I got out of retail a few years ago, when I was hired by a "finance company" (that turned out to pretty much be a cult... but that's another story) but left that job once my husband and I bought our house, and I started my own business.

I still keep contact with my old bosses from the tourist shop in downtown St. Augustine, FL (as they've become good friends of mine) and they needed some help for the holiday season, so they called me to come watch the shop while they have family in town. It's a very small store, and really only needs one person to handle everything. This shop is located in a small hallway, which houses about 18 different stores, and this store is the first in the row.

One of the things they got in recently are "Chuckle Buddies," these really creepy motion-activated toys that cackle. It's not a cute giggle, either... this is an all-out "I just escaped the asylum" sort of laughing. It's kind of freaky. These things also roll around via a motor on the tail (which is a bar that pushes the body of the animal).

Naturally, we HAVE to have some of these guys on display so people can see what they do. The displays are in a pet bed with high walls, on top of a folding TV-tray, with the boxed ones stacked below the tray. We also keep these things turned OFF, because one can only take so much of the noise before they develop an eerie chuckle, too. Of course, customers are allowed to turn on these displays, laugh at them, and turn them off - these ones are meant to take abuse. And they do - to the point where, if the body of the animal can't roll over as it is meant to, the gears make a loud, nasty cranking noise. But hey. Two toys out of the whole bunch are fair game to sacrifice for the sake of Christmas sales, right?

Today, I had a small group come in. Two women and a man; all seemed to be ~early-30's. The man was pushing a small pink umbrella stroller with a baby that seemed to be about 2 years old - that is to say, small enough to fit properly in the stroller (not too big for it like some of the kids I see). She was cute, all snuggled up in a blanket to combat the chilly weather we've been having, and very quiet, well behaved. They walked around a bit, one woman bought something, and they left.

A short time later, I hear maniacal laughter coming from the hallway, along with a plasticky grinding noise. Hey, that sounds familiar.... I look up and see the girl in the stroller holding the dog in her lap. I don't know anyone else in the area that sells these things, and certainly no one in this mini-mall does. So I glance over, and sure enough, the dog is missing from the display.

I run outside and tell the man pushing the stroller, "You guys didn't pay for that dog."

He looks down at the girl, still bundled in her blanket (sitting patiently and quietly) and looks back at me and says, "Oh, sorry, I didn't notice. I never know what she's going to pick up next..."

*blink*

You're telling me that this girl, who made no grabby motions while in the store, never got out of her stroller, isn't tall enough to reach into the pet bed display even if she were standing, was the one to take the dog?

What's more... you didn't notice your daughter holding a stuffed animal you don't own... never mind the villainous cackle coming from the stroller? Do you think I'll really believe that a child that small and that calm has accidentally pulled open the velcro on the belly and turned on the tiny switch on her own? That takes more motor skills than you might think...

The guy didn't even take the dog and hand it back to me. He just looked at me. So I had to be the "bad lady" and take this stupid stuffed animal from the girl, who just looked up at me with liquid brown eyes because I was stealing the puppy she was holding.

Way to throw the poor girl under the bus, dude. I can't wait until she's old enough to stand up for herself, and say "But dad, you gave that to me!"