So I got accused of stealing from this place in the most rediculous way possible. It's actually…read moreeven quite funny to me. Here's the context.
I go here about four or five times a week, if only because it's convenient to a couple other places I go to. I ride a bike as transportation, so I usually have a backpack on me to keep things, and...to hawl groceries around.
Now I know being a dude with a backpack is a cardinal sin in grocery stores, and I'm going to have every eye and every camera on me as soon I walk in the place -- I'm well used to this. Despite women that routinely carry around giant ungodly purses, they're fine. Me with a backpack? Gimme me the death penalty I guess.
So to avoid all this, I usually try to leave my backpack with my bike, but because today I had a fairly expensive laptop in there, I didn't want to leave it outside...because it'd get stolen. So I bring my backpack in, I grab a few things, I even talk to the person behind the meat counter so I could get some tenderloins...everything's fine up to this point.
I talk to another worker, trying to find an energy drink, and then I go to pay for my items in the self-checkout. At this point I realize my wallet is in my backpack, I didn't have it in my pocket because I'd been at the gym earlier, and left those pants in my bag.
And then at this point, some ginger kid approaches me and asks to look in my bag. At first I agree, telling the kid he's going to look awfully stupid, but then I refuse on general principle, telling them they can check their cameras if they'd like, and I was just going to go, without the items.
The Opie ginger kid then asks if I want to talk to the manager. I say sure. But then I'm standing there waiting for several minutes waiting to talk to a manager about something that I should've never been forced to deal with in the first place. So I leave.
After I'm in the parking lot unlocking my bike, the ruthless chubby ginger kid comes out. He's not done. Blood in his eyes and probably some in his hair too, phone in hand, talking to what I assume to be the police or maybe the manager. He's basically doing a play-by-play on the phone, relaying everything I'm doing.
I yell some things and I ride off into the sunset.
But afterward, here's the kicker...I begin to have doubts about how I handled the situation, because I was in a state of high emotions at the time. So after thinking about it, I decided to give the store a call in order to explain my side of things. Someone answers, I tell them I'm the person whom they just asked to search their backpack, and I started explaining why I got upset, when I overhear the person put the phone down and talk to what I assumed to be the manager, and they're saying "It's the guy who shoplifted.".
Now, the problem I have with this whole situation is, despite me routinely going to this place multiple times a week, and even PREVIOUSLY earlier that VERY SAME DAY, either I'm the dumbest thief on the planet earth, who has knowingly walked into a store that he goes to frequently, with a plan to steal from it while wearing a backpack, I then draw attention to myself by choosing to talk to multiple employees in the store, and THEN I've apparently chosen to steal items in the worst possible position in the store (the self checkout line, in full view of five completely braindead overpaid teenagers who work there, whose literal only job is to watch you), and then used a locked bicycle as the worst possible getaway vehicle.
And then...for some reason, after that, I then decide it's a great idea to call the store back that I've just allegedly tried to steal from. To do what exactly? If all this is correct, Opie deserves a raise.
Or...
Fareway on 53rd needs to take it down a notch as well. They were wrong, and should apologize.
Especially Opie.
