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Well today is a new day I hope it is a
better day then yesterday which was terrible it started out ok with
family breakfast it was my sister Sue's birthday and she seemed to
like her presents which made everyone happy.
Now you may be wondering what so
terrible about the day well...........take a deep breath Jo-Anne and
just type the words it isn't that hard you know how to type just do
it get it out there and allow everyone to judge you and not just
your family and we all know they are talking about you behind your
back....................
Ok here it goes when I do my food
shopping I do some at Woolworths and some at Coles and yesterday
instead of taking the Woolworths stuff back to the car I took it with
me into Coles anyway I have a habit of placing all the cold stuff in
a bag to keep cool and yes you guessed it when I went through the
checkout I somehow forgot about the bag this week I do not know how
or why I forgot I just did....................and yes I get stopped
by store security when I leave the store............
So I got caught shop lifting NO it was
not intentional but that is irrelevant..........................
So then I get taken to the security
office and the security officer tells me that they are calling the
cops since there is over $50 worth of stuff which is because I had
picked up steak anyway in the office someone adds up the stuff and
tells me that it is worth $168 and I say I find that hard to believe
but they tell me that is the total...................When the police
arrive they ask for a checkout docket so they can have an itemise
list and when they do that it turns out to less the half what they
had said like only $55 worth of stuff.................I knew it
wasn't $168............ok not the point but I was right about that.
Also it turned out that the checkout operator hadn't added the
carton of soft drink even though I am sure I told her about it but
she said I didn't, however, I have had many times when I have told
them and they just don't listen and I have realised afterwards that it
wasn't added.
The bag of cold stuff is a different
matter I offered no excuse other then I forgot about it what else
could I say or do it is what it is.................which is what I
told the police officer and he was nice told me it wasn't the end of
the world and that these things happen and I shouldn't allow myself
to get to upset about it.
So what happens now well I will get a
fine in the mail of about $220 and I am banned for the shopping
centre aka as a mall for 6 months and from the supermarket chain and
all other stores owned by the same company for 12 months and that's
it.
As I write this I am still churning
inside and really just want to hide away and see no one..............
Although I have to say while I was in
the security office I sent a text to all my girls, Tim and my mum
about what happened both Kathy & Jess came up and offered support
and comfort and my mum rang me straight away and told me it would be
fine and she still loves me and knows it was not
intentional..............I am worried what my dad and my brother will
say.........................mum reckons they will be fine and not say
much but I am still not sure........at least they do not read my
blogs...........
Also I am sure my sister Sue is pleased
her ears have a chance to cool down as they must burn a lot with how
often she is convince we are all talking about her, so now it is my
ears time to burn...........
Too bad it wasn't the three cops in the picture that were called!
ReplyDeleteBut it really isn't the end of the world.
An honest mistake by you Jo-Anne,
ReplyDeletePeople kind of get less for murder.
I have seen so many people take a handful of grapes, eat apples, all kinds of things and I bet they don't pay for them or tell the checkout person.
Nothing belongs to us until we have paid for it.
Took great courage to type about your experience.
what a dreadful experience for you to go through. don't hate yourself as it really isn't the end of the world and i agree it takes a lot of guts to blog about it. bet you don't forget to take your shopping back to the car in future.
ReplyDeleteAl...........One of the cops who turned up was a nice looking young guy, he was the one who told me it not to stress over it he was really nice to me.
ReplyDeleteWhiteangel.......It wasn't easy to write about the whole thing and if I lose followers because of it then so be it.......I have also seen people opening packets of chips and eating them as they shop and washing it down with a bottle of soft drink then toss the wrapper and empty bottle in the bin without paying.....I have drink as I shop but I always pay for it at the checkout....
Yevisha.....No I will never again take shopping from one shop to another I will take it back and put it in the car that way I know everything in the trolley needs to be paid for........blogging about the whole thing wasn't easy but I thought it might help in some way, I am not sure what way though.....
i think blogging about it is a little bit like a therapy where you might feel a bit better by verbalizing (blogging) it. you need support at a time like this.
ReplyDeleteSweetie- It was a mistake...and you learned something from it..but certainly not worth beating yourself up about it....it's one of those moments that everyone tells you that you will laugh about someday..plus you owned up to it with the police...hugs to you..
ReplyDeleteOh goodness. It wasn't intentional and you know that. Embarrassing maybe but you know you wouldn't steal. :( Hugs sweetie.
ReplyDeleteColenic......Yes it was a mistake a stupid one and I have learnt from it and will be a lot more careful in future. I did spend yesterday afternoon beating my self up about it but now I will just let my brusies heal..........
ReplyDeleteJewels.......I will recover from the embarressment in time by the time I will be allowed back into the shopping centre the whole thing will just be a memory.
it'll be ok hon. the people who care about and know you (including bloggy buds like me) don't think any less of you, stuff happens sometimes and it sounds like they handled it badly on a store level. mayhaps you should just NEVER go back there again. don't be embarresed and don't feel bad. hold you head high and shop the competition!
ReplyDeleteActually in the situation I think they've blown it out of contents, the fact that you were actually paying for your items should have given them the big clue that you didn't mean to miss those items out. Still if they meant to make an example they should have given you a warning as its your first offence, that should be considered for something....
ReplyDeleteMy sister once went home with 4 boxes of nappies because the checkout lady didn't include them and my sister couldn't understand why her payment was so low, she went home and looked when you realised so she went back to pay for it. My sister once told me to not hang clothes on the handle of a pram or trolley because someone at her work walked out of the store with loads of clothes because she forgot they were there and she never got caught. She just kept the clothes.
I forgot to say that your not to blame in this situation, it could happen to any of us and like I said they've made a mountain out of a mole hill.
ReplyDeleteOh sweet Jo-Anne EVERYONE makes mistakes. I am the queen of them! I think they were a bit too hard on you...I mean you were on line paying for stuff for goodness sake! I am so sorry you had to go through that.
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Joanne
I can see why they felt the need to give you a ticket. Having outside bags in the store, even if you are paying for some things, is one of the most common ways for people to shoplift other things - including higher dollar items. I saw it all the time when I was a grocery clerk in college. That is why so many stores have the "No outside bags" or "Please check your bags at the front" signs.
ReplyDeleteThey sounded like they were nice about it, at least. Here in the US you get arrested first, then court, etc. They don't do tickets. [At least where I live.]
And no one is judging you or talking behind your back. You admitted what you did and made it right. It is a good lesson learned, I suppose.
No worries. I hope you enjoy your weekend.
Tim..........my family are great at black listing stored and refusing to go there my daughter once got fired from Donut King after only half an hour because they said she was to short and it took 10yrs before we would go back to that Donut King store and only then after they had changed hands........My mum was treated badly in a Chemist store like about 20yrs ago and she will still not go into that store.....lol No kidding.......
ReplyDeleteBubbles.......That story about your sister reminded me of the time when my eldest was about 2yrs old I was shopping she was in her stoller and we leave a store I glance down at her and she has the hughe teddy sitting on her lap I went straigh back to the store and handed it back and asked how on earth the check girl didn't notice it and she just shrugged and said she didn't but that thing was huge and cost like $40 at the time. In fact my eldest was a right little thief when she was a toddle I would have to lift her up and check under her bottom as we left a store if she was in her stoller as she would just pick things up as we walked past and shove them down beside her or under her bum...
The would always be a tantrum when I removed the items and told he she couldn't have them.
Joanne......I even asked if I could still buy the stuff I had forgotten about when the whole thing was over as I still needed the stuff but the wouldn't let me so I had to send hubby out that afternoon to get the stuff for me..
SkippyMom......They were all things consided pretty nice as I said I knew how it looked and accepted it, I have always been pretty good not great but pretty good at letting door staff do though my shopping bags I would show dockets and pull things out but this just goes to show how easy it is to slip up and as I said being forgetful is not excuse. I am sure store secruity staff here "I forget" all the time and yes some of us have just forgotten but I am sure there are others who did forget and did try to steal. Which is why I didn't argue or get to upset or defensive forgetting is not a free pass in my opinion and I am very happy that I was let off with just a fine.
Oh Jo-Anne! I'm so sorry, but this is hilarious. You wrote about it very well and I love the photo of the cat.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Lola
It must have been the day from hell. It is so easy to do especially as you get to my age, I forget heaps. It is a shame that they didn't believe you.
ReplyDeleteHope you can put it behind you and get on with your life. Don't worry about what others say. You know what really happened.
aw honey hugs
ReplyDeleteLola..........That cat shows how I often feel when I have had a bad day.......lol
ReplyDeleteDiane......I have to see my dad today and I know he will aske me about it but once that is over I will be ok and I know he is ok with it as he says he knows me and knows that it is not something I would do.
Becca.........Thanks for the hug
Oh HOW MORTIFYING! And to think they didn't just excuse it as an honest mistake. Sheesh!
ReplyDeletejo-anne that reminds me of my niece, she always picks up things and puts them in her trolley. Its so funny as we get to the counter and wonder where on earth something has come from because its either ugly or very random.
ReplyDeleteGreen Girl.........I think the fact that every one may say it was a mistake that they just forgot makes it hard for them to believe anyone. They do not know me personally so they do not know that it is not something I would do. I accept that.
ReplyDeleteBubbles.......Yes when my girls were younger they would just place things in the trolley that they thought looked nice and when I would get to the checkout there would be all these other things that I hadn't picked up and didn't want in the trolley.
Somehow I missed this post but glad I caught it. It takes a remarkable person to admit a mistake and to write about it like you did. Something similar happened to my husband many years ago. It was all just an honest mistake but some people were quick to judge and dropped him like a hot potato as a friend. Those weren't friends to begin with. You are an amazing woman in my opinion. Don't fret about what others will say. You have to live with YOU. Hugs Jo-Anne.
ReplyDeleteHi Barb.....Not being able to return to the shopping centre for 6mths is fine with me it will take me that long to get over the embarressment...
ReplyDeleteWritting about it wasn't easy and I wasn't sure how my blog friends would react and if I would lose some followers but I sucked it up and did it and I am glad I did it has been amazing to get such postive feed back.
I will now make sure I take shopping straight back to the car before going into a different shop.
Thankfully my family has also been very supportive although I am sure they have had a bit of a gossip about it behind my back.........