Swiping a sirloin is certainly stupid

Why Americans love to shoplift meat. – By Brendan I. Koerner – Slate Magazine

Meat is the #1 item shoplifted from grocery stores. That has got to be one of the weirdest statistics I’ve come across. And it seems the majority are doing it just because they “feel they deserve it.”

There is a serious problem with entitlement in this country. Too many people feel they deserve something more than they have earned. That just seems to be a basic truth in America today. It is true that some people are disadvantaged, or simply being taken advantage of, and should be getting more than they are, but seriously, that’s not who we’re talking about here (emphasis is mine):

Though men and women shoplift in equal numbers, such aspirational meatlifters are most likely to be gainfully employed women between 35 and 54, according to a 2005 University of Florida study; men prefer to lift Tylenol or batteries, often for resale and often to support a drug or alcohol habit.

So these people grab a better piece of meat and risk fines or jail time just because they don’t want to shell out the extra $2.50 (or whatever it is) to upgrade their entree. It’s not like they can’t afford it, they just don’t feel like paying it. To those people I say: “At what age did your parents drop you on your head?”

I really don’t get it. These aren’t kids getting a thrill out of seeing if they can get away with it. This stuff isn’t being sold to make a profit. There isn’t even any significantly better nutritional value in this theft. The only possible motivation I can come up with is ego. But there should be some associated feeling of guilt here which would to some degree counteract the ego boost, too.

At least I understand the risk/reward ratio of some theft (which isn’t to say I condone it – I just understand it). But this one boggles my mind. If anyone who has committed this crime, or attempted to, happens to read this, please, I beg you, explain to me how you are not a complete and total moron.

[tags]groceries, crime, stupidity[/tags]

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