Cost of Doing Business and People Behaving Badly

Nowadays everyone is looking for a way to save and get through this economic downturn (or whatever term you want to call it). I know that I have not received increased income in keeping with the rises in the cost of food and gasoline alone! What I suggest is to help businesses reduce the cost of doing business.

Prices in your favorite shopping stores are not only calculated to cover employee salaries and benefits, building maintenance and utilities, and other asundries, but businesses must raise the cost of items to recover losses due to people behaving badly. Behaving badly can include, but is not limited to: theft, breaking open sealed packages, using items in the store, throwing items on the floor or soiling them in some way, and consuming part or all of an item without paying for it. I don't know about you, but I'm tired of paying for people behaving badly! Why should I have to pay more for an item because it is a popular "loss" item? Why should I have to pay a bit more for grapes and bananas, for example, because people eat them (or part of them) before paying for them. How in the world is the business to estimate the weight of the produce you consume prior to getting to the checkout?

In most stores, the employees and security cannot adequately manage and prevent people from behaving badly. So, the next time you see someone eating an item sold by weight, or spraying hairspray, or putting on some other hair product, or allowing a child to play and destroy the packaging of a toy, or someone breaking open the markers and using them to fill in their phone number on a for sale sign, or throwing an item on the floor instead of putting it back where it was found, or destroying shelving or signs, let them know what you think.

For me, behaving badly in a retail store is not just a cost of doing business. People behaving badly is a lack of respect for others, and it is time for the community to let them know that it is not appreciated.

What do you think?