I knew that people habitually steal items from restaurants,
but I had no idea it happened on such a huge scale.
Just about anything in a restaurant will be stolen sooner or
later – cutlery, cups, glassware, plates, salt and pepper shakers, condiment
bottles, soaps and lotions. Even tips left on tables can be stolen.
Well, Jenny and I are scrupulously honest and never steal
anything. Partly because we would feel so deceitful and partly because we know
restaurants operate on very tight margins and could do without the cost of
replacements.
Why are people happy to indulge in such petty theft as if it’s
the most normal thing in the world? They can easily afford to buy what they’re
stealing so why steal? Do they just like the frisson of doing something they
shouldn’t?
Not to mention the “dine and dash” types who have a hearty
meal and then sneak out of the restaurant without paying. No doubt they
entertain their friends with stories of how they got the better of extortionate
prices. No doubt they could easily swallow the prices but fancy the cheap
thrill of ripping someone off and being five-minute rebels.
No, I’m not being sanctimonious. Just a decent citizen.
I dimly recall that the local community college would start off each year with a full supply of plain white mugs, but be down to half mugs, half paper cups by the end of the year.
ReplyDeleteI suppose seeing such theft was part of my education.
Sean: My workplaces were much the same. We'd have to keep replenishing the mugs as they gradually disappeared.
DeleteThere is no answer for WHY people do the things they do like stealing cutlery and leaving without paying the bill. It may be why many eateries have resorted to very cheap cutlery or even plastic ware.
ReplyDeleteBeatrice: And plastic cutlery is often worse than useless compared with proper cutlery.
DeleteNo idea why. The thrill of getting away with something maybe? I've never stolen anything from a restaurant.
ReplyDeleteMary: Yes, the thrill of subversion.
DeleteI've never stolen anything from a restaurant. Imagine trying to steal your dinner plate?! Odd.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've deliberately stolen anything - some nail files once got lost at the bottom of my shopping trolley and I only realised when I'd got back to the car - I couldn't be bothered to take them back by that point.
Sx
Ms Scarlet: Like you, I once discovered some items left in my shopping trolley after I'd been through the cash desk. I have to admit I didn't take them back but enjoyed the free gift!
DeleteI think it was popular back in the day to steal ash trays that had the restaurant's name on them. I think the only thing we've ever taken were matches, but I believe that was expected.
ReplyDeleteBijoux: I gather items with a prestigious brand name often get stolen. But I don't think a restaurant would object to the loss of a few matches!
DeleteI was stunned when a friend simply slipped the candle holder from the table into her purse. Our husbands were soldiers making decent money so why? I was too surprised to ask her.
ReplyDeleteLinda
Linda: Indeed, if you have plenty of money why do you need to steal something?
DeleteIn my head I'm a "straight John" and a "Boy Scout." In fact, my tenant said I know you're (as above) when asking for a delay in paying rent. (Which I granted, only because "I have faith in you.")
ReplyDeleteMy self identity means I don't have to stress over "how much wrong is Okay" or "which driving laws should I break?" More importantly, (although I am nonjudgmental about noncriminal faults) I am quicker to react properly if someone wants me to do something wrong such as asking me to fake our expense account, or, hypothetically, tries to happily show me something stolen.
Sean: I do remember once falsely claiming I was in work in order to clinch a flat rental (but I was in work shortly after that!).
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