That takes some guts. And a big backpack.

[Golden Phoenix]

Witnessed in a local frozen food shop.

We stand in line by the checkouts and are dimly aware of a guy walking past us and out of the shop. The checkout girl is packing bags for a customer and another employee is stacking shelves behind us.

E: Employee
OE: Other Employee. (Manning checkout)
US: Hubby and me.

E: Damnit! OE! We missed him again!
OE: What?! Damn, what did he get this time?
E: More bacon and cheese.
OE: Weirdo. *Walks off mumbling*
US: What was that all about?
E: There's a guy comes in here two or three times a week wearing a big backpack, he only comes in when there's just a couple of us here. He stuffs it full of bacon and cheese and just walks out, so far we haven't been able to catch him.
US: Wow, don't you have cctv or anything?
E: Yeah, but to use it we'd have to catch him in the act, and we can't detain him. Plus he hides out at the back and then walks out when we're busy. [Note: The doors are behind the checkout, unless the worker twists round to look they can't directly see the door, the view of the first aisle is blocked by tall shelves]
US: Wow.
E: I know, it's getting really bad, but we're not a big enough store to get a security guard. I reckon he sells it.
US: Either that or with all that cholesterol he's getting he's gonna fix your problem for you.

I can't believe how blatant the guy was. But the shop is set up in such a way that it's perfect for him to do this.

[blas]

At the Deb store I worked at in high school, we didn't have cameras, and I'm more than certain girls knew it.

Hordes of girls would come in with their giant paper Hollister bags and stuff underwear and whatever else they could fit in there, and then just walk out, during the busiest times or when we only had a few people on staff.

[Merriweather]

Amazing what people will do. I knew someone (not a friend, but someone related to someone I knew) that as a teen, walked out of Woolworth's with 25 record albums (yeah, I know, that story really, really dates me, LOL). Pre-security beepers, all a person really had to do was walk out with a large item in plain sight, look confident enough, and everyone would assume he'd paid for it in another department. Amazing how bold some people can be.

As for the bacon & cheese guy, wonder if he does the same thing at other stores as well? Maybe he's running one of those mobile cafes, getting his supplies from various stores to increase his profit margin? If he were just selling it, you'd think he'd go for more expensive but non-perishible items.

Then again, here I fo thinking what he's doing might have some sort of logic (weird & illegal, but logic of a sort). Sorry bout that

[Anakah]

Can they make him leave his backpack up at the front?

[Golden Phoenix]

@merriweather: i din't think of that, it's entirely possible, there are a number of little cafe's and food carts around.

@Anakah: Unfortunately they can't see him come in. The cashier faces the wrong way to see the door unless they turn their back to the customer and it doesn't look like they have enough staff to man the door constantly, especially when it's getting late.

[ShadowTiger]

Maybe put a strategically angled mirror up on a nearby pillar or another register? Mirrors work wonders for that. They're a hell of a lot less expensive than security guards and security cameras.