guards at the grocery store.

[undergroundpanther]

I was running some errands with one of my roommates.We live in a boring soul killing suburb.It has it's share of troubles and foreclosures. It is slowly disintegrating but it isn't crashing(yet?).. I noticed as we walked into a Weis market sorta near my place..I saw there was an armed uniformed guard in the area between the double doors.He was standing there watching us walk in with our carts.He was watching everyone walking in and out.
I felt him looking at me twice,..the store was very orderly and subdued. We got our shit there & waited in line ..I couldn't resist,I asked a cashier,what's with the guard,she said there has been an increase in shoplifting..I wondered how that could be considering we all have been snowbound ...we have been dealing with 40 inches+ of snow...

[NYC_SKP]

1. We've had guards at the Safeway for years. Not sure why...

And not sure if it's all Safeways or just some.

[undergroundpanther]

2. control acess to food

control the population.

I saw Derrick jensen's The parable of the box operating in real life today. gave me chills.

The Parable of the Box
by Derrick Jensen
from A Language Older Than Words p.210-213

The box is full of salmon, and a man sits atop the box. Long ago this man hired armed guards to keep anyone from eating his fish. The many people who sit next to the empty river starve to death. But they do not die of starvation. They die of a belief. Everyone believes that the man atop the box owns the fish. The soldiers believe it, and they will kill to protect the illusion. The others believe it enough that they are willing to starve. But the truth is that there is a box, there is an emptied river, there is a man sitting atop the box, there are guns, and there are starving people.

http://is-is.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=8336211956&topic=12766

[PSzymeczek]

3. Haven't seen any at the Safeway here.

But then, I rarely go there.

[bridgit]

4. They have them here in my town, sometimes its to protect property

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/11/westley-strellis-walmart_n_458652.html

[Art_from_Ark]

5. The first time I saw armed guards in a store

was in 1978 in Toronto, Canada, in a "discount" store near Bloor and Yonge streets. The store had a separate entrance and exit. You had to buy something before you could leave the store.I'm not sure what they would have done if someone had tried to leave without buying something.

[NJCher]

6. everything under lock

I stopped at a Walgreen's and it had about everything over 5 bucks under a plexiglass cover. It had locks. I wanted some pills that were around 22 and had to get a clerk to open the plexiglass for me. I said, "What kinda' store is this? I've never seen a store with all the stuff locked under glass."

I felt bad after I asked the question because the clerk acted kind of embarrassed.


Cher

[kimmylavin]

7. Oh, try buying condoms.

In my "church on every corner" town, I have to ask some 15-year-old to open a case for me just to buy some birth control at the supermarket!

Why in the world would you lock up condoms?
Of all the things in the store?
Even WAY more expensive stuff wasn't locked up.

(BTW, I know I just threw condoms into the conversation, and I'm sorry if I've offended! But I swear, I'm only trying to make a relevant point!) :hi:

[Mike K]

8. I don't know where in NJ you are, Cher -

- but I'm in the lakewood/Toms River area and the situation you've described exists in the Walgreen's on Rt. 9 off 70. So unless you're talking about the same branch it would seem that Walgreen's has a shoplifting problem all over.

Actually, considering the way prices are rising, because of the de-valuation of the dollar, I'm not surprised. Increased shoplifting is the first stage in the rise of crime consequent to a serious economic downturn. Next comes burglary, then armed robbery and mugging.

I'm nocturnal and I liked doing my grocery shopping at 2 - 3 AM in the Brick A&P, but they recently started closing at 1 AM. I'm sure it has to do with either shoplifting or concerns about armed robbery.

Sad.

[TexasObserver]

9. The shoplifting story makes sense.

It makes sense that shoplifting out of need would go up.