The story some of you have been waiting for.

[U2_rocks!]

Maybe I'm wrong, but the way I read it was the mom dumped the stuff on top of the stroller so she could chase the kid outside...she left the stroller with the dad who was in the store, but didn't tell him about said stuff being in it...he paid for all the stuff he knew about, and then left the store with the stroller, thus *he* is the one who actually "shoplifted".

Having said that, I'm not going to touch the validity/nonvalidity of the story.

OMG, this is the second time this has happened to me this week - typing pretty much the same thing as someone else at the same time they are typing it!!!! Freaky!

 

[trypnotic]

This is a crazy story but I believe it. I can relate to how children go darting out in any direction and you need to do what you can do to stop them before they hurt themselves. What's more important? Protecting your child or carefully placing the trinkets on a shelf? A good parent is going to go by instinct by making the child a #1 priority and probably give thought to nothing else (including just what exactly to do with unpaid merchandise) until the child is secured. It's not as if she took the time to hide them under a bag or something else in her stroller. And what if she actually did take a second to look for a spot to put them and there immediately wasn't one? Myself? I probably wouldn't spend much more time thinking about what I should do. Perhaps I'm interpeting this story wrong but that's my take on it at this point. I guess the confusing part is why the DH got taken away and not the DW.

However, I cannot imagine then pushing said stroller out after the toddler!!!

Depends on what's in said stroller. Another DS or DD? Sack of money with a dollar sign on it? Hard to say... in any event, I'd probably push the stroller out too.

 

[mrsdon]

Im a CM at a resort gift shop and even if we see a shoplifter, we are NOT allowed to do anything about it, but call security.
I doubt that he would be arrested coming back in the store.
Because there would be no way to prove that they had not been purchased previously.
And as somemone else posted, they would be very discreet.

 

[Cass]

BTW: I can understand dropping stuff into a stroller to chase your toddler if you're not near a shelf - However, I cannot imagine then pushing said stroller out after the toddler!!!

Maybe she was afraid it or things in it would be 'stolen'

 

[U2_rocks!]

Perhaps I'm interpeting this story wrong but that's my take on it at this point. I guess the confusing part is why the DH got taken away and not the DW.


Depends on what's in said stroller. Another DS or DD? Sack of money with a dollar sign on it? Hard to say... in any event, I'd probably push the stroller out too.

I'm guessing the DH was taken away b/c he was pushing the stroller when Security stopped them. He may have been the one who pushed it out of the store - I'm trying to get that clarified.

The only other child was with the DH. Maybe there were valuables in the stroller, but what's more valuable than your child? You can catch a toddler so much faster without a stroller to slow you down. If you're so worried about chasing a toddler that you will throw things you haven't paid for into the stroller, why would you then take the stroller with you? It's going to slow you down, no doubt about it.

 

[MagicalMom]

That was Eric (ECurto) and the magic shopping bag story.

I remember that! It was so funny!

 

[cardaway]

I'm smelling something, and it isn't good.

 

[Allison]

Maybe I'm wrong, but the way I read it was the mom dumped the stuff on top of the stroller so she could chase the kid outside...she left the stroller with the dad who was in the store, but didn't tell him about said stuff being in it...he paid for all the stuff he knew about, and then left the store with the stroller, thus *he* is the one who actually "shoplifted".

Having said that, I'm not going to touch the validity/nonvalidity of the story.

Oh, maybe that was it. It was hard to tell.

 

[goofinoff]

I'm confused about the first part of the post and the thread title, was this story previously mentioned in another thread or something? who was waiting for this story?

*scratches head*

I was thinking the same thing. This is the strangest thread I've ever read! By the title I thought it would be some good juicy hollywood celebrity dirt! And yes, I too have heard this story before.

 

[Micca]

Im a CM at a resort gift shop and even if we see a shoplifter, we are NOT allowed to do anything about it, but call security.
I doubt that he would be arrested coming back in the store.
Because there would be no way to prove that they had not been purchased previously.
And as somemone else posted, they would be very discreet.

Methinks Mrsdon is spot-on here.

 

[jayandstacey]

I'm a DH, and I would not take the stroller my wife left, pay for things, then walk out of the store - without a clue as to what is going on.

If the wife was chasing a kid, I would see that and help with the chase (dropping everything, including stroller).

If I didn't know the wife was in a chase, I would still drop everything and look for them to coordinate.

Bottom line- it makes no sense to pick up on a solo stroller and continue paying when you know the wife was browsing too. You might not be in a big rush, but you would simply set your stuff down and go find the rest of the family.

Sad, but untrue.

 

[Chicago526]

I don't know if this is true in FL but it is in IL and a lot of other states. In order to prosecute for shoplifting, a store employee or a security camera MUST see a customer take merchandise and can NEVER lose sight of that person, not for a single second, until they actually leave the store. A CM would have had to see the mother put the stuff in the stroller, then see the father pay for the items he knew about but not the stuff in the stroller, then see the father walk out of the store. All the while NOT telling the father that "Oh, you've got stuff in your stroller, did you want to pay for that too" or "Your wife ran off after your todler, she had some stuff she put in the stoller, do you want to purchase it or wait to ask her about it?". If they based it on security footage, again the footage would have shown the mom running off after the kid, then the father going to pay for things, unaware of the stuff in the stoller. And again, if the camera losses sight of the mom, the stroller, or the father for a single frame, Disney can't do squat. Basicly a CM or security camera would have seen the entire thing go down, so I don't buy that they wouldn't let the parents explain, their explaination would have matched up to what the CM witnessed and/or the security footage!

 

[Feelslikeadream]

SO I DID IT, I told you the TRUE STORY all of you were waiting to hear. In conclusion I knew there would be some of you to think it was just a joke. Well it's not , I talk to her everyday. It has affected her in a huge way!!! Some of you are trying to figure out different ways it happened. Just read the story this is how it happened, nothing different. To the ones that think I just made this up, shame on you, why would I do this to WDW. I know that I had problems with my trip, but like I said the entire trip was not a flop.This will be my only response to the thread. Rehashing it doesn't help any. I will give her all of your good wishes(from the ones who sent them) FYI she is a DISER, but does not want to reveal herself. She asked me last night if I had typed the story yet. She really wants you all to be careful, she would hate to hear this happen again to someone innocent.

I can't even say I will return to read the replies due to the fact that some of them are sooo darn judgemental and rude. You have a choice to either believe or not. If you don't then just move on.

I hope that all of you who are approching your dates of travel have a great time!!!!

HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY!!!!

So please just be careful whne shopping with your children.

 

[phillybeth]

I would think the warning would be to be careful when shopping with your DH...

 

[U2_rocks!]

Just read the story this is how it happened, nothing different.

Sorry, but the story as written is full of holes. Maybe it's true, but it sure left out some stuff, or at the very least was badly worded.

 

[Duckfan-in-Chicago]

So please just be careful whne shopping with your children.

Hey...I at least learned something so the thread wasn't a total loss. I'm locking my kid in the trunk when I go shopping. He's got the crazy fingers.

 

[3princesses4us]

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who immediately thought "NY cop shopping bag story" while reading this.

 

[SDFgirl]

I'm sorry, but I would NEVER take unpaid merchandise out of a store, even if I was going after a wandering 4-year-old. It would take all of 2 seconds to put the mug on a nearby shelf and follow the kid out.

 

[Beth76]

OP, whatever. If your friend is a DISser, then why isn't she telling the story so we can get it first hand? Your version was not very clear at all. The story is full of holes and just doesn't make sense. I read it again and was able to figure out that the husband did push the stroller out. Now, if your friend put the items on top of the stroller, her husband should have most clearly seen them. If she put them in the hanging bag (like the one I have on my umbrella stroller) then, sorry, but that looks like shoplifting. That's quite a bit of effort to put something inside a bag, even when you're in a panic.

 

[va32h]

I'm calling shenanigans on the whole story.

Curious details:

1) an umbrella stroller? Those don't have "backs". But some do have storage compartments which are located underneath the seat, which leads to

2) In a rush to chase after your child, is it more instinctive to bend down and put the item into your hand in the base of a stroller, or just stick it on the first shelf at arm level?

2a) if she stuck the stuff on top of the stroller, a coffee mug would have bounced right off as soon as she started running out of the store. Those umbrella strollers have thin, nylon tops, if they have them at all.

3) If the parade was going by that store, the sidewalk in front of that store would have been jam-packed with people watching the parade. The store would probably have been packed too. Heck those stores are murder to negotiate even when fairly empty. Even if the kid was Dash from the Incredibles, he didn't get that far away, that fast.

4) Why didn't the mother immediately return to the store upon reaching her son? Why didn't she tell her husband "hey, go back and pay for this stuff"? Apparently, she was not so traumatized by the brief loss of her son to consider the merits of a $15 blanket as a Christmas gift, but she couldn't remember the stuff she ran out of the store with?

5) Shoplifters are arrested when they leave the store, not when they come back. and finally

6) Security cameras. If the incident occured as described, it would be easy to prove.

7) Security dragging people away? Oh please. How many shoplifting incidents do you think WDW sees in one day? I'm going to guess quite a few. Have any of us ever seen multiple security guards dragging anyone away?

Remember the cardinal rule of making up a story - keep it simple!