Health & Fitness

Black Friday Shoppers, Beware; You May Get More than You Wanted

If you saw someone soil an item on display – in a truly nasty way – what would you do? Tell us below in the comments.

True story: While shopping at a big-box store, a woman almost ran into me while scolding her toddler.

“You peed all over it!” she shouted at her child, then proceeded to wipe the phone’s screen on a stocking cap displayed on the rack.

I was dumbfounded, unable to speak for a moment, then finally managed to say with disgust, “You did not just do that.”

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She gave me a blank stare and wheeled her cart away, still scolding the toddler who was strapped in the shopping cart seat.

I’ve been kicking myself ever since for not alerting the management and asking someone to remove the stocking cap from the inventory. When I posted about it on Facebook, I got some snarky responses, but one suggestion I wish I’d had the presence of mind to consider.

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“I would've reported it to management,” my niece advised. “I'm sure with security cams they could have footage of the incident. It may seem minor. It may strengthen your resolve to always wash whatever you purchase before wearing. It does not, however, change the fact that the pee odor is going to affect the time that hat sits on the shelf. It's the same as vandalism. It is destruction of property. I am sure an asset loss program would want to be involved. It's sad to see the loss of manners and common sense.”

What would you do in this situation (beyond the obvious, which is to faithfully use those cart wipes and always wash apparel items before wearing them)? Tell us in the comments.



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