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A Question Of Card Shop Ethics # ONE

storm888storm888 Posts: 11,701 ✭✭✭
in Trading Cards & Memorabilia Forum
You are a customer in my card store.

You think my prices are WAY too high,
and I refuse to give you a discount.

I go to the back room to answer the phone.

As you start to leave, you notice a customer
reaching behind one of my counters and
snatching a hand full of PSA-graded cards.
His intention to steal is obvious.

What do you do?
Folks Who Bite Get Bitten. Folks Who Don't Bite Get Eaten.

Comments

  • SportsItUpCardsSportsItUpCards Posts: 2,547
    I would be his look out to see when your coming back, and together we would steal every PSA card you got image

    No discount, i'll help myself. You won't give? I'll take!

    Giovanni
  • mrbecker712mrbecker712 Posts: 525
    Inform the owner as quickly as possible about the situation. I don't care how much I disagree with your prices, it's not fair for someone to steal your cards.
    Atlanta Braves, Charlotte Hornets, Shawn Kemp, Dale Murphy, and Bobby Engram.
  • envoy98envoy98 Posts: 4,000 ✭✭
    I suppose the "right" answer, isn't to see if he'll split them with you on the way out? image

    Seriously though, you have to take the same approach to this as anything in life. Regardless of what you may think of the person being stolen from, you should know the difference between right and wrong. Someone stealing from someone else, is wrong. Plain and simple.
    image
    My eBay Store

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  • dontippetdontippet Posts: 2,615 ✭✭✭✭
    I wouldn't confront the shoplifter other than a mild, "Hey, what are you doing?" But I would inform the shop owner immediately.
    > [Click on this link to see my ebay listings.](https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=&_in_kw=1&_ex_kw=&_sacat=0&_udlo=&_udhi=&_ftrt=901&_ftrv=1&_sabdlo=&_sabdhi=&_samilow=&_samihi=&_sadis=15&_stpos=61611&_sargn=-1&saslc=1&_salic=1&_fss=1&_fsradio=&LH_SpecificSeller=1&_saslop=1&_sasl=mygirlsthree3&_sop=12&_dmd=1&_ipg=50&_fosrp=1)
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  • onlyanumberonlyanumber Posts: 2,433
    Take a signed bat off the wall, grab the guy by the hair with your right hand, slide the bat under his chin with the left hand and slam his face into the display counter.. Bonus points for breaking the glass and blood. You win the moral victory and the owner has a broken display case and a good samaritan he basically told to piss off to thank.
    Next MONTH? So he's saying that if he wins, the best-case scenario is that he'll be paying for it two weeks after the auction ends?

    Forget blocking him; find out where he lives and go punch him in the nuts. --WalterSobchak 9/12/12



    image


    Looking for Al Hrabosky and any OPC Dave Campbells (the ESPN guy)
  • bigreddogbigreddog Posts: 1,156
    You would leave your cards unattended?
  • SportsItUpCardsSportsItUpCards Posts: 2,547


    << <i>Take a signed bat off the wall, grab the guy by the hair with your right hand, slide the bat under his chin with the left hand and slam his face into the display counter.. Bonus points for breaking the glass and blood. You win the moral victory and the owner has a broken display case and a good samaritan he basically told to piss off to thank. >>



    No! Now that owner is gona make you pay for everything you broke! image

    And the guy robbing the joint is gona sue you for breaking his face image

    Giovanni
  • onlyanumberonlyanumber Posts: 2,433


    << <i>

    << <i>Take a signed bat off the wall, grab the guy by the hair with your right hand, slide the bat under his chin with the left hand and slam his face into the display counter.. Bonus points for breaking the glass and blood. You win the moral victory and the owner has a broken display case and a good samaritan he basically told to piss off to thank. >>



    No! Now that owner is gona make you pay for everything you broke! image

    And the guy robbing the joint is gona sue you for breaking his face image

    Giovanni >>



    Who said I'd still be in the store after it happened? Maybe a meteorite feel from the sky and hit the guy into the display case. I dunno. I was somewhere else image
    Next MONTH? So he's saying that if he wins, the best-case scenario is that he'll be paying for it two weeks after the auction ends?

    Forget blocking him; find out where he lives and go punch him in the nuts. --WalterSobchak 9/12/12



    image


    Looking for Al Hrabosky and any OPC Dave Campbells (the ESPN guy)
  • SportsItUpCardsSportsItUpCards Posts: 2,547


    << <i>

    << <i>

    << <i>Take a signed bat off the wall, grab the guy by the hair with your right hand, slide the bat under his chin with the left hand and slam his face into the display counter.. Bonus points for breaking the glass and blood. You win the moral victory and the owner has a broken display case and a good samaritan he basically told to piss off to thank. >>



    No! Now that owner is gona make you pay for everything you broke! image

    And the guy robbing the joint is gona sue you for breaking his face image

    Giovanni >>



    Who said I'd still be in the store after it happened? Maybe a meteorite feel from the sky and hit the guy into the display case. I dunno. I was somewhere else image >>



    image

    Sounds good to me image

    Giovanni
  • BlackborderBlackborder Posts: 2,797 ✭


    << <i>I would be his look out to see when your coming back, and together we would steal every PSA card you got image

    No discount, i'll help myself. You won't give? I'll take!

    Giovanni >>




    Don't be a hatter.
  • SportsItUpCardsSportsItUpCards Posts: 2,547


    << <i>

    << <i>I would be his look out to see when your coming back, and together we would steal every PSA card you got image

    No discount, i'll help myself. You won't give? I'll take!

    Giovanni >>




    Don't be a hatter. >>



    The owner was being a hater first, and i'm gona make a video how bad he is with giving discounts for everybody to see!!!!! image

    Giovanni
  • grote15grote15 Posts: 29,839 ✭✭✭✭✭
    They're wearing hats?


    Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
  • mreutermreuter Posts: 543


    << <i>I wouldn't confront the shoplifter other than a mild, "Hey, what are you doing?" But I would inform the shop owner immediately. >>


    I have to agree with this one.
  • BlackborderBlackborder Posts: 2,797 ✭
    I'd point out that they aren't worth stealing since the owner overprices everything.
  • torctorc Posts: 341


    << <i>You are a customer is my card store.

    You think my prices are WAY too high,
    and I refuse to give you a discount.

    I go to the back room to answer the phone.

    As you start to leave, you notice a customer
    reaching behind one of my counters and
    snatching a hand full of PSA-graded cards.
    His intention to steal is obvious.

    What do you do? >>


    advise you to have your phone moved from the back to the front of your store
  • SportsItUpCardsSportsItUpCards Posts: 2,547


    << <i>advise you to have your phone moved from the back to the front of your store >>



    image

    Thats a good one! image

    Giovanni
  • thenavarrothenavarro Posts: 7,497 ✭✭✭
    Even though I carry a chamber loaded Beretta 92 FS (legally), I'd just walk to the back and tell you what was happening. You could then handle it. If they ran off in the interim, I'd at least wait around in order to be able to give the police a "description" when you reported it. Cards are replaceable, life is not, and you have no idea what a thief is thinking, or if they are armed as well. No need to play "hero" in that basic scenario. That's what insurance is for.

    Now if they were robbing you at gunpoint or already brandishing a gun at someone, I would not hesitate to unload up to 16 rounds of 9MM +p+ jacketed hollow points (or however many I had to) in order to stop the threat, as you'd have to assume that if they pulled the weapon, they are ready to use it, and not just on you, but on everyone there.

    Mike
    Buying US Presidential autographs
  • ryaneversoleryaneversole Posts: 359
    Take his picture, blow it up, and put it in the store window.
    WTB:
    CINCINNATI REDS
    1976 - 1991 - Topps PSA 10
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    Game-Used Bats/Jerseys
    OPC PSA 10
    MC & OC Cards

    OTHER:
    Eric Davis Anything
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  • NathanSrNathanSr Posts: 509 ✭
    Sounds similar to the 20/20 episode I watched last night.

    If I was on good terms with you, I would speak up about it. If not, than I would not get involved. There are way too many nut jobs in this world. But for a friend, I would forgo that worry and stop the thief.

    NathanSr
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  • swartz1swartz1 Posts: 4,911 ✭✭✭
    get out my cell phone and take a picture - meanwhile telling the thief you want half in the parking lot...


    Looking for 1970 MLB Photostamps
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  • BlackborderBlackborder Posts: 2,797 ✭
    I'd look Chaz right in the eye and point out that he's no better than Belichick.
  • hankcaddyhankcaddy Posts: 1,135 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I watched most of that 20/20 also, my thinking in these scenarios is don't get involved. who knows what you are asking for.
    may not be the most ethical but i am not risking my life to play hero.
    i probab;y would inform the owner if the thief left



    hank
    currently collecting baseball of
    2004 spx
    1989 topps psa 10
    1959 phillies
    Phillies of the 70's
  • stevekstevek Posts: 30,185 ✭✭✭✭✭
    It's a trick question right? Because weasel card shop owners don't sell PSA graded cards...they like to sell their cards raw, overpriced, and self-graded...always overgraded.
  • DrJDrJ Posts: 2,213
    It is not the customer's job to provide security monitoring or services for any business.

    That being said if theft was happening right in front of my mind, I would ask the theif what they were doing and notify the store owner. In most cases, when caught, the theif will just runn off. No harm, no foul.
  • Bottom9thBottom9th Posts: 2,695 ✭✭
    Well I didn't see 20/20 but being a former card store owner I would stop they guy from leaving and make sure you got off the phone ASAP. If he still is a jerk about not giving you a discount that's on him. I probably wouldn't go there at all any more. However, that wouldn't stop me from doing the same thing again if the situation presented itself.
  • celesterussellcelesterussell Posts: 354 ✭✭
    this scenario would never happen.... business owners never make mistakes, at least none they would admit to...
    In the USA all men are created equal but some are more equal than others....
  • TheVonTheVon Posts: 2,725 ✭
    I would confront the shoplifter as non-confrontationally as possible. After all, shoplifters end up raising the prices for the rest of us and maybe that is part of the reason why the store owner won't give a discount in the first place.
  • F1ferrariF1ferrari Posts: 583
    If I did stop the shoplifter or delay him long enough to allow the store owner to see him and stop him, I'd expect a discount on MY next purchase! image
    2001-2014 Topps Heritage complete!
  • WinPitcherWinPitcher Posts: 27,726 ✭✭✭
    With all due respect this is not card shop ethics but ethics in general.

    This could happen in any store.


    Not sure how I would react, it depends on the situation.


    Steve
    Good for you.
  • mtcardsmtcards Posts: 3,340 ✭✭✭
    Yell out "HEY! CARD SHOP OWNER DUDE!!! THERE'S A GUY STEALING YOUR OVERPRICED CARDS"
    IT IS ALWAYS CHEAPER TO NOT SELL ON EBAY
  • julen23julen23 Posts: 4,558 ✭✭
    i'd drop a deuce on the floor just to show everyone how i roll....

    j
    image
    RIP GURU
  • SportsItUpCardsSportsItUpCards Posts: 2,547


    << <i>i'd drop a deuce on the floor just to show everyone how i roll....

    j >>



    image

    Yeah, I would probably do the same, if the owner did give me a problem with the prices to begin with, lol.

    Giovanni
  • ArnyVeeArnyVee Posts: 4,245 ✭✭


    << <i>i'd drop a deuce on the floor just to show everyone how i roll....

    j >>



    I think that I just dropped a duece from laughing so hard. image
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  • stevekstevek Posts: 30,185 ✭✭✭✭✭
    It's a trick question right? Because the raw, altered, doctored, trimmed, cleaned, recolored cards offered by weasel card shop owners ain't worth stealing.
  • perkdogperkdog Posts: 31,779 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>With all due respect this is not card shop ethics but ethics in general.

    This could happen in any store.


    Not sure how I would react, it depends on the situation.


    Steve >>




    Agreed.
  • baseballfanbaseballfan Posts: 5,473 ✭✭✭
    i would say something to the guy stealing and tell the owner, just because he has a high price doesn't mean i wouldn't do the right thing. maybe he needs to get that price out of card, maybe he's a putz, either way doesn't mean you have to be. stop the guy, what is right is right.
    Fred

    collecting RAW Topps baseball cards 1952 Highs to 1972. looking for collector grade (somewhere between psa 4-7 condition). let me know what you have, I'll take it, I want to finish sets, I must have something you can use for trade.

    looking for Topps 71-72 hi's-62-53-54-55-59, I have these sets started

  • recbballrecbball Posts: 1,527 ✭✭✭
    i'd drop a deuce on the floor just to show everyone how i roll....

    LOL... my stomach hurts
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