So, I went to my local Wal-Mart yesterday. I go to it just about every week because it is the closest food store to where I live and I like that I can pick up non-grocery items at the same time. I know my way around this particular Wal-Mart quite well. Yesterday I went down one of the cosmetic aisles to get a refill of the liquid face makeup I use. I immediately noticed ALL the makeup – EVERYTHING, including what I needed, plus mascaras, eye shadows, nail polishes, and more – were now behind plexiglass LOCKED doors. In the middle of each aisle was a box with a button to push to call a Wal-Mart associate to come, unlock the area with the makeup I needed, and then lock it back up. But that was not all…. Then, the associate put my little bottle of makeup into a locked bigger plastic box for the person at the cash register to unlock, open, and then scan!
Can you imagine the amount of theft they must be trying to stop to go to all that trouble? The cost of it? The installation of security doors, locks, call boxes, and remotes for the associates to wear. Then, plastic boxes to put the makeup in until checkout??
I mean, I knew some over-the-counter medicines have recently been locked safely away where people can’t steal them. And, I knew even high end items had security trackers on the boxes that will beep if you leave without checking out…. But, now this?
I have to tell you, once again, the people who steal, who choose to scam the system, have made everyone suffer. Now, people like me, who just want to get a small makeup item, have to go through a whole process – and we are the good people. But we do it – because the bad element has forced it on us.
It made me think….
Growing up I never ever thought once about stealing an item from a store. Maybe I am unusual.
I grew up in a middle class family. Definitely not rich. But we were also not so poor that we could not make ends meet. My dad was a pastor so you know he did not make a huge salary. My mother spent most of those years while I was growing up at home, taking care of the normal household things, cooking, shopping, etc. Eventually, when I was in high school, she took a part-time retail job.
I realize that I did not have the pressure like kids do today of seeing all these cool things to get, through ads and on social media. There were no influencers!! Ha. I picked out Christmas toys from the Sears catalog. I would circle my favorites in hopes my parents might see what I wanted and get me one or two of them.
Maybe, though, because I was not lacking basic needs, or maybe because I never wanted to get that shiny new object, I never wanted to steal. I never even thought about it.
I really think that somehow I internally had an awareness of right and wrong. I knew I could not live with myself if I took something from a store without paying for it. Even if I didn’t get caught! I would feel guilty. I thank my parents for instilling that in me. I grew up with a moral high ground. I grew up with a religious foundation too. It was not about fear. It was about being good, and kind, and fair.
These days we are in a real moral tug of war in America. Children are not getting the same values taught to them from society – and expectations have lowered. Many adults like to blame it on children…. They say the kids and young people are disrespectful and live in a disposable world. But I think it is unfortunately a bigger problem: that our young are seeing such hypocrisy from the adults. There is so much accepted now that did not used to be okay. Even our president is a morally empty man without repercussions. Many have no problem with him being a liar and cheater. If you can get away with it, then it is okay. Right? So bosses cheat. Employees steal. People lie without care. It seems to be everywhere.
Is it really worse now? I don’t know for sure – but it seems that way to me.
We are locking up items in stores. We are fearful and we carry guns. We stay quiet when something bad happens because we don’t want to get involved. We don’t look out for each other.
So…. We take our shoes off at airports. We park our cars away from public buildings. We don’t trust much anymore.
We even lock up $8 makeup face cream now.
Marla’s Musings 