Halifax woman fails to understand the meaning of personal responsibility

[BlackArcher101]

I can't wait until Christmas time. This woman is going to go crazy... and somewhere a thief is drooling just thinking of the possibilities.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by MaxPower

Yeah, whatever dude, they can do it if they want, the part that bothers me is someone saying there's an obligation.

You think FS is a bunch of jerks? Tough luck, they've done nothing wrong.

Okay dude.

I'm not saying they should have the sales staff hunch down in the back seat of the customer's car with a flare gun in case someone tries to steal the computer after it is sold. Just say something.

"Hey lady, some of our customers have been ripped off after buying big-ticket items here, so don't leave this thing in your car".

That doesn't seem like such a big deal to me.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by BlackArcher101

I can't wait until Christmas time. This woman is going to go crazy... and somewhere a thief is drooling just thinking of the possibilities.

Yup! A backseat full of presents and in fill view. Some thief is going to have a very merry Christmas.

[The Yen Man]

While I personally don't think FS has any responsibility whatsoever to the stupid woman, people who argue that they do should consider that everything quoted in this article is from the woman herself and not the police. From my experience dealing with people over the years, EVERYONE either exaggerates their own stories or makes their side of the story sound better than it actually is. For all we know, the police might not have even told her any of this, but the woman, thinking she's the poor innocent victim, might have somehow misquoted what the police told her. It happens all the time. Besides, she probably tried to make herself look not as dumb by saying all that stuff.

I have ZERO sympathy for the woman. Stupidity rarely evokes that from me.

[JohnnyB]

Originally Posted by MaxPower

This is the biggest load of crap I've ever read on CP.

Get one thing straight: They're running a business, not a community watch program, and as such, the responsibility ends there.

Unbelievable.

Originally Posted by MaxPower

Yeah, whatever dude, they can do it if they want, the part that bothers me is someone saying there's an obligation.

You think FS is a bunch of jerks? Tough luck, they've done nothing wrong.

Perhaps you and I just have different senses of moral responsibility. Next time I see you about to get hit by a car maybe I'll take a page out of your book and not tell you.

[JohnnyB]

Originally Posted by BlackArcher101

Of course it suggests it's an ongoing criminal activity... because it happens everywhere!!!!

To touch on a few of your points where you say the article says the police are frustrated because FS isn't doing anything. Take a look at that quote again. It's not from anyone affiliated with the police, it's actually the woman in question talking about the police and FS. Hardly credible at all. Besides, does it make sense at all? Sure sounds like the police are the ones shedding responsibility moreso than FS.

You sure do use the word suggestive. How you get any evidence of a trend from any comments in that article is beyond me. The fact a community relations officer has been in contact with the store does not contribute at all to a trend.... it's their job. It's what they do, problem or no problem.

This women is playing the media to change peoples' opinions on the evil empire that is Futureshop. What really irks me is this line from the story "Halifax Regional Police arrived and did their best to comfort Ms. Covert’s sobbing son." This women first makes an outrageous claim, but in the process of losing her cool, she proceeds to make her own child uncomfortable enough to start crying. And then the police consoles the child, not her. She was probably still going off about how Futureshop is the bad one and she's owed everything. At least that's what the story suggests to me.

The reason that I've made a point about using 'suggests' a lot in my posts is to acknowledge the fact that there's nothing of substance in the article. I'm acknowledging that my argument is based upon what the article suggests, but does not prove. I've said that if what the article suggests is not accurate then FS's responsibility can't be claimed.

I'm just saying that according to what is suggested by the article I think FS should make a point of informing people that they're being specifically targeted. If what's suggested by the article is not actually accurate, then I'm not making any claim at all.

You're actually making a lot more assumptions about what actually happened than I am.

[Devils'Advocate]

Well, the way that I see it, if people get stuff stolen from them, likely they will get the money back from their insurance and go buy another one of what was stolen. Many will go back to the place they originally bought the item at. So Future Shop would make LESS money if they started informing people about a rash of thefts.

As a capitalist venture, they have no responsibility other than to do what garners the greatest amount of profit within the confines of the law.

[Maritime Q-Scout]

To put this in a Calgary/Halifax perspective somewhat:

- Bayer's Lake is notorious for car break ins and thefts. I've heard of countless stories of people going to the movies and coming out and their car being gone. It's a port city so by the time you leave the theatre your car could be on a boat in the Atlantic.

- It's a commercial park/power centre. You lease the building, but the parking lot is not the store's responsibility. The lease line ends at the sidewalk. So it's not Future Shop's responsibility to look after it.

- For those saying "well FS should have warned her" was she warned by the Lexus dealer that she might be a target for a break in because she's driving a high end SUV? Do Honda dealers warn their customers that the Civic is the most stolen car in Canada? Seriously, how is that the dealer's "Social Responsibility" there's something in the retail world called "Consumer Responsiblity".

- As for the Best Buy/Future Shop different store-different town. It could be argued that it's the same company, and the same municipality, and are only about 10 minutes from each other.

Regardless I don't think Future Shop has any social responsiblity to tell every customer to go straight home (like a mother telling her child) because a bully might get them.

[ernie]

We bought a laptop the same day from Best Buy in Dartmouth.

We then went to have some dinner and pick up a few other things.

We weren't stupid enough to leave it in the car. We carried it with us in a protective manner. As she said, it came in a box with a convenient carrying handle.

For goodness sakes people you don't go shopping and buy expensive things and leave them to sit in the car for any amount of time. You don't load up the car for the cross country Christmas trip and have presents stuffed in the car from floor to ceiling and leave it parked outside the road side motel all night and expect the presents to be there the next morning. Yet someone will do just that and we'll once again have to read the story in the paper this Christmas.

This isn't some sort of unexpected crime. You should expect it and prevent it from happening. Sure the criminal is obviously in the wrong but when prenvention would have simply been to carry the hefty 7 lb laptop into the store with you or drop it off at home first or be smart enough to get the cheap items first you don't whine about it. You chalk it up to a life lesson. And you certainly don't blame the store especially when the store where you had the laptop stolen from the car is not in the same strip mall as Future Shop!

And in the end, this is what you have insurance for.

And really how much do you want to bet that she bought the replacement laptop for the same price at Best Buy thinking she's getting some sort of revenge on that evil Future Shop corporation?

[firebug]

As a proud, former future shop employee, i definitely think it is at least partially FS's responsibility.

After all, not only would i encourage my customers to use common sense when storing their purchases in their vehicles, but i would also:

-remind them to wear their seatbelts on the way home
-if it was sunny, encourage them to apply sunscreen and remind them of the risks of UV damage to their skin
-if they were obese, encourage them to eat less and exercise more (if morbidly so, discuss the risks and benefits of gastric bypass surgery)
-if they had teenagers, remind them to discuss the risks of unprotected sex and recommend the neighboring pharmacy's extensive condom selection
-if over 40, reminded them to have their prostates checked or mammogram's completed.

There were many more, as you can never tell what risks your clients may face once they depart the premises.

~firebug

[WindomURL]

Originally Posted by ernie

And really how much do you want to bet that she bought the replacement laptop for the same price at Best Buy thinking she's getting some sort of revenge on that evil Future Shop corporation?

This statement has AWESOME written all over it!!!

[MaxPower]

Originally Posted by JohnnyB

Perhaps you and I just have different senses of moral responsibility. Next time I see you about to get hit by a car maybe I'll take a page out of your book and not tell you.

No I think we probably have a similar sense of moral responsibility.... the only difference being I don't expect someone to go out of their way to save me from something when I haven't even taken the proper precautions myself.

[JohnnyB]

Originally Posted by MaxPower

No I think we probably have a similar sense of moral responsibility.... the only difference being I don't expect someone to go out of their way to save me from something when I haven't even taken the proper precautions myself.

Funny, at the time when they could have warned her, the time she was just buying the laptop, she hadn't failed to take proper precautions herself.

[CaptainCrunch]

But did she buy the extended warranty? Because if she didn't . . . screw er!

[MaxPower]

Originally Posted by JohnnyB

Funny, at the time when they could have warned her, the time she was just buying the laptop, she hadn't failed to take proper precautions herself.

Still having trouble feeling any different when her ten year had enough common sense to suggest hiding it and she still didn't.

I used to work at a gas station in high school and never once did I find it prudent to warn someone not to throw a lit match into their gas tank... I figured people could sort out the obvious themselves.

[Muta]

Why don't cashiers at Safeway tell me to watch my goods as I go outside to the parking lot? A hungry dog might come by and eat my groceries.

Why doesn't my car dealership tell me that when I purchase a car, there is the possibility of my car getting stolen?

When I purchase an airline ticket, why doesn't the check-in person tell me that the plane COULD crash?

Why do I not give my clients the heads up that, when bringing drawings for DP submission to City Hall, an arsonist could set my drawings on fire on my way there?

Or, why not tell my construction managers that there is a possibility of people randomly stealing materials from construction sites?

At what point do you take personal responsibilty into your OWN hands? This is the point. Blaming Future Shop for your goods being stolen is like suing God in court for Hurricane Katrina. Accept responsiblity for your own actions and get over it.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Muta

Why don't cashiers at Safeway tell me to watch my goods as I go outside to the parking lot? A hungry dog might come by and eat my groceries.

(And the other examples)

Just to add to this, I can understand how FS might not want to go about advertizing how their parking lot or their neighbourhood is not secure. If they said that to each and every customer, how many customers would they lose by people not wanting to come back and shop in the 'hood?

It would be one thing if there was an issue with FS employees commiting the crimes. Back in the 80s in Winnipeg there was a car electronics place where it was known among my friends not to give them your correct address; as the employees would go out stealing stereos late at night. Then the police could complain about FS not doing something; if it was under their control.

[pepper24]

Originally Posted by firebug

As a proud, former future shop employee, i definitely think it is at least partially FS's responsibility.

After all, not only would i encourage my customers to use common sense when storing their purchases in their vehicles, but i would also:

-remind them to wear their seatbelts on the way home
-if it was sunny, encourage them to apply sunscreen and remind them of the risks of UV damage to their skin
-if they were obese, encourage them to eat less and exercise more (if morbidly so, discuss the risks and benefits of gastric bypass surgery)
-if they had teenagers, remind them to discuss the risks of unprotected sex and recommend the neighboring pharmacy's extensive condom selection
-if over 40, reminded them to have their prostates checked or mammogram's completed.

There were many more, as you can never tell what risks your clients may face once they depart the premises.

~firebug

Awesome post. Major corporations have the moral duty to babysit the general public like ourselves who lack common sense.

[Flames09]

Originally Posted by JD

Well what good would hiding the laptop have done anyway?

If people are watching you walk out of Future Shop with a laptop and they see you put it in the car, hidden or not, and you go into another store, would they not still know there's a laptop in the car?

Seems to me there isn't a whole lot she could have done other than take her expensive purchase straight home.

I agree with that it's unfortunate it got stolen, and it's really no ones fault, and especially not hers for not hiding the computer under the seat. I never imagined people would be blaming someone for not going home after purchasing a 'big ticket' item, come on people it's not like she cashed out 50million out of the bank put it in a brief case and left it on her seat, it was a laptop and I'm sure most of you didn't go in and purchase your laptop and run straight home and lock the doors. The only thing I blame this woman for is blaming futureshop but I'm guessing she was just angry and everyone likes to place blame.

[ernie]

The had a phone in poll on a local radio station yesterday. The question was basically who's to blame the store or the woman?

When the results were announced today it was the first time they ever had a 100 % to 0 % poll. The 100% of course being the woman was at fault.