Breakdancing with Light Painting

Shame they can't easily prosecute the ones that left without paying. I can understand how you might not notice the lack of employees while you were shopping, even how you might still just go ahead and check out with the self-checkout registers. However, people know the groceries aren't free. They aren't just in the habit of strolling right out the front door without paying first. They knew they were stealing. They deserve to be punished. If it were a home rather than a business, it wouldn't seem okay that they're getting off without consequences. Just because a door's open doesn't mean "Come on in. Load up whatever you want and take it.".

I'd like to know how long people waited on average before they just left. This is how used to poor service we've all gotten. When people ask me 'Can I help you' in the aisles of a store I now respond 'yes, please be available when I'm ready to check out' ...

Melissa,

I think 'stealing' is overblown. If I go in to a store, spend my time selecting all the items, then have to stand there while the store chooses not to sell me those items, I'm a tad peeved that they just wasted my time. That doesn't justify 'stealing' but I do believe stores that make it unnecessarily difficult for me to give them my money earn little sympathy.

So if the line at the cash register is too long for your liking you don't pay either?

Also: people want short lines, but short lines means more personnel, more personnel means higher prices. And what do people do? They go to the stores with the lowest prices. And then complain about lack of personnel...

Half of us are thieves

I'm picturing jazz trombonist Glenn Miller. I lost the rest of the story.

so what? will those thieves wait till the police arrest them and say "oh I forgot to pay. I was supposed to, but I didn't really care to go back anymore because I'm scared they will arrest me anyways when I step back there because my face is on cctv"

sheeesh, the money goes to charity, and the owner said at least for now he won't file any complaint.

I would pay. I would assume in any store I'm on camera and if I walk out with stuff I would be tracked down. At the very least they should put up a gallery of stills showing the deadbeats to let them know they are not welcome in that store anymore.

It was Good Friday, which means legally all shops except under special circumstances have to be shut in New Zealand.