to the office, call PD and they could and would be arrested, usually taken to the PD. We’d recover the merchandise taken and back on the floor waiting for the next perp.
Never have that I can remember but I did catch a bike thief. Chased him about a mile.
I always think it is funny that people think you can merely raise prices to combat theft loss. It isn’t that simple. Basic economics can explain how raising prices can backfire.
I witnessed a 12 yr old boy try to steal a pen & pencil set from a local market. He was caught, taken to the back room, given a severe verbal dressing down, and banned from the market forever.
I haven’t stolen anything since that day. Unless you count goofing off at work.
I was at a ball game once, and saw someone steal first, second, and third base. They were finally caught trying to get home.
I see people stealing in Safeway all the time, I tell the store employees and watch the thieves walk out without any intervention.
Keeping this non political
Yes, almost daily.
Every store has seen a drastic increase in losses from theft.
The theives are people from all walks of life who have decided that they can take what they want without paying.
The theives get away with it because they are never prosecuted.
Theives have no redeemable character values.
Years ago at a grocery store. Guy picked out a nice expensive steak and stuck under his shirt. I told the store manager what I say and he just let the guy walk out anyhow. Not seen it happen since.
Yeah, I witnessed a grab & run (speed away) robbery. I was standing in front of Sears in Concord on the west side when a lady came flying outside with a huge stack of clothes still on hangers in her arms with price tags still on them. There was a guy a few feet from me at the curb right in front of the doors where she had come out, waiting for her w/his car running. She jumped into his car and they sped off burning rubber. No security guard in sight or following the robbing team. It happened so fast, I didn’t have time to pull out my cell phone and take a pic of the license plate. This happened about 10 years ago.
I didn’t see the theft, but I did show up at work one morning to see my boss being taken out in handcuffs.
Absolutely. I was at Safeway just a few weeks ago and a couple of homeless were filling their bags near the registers. I told the cashier, and she said they can’t do anything. then I had the PRIVILEGE of spending $250 bucks on food.
Watched a young urbanite walk into Concord Lowe’s, grab a tool set, and walk quite quickly (though not running until the security guard made a move to try to stop him) right out the door. We spoke with the guard, he said this happened every day, at just about every Lowe’s and there is nothing they can do. I have seen other times at what I thought was stealing, but none as blatant as this one.
Yes When I was parking at Safeway’s in Clayton a black male ran by me carrying a five gallon water bucket half way filed with money. Then white man running sayings stop him, but he had already passed me. Come to find out he was collecting money for the Vets.
We followed him to the creek but he got away. After doing my shopping leaving the store the same Vet was there at his station and said the Clayton Police had a suspect in custody and could I identify him. I followed the officer to a church and identified the suspect.
Don’t what happed after , never called in to court.
5+yrs ago…in the Pittsburg WalMart parking lot. A grifter mother with her grifter kids running with a baby carriage full of loot and a security guard running after them. Lept in their grifter car and zoomed off almost mowing down several innocent pedestrians
Yep! Saw a guy walk quickly out of the Willow Pass Safeway with about 5 bottles of alcohol. Had a big grin on his face. Nobody did a thing to stop him.
Yes, numerous times. Most recently it was two weeks ago at the Safeway across from Bart in Concord. I watched two young black males load up items from the section of toiletries into their backpacks. I notified a security guard who looked like he was just released from prison. I gave him a description and the area where I saw it happen. He walked slowly over to the area and acted like it was no big deal. Very sad.
Yep … was walking down my street here in Saigon and some guy on a motorbike snatched some foreign chick’s mobile phone and hightailed it. Also saw similar “snatch & grabs” … it’s just part of life here in Vietnam, sadly. Mostly the thieves are young guys on dope or gamblers who must pay the local loan shark. I quit buying mobile phones after my sixth. sighhh
Wow! reading all these comments about Safeway. If SAFEWAY does nothing to stop shoplifting then sounds to me SAFEWAY and their shoplifters have created a dangerous place for a family to shop in.
Harbor Freight on Contra Costa Blvd. seems to be where I have seen the most meth heads walking out with $200 tool sets and the employees yell at them but do nothing because cooperate tells them to stand down and not to call Police. Of course this is much worse in the last couple years. “Let’s go Brandon”
Working retail for many years yes. Sometimes they get caught, security can’t be everywhere at once, and with the grab and run it is hard to catch someone, they have a car waiting and are gone in a flash. Sales associates, do not stop thieves, just as cashiers at Safeway and other establisment does not, nor do I believe they should, they are not trained and could get hurt. The best thing we can do when witnessing a crime is to call security, and they often catch someone, especially if they go from department to department.
Yes to many times to count. Would love to put them under citizens arrest. But I would undoubtedly be sued by Becton and the woke crowd.
Last year some time, as I was walking from the parking lot to the grocery store Kirker pass and clayton road. Someone stepped out of the store and yelled “stop him!!”, as this guy was rushing toward me with his arms full of unbagged grocery’s. This guy started to sprint pass me. Out of my over justification of moral and ethical obligation I sprinted after him. I grabbed him from the back, lifted his body off the ground and bounced him onto the pavement, scattering the grocery’s in every direction. As the person that yelled “stop him!!” got closer to me. he told me to let him go. so I lifted took my knee from off his back, lifted him off the ground and tossed him back to his feet he screamed “I haven’t eaten in days” as he ran off.
This was not the first time I have done this kind of thing over the decades due to my sense of justice, but it may be my last.
After my wife scolded me to never risk yourself for something that petty. I though to myself, she’s right. this guy just needed to eat, it was a basic survival need. we as a civilization need to recognize and help.
I have see this happen again several other times since then in front of me, as my wife is holding me to remind me not turn into a green rage monster.
Write this down “Criminals thrive on the indulgence of society’s understanding”
Why are there so many “thumbs down” votes on the comments that are honestly upset about the rising rate of theft crimes. Looks like one Karen or Kevin marking all these comments with the thumbs down!?!??