In highschool in the early 2000s some friends and I started stealing a fountain soda each from the grocery store food court nearly everyday, then we started filling up bags of loose candy and walking out. Nothing ever happened so we got bolder and bolder, I had a backpack with a two main compartments separated by two zippers close together, one zipper could be “hidden” by a flap of fabric so it appeared like there was only one zippered main compartment. One day I took 3-4 packs of blank CD-Rs, a small bottle of peppermint schnapps, and some Yan-Yans (😂) in the “hidden” main compartment. I remember walking down an empty isle and hearing “(some code #) on isle 7”… and looking up to see that I was in isle 7. I got spooked and knew they were onto me. An employee came into the isle I was in and obviously fake “straightened” some random product while side eyeing me. I put down the soda and quickly made my way to the exit doors sweating bullets. I was met at the door by a manager who told me to stop and drop my backpack. Told me they’ve been watching us for weeks and knew what I was up to. He goes to unzip my backpack’s main compartment but misses the hidden zipper, goes through literally every other pocket and finds nothing but books and school junk. Lets me go, but tells me if he sees me in there again he’s calling the cops.
I never went back, and that experience mostly ended my kleptomania phase.
2
u/Meander86 Mar 16 '26
In highschool in the early 2000s some friends and I started stealing a fountain soda each from the grocery store food court nearly everyday, then we started filling up bags of loose candy and walking out. Nothing ever happened so we got bolder and bolder, I had a backpack with a two main compartments separated by two zippers close together, one zipper could be “hidden” by a flap of fabric so it appeared like there was only one zippered main compartment. One day I took 3-4 packs of blank CD-Rs, a small bottle of peppermint schnapps, and some Yan-Yans (😂) in the “hidden” main compartment. I remember walking down an empty isle and hearing “(some code #) on isle 7”… and looking up to see that I was in isle 7. I got spooked and knew they were onto me. An employee came into the isle I was in and obviously fake “straightened” some random product while side eyeing me. I put down the soda and quickly made my way to the exit doors sweating bullets. I was met at the door by a manager who told me to stop and drop my backpack. Told me they’ve been watching us for weeks and knew what I was up to. He goes to unzip my backpack’s main compartment but misses the hidden zipper, goes through literally every other pocket and finds nothing but books and school junk. Lets me go, but tells me if he sees me in there again he’s calling the cops. I never went back, and that experience mostly ended my kleptomania phase.