Gas Station Hell: Crack Heads and Phone N.A.T.s

Crack heads and Phone thieves, oh my!

Today was… interesting. And I made it all day without stabbing any annoying customers, yay me!

Early in my shift, hadn’t even been there for two hours yet, a woman comes up to my register, where I was working with Lil’Bit (she’s a nice lady from first shift, covering for a lack of workers on my shift… we all tease her for being short, and she’s cool with it)

Lady looks at me and says ‘Uhm, do you have any metal spoons?’

And the word ‘CRACKHEAD!!’ blared through my mind.

Terah: No, ma’am. I don’t have any spoons.

CrackHead: Oh. I-I need it for my medicine. It’s [Aspirin Powder]. Do you sell any metal spoons?

Terah:  (‘Yes, and that brand looks like crack, you’re not fooling me.’) No, ma’am. We don’t sell any metal cutlery. (which is true, btw)

Crack Head went quiet for a moment, before looking back at me and asking ‘Do you have any plastic spoons?’

Terah: (Oh lord, this crack head is going to burn a plastic spoon!! ...I kind of want to see this.) Yes ma’am, they’re right over there.

She goes to where I show her, and she says she can’t find any. She leaves for the little casino, and I go back to talking to Lil’Bit, when I see this woman walk through the back of the store, for the restroom. First thing I did was go to the office where PinkGirl was going over inventory.

I said ‘You have more life experience than me. Is there ANY POSSIBLE, LOGICAL REASON a woman would REQUIRE a metal spoon to take [Aspirin Powder] with?’

She sat there for a minute, thinking, before responding ‘Not unless it’s actually crack.’

‘PinkGirl? There’s a crack head in our bathroom, lighting up.’

She got up with a groan, went into the women’s room and came out saying ‘Call security, she’s striking a lighter in there.’

There’s no smoking (of ANY kind!) allowed in the store, so hearing a Bic Lighter being struck is enough probable cause to get security down there. You get fined for smoking cigarettes, and banned for crack.

Lady got banned.

So, a few hours later, I was telling Lil’Bit what I needed to get done before lunch, and what I’d get done AFTER lunch. A woman comes up and introduces herself as our new worker on third shift, asking if we had known her son (he was deployed days after I started working there, just something I found a little interesting) and if we were making burgers.

I agree and make them, before going to lunch. Not five minutes later, PinkGirl rushes into the back and I ask what was up. It seems the new lady had laid her phone down while paying for her stuff, went over one register to get some napkins and someone stole her iPhone!

She’s not even working for us yet, and already her stuff is coming up missing!

Luckily, we got it on camera, and the asshole thief is a regular. I mean, ‘comes in 5 times a NIGHT’ regular.

What just burns my ass, is when we called Tribal Police, he said ‘It’s not our problem if someone gets their stuff stolen.’

We’re supposed to become a 5-star Resort, one day. And with an attitude like that from OUR OWN POLICE FORCE?

Yeah, right.

--Tera

Comments

[Stockroom Slave]

What the hell do they mean, it's not their problem? Of course it is! I would understand they'd have to drop that problem if, say, someone had just discovered a crack head lighting up... But if they're not attending to anything more urgent, then yeah, it's their problem.

[The Last Archimedean]

What in the name of Zeus are police FOR if not to investigate crimes like... oh, say, somone stealing a phone? Especially when it was CAUGHT ON CAMERA! All they have to do is go over to the douchecanoe's house, seize the stolen phone and slap on the cuffs.

[Mollywobbles]

I'd have responded with something along the lines of: "Excuse me? Not your problem? You're the POLICE. Theft kind of IS your problem. Now get down here and arrest someone before I MAKE it your problem."

Probably not, I'd probably get in trouble for threatening an officer, but still. That's beyond retarded.

[Framer-Fatal]

I'd probably respond with "Okay, could you give me the number of the people who's job is law enforcement so I can call them about this theft? Thanks! By the way, can I ask what your name and badge number is?"

[NC Tony]

"It's not your problem? Then I guess you won't mind if I take the law into my own hands. I'll just hunt this guy down and beat the crap out of him."

[Mcarp555]

Next time they're in the store, have someone distract them, then hide their shit. See who's problem it is then.

If that's too drastic, ask the Tribal Elders who to call when someone commits a robbery, since their own police force told you it's not their problem.

[Chicajojobe]

It's not their problem if stuff gets stolen???

They're the cops!

You make an excellent point about that you aren't going to attract many tourists if that's the kind of attitude the police have. I'd even go as far as to suggest that to tribal elders if there's a way to do that discretely such as email.

[Raz]

You guys really don't understand how lazy tribal force can be eh? I once worked with a girl awhile back who got caught smoking weed and crack and drinking alcohol and got caught stealing multiple times and even beat the crap out of another girl(this is when I was 15 and so was she btw) and because she was part native american the worst she ever got was about two months in rehab. I'm not an expert on the tribal police but I have a feeling they might be protecting their own here.

[Terah]

It just upsets me, because we're told that we have to provide the BEST in EVERYTHING (Security, sales, all that shit) so we can be an 'Amazing 5-Star Resort'. And that kind of attitude gets us ALL in trouble.