Pregnant woman arrested for stealing sandwich?

[jewelerman]

Who has heard about this story? A pregnant woman and her husband are arrested for failing to pay for $5 worth of sandwiches after paying for 50.00 worth of food at a Safeway store.Their 2 year old child was seperated from them for 18 hours after their arrest ! i cant believe that the Safeway store would let this situation get this out of hand!what are your opinions on this situation?you can bet that Safeway store will suffer the loss of customers after this bad publicity. I would think twice about shopping with them again after reading this story.

 

[monarch64]

http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/pregnant-women-arrested-at-safeway-store-after-snacking-on-chicken-salad-sandwich-while-shopping-110111

I don't think it's going to turn out to be that big of a scandal, after all. Safeway admits they could've handled the situation better.

ETA: I think the bigger issue at hand here is the question of whether or not it's okay to consume/use a product before you have purchased it! I know people do this all the time, but I have always been and will always remain in the camp that thinks that it's not RIGHT to eat food in the grocery store before you've paid for it unless it's a free sample! Pregnant ladies with 2 year olds usually have some Cheerios or some sort of snack with them, amirite?

 

[April20]

Hmmm.... So there's not a lot of detail that says what lead up to the arrest. I'm wondering, did they call the police outright and arrest them with no time for them to explain/apologize/pay or did the customers get mouthy and THEN Safeway called the cops? I'm sure things could have been handled better/differently, but I personally can't form an opinion without more detail.

 

[ame]

They should've just let the lady pay for the sandwich. That was beyond overkill.

 

[swingirl]

How do you gobble down sandwiches at the grocery store and then forget? If you only are buying $50 worth of groceries you must be in the store, what, maybe 10 minutes since $50 covers about 10 items? Now it's possible to forget but they BOTH forgot? I understand she was pregnant and got dizzy but what was his excuse? I guess he didn't want his wife to eat alone.

And don't you still have the wrappings because there aren't trash cans in the isles?

 

[jewelerman]

that is a really good point about consuming food before paying for it. i think it is stealing food when people take a grape or something out of a bulk bin to test if they want to buy the product. I ask store staff about the taste or freshness of a bin item or fruit and sometimes am asked if i want a complimentry sample. it may not be a long term scandal for Safeway stores,but people are voicing that they dont feel comfortable being in Safeway after this situation. in todays economy all it takes is a little bad publicity to lose alot of business.

 

[Mrsacornblue]

I think both parties are somewhat guilty. I question how the woman "forgot" to pay for the sandwiches. Honestly, it would have been easier to just pay at the counter...our Safeway has a seperate register for these type of items. I also think that she's making a big deal out of the fact that she was pregnant and that her daughter was "separated" from her. She was arrested and this is standard protocol in this situation. She wasn't signaled out or anything.

Safeway should have let them pay for the sandwich and gone on with their business. I think they made a mistake choosing this person to make an example out of given the other circumstances. I think there will be some negative feedback from this incident. I will continue to shop at Safeway because I think that our particular store has excellent prices and customer service but I will certainly make sure I pay for things!

 

[Guilty Pleasure]

What does being pregnant have to do with it, other than to make the company seem evil? If you take something without paying, you are STEALING, which means you can be arrested. That being said, I would have thought that the Safeway would have imposed their own fine/consequences rather than involving the police. Maybe that's not legal in Hawaii though.

 

[Imdanny]

Les Miserables.

 

[Imdanny]

What does being pregnant have to do with it, other than to make the company seem evil? If you take something without paying, you are STEALING, which means you can be arrested. That being said, I would have thought that the Safeway would have imposed their own fine/consequences rather than involving the police. Maybe that's not legal in Hawaii though.

Yes, if she walked out without paying it's stealing, but it could have been an oversight and maybe they should have let her pay for it. In any case, I'm going to save my moral outrage for more serious things than someone who may or may not have intended to steal a sandwitch from Safeway. If you've been to Safeway here in Hawaii and I would guess anywhere else they have cameras on you at all times. If she did this on pupose it was beyond dumb but I highly doubt Safeway is a huge victim of people stealing sandwitches at the end of the day.

 

[mayerling]

http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/pregnant-women-arrested-at-safeway-store-after-snacking-on-chicken-salad-sandwich-while-shopping-110111

I don't think it's going to turn out to be that big of a scandal, after all. Safeway admits they could've handled the situation better.

ETA: I think the bigger issue at hand here is the question of whether or not it's okay to consume/use a product before you have purchased it! I know people do this all the time, but I have always been and will always remain in the camp that thinks that it's not RIGHT to eat food in the grocery store before you've paid for it unless it's a free sample! Pregnant ladies with 2 year olds usually have some Cheerios or some sort of snack with them, amirite?

I was always told that it's not right to eat/drink something before paying for it. I was also told not to consume something bought somewhere while shopping in a store.

 

[Skippy123]

http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/pregnant-women-arrested-at-safeway-store-after-snacking-on-chicken-salad-sandwich-while-shopping-110111

I don't think it's going to turn out to be that big of a scandal, after all. Safeway admits they could've handled the situation better.

ETA: I think the bigger issue at hand here is the question of whether or not it's okay to consume/use a product before you have purchased it! I know people do this all the time, but I have always been and will always remain in the camp that thinks that it's not RIGHT to eat food in the grocery store before you've paid for it unless it's a free sample! Pregnant ladies with 2 year olds usually have some Cheerios or some sort of snack with them, amirite?

lol, when I was pregnant hunger hit me like a ton of bricks (maybe because I was carrying twins, I don't know). I never knew when I would be hungry. I actually started carrying food with me but in the beginning I did not know to do that. Anyway I do remember eating something in the store but I talked to an employee about it before hand and then paid for it of course after I finished my shopping (I guess they felt bad for the preggo lady). eta: this was a one time thing too! I was up front about it and the employee was cool so I guess I didn't worry (this was Costco by the way so not an easy place to run up to the register and pay for something).

I can't imagine her husband eating a sandwich too! That part is weird!!! And how can you forget? I mean what happened to the wrapper or the container the sandwich was in????

 

[monarch64]

http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/pregnant-women-arrested-at-safeway-store-after-snacking-on-chicken-salad-sandwich-while-shopping-110111

I don't think it's going to turn out to be that big of a scandal, after all. Safeway admits they could've handled the situation better.

ETA: I think the bigger issue at hand here is the question of whether or not it's okay to consume/use a product before you have purchased it! I know people do this all the time, but I have always been and will always remain in the camp that thinks that it's not RIGHT to eat food in the grocery store before you've paid for it unless it's a free sample! Pregnant ladies with 2 year olds usually have some Cheerios or some sort of snack with them, amirite?

lol, when I was pregnant hunger hit me like a ton of bricks (maybe because I was carrying twins, I don't know). I never knew when I would be hungry. I actually started carrying food with me but in the beginning I did not know to do that. Anyway I do remember eating something in the store but I talked to an employee about it before hand and then paid for it of course after I finished my shopping (I guess they felt bad for the preggo lady). eta: this was a one time thing too! I was up front about it and the employee was cool so I guess I didn't worry (this was Costco by the way so not an easy place to run up to the register and pay for something).

I can't imagine her husband eating a sandwich too! That part is weird!!! And how can you forget? I mean what happened to the wrapper or the container the sandwich was in????

Sure, preggos get hungry and need to eat frequently, I get that! But this lady was not only a 2nd timer, she was 30 weeks along! And how did both she AND her husband forget to pay for the sandwiches? Is it like when men gain weight during their partner's pregnancies? They also get "pregnancy brain?" LOL

 

[smitcompton]

Hi,

I think its overkill. Lets say they thought they might get away with eating those sandwiches in the store and ifthey were caught they would say it was an oversight.(which is what they did), If, however the store has suffered loses recently and company policy was strengthed to enforce punishment for the shoplifters, they hit the perfect storm.

But the rest of you have the more important point. How do you eat a sandwich without paying for it first..
Under disclosure rules, I confess to eating a sample grape before I buy them,

Annette

 

[luv2sparkle]

Didn't they go back and try to pay and that was when they were arrested?

 

[Skippy123]

MORE DETAILS
http://news.yahoo.com/pregnant-mom-says-sandwich-arrest-horrifying-214407004.html

But they forgot to pay for the sandwiches as they checked out with about $50 worth of groceries.
"When the security guard questioned us, I was really embarrassed, I was horrified," she said. They were led upstairs, where the couple expected to get a lecture, pay for the sandwiches, and be allowed on their way.
But store managers wouldn't allow them to pay for the sandwiches, she said.
"I asked to talk to a manager and he said it was against their policy to pay for items that left the store," she said. "The security guard said we were being charged with shoplifting."

 

[kenny]

Stealing is stealing.
No sympathy-generating circumstances make stealing not stealing, or make stealing okay.

That would be a slippery slope.

 

[Guilty Pleasure]

What does being pregnant have to do with it, other than to make the company seem evil? If you take something without paying, you are STEALING, which means you can be arrested. That being said, I would have thought that the Safeway would have imposed their own fine/consequences rather than involving the police. Maybe that's not legal in Hawaii though.

Yes, if she walked out without paying it's stealing, but it could have been an oversight and maybe they should have let her pay for it. In any case, I'm going to save my moral outrage for more serious things than someone who may or may not have intended to steal a sandwitch from Safeway. If you've been to Safeway here in Hawaii and I would guess anywhere else they have cameras on you at all times. If she did this on pupose it was beyond dumb but I highly doubt Safeway is a huge victim of people stealing sandwitches at the end of the day.

I didn't say I was morally outraged or that the woman should be thrown in jail; I said I don't think being pregnant has anything to do with whether a crime was committed, people should know that the consequences of stealing MIGHT be arrest (I don't buy that this was an accident when TWO people ate sandwiches and "forgot").

I'm surprised Safeway didn't handle this internally since it seems like calling the police and then having to appear in court over ten dollars worth of merchandise would be more trouble than it's worth. I would think that a national grocery store has a policy or procedure for handling petty theft. Back in the nineties, I stole a pack of stickers from the grocery store and got caught. I was a kid, so I don't remember all the details, but I do remember signing a document (and my mother too) stating that I would pay a $35 fine to the grocery store within a certain amount of days, and if I did not pay, then the police would be called. or something to that effect. I think that was a pretty good policy, but I don't know if that sort of thing is legal or normal. It sure worked, though! That was such a scary experience for me, that even thinking about stealing now makes my heart race. Over twenty years have passed, and I'm still not comfortable going in that grocery store since I was told never to come back!

 

[Lottie]

If the pregnant woman had been feeling weak or dizzy and needed to eat something, put the wrapper in the trolley with the rest of the shopping and then not paid as an oversight, I would think Safeway had overreacted. But she and her husband had a sandwich each as they walked around the shop which is odd - what was his reason for needing to eat so urgently? She wasn't just ripping off the end of her french stick as she went around the aisles to give her blood sugar a boost.

I have badly misstimed a shop on occasion with a hungry toddler in the trolley, I would usually open a multipack of raisins or something similar, knowing that it would be impossible to forget to pay for it when the rest of the bag is in the trolley, but I do accept that accidents occasionally happen. Having worked in retail many moons ago, I wonder if the staff know when this kind of thing is a genuine accident or someone 'having lunch on Safeway' and acted accordingly.

Moving away from the theft/accident perspective and looking at prosecution costs - this is overkill!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-11784183

 

[packrat]

I get nauseated and dizzy at times, depending on what I ate and how long ago it was. Sometimes I have something w/me, sometimes I don't. When I don't, I'll pick something that I needed or would eat anyway, like a box of peanut butter protein bars. I eat it while I'm shopping, and every time I've done that, when the cashier grabs the box and sees it's open she wants to get me a new box b/c it's been tampered w/..and I explain I was feeling woozy and needed something to eat, and sometimes I've needed water b/c of some weird hacking/coughing fit/tickle in my throat, and explain yes, that half empty bottle of water is mine. Done it w/kids snacks too..the open box of gummies or container of Pringles. I don't quite get a sandwich for each of them tho..

And I can't say I've never forgotten anything *immediately* after either..I've forgotten to pay for gas a few times before, when I go in to pay and get other things.

 

[Imdanny]

http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/pregnant-women-arrested-at-safeway-store-after-snacking-on-chicken-salad-sandwich-while-shopping-110111

I don't think it's going to turn out to be that big of a scandal, after all. Safeway admits they could've handled the situation better.

ETA: I think the bigger issue at hand here is the question of whether or not it's okay to consume/use a product before you have purchased it! I know people do this all the time, but I have always been and will always remain in the camp that thinks that it's not RIGHT to eat food in the grocery store before you've paid for it unless it's a free sample! Pregnant ladies with 2 year olds usually have some Cheerios or some sort of snack with them, amirite?

I don't know about now but in the 70's my mom used to open things and start eating them in grocery stores- things like Twizlers. My mom would NEVER steal anything. Never in her whole life has she or would she.

I think things are a little less relaxed today. I wouldn't do it. Besides, I want to get in and get out. I don't got no time for eating nothing while shopping. No way. I don't even care to be there let alone feel relaxed enough to do that.

 

[Skippy123]

http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/pregnant-women-arrested-at-safeway-store-after-snacking-on-chicken-salad-sandwich-while-shopping-110111

I don't think it's going to turn out to be that big of a scandal, after all. Safeway admits they could've handled the situation better.

ETA: I think the bigger issue at hand here is the question of whether or not it's okay to consume/use a product before you have purchased it! I know people do this all the time, but I have always been and will always remain in the camp that thinks that it's not RIGHT to eat food in the grocery store before you've paid for it unless it's a free sample! Pregnant ladies with 2 year olds usually have some Cheerios or some sort of snack with them, amirite?

I don't know about now but in the 70's my mom used to open things and start eating them in grocery stores- things like Twizlers. My mom would NEVER steal anything. Never in her whole life has she or would she.

I think things are a little less relaxed today. I wouldn't do it. Besides, I want to get in and get out. I don't got no time for eating nothing while shopping. No way. I don't even care to be there let alone feel relaxed enough to do that.

Imdanny, if you were pregnant you might want to eat something though. Honestly, never in my life have I ate anything in the store except that one time; the faint woozy feeling is awful (like your blood sugar drops big time). That is the only reason I can see people eating in the stores (diabetics or preggos).


The part I am wondering about is, did the store have lots of thefts? Also, what happened to the wrapper? In the story they said they kept the wrapper out so they could remember to pay but then they forgot. The 2 sandwiches were $5 so they could very well forgot and in the story it says they got lost and then found that Safeway. I don't know; it all sounds weird to me.

 

[y2kitty]

Eh, I feel like she's using the pregnant card to suggest she can just do what she likes. She should have paid for the sandwich before eating it, and I'm not sure I believe it was an accident to not pay. That being said, there was no need to arrest them both, they should have arrested the mother or father and left the child with the non-arrested parent.

 

[zoebartlett]

I thought the store manager overreacted. It could have been an oversight, and as GP said, taking the couple to court seems more trouble than it's worth, considering the price of the sandwiches. Just have them pay for the food, let them go, and be done with it.

 

[Pandora II]

I almost invariably pay for empty packets of things at the till everytime I do a big supermarket shop.

One of the few ways to keep my daughter quiet and entertained is to supply her with sandwiches and drink. If she wants fruit then I always buy one of the pre-weighed bags of bananas or apples - I don't let her eat food that won't get paid for.

I've never seen an SA blink at empty bottle, packets etc - they even ask if I want them to bin them for me. It's pretty normal in the UK whether you have kids or not.

However in this case, I can't understand how they could forget to pay for the empty packets - I mean, surely they are just in the trolley along with everything else?

The thing I would massively criticise is separating them from their child. My daughter is the same age and would be totally hysterical if she was separated from us for a few hours let alone 18. Totally, totally reprehensible behaviour.

 

[Gypsy]

I do sometimes eat before I pay, and I don't see the harm. I always keep the wrappers in my cart/basket and always pay for the item when I leave.-- usually it's a drink or some candy right up at the counter while I'm waiting for my turn though, or sometimes it's a drink if I need to take a pill at a certain time. The checkers have never had an issue with it.

I do question one thing though... as someone stated the Safeway deli counter has a separate check out and with sandwiches I always use this, even if I have other shopping as it makes it easier if I want to eat the sandwich and shop. I wonder why they didn't just use it.

And yes, Safeway should have just made them pay and gotten it over with. A pregnant women with a 2 year old in tow is not the right person to make an example of.

 

[AGBF]

I do sometimes eat before I pay, and I don't see the harm. I always keep the wrappers in my cart/basket and always pay for the item when I leave.-- usually it's a drink or some candy right up at the counter while I'm waiting for my turn though, or sometimes it's a drink if I need to take a pill at a certain time. The checkers have never had an issue with it.

I do question one thing though... as someone stated the Safeway deli counter has a separate check out and with sandwiches I always use this, even if I have other shopping as it makes it easier if I want to eat the sandwich and shop. I wonder why they didn't just use it.

And yes, Safeway should have just made them pay and gotten it over with. A pregnant women with a 2 year old in tow is not the right person to make an example of.

Yes, yes, and yes! I never fail to pay myself, but making an example of a pregnant woman with a two year-old is about as stupid as it gets. Safeway really lost it over this one. You are right as always, Gypsy, and there is nothing common about common sense!!!

Deb

 

[usnwife]

I agree with Kenny, stealing is stealing. However, she will probably sue Safeway for millions of dollars due to the stress to the unborn baby over the ordeal, and not only get a $5 sammy but a giant settlement too.

 

[makemepretty]

Being pregnant is a medical condition and I know it messes with your brain. I couldn't remember what the stuff on the outside of trees was called....(bark), my sister in law couldn't remember what that place that mails things was called....(post office), my sister just got over being pregnant and her doctor even told her not to make major decisions while pregnant. Your brain is not it's normal self. Add in any exhaustion and who knows what was going on with her.

 

[Arkteia]

How do you gobble down sandwiches at the grocery store and then forget? If you only are buying $50 worth of groceries you must be in the store, what, maybe 10 minutes since $50 covers about 10 items? Now it's possible to forget but they BOTH forgot? I understand she was pregnant and got dizzy but what was his excuse? I guess he didn't want his wife to eat alone.

And don't you still have the wrappings because there aren't trash cans in the isles?

You know, it happens... I never stole anything in my life (well, except at 5, once) but we went to a new TJ Maxx with my husband many years ago and I was looking at an $ 4.00 bra tempted by the price. We walked around, paid for a bone china set (!) and when we got out and were standing at the parking lot, I realized I was still holding this bra in my hand! On a hanger, with all tags, etc. My husband was was with me, we were just discussing that china set which was pretty expensive and neither of us paid attention to that bra in my hand! I was lucky that it did not set the alarm system!

It happens when you are totally preoccupied with something else, which often happens to pregnant women as we know. Maybe the baby started kicking and she was listening to him/her. I am amazed that the police took it so seriously, though. Usually they are kinder to pregnant women. Or at least, should be. Separating a 2-year old from them was a huge stress, totally unjustified and unexplainable in my eyes.