Easy Store example essay topic

Waking up and having the privilege to go shopping is just one aspect an American teen gets to experience, that teens in other part of the world does not get to experience. However, growing up in the Asian "ghetto" limited me and my friends to very few shopping opportunity. Feeling like we should get the same treatment as others, we resorted to another way of getting the things we want, stealing. We would go into any store and get whatever we wanted at that time. Being surrounded by my friends, I felt that I was invincible, and that no one would be able to stop us. Before all of this stealing occurred, we were just the ordinary kids.

We liked to hang out with one another and have fun. We never did anything wrong that would disappoint our families. There were no signs of what was to come for us. It seemed to everyone that knew us that we would grow up to live the "American Dream".

Everything seemed to be right until one day my friend, let's call him "John", stole some clothes from the mall. This action caused a great domino effect that changed our lives forever. "John" is a person who would not normally be seen wearing name brand clothes. He was raised in a family that would hand-ne-down the clothes to their siblings. One day at school, "John" was not seen in the hand-ne-downs anymore but completely covered in Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren's Polo. We were all surprised that his mom would buy him all of these nice and expensive clothes.

He told us that it was not his mom that gave him the clothes but it was "John" that got all of it. He explained to us how he was able to get all of that clothing without getting caught or notice. "John" went into greater details of his stealing experience. He said that none of the workers in the store would expect a minor, as young as we were, to steal, that there was no camera or security set up due to how new the store was, and how none of us would be in a great deal of trouble due to our age. Giving all of us these greater details, my friends and I were drawn into the story.

We wanted to take part the next time "John" was to do it. "John" allowed us to come along the next time to so it but that we were going to start small. So the next time "John" went, my friends and I tagged along to see how it was done. The first store we went into was Kay Bee Toy Store. "John" would walk into the store like he was going to buy something and we were to just stand back and watch. The crime itself only lasted a couple of minutes but "John" was able to gather a handful of useless toys.

Showing us how easy it was, we gave it a shot. We headed towards Hallmark because he said it would be an easy store to begin with. He gave us specific details on: what should be taken, what should be left alone, and that we should have very little contact with the employees. The greatest advice he gave us on how not to get caught is to not show any signs of nervousness because that would alert the workers that something is going on.

We went into the store and I was really nervous, but did not want to show it. As we headed into the store, we avoided any eye contact with the workers and went straight to the back, where we would not be seen. I started off by simply taking some cards and some minor gifts. We left the store with 10 cards and 5 minor gifts total.

This ended the trial run and proves that we were good enough to go through with the bigger and better items. So the next weekend, we went back to the mall to get some more items. The first store we enter was Sears. We were unsure about what to get but it had to be big. "John" was in need of a bike so we scoped out that area. After about ten minutes of look-out, we saw that the area was pretty much clear and there was only one worker.

When the area was clear, "John" was able to ride the bike off and we were home free. During the next couple of months, every weekend we would go to the mall and steal something. We would just take anything and everything that our hands can get on. According to Erich Fromm, writer of Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem, explains actions such as this because we " [are] not alone, ... can not make no error, and... that punishment is only the way of returning to the almighty power" (363). We were so confident that we were talking about stealing some stuff behind the glasses / counter. We thought we could not be stop so we started to taunt the security.

What I mean by taunting is that when we were followed, we just walked around in circles around the store. They would get mad and ask us to leave the store, which we did. When we left, we just laughed and got them even madder at us, because they knew we were there to steal. The stores were now getting harder to steal from but we were still able to do it.

For our biggest "hit" to this date, we were to try and steal some games at Wards. We had so much confidence that we bought into the idea that this would be an easy one. We went into the store like we always do and got to the section where the games were without a problem. The coast was clear for the most part. "John" reached behind the glass and was able to get four games. The games were placed in some file cabinet, in the furniture section next to us.

Noticing that no one was coming to catch us in the act, we took the games and headed towards the exit. This must have been one of the happiest moment of our entire stealing experience. We held our heads up high and walk with great confidence towards the exit like nothing happen. As soon as the exit doors open, we knew we were home free until we felt the hands of somebody stopping us.

At that moment, all of our cockiness and arrogant ego went out the window. All of us knew we got caught and that we will face some punishment. The two security guards led us to the back, where they started to write up a police report to charge us for petty theft. We sat there in complete silence until the police arrived to take us downtown. When the police did arrive, we were handcuffed and placed in the hard and cold backseat of the patrol car. Being led away in the handcuffs caused the feeling of invincibility to vanish.

The only thing I was thinking about was what my mom going to say. When we got to the police station, they told us to call our parents to pick us up. I called but she was not at home so my aunt came to pick me up. I got off easy because my aunt told me that she would not tell my mom as long as I do not go stealing anymore, so I did.

My friends did not get off so easy. "John" was grounded for three months and to not talk to us whenever he sees us. My other friend was grounded for one month and not allow to go anywhere with his family. Three months later, we all received a bill of the total charges of the stolen items and the total came to a total of $200. In addition to the charges, we also attended a shoplifting class, which was $34. After the bill was paid off and the class was over, I learned one very valuable lesson of life.

This is a clich'e but "Crime does not pay" and that was true for my case. Not only did it cost me financially but the faith that was once in my family's eye is now gone. In an effort to gain back my mom's trust, I would ask her if I want to go somewhere and give here every single detail. Five years has gone by that infamous day now and I have not got into any problem since. I have learned my lesson and hope to use this experience as a teaching tool and not a blemish to my life.