In which I’m a rat
Posted by Isabel on May 27th, 2009. Filed under: City Living, Me.I decided to treat myself yesterday by walking over to Nordstrom on my lunch break to peruse their glorious make-up counters. I didn’t plan on making any type of a purchase. I just wanted to set my eyes on the summer’s new lip gloss.
Hey, a girl can dream.
Right in the middle of holding a new tube of Nars lip gloss in my hands a trying to talk myself into paying that amount for it, I noticed this teenage girl was standing a little too close to me.
I appreciate my own private personal space. Maybe I appreciate it a little too much.
So, this dumb girl was all up in my business. I became a little suspicious that maybe my purse wasn’t zipped and she was fixing to steal my iPod. I looked around, checked my purse, and realized this girl was just being sneaky. It had nothing to do with me.
I walked away from her and her super short cut offs and her perfectly tousled hair.
She followed me.
She was shifty and I’m paranoid.
Not a good mix.
I pretended to not notice her and she continued being shifty.
And then I noticed her slip two HUGE pallets of make-up into her oversized Gucci bag.
DUDE!
I was shocked and horrified. Here I can’t even afford a new lip gloss and this stupid teenager is stealing over $100 in make-up and putting it into her Gucci bag.
Seriously, I was pissed.
I stood there for a second, wondering what to do. I didn’t want to be known as a “rat” and tattle on her and then get beat up by her and her teenage hooligan friends. I also didn’t want her to get a way with it. Her stealing that make-up just raises the price for those of us who actually use their hard-earned money to make purchases.
I noticed a group of Nordstrom employees standing together in a corner discussing a new product line. I quietly walked over and tapped one of them on the shoulder.
“Hey, should I tell you if I see someone shoplift?”
“Um, YES!”
“Okay. There’s a teenage girl in short shorts with a huge Gucci bag who just stole a crap load of make-up!”
“Thanks. I’m on it.”
And then I quickly, but not too quickly, walked out of the store and back into the daylight, just hoping nobody saw me rat her out. (Hey, I don’t typically want to get beat up by a teenage girl!)
I was nervous the rest of the day that I had done something wrong. Everyone always talks about hating a rat and a tattle-tale. I know that people hate rats. But I also know that stealing is wrong and that when someone steals, it hurts the rest of us.
I’ve had some time to think about what I did…and honey, I’m glad I told on that girl. I hope they caught her and I hope she gets in some trouble and stops stealing.
Because it isn’t right to steal.
So tell me, would you have told on her?
May 27th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
Absolutely. I’ve never had any problems with being a tattletale but I do have problems with people who feel they are entitled to things without paying or working for them.
May 27th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
My sister used to manage a Loss Prevention office for another department store. What you did was absolutely right. She had a lot of steps she had follow in order to be able to have someone arrested. Selection, concealment, etc etc. SO! What I guess I’m saying is- you really just alerted LP to keep an eye on her, if it works anything like the way the store my sister worked for does.
May 27th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
You certainly did nothing wrong, but I get feeling guilty. No one likes to get someone else in trouble. But you probably did her a favor: getting caught for something petty like $100 of makeup is better than getting caught stealing something more serious, and hopefully this will help her to change her ways. And stealing DOES raise the prices for the rest of us.
I was in the pharmacy about a year or two ago waiting to pick up a prescription and I noticed this super-shady dude scoop an entire shelf of cold medicine into his shirt, using it like a basket, and then sneak out the door. I was totally dumbfounded and too slow to say anything. I was like, holy cow, he’s going to make meth! I watch law and order, I know about the cold medicine!
And that is why we all have to deal with the annoyance of locked up cold medicine in pharmacies now. The end.
May 27th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
Yes, you did the right thing!
May 27th, 2009 at 4:09 pm
I would have told, too! Nothing is more frustration than seeing something like that. Not only is it wrong, but us non-shoplifters end up paying for it through higher prices.
Good for you for telling!
May 27th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
You aren’t ratty. It’s one thing to whine to the teacher that your classmate pushed you out of line for recess, it’s completely different to let a punky teen steal makeup from Nordstrom, which is, by definition, sachrosanct. ;o)
xox
May 27th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
I definitely would have told on her. But I also would have gotten out of there as fast as possible, like you did. Good call.
May 27th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
You did the right thing. Stealing is wrong, no matter if you witnessed a teenager stealing makeup or a guy jacking a car. You have nothing to feel bad about.
May 27th, 2009 at 4:38 pm
In Nordstrom once, I saw a guy nonchalantly put on a leather jacket and oh-so-casually walk out of the store. However, he was being watched by store employees and they ran after him and absolutely tackled him. It was crazy.
But anyway, I think you did the right thing.
May 27th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
I would have told on her too. She was stealing; you did the right thing.
May 27th, 2009 at 4:42 pm
Teenage girls should NOT HAVE GUCCI BAGS. I would have told on her for this reason alone. You know, besides the whole “stealing is wrong”. But also, I am a bitch.
May 27th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
No, only b/c I am too chicken!! Good for you, hopefully she will learn her “lesson” now rather than later. Yo may have saved her from some more serious types of issues!
May 27th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
I totally would have tattled.
When I worked in retail a teenage girl came in my store and stole armfuls of stuff. I was the only person working, and I didn’t even see her come in the store, let alone take anything. She ended up getting busted in another store and mall security dragged her into my store to see if that’s where the merchandise came from. I felt so violated. I’d been robbed. and I had no idea! I would have appreciated someone tattling on her if they’d seen it happen.
May 27th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
I would have told on her, too. You would have been more protected in the store with the cameras everywhere. It infuriated me just to read how bold she was. I saw the same thing at the Victoria’s Secret at Pacific Place, this girl walked out, OPENED her bag to her friends outside and they ran off giggling. I hope those undies were several sizes too small and she’ll never enjoy them.
May 27th, 2009 at 5:22 pm
Yes, I would have. I know times are tough, but times will get a lot tougher if people start stealing and disregarding the law and morality. Our society has a kind of perverse fascination with renegades and outlaws, so that’s where the weird guilt may have come from.
You did the right thing, it’s just too bad you didn’t get a free tube of lip gloss out of the deal!
May 27th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
Good for you – I think you did exactly the right thing.
May 27th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
you totally did the right thing. I wish I could say I would totally have had the balls…but I’m not sure I would have!
May 27th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
You TOTALLY did the right thing. Shoplifters make prices go up!
May 27th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
Good for you for being brave enough to say something. Hopefully she’ll stop before her shoplifting lands her in much deeper waters.
May 27th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
Oh hell yes, you did the right thing. I yelled down to the first floor of the Mall of America once, pointing out a RIDICULOUS man using the biggest bag EVER to shoplift kids’ clothing from an expensive store. Then I called security. They were all “we never can prosecute them…oh well,” and I was all “excuse me?” Then wouldn’t everyone shoplift (well, no, because we have morals). Seriously, don’t lose an ounce of sleep over this jerko girl.
May 27th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
You did the right thing. I can see how you’d be conflicted, but I am w/the others – you did the right think and I’d like to think I would’ve done the same.
May 27th, 2009 at 7:52 pm
Awesome! I tattled on a man in the checkout line at the grocery store, trying to walk out with huge case of bud light under his cart, the checker didn’t even notice and as he was walking away I called out HEY! Sir! You forgot about the beer under your cart! I gave him a nice smile and he mumbled something about not wanting it anymore and literally ran out of the store. I didn’t regret it for a second…
May 27th, 2009 at 8:56 pm
Good job. You did the right thing for sure. But I would have had butterflies in my stomach had I been you. It’s hard sometimes to do the right thing. But yay! You did.
May 27th, 2009 at 9:23 pm
You absolutely did the right thing! I would have done it too, and I would have made extra efforts to make sure the thief didn’t see me rat on her… (I’m such a chicken!)
May 28th, 2009 at 12:29 am
I would have done the same thing. Plus she was standing close to you, so what if someone else had noticed her? Employes could have thought you were an accomplice. Maybe this incident will be enough to change her ways.
Also, I heart what May said.
May 28th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
I hope I would, and I’m glad you did!
May 28th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
I would have told – absolutely!
May 28th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
I’m just bummed that there’s a perception that stopping crime is a bad thing. An extreme example is a guy in Oakland who recently raped a couple of women and then killed two cops. Loads of people knew where he was hiding out. Finally tracked down by the police a couple of hours later, he killed another two cops before he was killed. People knew where he was holed up but didn’t want to be perceived as snitches. A totally extreme comparison, I grant you, but the same basic fear of being a narc.
May 28th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
How great a place it would be if we all looked out for what is right like you did here. I believe if we all acted like this on the side of what’s right (not just legal) then not only would shoplifting happen less but you wouldn’t have felt the need to quickly exit the building just because you did what was right.
Great job and I’m glad you posted about it.
May 29th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
I would have done the same thing. I get so pissed at people that think they have some sort of entitlement that allows them to nonchalantly take what us hard working people buy. Not to mention it’s all around WRONG to steal. There’s been a couple of times I walked out of a store holding something tiny and inexpensive, not thinking about it, but when I realized I had it, I would march back down to the store and either pay for it, or return it. The employees were always so grateful.
May 29th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
I am pretty sure that I would have done the same thing.
And I also would have ran out of the store hoping that she didn’t see me…
More importantly- what shade of lip glass were you looking at?
haha
May 29th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
Once on the metro bus, I saw a homeless woman get on and drop a $20 bill. I was sitting in the back and there was a squirrelly teenage couple sitting across the aisle from me. The girl grabbed the $20 bill and showed it to her boyfriend. She also caught my eye and I just shook my head and pointed to the homeless woman and mouthed “give it back.” So she did. And boy did my heart race and I kept waiting for her boyfriend to get mad at me. But nothing bad happened. Sometimes doing the right thing is scary but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. Good job doing the right thing, Isabel!
May 31st, 2009 at 9:24 pm
I would have TOTALLY called her out, MYSELF.
This coming from the lady who yelled at the topless woman at the Y yesterday.
Very unstable I am.
May 31st, 2009 at 11:55 pm
You did the right thing and I’m glad you got the hell out of there too. I’ve heard that some people work in groups. Or maybe I saw it on Law & Order.
June 1st, 2009 at 1:38 am
You did the right thing! And you were brave! And you did it the right way by telling the store employees and letting them handle it.
All the fear and drama about rats is, I think, mostly associated WITHIN communities. Your fears might be more well-founded if the teenager was someone you recognized as a neighbor, for example. (I’m gonna go out on a limb here and guess that few of your co-workers or friends from church are shoplifters.
But if they were, it would be more emotionally complicated to turn them in if you saw them stealing. )
June 1st, 2009 at 4:23 pm
I think you’re awesome for telling on her. Not so much because stealing is wrong (I mean, of course it IS), but because like you said, if you can’t afford a lip gloss why should some dumb teenage girl get a bunch of free makeup?
June 3rd, 2009 at 8:53 pm
Oh you bet your bottom I would have said something to a store employee about the shoplifter. As a matter of fact, I’ve done it before myself!
Good for you. You did the right thing.