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Had a bit of excitement in my little area of the mall today. Right across from our doorway is a kiosk, sitting in the centre of one of the mall's main aisles, that sells covers for cellphones, iPads, and whatnot. It's roughly U-shaped. At most there's two people there. On slow days, like Mondays, there's only one at a time.
KSM - Kiosk Staff member
TSC - Two Sucky Customers (both women)
OGK - One Grabby Kid (belonging to one of the women, not sure which one)
The TSC come wandering around, one pushing a stroller (OGK is well past toddler-hood and is, IMO, too old for a stroller, but than again, I'm not a parent). OGK, who was not in the stroller at this time, rushes over to our main sample, grabs a sample cup and yanks on the handle. I'm standing right there with a little tray of samples. She doesn't ask me for a taste or acknowledge me at all. I'm thinking that if she splashes hot tea on her hands, I'd better not hear about it from either of the TSCs, because neither of them was making any effort at all to rein her in.
Then OGK rushes back to the kiosk and starts grabbing various cellphone covers. Each time she's told to "Put it back!" Each time she tosses it up over the edge of the counter. There's the top of the counter, which is, of course, completely horizontal, and on the inside, there's a slight slope. The spot where she's tossing it is right by a vertical pillar, which (thankfully) keeps it from falling to the floor on the inside. However, it's sliding down that short slope and coming to rest against the pillar, which makes it pretty much invisible from the outside AND inside of the kiosk.
I'm trying to keep an eye on the little brat to make sure she doesn't rush back into our store and lay waste to the place, when suddenly I realize KSM is addressing one of the TSC. Loudly.
She's accusing her of theft. She's telling her "You are the ONLY person who's been around there (the side of the kiosk not facing our store) in the past hour and now (two or three items) are missing."
I walk over and grab the two that have fallen in that awkward spot, asking if these are the ones she's missing. No, the missing items are from the other side of the kiosk (which faces a different business).
I missed some of the ensuing squabble before hearing KSM say, "If you ever come around here again, I will call mall security and have you removed."
The TSCs and OGK all come over to our store, to the same sample the kid was fiddling with. KSM follows them and says pointedly to me, "Watch out for them. They steal."
Me:
I seriously have NO idea what to say. The kid meanwhile is demanding more tea, from samples kept in glass pitchers, and I'm contemplating picking her up by the scruff of her neck and removing her bodily when the women both call her over and finally lay down the law "NO MORE TEA." They all leave.
Found out later that the KSM had ordered the one woman to open the little haversack she had attached to the stroller -- and sure enough there were at least two or three cellphone covers in there that -- oops! -- hadn't been paid for.
KSM - Kiosk Staff member
TSC - Two Sucky Customers (both women)
OGK - One Grabby Kid (belonging to one of the women, not sure which one)
The TSC come wandering around, one pushing a stroller (OGK is well past toddler-hood and is, IMO, too old for a stroller, but than again, I'm not a parent). OGK, who was not in the stroller at this time, rushes over to our main sample, grabs a sample cup and yanks on the handle. I'm standing right there with a little tray of samples. She doesn't ask me for a taste or acknowledge me at all. I'm thinking that if she splashes hot tea on her hands, I'd better not hear about it from either of the TSCs, because neither of them was making any effort at all to rein her in.
Then OGK rushes back to the kiosk and starts grabbing various cellphone covers. Each time she's told to "Put it back!" Each time she tosses it up over the edge of the counter. There's the top of the counter, which is, of course, completely horizontal, and on the inside, there's a slight slope. The spot where she's tossing it is right by a vertical pillar, which (thankfully) keeps it from falling to the floor on the inside. However, it's sliding down that short slope and coming to rest against the pillar, which makes it pretty much invisible from the outside AND inside of the kiosk.
I'm trying to keep an eye on the little brat to make sure she doesn't rush back into our store and lay waste to the place, when suddenly I realize KSM is addressing one of the TSC. Loudly.
She's accusing her of theft. She's telling her "You are the ONLY person who's been around there (the side of the kiosk not facing our store) in the past hour and now (two or three items) are missing."
I walk over and grab the two that have fallen in that awkward spot, asking if these are the ones she's missing. No, the missing items are from the other side of the kiosk (which faces a different business).
I missed some of the ensuing squabble before hearing KSM say, "If you ever come around here again, I will call mall security and have you removed."
The TSCs and OGK all come over to our store, to the same sample the kid was fiddling with. KSM follows them and says pointedly to me, "Watch out for them. They steal."
Me:
I seriously have NO idea what to say. The kid meanwhile is demanding more tea, from samples kept in glass pitchers, and I'm contemplating picking her up by the scruff of her neck and removing her bodily when the women both call her over and finally lay down the law "NO MORE TEA." They all leave.
Found out later that the KSM had ordered the one woman to open the little haversack she had attached to the stroller -- and sure enough there were at least two or three cellphone covers in there that -- oops! -- hadn't been paid for.
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