Let’s be clear: The old adages “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again” or “Third time’s the charm!” should not be applicable in shoplifting situations, or any kind of crime for that matter. But police in Texas say one woman’s failure to make it out of a local Walmart with purloined goods twice before didn’t prevent her from trying a third time. [More]
bad consumers
Thieves Get Grinchy By Following Delivery Trucks & Stealing Gifts From Doorsteps
By 12.5.12
While some of us are busy shopping online like Santa’s elves or buying gifts to celebrate Hanukkah, it’s also the time of the year when others get their Grinch on. But cops say three suspects in Massachusetts skipped going down chimneys to steal, and have instead been pulling a reverse St. Nick by swiping gifts from doorsteps moments after delivery trucks drop them off. [More]
Teen Bragging Online About Pulling Off Bank Robbery Must’ve Thought No One Watches YouTube
By 12.4.12
Here we were, under the impression that today’s tech-savvy generation of young people know all about the social media and the Interwebs. But then why would a 19-year-old allegedly rob a bank and then post a YouTube video bragging about it — wearing the same clothes she wore during the heist — and expect no one would see it? SMH, TTYL, ROFL, etc. [More]
Pennsylvania Man Headed To Trial Might Regret Swiping $1.50 From Church Collection Jar
By 11.29.12
There’s apparently no crime too small for a court of law, as a 31-year-old Pennsylvania man is finding out. He allegedly swiped a whopping $1.50 from a a church collection jar and now could be headed to trial. His arrest and subsequent charges of felony counts of burglary and criminal trespass were a result of the church installing security cameras to catch thieves. [More]
But Seriously, Folks: Joking That You Have Dynamite At An Airport Won’t Get A Laugh
By 11.27.12
Listen, we’re not trying to nag you or insult your intelligence. But somehow, even despite all our efforts and the fact that the average person has at least a modicum of common sense, people are still making jokes about having explosives at airports. To wit: A man visiting from Guatemala thought it’d be hilarious to tell Transportation Security Administration workers that he had dynamite in his luggage. Face, meet palm. [More]
“Stop Eating” Is Not The Kind Of Tip You Should Leave Your Applebee’s Waitress
By 11.21.12
Leaving a $0 tip on a $30 bill at Applebee’s is bad enough. But then taking the effort to write “Stop Eating B*tch!” as a “tip” is crossing the line from being a bad consumer into being a horrible human being. [More]
Spirit Passenger Learns You Can’t Threaten Crew After Refusing To Turn Off Your Phone
By 11.19.12
We know, we know — it’s annoying that you have to turn off your phones, tablets and other electronic gadgetry on airplanes. Even Alec Baldwin hates doing so. But even if you disagree with that rule, getting feisty and threatening the flight’s crew just because you’re being inconvenienced will turn out poorly. A Spirit airlines passenger disrupted a flight heading to Florida from NYC today, causing a delay for everyone else because of a phone. [More]
Posting An Item On Craigslist As “Free” Before You Steal It Doesn’t Mean It’s Actually Free
By 11.19.12
When I was two years old and sitting in my stroller while my mom checked out at the grocery store, I did not tell her, “Hey, Mom? I’m about to grab this candy bar and shove it in my mouth,” because that is an easy way to get caught. Police in New Hampshire say three thieving suspects weren’t so smooth, and instead would post items as up for grabs on Craigslist that they intended to steal, and then went out and stole them. [More]
Stealing A Credit Card To Get A Nose Job Might Work If The Doctor Doesn’t Take Pictures
By 11.16.12
One Pennsylvania man knew he didn’t have a new nose, but someone else was apparently aiming to improve his appearance because the victim’s stolen identity and subsequent fraudulent credit card paid for a $6,000 nose job. Cops were able to locate the suspect because the medical practice that did his nose had taken photos of the patient before the procedure. Oh, vanity! You are a cruel mistress. [More]
Thieves Make Off With $1.5M In iPad Minis From JFK Cargo Hold Using Airport’s Fork Lifts
By 11.15.12
It’s so convenient when you don’t even have to provide your own tools during a heist, isn’t it? Two thieves made off with about $1.5 million in Apple iPad Minis from a cargo building at John F. Kennedy International Airport using the airports very own forklifts to load the loot onto a truck. In another twist made for headlines, it’s the same building featured in the big $5 million heist in Goodfellas. [More]
Cinemark Will Bribe You Not To Text For An Entire Movie
By 11.15.12
People are rude. They just won’t put down their phones in movie theaters. Some movie houses have taken to throwing texters out, but Cinemark is trying a different tactic. The chain’s smartphone apps now have a module that will reward moviegoers for the arduous experience of watching an entire movie without texting. [More]
When Stealing A Food Delivery Car, The Polite Thing To Do Is Finish Dropping Off Orders
By 11.12.12
It would be such a bummer if you ordered a bunch of Chinese food and were then told that your delivery wouldn’t arrive because the delivery guy had his car stolen. Maybe the guy who allegedly did just that has a heightened sense of empathy — or he just wanted some extra cash — because cops say he decided to keep dropping off food. [More]
Parents Find Out The Hard Way That Yes, A Kid Can Blow Your Life Savings On Candy
By 11.8.12
As a kid, I used to dream of taking a wad of cash — maybe even $100! — and blowing it all on candy. Chocolate, gummies, lollipops, Bit-O-Honey, whathaveyou. But a nine-year-old boy in the Ukraine had far loftier goals in mind. He got his candy-loving hands on his parents’ life savings and blew the whole thing on a sweet spree. [More]
Flashing Your Breast Implants & Spitting At Cops Won’t Make You Any Friends At Walmart
By 11.7.12
It is one thing to be proud of your newly gained physical attributes, but you likely won’t make any friends among your fellow Walmart shoppers by flashing your breast implants at them. A Pennsylvania man who reportedly lives as a woman was arrested for doing just that, and compounded his bad behavior by acting up when the cops came for him. [More]
We Are Shocked, Simply Shocked That Walmart Won’t Let You Pay $1.17 For A $228-TV
By 11.6.12
Here at Consumerist, we’ve seen many a bad consumer try to pull off the old retail switcheroo by sticking bar codes for less expensive items on pricier products. But trying to get away with such a move using a clearly expensive TV and a barcode for a hanger? That’s just not going to fly at Walmart, as one man found out recently in Texas. [More]
Woman Ordered To Don “Idiot” Sign For Driving On The Sidewalk To Get Around School Bus
By 11.6.12
There are no stocks in the town square any more, and dunce caps are a thing of the past. But a judge in Ohio is bringing back the “shame as punishment” model for the case of a woman who pleaded guilty to driving on a sidewalk in order to avoid waiting for a Cleveland school bus. She’s been ordered to sport a sign broadcasting her crime for two days next week. [More]
Tip Your Pizza Hut Driver Or He Might Pee On Your Door
By 11.5.12
An Iowa Pizza Hut delivery driver is without a job today because he decided that the best way to vent is anger about being stiffed on a tip was to urinate on the customer’s door. [More]
You Won’t Get Paid For Breaking Into A Home & Billing The Owner For Your Cleaning Services While There
By 11.2.12
Despite how dirty you might think a home is and how in need it is of a cleaning, breaking in to tidy up and leaving a bill for your services isn’t going to be an easy way to make a living. And if you leave your phone number, it’s all the more convenient for the police. A woman near Cleveland allegedly decided to take an unconventional business tactic by doing exactly that.
