Good Friends Don’t Let Friends End Up On NAR

I am leaving work just after closing. The store I work at is in a strip mall, and directly next to us is a chain thrift store location, which I know closes at the same time we do.

As I head to my car, I see a woman standing outside the doors to the thrift store holding a large flatscreen TV, which I assume she is either trying to donate (donations are around the back and there are signs everywhere) or return (this thrift store chain does not accept returns). However, this woman seems determined.

Standing about a dozen feet away next to a parked car is a second woman. She has the car door already opened and is calling over to [Woman #1], clearly trying to convince her to leave.

Woman #2: “Come on, they’re closed!”

Woman #1: “No, they’re not! I can see people moving around in there!”

Woman #2: “Girl, those are employees! They’re just cleaning and stuff. Let’s go!”

[Woman #1] tried to whip around, presumably to continue arguing with her friend, but the motion made the TV slip from her arms, causing its screen to shatter spectacularly as it hit the pavement face-down.

Both women just stood there and, not wanting to get caught staring, I got in my car and left. I do feel kind of bad for [Woman #1] that her TV broke, but I’ll never forget the exhausted, “Why are you like this?” tone with which [Woman #2] said, “Those are employees.”

It gave me strength to see that there are some customers out there who aren’t idiots and are willing to call out their friends for being idiots.