Poll: You see a poor man slip a can of food into his jacket....

[SUOrangeman]

A few others have posted that they would buy the can. No crime, no need to ponder. If the potential theif gets huffy, then someone ought to be caught.

-SUO

 

[eakers]

it is my goal to catch a shoplifter at my work.
we dont really have a policy on them so if i caught one i wouldnt know what to do.

honestly id pretend i didnt see anything in that situation. because i dont have the the guts to talk to them and i dont have the guts to tell on them.

Clinotus: you are a wise wise man, i was losing faith in people here until i read your post. Im glad to see that some people care about others

*kat. <-- baby

 

[ArkAoss]

now people, in your responses, and quibbling, lets not forget we're hearing view points from people of all cultures.

NAmuna, if I'm correct, you're from australia right? that lets me know that concerning the generocity of the store managers you've worked under, they are a little more generoust than some I've met in america. Now I know if some woman went into any of the stores I frequent with a few kids and asked about a cart of groceries, most managers would probly either let them get some stuff, or refer them to local government aid programs. but if some guy came in, liquor thick on his breath and asked, he'd probably be thrown out. it really depends upon, whom and where.


Now compusa, lets not talk about that, the guy I saw stealing from comp had nice enough clothes, he had a job, just not enough of one to get his kids a computer. and trust me, computers are enough of a pain in the butt, you don't really want one!! THEY ARE THE DEVIL!!!!!! trust me!!!'
or the woman who stole from home depot... i don't get it. if i can't afford what I need, my needs must be exagerated, I re evaluate my needs, and find usually that I don't need that bit for a tool I don't use too much, or that snickers bar that'll make me risk bouncing the check I sent for my phone bill. but if thet can't live without the food, and there's no government aid, it doesn't hurt to ask.

Not human being would turn down helping a starving person.

 

[Mesomorph]

It's simple. I would wait for said gentleman to leave the store. Then, once he is safely outside, I would jump him, and force the food from his clammy, withered grasp. muwahahaha.....actually, i'd probably pay for it for him

 

[xodarap]

Even situation is differant I would talk to him. Find out why he's stealing, find out why hes homeless. Get him to put the can back. Try to get him a job buy him a hot meal or something. Pray for him read him some scripture ect. ect.

Ive never been on welfare but i've known quite a few that were. Ive gone from the poorest part of the country to $mu so ive seen it all. Very rearly do people just go on welfare. The usual cuases, Disability, Divorce, Pregnancy.

Heres a good one, my best freind had a father who was a vietnam wart vet army trained electricl engeneer (how the hell does this guy end up below the poverty line?) his family has a history of high cholestoral after a double heart attack before age 30 he's more or less bed bound. (what about work comp disability) Medicare would not pay for years becuase it was a &quot;Pre-existing condition&quot; and &quot;there is no stress associated with the Vietnam war.&quot; (call a lawyer?) This go's on for years as my friends family of 7 got screwed by screwed by several lawyers finally they see their day in court. They finally win a get enough money to buy a house for the first time. By now my freind is ready to go to college he has gradated from a tough engeenering prep school and had a 1500 SAT. He goes to applie for FAFSA and his parents file their tax returns. BOOM! ten years of back medicare comes up as thier yearly income! Just as Uncle Sam gives it he see's he has an excuse to rip it all back of course next year the money's all gone but like they care, all they care about is what the money is worht then and getting the money all at once compunds their tax braket.

sorry, Just a freindly little true story if you still think good people never lose in the land of opprotunity

 

[pamchenko]

i would help myself to a can as well.

 

[Tripleshot]

I would take him shopping for real food. To give and forgive is our calling in life.

 

[Tzen]

Wow, judging from the number of people who boldly boast they'd take a man out shopping, there shouldn't be anyone left starving. How many of you people actually HAVE bought groceries for someone? You callously retort that the man should crawl on his belly in jobs you feel yourself too good to do. So why do you think you're better than him? Most of poverty is a birth defect, and the only difference between you and him is that you were born with a mommy and daddy who paid to keep your rear clean and this hypothetical person wasn't. You spent every day for thirteen years whining about having to attend your grade-A, suburban school and skipping out to go smoke a joint behind the 7-11 and brag about your latest sexcapade during English, and yet now you sit at your personal home computer and tell everyone that this person has broken your personal morals and should be punished. Lyndon B. Johnson's &quot;war on poverty&quot; was an utter failure because he failed to understand a simple detail. There will always be poverty, and not all of it is jobless. It's innate and permanent though it may wax and wane at times. If there wasn't any poverty, who would scrub the public toilets you use at the bank when you go to make a deposit? Stop spending all your time looking down at others and maybe kneel down before you go to bed tonight and say, &quot;Thank you, God, for the good life that was handed to me, even if I've acted unthankful.&quot;

 

[Ornery]

God Knows I'm Good
Words and music by David Bowie 1969

• 
  I was walking through the counters of a national concern
  And a cash machine was spitting by my shoulder
  And I saw the multitude of faces, honest, rich and clean
  As the merchandise exchanged and money roared
  And a woman hot with worry slyly slipped a tin of stewing steak
  Into the paper bag at her side
  And her face was white with fear in case her actions were observed
  So she closed her eyes to keep her conscience blind
  • 
    Crying
    &quot;God knows I'm good
    God knows I'm good
    God knows I'm good
    God may look the other way today&quot;
  Then she moved toward the exit clutching tightly at her paper bag
  Perspiration trickled down her forehead
  And her heart it leapt inside her as the hand laid on her shoulder
  She was led away bewildered and amazed
  Through her deafened ears the cash machines were shrieking on the counter
  As her escort asked her softly for her name
  And a crowd of honest people rushed to help a tired old lady
  Who had fainted to the whirling wooden floor
  • 
    Crying
    &quot;God knows I'm good
    God knows I'm good
    God knows I'm good
    Surely God won't look the other way&quot;

 

[Smbu]

It depends do you work at the store, or are you just a customer?

 

[LordMaul]

Buy it for him. Along with some more food for him. Don't ignore it, and tell him just to not steal. Tell him if he promises not to steal you will buy him some food...it won't help, more thna likely or change his mind about stealing, but it will make him give it a second thought about stealing...maybe. Buy him some food. Do a good deed.

 

[Webbed]

I'll rat him out but then I'll also pay for what he stole.

 

[marketsons1985]

<< neither.

I'd Pay For it >>



I second that

 

[pen^2]

Tzen lays a smack on complacent yuppies! jk, but i doubt anyone got nerves to refute with that post.

 

[3615buck]

I'm shocked that so many of you would report it !
It's none of your business !
Are you policemen or even from the gestapo ???
I wouldn't say anything, even if the man wasn't poor, even if he was rich, it's none of my business !
Come on, the shop will lose 1 can, so what ?

And don't start telling me &quot;So you wouldn't react if a woman got raped in the tube because it's none of your business ?&quot;, this is something completely different.

 

[Lord Evermore]

Legally I think observation of a crime without reporting it is itself a crime. And yes, I'm sure I'm guilty of it, I'm just saying that it's technically illegal.

The circumstances that would prompt me to steal would be dire, indeed. I'd have had to already exhausted all other possible means of getting help - attempts to get even a part time job doing crap-work, all forms of welfare, soup kitchens or churches, asking for help from the store manager, ALL family members still living and reachable, whatever. It would have to be at the point of me and/or my family starving if I didn't steal (and frankly, if I had kids, I think there would be easier ways to get help for them and I would take any job there was, and if I was alone, I'd just kill myself before my life got that bad).

Also, seeing somebody in a grocery store, you can't say for certain they're actually poor, or what their circumstances are. They may or may not have already exhausted all other means of getting help; they may just prefer to steal than to ask for help or go to a shelter; they may just have a low moral standard themselves and not think anything is wrong with stealing or not think they should try to get a job because they don't want to do the menial tasks, thinking they're too good for it.

Ethically, I'd say report the person to store personnel. As someone said, if they have the balls to steal, they should have the balls to just ask the manager. (Maybe they already have tried, maybe not. You can't know one way or the other, and I prefer to err on the side of stopping people from doing something that isn't right.) Maybe when they explain why they're stealing, the store will help, maybe not. But theft is still wrong, no matter what the reasons for it.

Realistically, I don't know what I'd do. Probably walk away, or maybe just make it obvious that I saw the man do it and see if he puts it back or something (and knowing people these days, he'd probably glare at me and blatantly go about his business). If I was feeling really bitchy, I might report it, but I don't normally have the cajones to do that sort of thing.