There are times when I just wander around the mall to kill some time.  It's fun to look at stuff and just basically window shop.  I will look at everything, even if it's something I don't need, or I might need later at some other time.  It's good to always price compare as well.  That way, when I'm ready to buy whatever the item is, I will know where the best deal is.  Lately, prices have been pretty crazy on almost everything.  Some things obviously worst than others, but inflation is definitely all around.

One thing that you can do to try and curb that, is to be on the look out for this type of thing.

Yesterday I was at Macy's in St. Cloud.  I was in the bed and bath area and there was something that shouldn't be there.  A couple pair of men's jeans shoved into a cubby where towels should be...right next to the exit.

The theft protection tags had been cut off.  There had also been a guy that was wandering around the area shortly before that.  I didn't think much of it when I just saw the person make a quick move out of the department when I was near him, but when I saw the jeans, I realized what was going on.  I grabbed the jeans and brought them to a sales person.

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I used to work a lot of retail in various stores.  Macy's just being one of them.  I have seen this a lot.  And it is always a theft that is about to happen.  People will stash stuff to come back later and grab it...always near an exit.

So, if you see something that seems like it shouldn't be there, or is out of place, take it back to the department it is supposed to be in, or let a sales person know about it if you don't feel comfortable moving it yourself.  When theft like this continues to happen, the prices keep going up to cover the cost of the stolen items.  So people who obey the law, and pay for things like they should, wind up suffering the consequences.

In my opinion, some of the problem stems from department stores going to "central checkout" systems.  There used to be a point of sale in each department.  Now, with worker shortages, that has changed.  But the good thing about having a point of sale in each department meant that there was always, or usually, a person monitoring the department.  Now, it doesn't happen as often and does open the door to more potential theft opportunities.

Bottom line, if you see something, say something.

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