Sweeny Toddler wrote:I must have been about 13 maybe and it was one of the first times I was allowed into town on my own. It was late morning/early afternoon and I sauntered into HMV to see what they had. The shop was pretty empty and I got talking to the security guard, I stood and talked to him for a good few minutes. Quite a while. Then I went and had a look round. I remember picking a 5 pack of blank tapes out of a basket in the middle of the floor, having a look at them and then putting them back.
Anyhoo when I walked out the shop 5 minutes later the same security guard stopped me and asked to see inside my jacket. Sure I said, a little confused. Then when he started looking in my bag I clicked, what the $@&$% I said, what are you doing, I was chatting away with you, having a laugh next thing I know your rifling through my stuff, what gives?
Oh you were bending over the tape basket with your jacket unzipped I thought you might be putting the tapes down your jacket. One minute we'd been chatting away next minute he's accusing me of being a thief. I remember calling him all the names under the sun as I walked out of the shop feeling cheated and wronged but for the first time truly knowing the meaning of the phrase sadder but wiser
And again: just a man doing his job. Anyone can be a potential thief, and teenagers make up a high percentage of shoplifters when it comes to goods like that. There's nothing personal in it.
Sweeny Toddler wrote:I must have been about 13 maybe and it was one of the first times I was allowed into town on my own. It was late morning/early afternoon and I sauntered into HMV to see what they had. The shop was pretty empty and I got talking to the security guard, I stood and talked to him for a good few minutes. Quite a while. Then I went and had a look round. I remember picking a 5 pack of blank tapes out of a basket in the middle of the floor, having a look at them and then putting them back.
Anyhoo when I walked out the shop 5 minutes later the same security guard stopped me and asked to see inside my jacket. Sure I said, a little confused. Then when he started looking in my bag I clicked, what the $@&$% I said, what are you doing, I was chatting away with you, having a laugh next thing I know your rifling through my stuff, what gives?
Oh you were bending over the tape basket with your jacket unzipped I thought you might be putting the tapes down your jacket. One minute we'd been chatting away next minute he's accusing me of being a thief. I remember calling him all the names under the sun as I walked out of the shop feeling cheated and wronged but for the first time truly knowing the meaning of the phrase sadder but wiser
And again: just a man doing his job. Anyone can be a potential thief, and teenagers make up a high percentage of shoplifters when it comes to goods like that. There's nothing personal in it.
Yeah I know that now and if it happened today it would be a "no problem mate" and I'd be on my way. The reason I remember it happening nearly 30 years later is that it was basically the first time I had been into town on my own and not being so worldly wise in those days I was annoyed someone could think I would do that 10 minutes after chatting away like we were best mates. But I was a naive young laddie back then and hold no grudge to the security guard anymore
