“Takoma DC listserv madness”

“Dear PoPville,

-Recurring thread about how much the Safeway on Piney Branch and Georgia sucks.

-One neighbor admits that, in an act of protest, he regularly walks out with a cart full of groceries without paying. But, he is willing to pay if they ever get their act together and come after him.

-All hell breaks loose:

In total frustration some time back, I got an idea.

I just walked out the Safeway front door – cart full of groceries. I loaded same into car. Then took picture of same and sent it to regional office telling them what I had done. No response.

So I did it a couple more times. No response.

Then when the Exxon Gas thing was all screwed up and after lots of shouting because Exxon Station owners did not want to go along with plan, somebody from management did call.

I told him what I had done a few times in past; just in total frustration with local store and corporate response. His response.. “OMG, don’t tell me!” That was all I’ve ever heard.

Maybe if enough of us get brave enough to commit this “crime”, things will tighten up a bit at our local store. It is a management thing…pure and simple.

Amazing, is it not?

BTW: I have kept tally and know how much I owe to Safeway. Whenever they want to collect, they know they can contact me.

If it goes more than one year, I try to donate equivalent to a local food program.

Can you believe it?

I did same at Hyattsville Home Depot. There I took things back. Response, “How did you ever walk out of this store with that chain saw?” My response, “I just did”. things have tightened up considerably.

“A voice of reason”:

Shoplifting from a private business to prove a personal point about bad management is NOT civil disobedience! Please do not put shoplifting on par with lunch counter sit-ins, freedom riders, or Gandhi sitting in the first-class rail car! Tom faced no injustice by Safeway due to his race, age, gender, religion, or sexual orientation. He just didn’t want to stand in line. His act was not part of a larger well-orchestrated movement to establish greater justice. He just wanted to get out of there quickly. I want to get out of Safeway quickly too. It’s a terrible store. But please don’t label this “civil disobedience”!