The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year: A Cautionary Tale

"It is hard to be defensive toward a danger which you have never imagined existed."

~John Christopher, The Pool Of Fire

 

Okay, Thanksgiving is coming up really quickly, and while I have everything I need for the holiday, I still find myself needing "just one more thing." Mumph! Did I want to go out to pick it up? No! did I know I had to? Yes! You see that package of gingerbread marshmallows that I had forgotten to pick up was going to be absolutely essential to my planned Thanksgiving feast for two. So what else could I do? Yep, I had to brave the cold, cruel world of pre-holiday shopping, so off to Walmart I went.

I found the marshmallows just fine, there were still plenty to be purchased. Whew! And I also found the other 10 or so items I had forgotten I needed... stroke of luck there...with my cart not full, but comfortably stocked with Thanksgiving necessities, I found a fairly short line at aisle 9. Good. Only three folks ahead of me, the wait for my turn at the conveyor belt would be reasonable. Well, until the woman, three women up from me, pulled out a large accordion wallet filled with coupons!

I thought Extreme Couponing was an urban legend! But no, as it turns out... it's a thing! I turned to the lines on both side of me, to see if I would be better off switching aisles, but there seemed to be the same amount of people in all the lines, I had just picked the one with the couponzilla in it. At first I was a bit annoyed, but the quickly changed to amused as the lady fought with the Walmart associate about why she should have been able to use the Target coupon at Walmart. LOL. Cool! Let the people watching begin!

Believe me... I saw some stuff! I saw a small child and her mother mutually picking their noses. I saw an amorous man, hopefully a husband, gently rubbing his (wifes?) rear end. I saw a little girl of about 4 years old staring at me, not blinking mind you, just staring. STARE. Why do children do that? I tried to remember if I did that as a child, and I have no memory of such behavior. Why do they do it? Instantly I check to see if I have a booger on my cheek, or if I have my leggings on inside out. I have never found anything out of place, during these encounters, so why do they do it?

As I tried to avoid making eye contact with the easily fascinated child, I happened to notice the woman in front of me, engaging in an odd behavior for a woman, well, it would have been for this woman anyway, you see, the woman in front of me had her 2 strap purse on her shoulder by only one strap! The other strap was halfway down her upper arm, leaving her purse completely open to the world, and what ever pickpocket might be in it! What the HELL was she thinking?

I wrestled with the question of SHOULD I OR SHOULDN'T I SAY SOMETHING? The wrestling went on for about 5 minutes, and in the end I decided to keep my mouth shut. She was about my age, so I figured it wasn't for me to tell her how to carry her purse, nor did I want to plant an idea in someone near us that she would make a great target! Sometimes it's better to mind one's own business. It's not easy though, especially during this time of year, when one has to be especially careful. It's not just THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR for those of us that live within the law, criminals find it nifty to!


I really hope the lady makes it through the holiday season without any stolen wallet dramas! It doesn't make for a very happy holiday season. Last year an unscrupulous ring of baddies stole of my ATM card number from a bogus machine at a store I patronized. It wasn't fun filling out the police report, not to mention the feeling that if it hadn't been caught by my bank, they could have taken everything we had! Thankfully my bank knows I don't do much late night shopping in Illinois, where the bulk of the items were purchased! I was lucky that it was caught, and believe me I don't take it for granted!

Do this blog author a favor... think about how to keep yourself, and your valuables safe, while out shopping this holiday season! Theft does not know gender, so this is for the guys out there as well!

BE SAFE!

"Life has it's woes, so learn to be on your toes. Be alert"

~Bernard Kelvin Clive, Your Dreams Will Not Die

~Me :)


Avoid Pickpockets And Muggers When Shopping (ABC NEWS)
Protect Your Wallet This Holiday With Tips From 'The Pickpocket King' (CBS L.A.)
Beware of Pickpockets (Blog)