There is a pub in one of the more wretched areas of Downtown, where you will inevitably be approached and asked if "you would like anything?" What they really mean is: "Would you like anything that is on sale at the Co op round the corner?" They then send a young scrote out to steal to order and you pay half the retail price. Whether this includes 3 for 2 offers and suchlike, I have no idea. It's like hiring a personalised shopper only slightly cheaper.
Anyway, apparently the recession is fuelling shoplifting. I can't help but think that a society where nobody dares tells children that stealing is wrong; combined with a legal system that prevents any real punishment if you are caught, is probably fuelling it a bit more. That's just my view however and no doubt the Honourable Society of Shoplifters will be getting ready to sue me.
5 comments:
There was similar chap in operation at my old Polytechic. He would hang around the Union bar taking book orders, and then disappear up the road to select his items.
"Half price books and cassettes" he would bawl, usually after a few lunchtime pints. He's probably still doing the same job now - or maybe they've promoted him to Chief Librarian?!.
Surely 'The Guild of Shoplifters' ?
A couple of enterprising pilferers have been peddling their booty to local pensioners, who are only too pleased to buy half-price tins of salmon and jars of Marmite. At present, this pair are hawking their wares from a plastic bag, but as their business grows they will, I imagine, progress to a handcart, then a Reliant Robin, and finally to a pantechnicon, operating out of Tesco’s car park.
It was hearing on the radio that the average value of a shoplifted item has gone up to eighty quid that shocked me. Things have certainly changed since my teenage days when we used to nick the Pick'n'Mix at Woolies. I hasten to say that I stopped doing this when I started teaching ...
I can't say that I've noticed any particular increase in shoplifting in the past year.
Seem to be more domestic assaults going on over money.
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