Safeway groceries are horrible people.

SDkitty

I worked at a Vons store back in early 2000s and it was infuriating when people would munch while shopping, not because they were thieves but because there ARE lots of thieves out there that leave there garbage all over the store and as an employee you have no way of knowing. Whenever I saw people leave an empty package somewhere I would bring it to them with a big smiling "excuse me, you dropped this" LOL

As for this situation, most big chain stores have ZERO TOLERANCE policies. I think it was a bit harsh that the husband was arrested as well but other than that the store just did what they had to do. I don't understand what people are freaking out about? If you steal something, whether intentionally or not, you get in trouble. She can show it was a mistake in court (which I'm sure they'll let it slide since she is preggo), that is what court is for.

Thomasm198

I say bring back the good old days. Up until 1832 petty theft was a hanging offence in the UK.

poisongirl6485

I say bring back the good old days. Up until 1832 petty theft was a hanging offence in the UK.

Let's chop off their fingers. That'll learn em!

MFPAddict

i always drink something im buying while in the store...hell, ill open up food if im hungry. And no one, NO ONE...is going to grief me over it.

That is because everyone is too depressed thinking about those Colts to care.

damn! that was low....lol

:laugh: Just messing with you.

I give you credit for proudly displaying the team logo. I have been a diehard Steeler fan since I was a kid.

rml_16

People keep saying "it's only $5" and someone said she'd be more upset if someone stole $500 from her wallet than $5. But what if 100 people stole $5 from your wallet?

Those "little" shoplifting incidents add up and a lot of people do not get caught. It costs companies a lot of money over the long-term. Most people who shoplift are not stealing high-priced items. They're stealing bottles of nail polish, makeup, food, you name it. Most of it is probably less than $5.

If it was a genuine mistake, this is a pretty tragic incident. But like everyone else, I wouldn't be surprised if there isn't something we're missing about what happened. We pretty much only really have the side of the people who were arrested and their press-happy attorney.

I don't really care what's happening on their Facebook page. I'm on Facebook. I see some pretty ridiculous things posted and reposted and reposted on there every day.

boomboom011

I have walked out of the store with my kid holding a pack of gun he grabbed at the register, he was 12 months old

You must be in Texas. ;-)

Im assuming by "gun" she meant gum.

you steal you go to jail. but im thinking there is more to the story. i have a sneaky suspicion that the cops asked them if they had anyone to call to get the kids mom and dad said no. therefore authorities had no choice but to call CPS. I want to see the video inside the store.

Cant wait for the truth!

dbecker70

LOL are you serious? I remember being a kid and my mom would open up something in the store and let me sit in the buggy and eat...people are a joke.

In this case, the woman ate some sandwiches while in the store and DID NOT PAY FOR THEM. That is theft.

it is theft, but they could have charged her without going to such extremes! i don't understand how that is ok..

Thank you! I agree with you!

merzback

seriously, it was a mistake-I can't believe what they did to them- I accidentally walked out of the supermarket with water on the bottom of my cart and I am not a thief.

merzback

seriously, it was a mistake-I can't believe what they did to them- I accidentally walked out of the supermarket with water on the bottom of my cart and I am not a thief.

I did go back to pay for it by the way!

dbecker70

I am not here to debate if it is wrong or right to eat in a grocery store, I just feel that the actions taken by the safeway manager were a bit extreme.

They bought 50 dollars worth of grogeries so I don't think that they were trying to get away with $5 sandwiches for free. They offered to pay for it, I know being pregnant leaves you or at least me absent minded, also just moving there can make you tired. I honestly feel they forgot, but that is just me. right or wrong? I don't know, but I understand.

I have walked out of the store with my kid holding a pack of gun he grabbed at the register, he was 12 months old so he didn't know and I was paying so i didn't see him grab it. Once I got in the pakring lot I seen him chewing on it and ran inside and offered to pay. We all make mistakes, but arresting both parents, actually arresting them at all is a bit extreme.

I have seen many adults that shoplifted, but they weren't all arrested, they did get charged and convicted with shoplifting, it's not a felony though. It is not right to try to steal anytihng, but having a criminal record because they forgot to pay for $5 sandwiches? I am not sure it was intentional so I don't agree.

I am boycotting safeway, i may be alone, but until this mess gets straightened out, I am done with safeway.

You are not alone.

Bonita_Lynne_58

seriously, it was a mistake-I can't believe what they did to them- I accidentally walked out of the supermarket with water on the bottom of my cart and I am not a thief.

I did go back to pay for it by the way!

I did go back in and paid the one time I accidentally walked out without paying! I had taught my kids that stealing is wrong. Period...So how could I teach a child if my actions didn't show I really believed it.

Still think this incident may have been a mistake. If I was going to deliberately eat a sandwich then not pay for it, I sure wouldn't keep the wrapper. I'd ditch it somewhere inside long before I got to the check out line. I truly hope it was a mistake, because I hate to think a parent would deliberately steal with their child watching them. Our actions speak louder than our words!

Am I sure it was a mistake? No. Just as I couldn't be sure it was a deliberate attempt to steal. My crystal ball is broken!

Mmmary212

1. Irritates me when people use pregnancy as an excuse for anything. Special parking spots, absent minded-activity. Get a grip.

2. There has to be more to the story. You know we're not getting all of it, this is american media. For all we know, this is the 10th time they've done this and the store has had enough of "Oh I forgot, let me pay now"....

3. That's all.

Cait_Sidhe

When I was 13 I used a stick of deodorant after a soccer game and put it back on the shelf.
I wasn't pregnant though.

I think I bought that stick, I wondered why it smelled like a 13 year olds soccer game sweat:)

Did it smell like teen spirit?

cantjustcant

bump

redcore

I think it's bad form to eat in a grocery store before you pay. That's just me. I don't think they should've been arrested for it (unless it was not the first offense, which is entirely likely) though.

That said I love my Safeway and the people that work there. I wouldn't boycott them for a little incident like this. I mean, that's a little extreme. If that's your moral stance, I sure hope you're not shopping at any big box store like Walmart either.

revnica

wow safeway don't play! i used to work at shoprite, if they where like safeway at least a dozen customers would be arrested there everyday!!!!

couponfun

My 2 cents...

They should've paid inside for the sandwich. HOWEVER this has all kinds of FAIL by the store written on it.

The loss prevention people were FOLLOWING them through the store. When they got to the register, loss prevention was STILL FOLLOWING THEM. Why not bring it up there so they could pay for it? Pregnant and with a 3 yo -- you could probably profile it and see it was likely forgotten. If the intent was stealing, why not ditch the wrapper?

They waited til they got OUT of the store to confront them. They realized the mistake and offered to pay for the sandwich. Heck take the money and ban them if you want. But no, the manager said once they leave the store he can't take money. Um, ok...so why didn't you take it IN the store?

Next the manager insisted on calling the cops, who took 4 hours to show up. The COPS SAID "Why don't you let them pay for it?" Manager said no he wanted them arrested. Cops offered to arrest her since she ate the sandwich and have dad take the daughter, manager said NO he wanted BOTH arrested. Cops offered to arrest one first, let them bail out and come back for the other so the daughter wouldn't go into the system. IT WAS THE SAFEWAY MANAGER that insisted they BOTH be arrested AT THE SAME TIME, which then put the little girl in CPS. BTW, anyone notice in the story that she's a former Air Force Staff Sergeant? Defends our country and this is the thanks she gets.

As for suing, yeah, I think they should sue. The manager had a ton of options to deal with this. And yes, theft is theft, but there are DEGREES of theft. So now because he wouldn't take $5 for the sandwiches, Safeway is dealing with legal fees, bad press, possible boycotts, and the parents have been left with a kid who will probably be freaked out for some time to come.

maria1113

People keep saying "it's only $5" and someone said she'd be more upset if someone stole $500 from her wallet than $5. But what if 100 people stole $5 from your wallet?

I was just going to post the same thing. What if there was several people who took 5$ out of the wallet?

IT WAS THE SAFEWAY MANAGER that insisted they BOTH be arrested AT THE SAME TIME, which then put the little girl in CPS. BTW, anyone notice in the story that she's a former Air Force Staff Sergeant? Defends our country and this is the thanks she gets.

And you were there to know this by fact? Didn't think so either
And what the hell has the latter thing have anything to do with the situation? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

Also, very sorry to tell you but pregnancy is not a disease or handicap. You still need to consider other people around you, behave (and eating before paying is behaving badly) and yeas, laws and rules apply to you too.
If you know that you get easily hungry, then carry some snacks with you. It really is not that difficult.

Here we see again how selfish people are these days, it's sad :frown: It's really not that hard to wait for 15 minutes until you're out of the store. Just try it even once

asyouseefit

They bought 50 dollars worth of grogeries so I don't think that they were trying to get away with $5 sandwiches for free. They offered to pay for it, I know being pregnant leaves you or at least me absent minded, also just moving there can make you tired. I honestly feel they forgot, but that is just me. right or wrong? I don't know, but I understand.

I agree you tend to forget about stuff when pregnant. Her husband, however, has no excuses...

Thomasm198

My 2 cents...

They should've paid inside for the sandwich. HOWEVER this has all kinds of FAIL by the store written on it.

The loss prevention people were FOLLOWING them through the store. When they got to the register, loss prevention was STILL FOLLOWING THEM. Why not bring it up there so they could pay for it? Pregnant and with a 3 yo -- you could probably profile it and see it was likely forgotten. If the intent was stealing, why not ditch the wrapper?

They waited til they got OUT of the store to confront them. They realized the mistake and offered to pay for the sandwich. Heck take the money and ban them if you want. But no, the manager said once they leave the store he can't take money. Um, ok...so why didn't you take it IN the store?

Next the manager insisted on calling the cops, who took 4 hours to show up. The COPS SAID "Why don't you let them pay for it?" Manager said no he wanted them arrested. Cops offered to arrest her since she ate the sandwich and have dad take the daughter, manager said NO he wanted BOTH arrested. Cops offered to arrest one first, let them bail out and come back for the other so the daughter wouldn't go into the system. IT WAS THE SAFEWAY MANAGER that insisted they BOTH be arrested AT THE SAME TIME, which then put the little girl in CPS. BTW, anyone notice in the story that she's a former Air Force Staff Sergeant? Defends our country and this is the thanks she gets.

As for suing, yeah, I think they should sue. The manager had a ton of options to deal with this. And yes, theft is theft, but there are DEGREES of theft. So now because he wouldn't take $5 for the sandwiches, Safeway is dealing with legal fees, bad press, possible boycotts, and the parents have been left with a kid who will probably be freaked out for some time to come.

Where did you get all the information from? The only part of what you have said that I saw in the article was the she used to be in the air force. :huh:

And why should the fact that she was previously in the air force mean she shouldn't have been arrested? Does that mean that if a former member of the armed forces commits any crime then they should be exempt from prosecution?

DWilbanks

I believe stealing is stealing, whether it's $1, $2, or $5. Who has to pay for it in the long run when others steal? The consumer. Yes it may seem harsh because she had her children with her, but honestly, how do you conveniently forget that you ate this in the store and forget to pay for it?

unsuspectingfish

Wait, wait, wait...that Safeway is not only allowed to stop shoplifters, but the cops are willing to come and arrest them on a first-time offense? Clearly, I work for the wrong company. Seriously, though, we're not even allowed to come right out and accuse people of theft, we're lucky if the cops show up the same day, and we're really lucky if they do more than trespass the people on the first call. I think the only time my store actually got anyone arrested was when some guy shoved a manager. With this in mind, I can see the logic behind the store's decision. It sounded to me like they didn't actually expect anyone to spend any time in jail.

Bahet

I sometimes "forget" to pay for things at Safeway when their advertised sales don't actually ring up correctly. I recoup my losses through future visits. Can't wait until another supermarket chain moves in town and I don't have to shop there anymore.

So you readily admit to being a theif and think it's justified because you didn't noice that you were overcharged at some point?? Wow, just wow. SMH

rml_16

I have walked out of the store with my kid holding a pack of gun he grabbed at the register, he was 12 months old

You must be in Texas. ;-)

Im assuming by "gun" she meant gum.

Yes, I realize that. I was making a joke.

MFPAddict

HOWEVER this has all kinds of FAIL by the store written on it.

Personally I think you should be arrested for your use of the word FAIL.

:sick:

inskydiamonds

My 2 cents...

They should've paid inside for the sandwich. HOWEVER this has all kinds of FAIL by the store written on it.

The loss prevention people were FOLLOWING them through the store. When they got to the register, loss prevention was STILL FOLLOWING THEM. Why not bring it up there so they could pay for it? Pregnant and with a 3 yo -- you could probably profile it and see it was likely forgotten. If the intent was stealing, why not ditch the wrapper?

They waited til they got OUT of the store to confront them. They realized the mistake and offered to pay for the sandwich. Heck take the money and ban them if you want. But no, the manager said once they leave the store he can't take money. Um, ok...so why didn't you take it IN the store?

Next the manager insisted on calling the cops, who took 4 hours to show up. The COPS SAID "Why don't you let them pay for it?" Manager said no he wanted them arrested. Cops offered to arrest her since she ate the sandwich and have dad take the daughter, manager said NO he wanted BOTH arrested. Cops offered to arrest one first, let them bail out and come back for the other so the daughter wouldn't go into the system. IT WAS THE SAFEWAY MANAGER that insisted they BOTH be arrested AT THE SAME TIME, which then put the little girl in CPS. BTW, anyone notice in the story that she's a former Air Force Staff Sergeant? Defends our country and this is the thanks she gets.

As for suing, yeah, I think they should sue. The manager had a ton of options to deal with this. And yes, theft is theft, but there are DEGREES of theft. So now because he wouldn't take $5 for the sandwiches, Safeway is dealing with legal fees, bad press, possible boycotts, and the parents have been left with a kid who will probably be freaked out for some time to come.

Regardless of how much the Safeway manager insisted that the police arrest these people, it is still within the police's discretion whether they do so or not. Safeway DOES NOT run the justice system. Safeway does not give orders to the police. And if the police thought that arresting these people for this offense was outrageous, they shouldn't have done so. If the police officer was so intimidated by the Safeway manager that he felt obligated to arrest someone he wouldn't typically arrest, he needs to grow some.

While Safeway could civilly sue these people for the cost of the sandwiches, they have no control over criminal charges being brought against them. If the officer felt that this should not be a charge brought against them, he should have told the manager that he was not going to arrest these people. Civilians do not get to make decisions like that.

shelby623

I sometimes "forget" to pay for things at Safeway when their advertised sales don't actually ring up correctly. I recoup my losses through future visits. Can't wait until another supermarket chain moves in town and I don't have to shop there anymore.

So you readily admit to being a theif and think it's justified because you didn't noice that you were overcharged at some point?? Wow, just wow. SMH

Again people, just learn to take a friggin joke! When you have to bag your own groceries you can't watch the screen to see the prices. Or when boxes of tissues are advertised for 1.00 each but they ring up as 2.00, good luck finding someone to fix it and letting your frozen items melt while waiting. Or the best time was when they deleted my club card after I scanned it (which had all my coupons on it) and put in someone elses, so none of my coupons went through.

Take the sticks out of your a$$es! Laugh, it will burn some calories!!!!!!!!!!

inskydiamonds

Take the sticks out of your a$$es! Laugh, it will burn some calories!!!!!!!!!!

Typically people laugh at jokes that actually are funny.

cantjustcant

The loss prevention people were FOLLOWING them through the store. When they got to the register, loss prevention was STILL FOLLOWING THEM. Why not bring it up there so they could pay for it? Pregnant and with a 3 yo -- you could probably profile it and see it was likely forgotten. If the intent was stealing, why not ditch the wrapper?

They waited til they got OUT of the store to confront them. They realized the mistake and offered to pay for the sandwich. Heck take the money and ban them if you want. But no, the manager said once they leave the store he can't take money. Um, ok...so why didn't you take it IN the store?

In my state (not sure what law in Hawaii states) you cannot confront someone with theft until they physically leave the store without paying. That gives them EVERY opportunity to pay for forgotten merchandise. And no the manager cannot take the money afterwards for their "mistake".

Safeway has dropped all charges against the pair. We don't know what happened in the store other than the couple's side of the story...

Stop using pregnancy as an excuse! I have 3 children from 4 pregnancies so yeah I do know what the hormones do to your body.

Bahet

Take the sticks out of your a$$es! Laugh, it will burn some calories!!!!!!!!!!

Typically people laugh at jokes that actually are funny.

Exactly. Maybe it's just me but I don't find theft to be funny.

Also, Safeway, IME, has been really good about correcting their errors when things ring up incorrectly. If I have had ice cream in my cart and ddin't have time to go to customer service I bring the receipt back the next time and they correct it. I still fail to see what was supposed to be funny about your OP. You admitted to stealing. How is that even remotely funny? If not being a crook means I have a stick up my @$$ then I'll gladly keep it there. Honesty and law abiding doesn't = uptight aymore than being a thief = funny IMO. I guess I'm just weird that way though.