More Thanks-taking Than Thanksgiving

Criminal & Illegal, Grocery Store, Wild & Unruly | Right | April 2, 2014

(I am working in a grocery store meat department on Thanksgiving day, stocking the hams and turkeys as fast as I can. I have just announced over the speaker that we have five fresh, unfrozen turkeys left, and we are waiting for the rush of people to get them. When there is only one left, predictably two customers grab for it.)

Customer #1: “Hey, this is mine. I saw it before you did.”

Customer #2: “No way! I walked all the way across the store to get it. It’s mine! I’m going home with it.”

Customer #1: “Why don’t you get a ham or something? I need this turkey for my dinner tonight. You can get something else.”

Customer #2: “Listen, you fat cow, you can buy the f****** ham. I’m getting this turkey.”

(At this point I figure I’d better get involved and run over.)

Me: “Ladies, we do have fresh turkey breasts available as well as hams and ducks. There are even a couple of geese leftover—”

Customer #2: “F*** you! I’m getting this d*** turkey and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

([Customer #2] then shoved her cart into the other woman, causing her to fall into the display of stuffing next to her, and ran off with the turkey. Hoping it was over, I went to help [Customer #1] get up, but she slapped my hand, got to her feet, and tackled the other customer. I called security. Before they could get there I saw that [Customer #3] had spotted [Customer #1]’s now abandoned cart and purse. She ran over and dumped [Customer #1]’s purse into her own and then grabbed just about everything out of her cart, including a bag of prescription medication, before running off. I shouted at her but she disappeared into a crowd of people. [Customers #1 and #2] were by then rolling on the floor in the bread aisle while security was trying to pull them apart. While this went on, [Customer #4] approached [Customer #2]’s cart and grabbed the turkey and most everything in her cart. Security eventually pulled them apart and they were both arrested. Sadly, [Customer #3], who stole [Customer #1]’s purse, was never caught as the cart was in a blind spot.)

This story is part of our Thanksgiving roundup!