75ZT Community

We were shopping in the city today (there's a surprise), and in one of the clothes shops, I was standing by the exit, somewhat bored, waiting for SWMBO to emerge from the back of the shop having taken an age to buy absolutely nothing, as is her wont.

I woman walking towards the exit caught my eye as I was sure I recognized her but it took a fraction of a second to 'check the index', as it were and just at the instant that I remembered she was one of the most prolific shoplifters in Wolverhampton, she made eye contact, presumably recognizing me instantaneously.

She has an ASBO banning her from several major retailers in any town or city in the UK and has been before me on at least twenty occasions that I can remember.

Talk about panic... I never moved, I never said a word but she started walking around in small circles, eventually disappearing from my sight behind a rack of clothes, only to emerge a second or two later looking about 10Kg thinner though still with the expression of a headlight mesmerized rabbit.

Maybe it was my friendly smile and demeanour I turned away, giving her the opportunity to go past me.

Sure enough, there was a whole pile of clothes discarded in the middle of the aisle along which she had moved to avoid me.

I had a little chuckle to myself - was I wrong?

If you were a Dalek you could have at least exterminated her............

raistlin wrote:We were shopping in the city today (there's a surprise), and in one of the clothes shops, I was standing by the exit, somewhat bored, waiting for SWMBO to emerge from the back of the shop having taken an age to buy absolutely nothing, as is her wont.

I woman walking towards the exit caught my eye as I was sure I recognized her but it took a fraction of a second to 'check the index', as it were and just at the instant that I remembered she was one of the most prolific shoplifters in Wolverhampton, she made eye contact, presumably recognizing me instantaneously.

She has an ASBO banning her from several major retailers in any town or city in the UK and has been before me on at least twenty occasions that I can remember.

Talk about panic... I never moved, I never said a word but she started walking around in small circles, eventually disappearing from my sight behind a rack of clothes, only to emerge a second or two later looking about 10Kg thinner though still with the expression of a headlight mesmerized rabbit.

Maybe it was my friendly smile and demeanour I turned away, giving her the opportunity to go past me.

Sure enough, there was a whole pile of clothes discarded in the middle of the aisle along which she had moved to avoid me.

I had a little chuckle to myself - was I wrong?

I think you should have told her to hang up the clothes properly and not leave them on a heap on the floor........

I had an opposite experience many years ago (the lady in question had gained about two sizes) and on leaving the shop I nicked the said woman and called for assistance,
she had taken several dresses and other items then just casually walked out.
So I think your memory and hers had a dramatic effect Paul.

I used to have a client who would come to see me...always knew when he had been shoplifting by the tin foil neatly placed around the inside of his shopping bags.....

Zeb wrote:I used to have a client who would come to see me...always knew when he had been shoplifting by the tin foil neatly placed around the inside of his shopping bags.....

We see that a lot. Very effective it is as well.

Some of the explanations offered in Court are quite plausible as well.

One that particularly comes to mind was the defendant who asserted that it was vital to have a foil lined bag to place over ones head in the case of alien invasion. Well... you never know. He could have been on to something;)