Urban grocery stories
Nov. 17th, 2007 09:17 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gordonzolaIn years past, we have often gone to co-op conferences where it was clear that some of the things we have to account for as a large urban grocery store are different from smaller town co-ops.* An incident yesterday sums it up.
A co-worker noticed someone who looked a little crazy** acting strangely upon entering the store. He had a big Macy's bag with them which is a good sign of a bad shoplifter. Co-worker was keeping an eye on him and I guess he noticed because he came up to her and opened his bag. "Look!" he snarled from his toothless mouth.
She assumed he was just showing her an empty bag to prove his innocence so she was all, "it's fine"
Then he snarled louder "LOOK!"
She looked. He was carrying four rats with him. She started screaming "Get out! Get out! Get out!" Seemingly satisfied, he wandered towards the exit.
Later that day I was relaying this story to Formaldhyde and he asked, "Were the rats alive or dead?" I had assumed alive and hadn't even thought to ask. He had assumed dead.*** I had to call my co-worker at home. "The rats… were they alive or dead?"
"Alive. Chocolate brown. They looked like pets. Uh, did you really call me at home just to ask me that?"
"Of course," I said. Oral history is the life blood of any cooperative.
*I could have sworn I wrote about the anti-oppression workshop I went to where someone tearfully spoke about a customer saying meanly, "Do you have to be a dyke to shop here or what?" and how all my co-workers laughed. But I can't find it. Anyone remember that anecdote or should I tell it again?
**Our standard of "crazy" is pretty high. Just take my word for it here.
***[Poll #1090300]
A co-worker noticed someone who looked a little crazy** acting strangely upon entering the store. He had a big Macy's bag with them which is a good sign of a bad shoplifter. Co-worker was keeping an eye on him and I guess he noticed because he came up to her and opened his bag. "Look!" he snarled from his toothless mouth.
She assumed he was just showing her an empty bag to prove his innocence so she was all, "it's fine"
Then he snarled louder "LOOK!"
She looked. He was carrying four rats with him. She started screaming "Get out! Get out! Get out!" Seemingly satisfied, he wandered towards the exit.
Later that day I was relaying this story to Formaldhyde and he asked, "Were the rats alive or dead?" I had assumed alive and hadn't even thought to ask. He had assumed dead.*** I had to call my co-worker at home. "The rats… were they alive or dead?"
"Alive. Chocolate brown. They looked like pets. Uh, did you really call me at home just to ask me that?"
"Of course," I said. Oral history is the life blood of any cooperative.
*I could have sworn I wrote about the anti-oppression workshop I went to where someone tearfully spoke about a customer saying meanly, "Do you have to be a dyke to shop here or what?" and how all my co-workers laughed. But I can't find it. Anyone remember that anecdote or should I tell it again?
**Our standard of "crazy" is pretty high. Just take my word for it here.
***[Poll #1090300]
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Date: 2007-11-17 07:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-17 07:53 pm (UTC)