Pregnant Mother Arrested For Unpaid Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Shop at Safeway?  Be sure to pay for any items that you or your children have eaten while shopping.  If not, you’ll probably be sent to the slammer and your children turned over to Children Protective Services.  That’s what happened to a famished pregnant mother and her husband at a Safeway in Hawaii. 
Yep, they slapped the cuffs on her and hubby and hauled them off to the slammer like common criminals.  Here’s the story.  The  30 week pregnant couple had recently moved to Honolulu from California.  They needed groceries and ventured off to Safeway.  While there she started to feel hungry and picked up two chicken salad sandwiches saving the wrappers so she could pay for them when she headed to the register. 
After walking around the store and finally heading to the register, she paid for the groceries.  However, she forgot to pay for the two sandwiches.  Now any mother who has a 2 year old knows that by the time you get to the register you’re frazzled.  Forgetting to pay for the sandwiches is understandable.  You’re lucky if you can remember how to find your way back to your car in this case the bus stop.  The former Air Force Staff Sergeant paid for the groceries and headed out the store.  They were stopped and questioned about the sandwiches by security.  They were returned to the store and lead to an office.  Rather than allow the couple to pay for the sandwiches, they called the cops stating that store policy did not allow shoplifters to buy for purchases once it left the store. 
Once the cops arrived, 4 hours later, they were read their rights.  A lady from Child Welfare took their daughter and the rest is history.  They spent the night in jail and away from their 2 year old daughter.  The baby was returned after 18 hours away from mom and dad.  Needless to say, moms across America are livid.  I mean really.  The couple paid for their groceries, so they obviously had money and didn’t need to steal.  The woman was 30 weeks pregnant, hell we’re always hungry when we’re expecting. 
Safeway has apologized for the way the situation was handled and has promised to review their policy.   They have stated that they understand our rage.  I don’t shop at Safeway, but if I did I would be giving them a piece of my mind. 
My advice for moms out there is to stick something that you can munch on in your purse for you and the children.  Be sure that it’s in a baggie or container.  I’ve watched moms in grocery stores open chips etc. and allow their children to eat while they’re shopping.  I’ve also watched managers walk up to them, and state that they can’t  open food while in the store.  The policy is they must pay before consuming it.  I think the situation was handled poorly, and she honestly forgot to pay when she went through the check out.  What’s most upsetting is that they hauled that poor little girl off while sending her parents to jail for $5.00 worth of sandwiches.  Do you think the situation was handled poorly?  What advice do you have for pregnant women or moms of tots who may get famished while out shopping?  Leave us a comment, we can’t wait to hear from you.




Lock Up My Thieving 6 Year Old Please

 

Would you turn your 6 year old in for stealing a pack of stickers? Would you allow the cops to place them into the squad car and haul them off for shoplifting? Check out this video. A mom wanted to teach her 6 year old a lesson for shoplifting, so she turned her daughter into store security. To enforce the lesson, they called the cops and placed her in the squad car.When I saw the video my response was wow. I asked myself if I would have gone to that extreme.  I never had a problem with my daughter stealing, but I certainly would have wanted to teach her a lesson. I’m thinking my solution would have been to make my daughter put the stickers back since we were still in the store and I would have further explained that stealing is wrong we must pay for items that we take from a store. 

I’ve heard of parents using this tactic and the cops playing along. I’m also wondering where a 6 year old learned how to steal.  Her sister told on her, so they’re obviously being taught right from wrong.  I also wonder why she just didn’t ask her mother for the stickers. 
Whatever the reason, I hope she learned a lesson.  Children usually steal to get even, to get more attention, or so they can give themselves or someone else a gift.  It seems that this little girl was stealing for herself, so I’m wondering if it was for attention or she’s feeling deprived at home in some way.  In addition to teaching her child a lesson, maybe mom should take a look at herself and what’s going on inside her home.  She may get to the root of the problem, and not have to deal with this action again. 
 
Have you had a problem with your child or children stealing?  Do you think this mom was wrong in the way she handled this situation?  How would you have handled it?  Please leave us a comment, we would love to hear your opinion.