I Finally Did It!

 Here lately people are being dumb and are stealing things from my work. I have caught several of them, but I still say nothing. I stand there and watch them with their stolen item walk out of the store. I really can't explain exactly why I let them steal, but I'll try. I'm afraid to say something. I'm afraid of sounding stupid, afraid of falsely accusing someone, afraid of making them mad, and afraid of letting them know I saw them. I'm sure that doesn't make any sense to most people, I don't understand it myself, I just know I can never actually get the words out of my mouth. This has been bothering me for awhile, but after yesterday watching two separate people walk out of the store with something they didn't pay for I realized this has to stop. I can't keep allowing myself to let people steal. That's just as wrong as doing the act of stealing itself.
 Tonight a regular and his underage brother came in the store. They only bought some moonshine, to me it looked like the younger brother was trying to steal it, but the older brother just thought he forgot to show me that they had it. Yeah, I don't think so. They came in a second time, the two brothers went separate ways into the store. I saw the younger brother instantly go towards the liquor, he grabbed a $21 bottle of moonshine off the shelf and went where he knew I couldn't see.
 The entire time I was freaking out, I knew I couldn't allow someone to steal something again. I've done it way to much, I have to say something when people steal, that's part of my job. So I thought of a plan, once both brothers came up to the register I was going to ask the younger brother if he had put the moonshine back up, if he said yes I was going to ask what was under his shirt. Yeah, it didn't work out that way. The younger brother asked if we had something, I didn't hear what he had said because I was so focused on what to say him. It was so obvious he stole it though, his shirt had something underneath it, there was no question. After I said no we didn't have the item the younger brother walked out of the store. I started to beat myself up, I freakin' let someone else steal something again! Then I remembered the older brother was still in the store, so I decided I was going to try to tell the older brother that his brother had stole something. Once he came to the register, we small talked while I was getting the courage to tell him. I finally just blurted out the words. "Your brother just stole some moonshine."
 He looked at me like I was crazy, then responded "My brother?!" He asked like he was surprised.
 "Yeah, your brother."
 "Oh well I'll have to check him."
 "Thank you." I said with a smile as I remembered that the older brother was once kicked out of the store for stealing. Oh great, there's no way he's going to be honest about his brother stealing. He probably helped plan the thing, I thought.
 I started to count his change back to him when I realized I had shorted him $20.
 "Oops." I said while I was getting him the money I shorted him at first.
 "Oh, I'm glad you caught that. I would have just shoved it into my wallet."
 I realized this was a great opportunity to remind him that he needed to be honest with me. "Yeah, I try to be honest when I can." I said with a smile, while beating myself up for adding 'when I can' I always am honest.
 "Yeah, well time to go beat my brother up."
 "Okay thanks."
 I was really starting to regret not busting the brother myself. There's no way they are going to come back in and return it, I thought to myself. After five minutes with no sign of either of them I decided that they definitely weren't coming back in. I when inside of the cubby to the book where we write information that needs to be passed on to other people that I caught the younger brother stealing the moonshine. I knew I'd be in trouble when they found out that he got away with it, but at least this way I knew he wouldn't be able to steal again because my boss would kick him out of the store for good.
 After around fifteen minutes passed, the younger brother came in to return the moonshine. He told me that he wasn't thinking straight, that he was very sorry, and that he isn't a thief. He asked if we were cool, and I told him that we were.We are cool. My boss and him? Not so much...
 So, I know I should have busted him myself instead of making his brother bust him, but I'm still really happy with how tonight turned out. I was finally able to say something, it was hard, but I did it! I was finally able to say something instead of watching someone steal something else. I am going to start always saying something now. Tonight was my milestone. It will be hard, but I need to start doing my job right.





                                                                                                                                                07-29-2015