I think for some kids it's just another act of rebellion, testing the bounds, taking stupid risks for no well thought out reason...

I knew kids who had means who used to steal jeans and eat food without paying for it in the grocery store too. I called them out if they were my friends and I was with them.

Also interestingly some stores and some managers just don't think it's worth tracking down every shoplifter because the loss is so low that it wastes more resources to hunt them down or try to stop them. If you've worked in retail you might know...

Anonymous wrote:I would totally confront them. It takes a village, and I wouldn't be afraid of retailiation from a bunch of Bethesda high school kids.

My kids went to middle school in Bethesda and I have never met such a bunch of entitled kids in my life. Not all of them, of course, but a significant portion.

+1

I would like to think I would have said something, too.

I would totally confront them. It takes a village, and I wouldn't be afraid of retailiation from a bunch of Bethesda high school kids.

My kids went to middle school in Bethesda and I have never met such a bunch of entitled kids in my life. Not all of them, of course, but a significant portion.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The public pays for the shoplifting in the form of higher prices overall. My nephew was caught shoplifting at a store. Something less than $10. He had the money. I asked him why he did it. He shrugged and said, "Because I thought I could get away with it". He got caught by the store manager, and the manager was kind, called the parents to come get the kid and didn't press charges. I don't know if nephew is still doing this. This was in HS. The kid had other issues.

When I was in HS, the girls that were popular, had money, also shoplifted: earrings, and stuff. I was shocked. They had money. I was poor but have never shoplifted. I don't know why these affluent kids do it. Are they just bored, and this is a form of entertainment?

Because they're a bit entitled and spoiled and don't want to stand in line to pay, and all that hassle.

I think it's also that they don't thank that something that costs like $3.99 is a "big deal" to take. Like some people think it's okay to take one grape to taste from the produce, because the value of one grape is like $.05 or whatever. Or most people would not think it's a big deal to take a loose bic pen that they find on a counter someplace, but would never take a random ipad that someone left on a counter. Rich kids often just have a different scale than the rest of us. So they probably wouldn't steal a car or an iphone, but don't think that taking a couple donuts or a lipstick is "stealing."

Sorry that's ridiculous. My kids are "rich kids" and know not to steal regardless of the value.

How do you know these were rich kids anyway? People are always so excited about the supposed socioeconomic diversity at BCC so maybe these weren't the rich kids.

I was rather well off in high school, and knew not to steal -- and got into shoplifting for a while. Don't bank on the fact that your kids haven't done it.

That's not really the point. The PP implied that "rich kids" somehow view $3.99 items as free for the taking. My point is that my kids know that is not the case. Rich kids in Bethesda are pretty much normal kids, not royalty with butlers to carry their purses and deal with pesky things like money. My kids work summer jobs in retail and understand the value of money. They've also seen a lot of shoplifting in their jobs (not just teens) and have had to call the police on a couple of occasions.

OP, you mentioned that the manager said something about the school dealing with it--? Maybe the school and the store have been in communication already about shoplifting or even about those specific kids. There could be agreement where the store lets the school or local cops know about the shoplifting but has been advised not to accost the kids right there in the store. That seems odd, but there could be a lot of reasons behind it that we don't know or see -- anything from the school (or the cops) knowing that these particular kids could get rough if they're called out by a shopper inside the store, to a plan for someone to catch the kids as they exit the store or enter the school. Waiting to get them once they're past the checkouts prevents any question of "But I was just putting it in my bag to take it up front to pay for it" crap.

I would be really curious about the manager's reference to the school having some role in this. That could be for real, or it could be the manager just trying to blow this off and get rid of a persistent customer who was trying to help.

OP, if you're still mad, contact the store manager -- not just any manager but the person in charge of that entire store, and copy the e-mail or whatever to the corporation's head office as well. Be sure to mention what the manager told you about the school being somehow involved in catching these kids. If that was a lie to get rid of you, that manager's bosses should know about it. But maybe it was for real.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What color were the thieves?

Why do you ask?

Is thievery OK if they are a particular color?

If you complain about white kids stealing, it's because they are committing a crime.

If you complain about black kids stealing, it's because you are a racist.

This is pretty basic stuff.

The only person in this thread who cared about the color of the kids stealing was you. So, you are the racist.

Anonymous wrote:The public pays for the shoplifting in the form of higher prices overall. My nephew was caught shoplifting at a store. Something less than $10. He had the money. I asked him why he did it. He shrugged and said, "Because I thought I could get away with it". He got caught by the store manager, and the manager was kind, called the parents to come get the kid and didn't press charges. I don't know if nephew is still doing this. This was in HS. The kid had other issues.

When I was in HS, the girls that were popular, had money, also shoplifted: earrings, and stuff. I was shocked. They had money. I was poor but have never shoplifted. I don't know why these affluent kids do it. Are they just bored, and this is a form of entertainment?

+1 I'm AA and grew up very poor. I never shoplifted, but many affluent white girls at my HS did. They not only bragged about stealing, but about using Daddy's name and connections to get out of trouble if they got caught.

Anonymous wrote:
I was rather well off in high school, and knew not to steal -- and got into shoplifting for a while. Don't bank on the fact that your kids haven't done it.

Don't bank on the fact that every kid steals. So, if you were rather well off, then why did you steal? For entertainment? What made you stop?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The public pays for the shoplifting in the form of higher prices overall. My nephew was caught shoplifting at a store. Something less than $10. He had the money. I asked him why he did it. He shrugged and said, "Because I thought I could get away with it". He got caught by the store manager, and the manager was kind, called the parents to come get the kid and didn't press charges. I don't know if nephew is still doing this. This was in HS. The kid had other issues.

When I was in HS, the girls that were popular, had money, also shoplifted: earrings, and stuff. I was shocked. They had money. I was poor but have never shoplifted. I don't know why these affluent kids do it. Are they just bored, and this is a form of entertainment?

Because they're a bit entitled and spoiled and don't want to stand in line to pay, and all that hassle.

I think it's also that they don't thank that something that costs like $3.99 is a "big deal" to take. Like some people think it's okay to take one grape to taste from the produce, because the value of one grape is like $.05 or whatever. Or most people would not think it's a big deal to take a loose bic pen that they find on a counter someplace, but would never take a random ipad that someone left on a counter. Rich kids often just have a different scale than the rest of us. So they probably wouldn't steal a car or an iphone, but don't think that taking a couple donuts or a lipstick is "stealing."

Sorry that's ridiculous. My kids are "rich kids" and know not to steal regardless of the value.

How do you know these were rich kids anyway? People are always so excited about the supposed socioeconomic diversity at BCC so maybe these weren't the rich kids.

I was rather well off in high school, and knew not to steal -- and got into shoplifting for a while. Don't bank on the fact that your kids haven't done it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What color were the thieves?

Why do you ask?

Is thievery OK if they are a particular color?

If you complain about white kids stealing, it's because they are committing a crime.

If you complain about black kids stealing, it's because you are a racist.

This is pretty basic stuff.

Anonymous wrote:What color were the thieves?

Why do you ask?

Is thievery OK if they are a particular color?

What color were the thieves?

Anonymous wrote:BCC is not full of "rich kids" AT ALL. While some are, a lot are not. Stop trying to make this out to be something it's not.

The FARMS rate at BCC is right around 10%. Given the area that BCC pulls from I would be willing to take a bet that the kids stealing were not hungry.

I would have followed them and said something. No way those kids are going to retaliate. Or maybe video it and post it on youtube.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP -- what would have happened if you had walked over to the group and said -- loudly -- "Excuse me, did you kids forget your shopping cart?"

And get beaten up in the parking lot?

Let the store handle it.

Who knows maybe they're truly hungry and don't get enough at home.

Oh, yeah, I bet that's it.

How do some of you make this stuff up?