Has You In Their Sights

(I am the youngest on staff. Despite being an older teenager, my coworkers despise teenagers and basically ignore them if they come into the store. Therefore, I purposely seek them out so that they don’t feel ignored or shafted by my older coworkers.)

Teen: “Can I see your glasses? They’re beautiful; I want ones just like it!”

Me: *hands them over* “Oh, really, thanks. They’re new; I got them a few days ago.”

Teen: “What brand are they?

Me: “Kate Spade. Aren’t they cute?”

(The teen looks up at me, looks at the glasses, and runs out of the store with my glasses before I can do anything. I chase after her but she runs too quickly for me to catch up in my heels.)

Me: “[Older Coworker], did you see that!?”

Older Coworker: “Yes… how stupid must they be? You’re in a jewellery store and you steal glasses? Idiot.”

(I didn’t have any extras because I have never broken or lost my glasses before so I stumble through my shift with squinty eyes and my coworker’s help. My manager makes me fill in an incident report as I’m writing it in the back my manager comes and gets me.)

Manager: “The teenager came back with her mom. Turns out her mom caught her selling your glasses on eBay.”

(I got my glasses back, with an apology, and the teen was banned from the mall for her theft. She tried arguing that since she didn’t steal a mall item she shouldn’t be banned by her complaint went nowhere.)