A Scam, A Favor, and Ickiness...

A woman in her early 30's approached one of the booksellers and said she'd like to ask a favor. "But only if you're not busy. If you're busy, then never mind." She went on, "Could I just check my email really quick?" The bookseller (who happened to be a manager) informed her that none of us are able to check email at any of our computers, email and facebook and so on are blocked from the work computers. The woman thanked her and walked out without buying anything.

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Someone paid for their purchase using 65 one dollar coins.

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A woman approached the register with a new teen fiction book in hardcover and a very crumpled receipt. She was in her late 30's or early 40's, shoulder length brown hair, wearing a light pink blouse. She seemed agitated. Her hands were dirty. She said she'd like to return the book. According to the receipt, the book had been purchased that same day. The woman didn't stop talking, about how she'd gotten ink on her hands, how she'd like to return the book and exchange it for something else, how she just found out that she didn't need this book. I said I could hold it up front and she could look around. She seemed twitchy (I suspected meth), and I could smell alcohol. Impaired much? She left the register WITH the receipt and without the book. After a few minutes she exited the store. I called a manager to let her know about this, we counted the onhand quantity of that particular title and including the book she was supposedly 'returning', the count was accurate. I'm guessing that she found the receipt in the trash (given the crumpled and dirty nature of the receipt), came in and found the book listed on the receipt and was trying to return it for cash. A common scam. Evidently she was too agitated (or impaired) to follow through with it.

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One of the managers heard ripping in the magazine section. She observed an older man, white hair, rumpled clothes, tearing pictures out of magazines. Since this staff person was on a break and didn't have any way to identify herself as staff, she informed one of the other managers. The manager came over and told the man that he isn't allowed to do rip pages out of magazines he hadn't purchased yet. The man told her that "the pages were falling out anyway". Which they weren't. She took the pictures and asked him to leave. All of the pictures were of little kids, mostly in bathing suits. Icky on so many levels.