Here in Philadelphia — and in a number of cities around the country — you hear several stories a week about some small deli or convenience store being suddenly overwhelmed by crowds of students with the intention of swiping armfuls of Pepsi Max, Sun Chips, Snickers bars and whatever else can be grabbed during the brief raid. One store has apparently had enough and enacted a two-student limit to cut down on the theft.
Consumerist reader Mark snapped this pic with his phone while walking past the store in his Center City Philly neighborhood. He says the store happens to be near several schools and there are often kids hanging out on this particular stretch of road.
It’s also down the street from a teaching hospital, says Mark, though he’s pretty sure the store owners wouldn’t make the med school students come in one pair at a time.
We just like the hand-drawn flowers on the sign, as if to say, “Please don’t hate us for wanting to keep you from robbing us blind.”
More From Consumerist
-
NYC Lawmakers Propose Raising Smoking Age To 21
-
L.A. Pet Shops Won’t Be Able To Sell Pets From Puppy Mills
-
College To Dangle Financial Incentive To Students Who Graduate On Time
-
More Than 1-In-5 Students At For-Profit Colleges Default On Student Loans Within Three Years
-
Staples Enforces Loss Leader Limits, Makes Teachers Sad
Wonder if Jesse Jackson will have a problem with this…
Jesse Jackson has problems with lots of things. Marital fidelity, not being a race pimp, and speaking the English language clearly are three.
Well now, I’m going to take the opposite view. A sign like this is just crass and speaks to a lack of professionalism by the manager/owner. Basing your treatment of customers on the assumption that they are thieves is a recipe for FAIL. Particularly when that method involves NOT letting potential customers into your establishment so they can give you their money.
In a retail environment, shoplifting happens. DEAL! You install low-key countermeasures, like video cameras and having high value/small items behind the counter. And you build the cost of shrink into your price structure.
It may “deter” shoplifting, but it won’t stop it.
When I was in high school my friends and I always hung out at one friends house. There was a gas station at the corner of his street that we would stop at for sodas and such. We were not the type of kids who stole and we were frequent customers. One afternoon we stopped in for our usual snack stop and there was a new person behind the counter. As we walked in he announced that we would only be allowed in the store two at a time.
We asked why, and he said… “I don’t want you kids stealing.”
So even though we hadn’t considered it until then, now it was a challenge. Almost everyone in my group walked out of that store without paying for something that day.
Is this much different than having a “only two black people at a time” policy?
I can’t tell if the author is a liberal or someone with common sense. Let me just say I completely agree with store owner. If the morons that come here can’t be civilized, then they have to be treated like the second class humans they are.
2 is still 1 too many…..1 distracts the cashier while the other grabs the goodies