Only in Nova Scotia
While standing in the Zellers checkout line with Jim and my brother today, the overhead speaker crackled and the store manager came on and introduced himself. Then he said something very similar to the following:
"Folks, this is not a Hallmark moment. We have an unethical person shopping with us in the store today. I have a lovely couple here with me who have just had their iPod Touch and their wallet (which, and I'm going to be honest with you here, folks, had $700 in it, which was their rent money) stolen. This is just freakin' awful, that's what it is, that this lovely young couple, who is standing next to me here, and the girl is crying, has had their money stolen on Christmas Eve.
So I'm making an appeal to everyone in the store - and to the person who took these things from these lovely people who are crying because their rent money has been stolen, which is just freakin' unbelievable, truth be told. We don't want to prosecute anybody; we just want these items returned on Christmas Eve."
Jim and I were staring at each other incredulously the entire time. The second time the guy said, "freakin'", we had to hold in our giggles. The rest of the people in line looked at us as though *we* had stolen the crying couple's things.
From the woman behind Jim (loudly): "WHAT'S AN iPOD?"
Ah.
Jim and I talked quietly about how you'd only hear that type of announcement in Nova Scotia, and chuckled quietly to ourselves.
We were walking out of the store when the speaker crackled again, and the manager came on to give an update. Apparently, though the money and iPod had not been returned, many store customers and staff had come forward to offer money to the couple, so the store had set up a stocking for donations, and the manager put $20 in himself and encouraged everyone to come and give what they could.
Instead of chuckling this time, I wished silently that this type of behavior was more common.
~*~
Update: Mom told us later that night that in under half an hour, the shoppers and staff members of Zellers had donated more than the stolen $700 to the couple. Cool.
"Folks, this is not a Hallmark moment. We have an unethical person shopping with us in the store today. I have a lovely couple here with me who have just had their iPod Touch and their wallet (which, and I'm going to be honest with you here, folks, had $700 in it, which was their rent money) stolen. This is just freakin' awful, that's what it is, that this lovely young couple, who is standing next to me here, and the girl is crying, has had their money stolen on Christmas Eve.
So I'm making an appeal to everyone in the store - and to the person who took these things from these lovely people who are crying because their rent money has been stolen, which is just freakin' unbelievable, truth be told. We don't want to prosecute anybody; we just want these items returned on Christmas Eve."
Jim and I were staring at each other incredulously the entire time. The second time the guy said, "freakin'", we had to hold in our giggles. The rest of the people in line looked at us as though *we* had stolen the crying couple's things.
From the woman behind Jim (loudly): "WHAT'S AN iPOD?"
Ah.
Jim and I talked quietly about how you'd only hear that type of announcement in Nova Scotia, and chuckled quietly to ourselves.
We were walking out of the store when the speaker crackled again, and the manager came on to give an update. Apparently, though the money and iPod had not been returned, many store customers and staff had come forward to offer money to the couple, so the store had set up a stocking for donations, and the manager put $20 in himself and encouraged everyone to come and give what they could.
Instead of chuckling this time, I wished silently that this type of behavior was more common.
~*~
Update: Mom told us later that night that in under half an hour, the shoppers and staff members of Zellers had donated more than the stolen $700 to the couple. Cool.