# I must be a shoplifter. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 24, 2004, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-must-be-a-shoplifter/281520 "2004-12-24T20:47:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-must-be-a-shoplifter/281520/81 "2005-01-03T17:37:20Z")
> [@MercyStreet](#): > > _Am I also a journalist? Yes. If I really hated a company, would I use an opportunity like this to screw them over? Hell yes!_ > > This will be my only reply. I’m disgusted that someone would relish using the profession to right some personal wrong. Bullshit. I, too, am a journalist, and one of the best, most-needed stories I ever did was one on the university’s yellow-jacket population after I personally was stung by one during a football game. Righting a personal wrong? You betcha. That sting HURT. Reporters get ideas from their personal experiences all the time. They confront the city in which they live because they personally can’t find a place to park, so they want to know why parking is at such a premium. Consumer-advocacy reporting pioneered by the likes of Ida Tarbell, Lincoln Steffens and Upton Sinclair is alive and well and exists to “right personal wrongs”. Any good textbook on journalism will tell you that, as will any good consumer-advocacy journalist. If, on the other hand, you’re content to take whatever handouts your assignment editor gives you, that’s fine too. Robin ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-must-be-a-shoplifter/281520/82 "2005-01-03T18:06:58Z")
By the way **Amberlei** do you know the number and location of this store? If you’d like, I’d be more than happy to write a letter to HQ on your behalf. I have a gift with nasty/nice complaint letters to big business, I always get attention. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cinnamon\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Girl)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-must-be-a-shoplifter/281520/83 "2005-01-03T19:11:40Z")
> [@CanvasShoes](#): > > By the way **Amberlei** do you know the number and location of this store? If you’d like, I’d be more than happy to write a letter to HQ on your behalf. > > I have a gift with nasty/nice complaint letters to big business, I always get attention. 😃 Oh, how useful it would be if you add this to your profile, so the next time a doper requires a nasty complaint letter, s/he can just contact you directly. 🙂 On the flip side, I’m pretty good at writing raving “You rock!” missives. I almost always end up with free stuff from thankful corporations as a result. ---
**Author:** ![HelloKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecccb3/32.png) [@HelloKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelloKitty)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2005, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-must-be-a-shoplifter/281520/84 "2005-01-04T03:16:12Z")
**Amberlei** , thanks for sharing your story, it’s truly appalling how you were treated. I’ve always known there was something I didn’t like about that store! I never shop there and now I definitely never will. I recall a few years ago a story here in the KC area where a small group of shoppers in a major department store were being tailed by employees and were accused of stealing ties or something. IIRC, they filed a lawsuit against the store and throught the litigation it was discovered that the store had a policy of “profiling” certain people as potential shoplifters–it was in their training literature, etc!!! Again, recalling from memory, but I think the case was settled for $$ amount and getting the store to change its policies. I’m sorry, but your case seems even more serious than theirs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-must-be-a-shoplifter/281520.md?page=4)