Woolworth's nabs ringleader

[Magikman]

Worked at a Woolworths for a time back in my teens when they where still in the states.

STORY HERE

I guess being adorable just doesn't cut it anymore, hey?

[Finsup22]

She's lucky she doesn't live in the States, We would of tazed her 2yr old ass! Punk Kid!

[goalienan]

Jeez, I didn't even know Woolworth's was still around...I used to love that store...But come on, this staff member went a little overboard in reprimanding the mom..Easy pickings for a kid, so maybe they use their heads and put their good old pic n mix up higher so it won't be so accessible to the kids...And the little girl is such a cutie

[goalienan]

She's lucky she doesn't live in the States, We would of tazed her 2yr old ass! Punk Kid!

LMAO......

[swtp]

She's lucky she doesn't live in the States, We would of tazed her 2yr old ass! Punk Kid!

Good one Fins! But seriously how ridiculas of the this employee, and personally i think the jerk should be fired for humiliating a customer! I'm sure quietly informing the mother her little one was sampling the goodies would have been sufficient in this case! And i agree with goalie that if they don't want kids grabbing at the treats, then put them on a higher shelf! But of course if children can't see the treats, they can't pester mom into buying them which is exactly why they put them within reach of the kiddies in the first place! And the little girl really is a cutie pie with all those curls!

[theGhost_and_theDarkness]

Wow, that's stupid. For goodness sake, she's a 2 year old! They don't KNOW you're supposed to buy them first. My son has done that before. . .I'd be banned if they had them around here.

[FairyJosie25]

Wow, that's stupid. For goodness sake, she's a 2 year old! They don't KNOW you're supposed to buy them first. My son has done that before. . .I'd be banned if they had them around here.

Yep, my daughter's a grabber.... she's still content to sit in the shopping cart for now, so I don't have to worry too much, but I'm sure in a couple of months I'm gonna have to keep an eagle eye out....

They're too young to know better, and even when you're watching them, they're so damn quick!! Trying to take something away from a toddler?? Like trying to pry open a bank vault with a stick.

Edited April 6, 2008 by FairyJosie23

[Blueguardian]

The woolworths employee went way too far, a warning would have been suffice.

[Elfstone810]

I do agree that the employee went overboard, (and the candy should be higher up, especially if it is not individually wrapped); however it IS the parent's responsibility to control their children. I work in retail and this is something of a sore point for me. We don't prosecute small thefts and I am not on security, so I don't generally get involved in what's going on, but I see SO MUCH theft and vandalism being done by children.

The one that most stands out in my mind is a woman who had a little girl about two who was completely out of her control. The child grabbed a bag of cookies, tore it open, took out a cookie and put it in her mouth. I was stocking nearby and watched to see what the mother would do. She got the kid by the hand, looked around to see if anyone was watching but didn't see me, closed the bag of cookies and put it back on the shelf and then left the area. She didn't even take the stolen cookie away from the child or correct her!

I know people always say that small children don't know any better and that it's impossible to control them, but I know of lots of small children who DO know better and who ARE well-behaved and in control. I see them everyday, walking quietly beside their parent's shopping cart (and getting run down by the screaming little heathens who are charging around smashing fruit and stealing candy).

Honestly, when I see someone letting their child steal, or teaching them to steal (bananas are sold by the pound -- if you eat them before they're weighed you're not paying for them. That's theft.) when I see that, I feel embarrassed on their behalf. How can they not know that I see them stealing? How can they not be ashamed of being such a loser?

[Mr Honeybadger]

Woolworths ? Now that does bring back some memories. My town had two of them. I can't exactly say when they went out of business here. I'm guessing the early '80s

Nothing fancy. Just a regular " this and that " store.

[chemical-licker]

dont know, looks guilty to me

[tigger]

Good one Fins! But seriously how ridiculas of the this employee, and personally i think the jerk should be fired for humiliating a customer! I'm sure quietly informing the mother her little one was sampling the goodies would have been sufficient in this case! And i agree with goalie that if they don't want kids grabbing at the treats, then put them on a higher shelf! But of course if children can't see the treats, they can't pester mom into buying them which is exactly why they put them within reach of the kiddies in the first place! And the little girl really is a cutie pie with all those curls!

what for? the employee was probably sick and tired of seeing kids come in acting like little snots and getting away with murder. parents need to be more responsible for their children and stop putting the blame on other ppl.. if you cant control your child, dont take them with you. i for one get fed up when i see a child chucking a paddy and going thru things and mum or dad ignoring. ive been at the checkout and seen kids open up things and then put them back on the shelf with mum fully seeing what the kid is doing.. ive even told them to tell the checkout operator, but they dont. so ive done it on their behalf (and they got pretty cheesed.. but you get that.. control your brat)

i really dont like having kids in my shop for the simple fact that parents seem to give up all rights of taking care of their child when in an establishment. i have very expensive works and i dont need a child ruining things and a parent thinking its cute the way their child is acting. i tell them now that if anything is broken they are liable. soon pulls them into line

[theGhost_and_theDarkness]

I don't think my son is acting "cute" when he does it!

It's damned if you do damned if you don't. If you spank the kid or try to reprimand them, you're very likely to be reprimanded by someone (I have before), and if you don't, you get reprimanded again. My little boy is a demon child when I take him out in public, and its not like I don't TRY. I mean, I love him to death, but he just does not behave well in public. I don't just let him get away with things, even though some people might assume so. People underestimate exactly how hard it is sometimes. And yeah, some kids are wonderfully behaved, but you go and ask someone that has a few kids, and they'll tell you that some are better than others, even with the same upbringing. My brother was a terror. He tore everything up and stole things, but all I did when I was little was hide in my room and play with my toys. Some kids just have different personalities. And I would LOVE to not have to bring my son with me when I go shopping, but, unfortunately there's not much else to do unless I leave him at the house by himself. . .and, I am sorry, but I am not gonna sit at the house all the time just because my child is a terror in public. . .and trust me, I don't "forget" about him, or expect someone else to say something when he's doing something bad. . . and, I've always known that I've been considered "that mom" with the little terror running around. . .and, from that point of view, I can say, its alot harder than people make it out to be. I don't agree with the parents that don't do anything, that's just stupid. But on the behalf of the ones that honestly TRY and make their child behave, I can say that its really not that easy. If it was, I wouldn't be afraid to go out in public.

[FairyJosie25]

I fully agree with Sweetsalem. Every kid is different, even when they're brought up the same way. I was the terror in my family, always getting into stuff and running around, full of energy. My brother, though, was really quiet, just sat around and watched everything. When we did something wrong, all my mom had to do with my brother was look at him, and he was done. I, on the other hand, would smile at her, and keep doing it. Not until she would swat me on the butt would I stop and listen to her.

I'm fortunate with my daughter in the sense that even though she's really active and wants to get into anything, she also likes to be around lots of people. So when we go to the store she's content (at least for now) to sit in the cart and watch people. I can tell, though, we're getting to the point where she's gonna want to get down and walk. And that's what the leash is for! I got her one of those body harnesses with a monkey backpack, cause I know otherwise, the minute I'd set her down, she'd be off and running, pulling things off of shelves, and creating general havoc.

No matter how good of a parent you are, sometimes you'll have that kid that'll do what they want anyway. But you should at least be consistent and TRYING to discipline them. The parents that look like they're on another planet while their kid runs around being a hellion should be slapped, IMO. It p***es me off that they make the rest of us look bad.

[wolfknight]

Talk about a store clerk over re-acting The kid is 2.

[Rosewin]

I think the attitude of the mother and trying to excuse is poor parenting. Children at two are more sophisticated than she is crediting them and that is the age when they should start learning right from wrong instead of having their parents excuse their poor behavior or claiming they cannot supervise them at all times. The clerk did nothing wrong.