The sequel to the critically acclaimed "Weirdo in the Transformers Section" thread...

So, I went to WM after work tonight like I do maybe 3-4 times a week. There's always a city cop there, who has the rather unfortunate position of hanging out at WM presumably to catch people stealing shit. The guy is alwaysalwaysalways hanging out up front with the greeter, since that's kinda where you need to be if somebody decides to run off with a watermelon or something, right?

Except today, I'm looking around the AF aisle as usual and soon the cop wanders into the aisle and does that thing where they pretend to look at stuff, but you know they're watching you. I purposely go over to the next aisle even though I know there's nothing there I'm interested in. The cop rounds the corner a few seconds later. I saunter off to the video dept. and the guy is about 30 seconds behind me. At that point, I'm irritated and kinda weirded out, so I go grab the laundry detergent my girlfriend left me a message saying we needed, paid for it, and left.

     

The hell, man? I'm like 30 years old, dressed all work-casual Friday, make more money than anybody currently shopping in that store...or working in it for that matter...and the guy follows me around? You can't even tell me I was the most suspicious looking person in fucking Wal-Mart at midnight.


Now, I'll freely admit that I was a teenage kleptomaniac. When I was in high school, I stole shit all the time. Hell, it was an art form before everybody implemented the tags/alarm up front, and even that could be bypassed in certain situations. But I haven't done that shit since I was 17, ever since, well, a) I got busted once, but mostly b) got a full-time job.
After that, I would notice the city cop, rent-a-cop, or plainclothes security dude shadowing us at certain places and I can't say I blame them. Annoying 19-year-olds prowling the toy aisles at WM at midnight, surely they're up to no good. But I was like, "Pssh. What's up bitch? I got plenty of money, jackass." At some point, that all just kind of stopped. I guess I got too old and/or serious looking, b/c I can't even remember the last time it happened, maybe '97ish.

So what the hell was all that about tonight? Any of the young'uns here have that happen to them still? Any of the old farts used to have it happen?

 

Maybe he thought you were cute.

 

haha. you cutie you.

youre like, mall cop jailbait.

 

 

I think I'd rather he thought I was a thief.

  Then again...gay men do tend to like me. I honestly couldn't tell you how many times gay guys have hit on me since I was 17 or so.

Geez, 2 posts in and the thread's already derailed.

 

...or maybe the cop is a closet TF fan, and he was trying to work up the nerve to start a convo with you the whole time....

 

Maybe he remembered you from back in the day?  

 

Well, you did say you visit Wal*Mart "maybe 3-4 times a week", right? Chances are someone, whether a floor associate or someone from loss prevention, recognizes you as being there an awful lot, especially if you habitually frequent the same aisles in the same pattern every time.

For all they know, you could be a potential shoplifter who's casing the place.

pix?  

 

Well, I don't go to this same one 3-4 times a week. There's four WMs within reasonable striking distance, 2 of which are almost too close together, so I tend to go to those two one night, another one another night, and this one yet another night. Still, I suppose it could be something like that.

Don't you wish.    

 

Which Wal-mart is this? I hit the one on I-35 and Ben White after work pretty much every night, which is around 2:30 AM. I've also been on several "collector sprees" after work where I hit pretty much every Wal-mart on I-35 from Slaughter to Round Rock. Does the cop leave after a certain time?

I mention this since someone said if you go there a lot and go the same aisles and so-forth, I do the exact same thing but never get followed. That's weird...

 

Actually, I'm not currently in Austin. This happened in Fort Worth. I'm from Austin, lived there all my life until I moved to Fort Worth over a year ago for a job; I just refuse to change the location thingie in my profile as I loathe FW and can't wait to get back to Austin.

Come to think of it, I don't remember seeing a resident cop at the Austin WMs. At least not with the kind of regularity as up here. Every one of these WMs has a police car parked in front and the guy is hanging out near the front door every time I go...which is always around/after midnight.

That one time I did get busted was at the WM on Mopac/290 in southwest Austin...in 1993. I got grabbed by a plainclothes security guy who then called the police. There wasn't one already there.
Technically, I don't think I was allowed to go in there for like 2 years or something after that. I did of course...but made sure to pay cash.  

When I come back, I'll probably see you in the aisles.   I lived on 39th St. and used to do a big-ass loop and hit all the ones on I-35, too. The one on I-35/Slaughter opened after I left though.

 

Heh, yeah, I've been going quite a lot the last few weeks, collecting TFs and these cool little muscle cars from Jada Toys. I used to live like right next to that Mopac/290 one, it's now the only WM in Austin that ISN'T a supercenter. Amazingly, that one is the only one that had Cybertron Downshift, which is the first non-Alt TF I've bought. I just like him  

Also, yeah, I don't think WM has real cops at any of the stores. I've never seen them, but then again, I do go rather late. I work (or used to work, but am still employed with, or ... I dunno) for HEB and we used to have APD as security for a while, but they left after a certain hour.

If you do see me in the aisles, just don't do anything that would make me post it in that weirdos thread.  

 

My brother's Walmart he works at is even tougher, unless they've restricted it even further. He told me here a while back that if they catch a shoplifter, he/she is banned from Walmart for LIFE. He said the keep records of all kinds of information to help identify them if they ever return, but logistically I don't see how this can work company wide. Single store, yes, but not company wide as he told me.

 

UGhh Cowtown I feel for you I spent 2 semesters at TCU and hated it when my friend IN BACK WOODS KS was getting stuff before me. The people in FW are nice right till you run into the scroungers who make it hard to find the new stuff and the fraking thieves. and the walmarts seemed ghetto. Ok for non TFers when I was there it was HARD to find anything current.

 

There's a store associate that does the same thing. Following aisle to aisle, asking if I need assistance, peering around corners (because I go almost every night looking for TFs.)

Next time the cop pulls that with you, do what I did. Spin around and ask in a huffy tone "DO YOU NEED SOMETHING?! WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" They'll look at you shocked and embarassed, and then just waltz away like a drooling idiot.

And if the cop tries anything, get his badge number and report him to his precinct and make a report with the store. Yeah, he's providing security, but he's on their premises and trailing a customer and treating them like a thief is profiling, and is a basis on which to sue.

 

Never been followed myself.. I go early in the mornings and see the same greeter every time. Go back, look, don't find anything, leave. Or find something and buy it.

Only time i've ever come close to shop lifting was when i picked up an item and was holding on to it and since i almost never find anything i start to leave then realize i have it and have to pay. I sheepishly head to the counter and apologize for being a little scatterbrained at the moment. Then I pay and leave.

 

Well, if I remember correctly, statistically speaking most shoplifters are males between the ages of 30 and 40. Not exactly the first thing you would think of when you imagine someone stealing from Wal Mart, but cops probably know this and look for people you wouldn't think would be shoplifting.

 

Don't be so paranoid. Trying to avoid him will just make you look more suspicious.

 

Darn, I thought you caught somebody in the act of trying to steal a Transformer.

 

30-40, really?! I'd have bet money it was teens. Hell, it seems like I didn't buy hardly anything from 13-17.  

'Nok had a point. Some of these WMs are pretty damn ghetto. There's some sad/scary fuckers in there after midnight...and the customers aren't any better.  
Place is worse than the Post Office at noon. I daresay I'm the most respectable looking person in there most nights; maybe that threw the guy for a loop. But shouldn't I be off embezzling money somewhere rather than stealing shit while slumming it at WM?

 

You should have asked him if he had a problem or if he needed help finding something.