I've been sharing with you guys just how dangerous it is in this area, and this time it's directly affected me yet again. After an influx of people from somewhere else, this once safe and quiet region has turned into a violent, wild west, shooting gallery and caused many decent people to leave.

A couple of months ago, I was offered a job in retail that I decided to take in order to better assist my ailing elderly relative and help rebuild my crypto levels. It was refreshing to be able to start buying HIVE, LEO, and other tokens and watch my crypto numbers keep. going. up.

But as George Harrison once said: "All Things Must Pass."

The whole city really, but this retail establishment in particular, has patrons that are referred to by management as "street people." I'd often watch my manager run out of the store (in violation of corporate policy. mind you), chasing after shoplifters, sometimes several blocks away.

The last straw for me was when two things happened. A little girl apparently stole something and the manager saw it. She asked me to go run after the girl, who must have been all of 9 or 10 years old. I reminded her that it was against our safety policy, so she went out herself and confronted the girl and her brother.

Almost all of the employees have been concerned about our boss aggressively going after people, hoping that we never hear that "pop, pop, pop" sound that I've told you I hear routinely late at night. A huge crowd developed made up of the family members of the young girl angry that she'd been (rightfully, according to the security cameras), banned after being accused of stealing.

Since we have so much theft here, the manager (also against policy) requires that everyone leave any bags or backpacks behind the counter while they shop. That is, these "street people" get to walk behind the counter (where we're working), and drop their property off until they've completed their shopping.

I've been against this from the start, both from a security standpoint of having strangers directly behind us while we're dealing with customers, and putting us in the position of having to be responsible for their properties while our backs are turned.

I told an employee "I hope no one ever comes in and steals one of those bags while we're busy, because we'll get the blame even though management isn't following corporate policy."

Little did I know, that person would be me.

The Theft

When a new employee starts, he gets placed at the first register. This is the absolute worst place to put him. Not only does he get the most traffic, but he also has to greet and say goodbye to each customer, count cigarettes, deal with vendors, chase after shoplifters leaving the store, but also has to deal with interruptions from shoppers both dropping off and picking up their bags.

All while ringing up purchases and interacting with the customer in front of him...

When I started, I asked "why am I being put on register 1? It'd be easier to learn everything at one down at the other end of the store that doesn't have to deal with all of this." The workers said "you have your answer." Turns out the veteran employees don't want to deal with all those distractions, so all new employees get dumped at register #1 and 2, thus shielding the old-timers from all of that nonsense.

So we end up with a revolving door where new people quit once they realize what game they're playing. So on my last day, I was bent over the counter helping an elderly woman with her debit card, when unbeknownst to me, a man came behind me, and in a split second (via the cameras) grabbed a bag and left.

I don't drink, but we found out that inside was a bottle of Hennessy. So of course we're all dealing with customers, but because I was at position 1, the onus fell onto me as if I had eyes in the back of my head.

The thief was an addict well known to the manager and had been warned about stealing in the past but never banned...

Of course, the true owner of the liquor came up behind me asking if I'd seen his white bag. With my back turned, I told him I hadn't and began searching.

Hoping someone took it by accident, we said that maybe they'd realize their mistake and bring it back. Thus he waited, getting angrier by the second. He was a gang member known to the manager, and she just rang up customers leaving me to deal with the results of her policy-breach alone.

He began yelling and cursing over his $25 bottle of Hennessy. Remember, this is a very poor (and violent) area, and immigrants are always surprised to learn that the human traffickers who sent them here lied to them about the "affluence" and "safety" of this place.

You don't want to come here.

You don't even want to be in this state, let alone this city.

TOMORROW, PART 2: Out of the crosshairs and into the night. "Is this any way to run a business?"

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