This Human Experience Saddens Me

Family values. Good old fashioned honesty. Contemporary society. Something is blatantly going wrong in our society and country. It saddens me to talk about this experience. I am bothered by it however, and feel the need to get it on down on paper and to vent.

For just a couple of weekends I became a "seasonal employee" in a party goods store to help out a family friend. The focus of my position was the Halloween rush and monitoring a portable dressing area put up for the convenience of customers. Primary to the job was to put small costume pieces back into their respective bags, monitor the costumes going into the dressing room, watching the ones that came out - basically it was an attempt to reduce the ever-growing amount of theft.

Since I have had much experience with various aspects of customer service and enjoy people contact, I thought this might be fun. Or so I thought . . .

This is the short version of my story.

I am in total disbelief. A great many of our fellow Americans have lost their morals and integrity. Of course I knew we are shorter tempered, are self centered and demanding, but I had an eye opener about the commonplace dishonesty, destruction, deceit and just plain rudeness exhibited by those of various ages, sex and race. There are just so many broken people - it's actually mind boggling to me. Some of the Mr. & Mrs. Shopper and their younger Shoppers are crooks, plain and simple. Moreover, they are crooks in clever and twisted ways.

The Children of Someone think nothing of coming into a store two, three or more at a time, dispersing throughout the aisles, reeking havoc and destruction in their wake, tearing open packages, and discarding brand new merchandise under their feet. Their motto? Try it on, drop; go to the next one and drop. Then don't just leave it there, scuff it up a few times; make sure it gets damaged or soiled. Then on to the next aisle.

The Children of Someone take clothes into the dressing room to try on. They seemingly play by the rules - two outfits at a time. They leave with two bags and dutifully return them to the rack to be "helpful" - except one is empty. What happened to the missing costume? Oh sure, this is not new. It has been happening since there have been retailers. I understand that, and while this is not a new shopping "ploy," it is amazing how prevalent it is now.

The Children of Someone bring their young children into the store to help Mommy and Daddy shop. Without concern or worry or watch over their little "cherubs", these parents think nothing of turning them loose in the store to run around, ruin displays, scream, shout, whine, annoy other shoppers. Now I ask you - is it ever OK to let kids run amuck? What's the lesson these kids have learned. Is it a reach to figure out that these brats turn into the teenagers that think nothing of swiping or destroying merchandise? When these inattentive parents, who shop with their sweet young 'uns finally gather up their troops and leave, it's their mess that remains. The cleanup falls on the young people who are doing the right thing - holding down responsible jobs. They find themselves cleaning up after each family with little hoodlums. We know the parents with the bratty kids didn't teach anything or set a good example; will they wonder why prices keep rising? Or why a business might not survive? Or why help may be hard to keep? Have the young people who work in the store learned a life's lesson?

The Children of Someone come in with girlfriends, try on costumes, spend time monopolizing aisles and dressing rooms. Costumes are left in disarray, damaged, soiled and someone has to put the pieces together or damage out the merchandise. These young teenagers are having fun while they "shop." Did they buy? What did they leave behind? Empty costume bags. They consider robbing stores blind as one of their "rights of passage" and brag and boast about their finds. It's amazing to me because these same "sticky fingers" risk getting caught time and again. Are their parents aware? Don't family members notice all the new stuff?

The Children of still more of these Someones switch packages, remove small pieces to claim discounts, pull off decorations, put several costumes in one bag (and pay for one), pop whatever they want into their purses or pockets. Bragging rights are everything!

Of course, the Children of Others go shopping in the store with large pockets and handbags. And they have their own shopping experience.

We all know the many nuances of return merchandise. It's still being done, but countless more are doing it. There's no other name for it - it's stealing! It's cheating! It's against the law!

Sadly enough, some of these today kind-of-shoppers think nothing of rude behavior, lack of civility, exerting their shopping superiority over the clerks who are just trying to help, and generally bully their way around the aisles and at the register. These are the customers you like to see from the rear, as they exit the store.

So by now you can understand that I won't ever repeat this experience not even to help out as a favor. Been there, done that! I am disgusted, upset and worried about where we, as a society, are headed. We now have liars and crooks in public office, we have judges that should not be judges, we have bedlam in our jails, we have madness on our highways, murder and mayhem in cities, we have gangs out of control, we are stepping backward in race relations, and the list goes on. No longer can you spank your kids or exert discipline when it's needed. No longer do parents back teachers. Sports? If the kid doesn't win, then it's the referee's or umpire's fault.

I count my blessings I was raised to be honest and to follow my conscience. I live by the ten commandments and my principles. At least in my circle of family and friends, there is strong character, integrity, conscience and absolute honesty. Thank God I had them to come home to today. I left the great big world locked out to scuffle and mire in their descent to whatever.

This story is written by The Old Gray Mare^TM of DressYourHorse.com^TM and FantasyKritters.com^TM.