A scourge on civilized society

I really want to support my local Target store. I try to buy stuff there (instead of Amazon) as often as possible. However, when the thing I want to buy is locked up behind security boxes - requiring the assistance of a store clerk to open - I immediately give up and order that same item from Amazon. Sorry, I really cannot be bothered to talk to someone just to buy something.

I remember a time visiting Austin, Texas. The local CVS there has no such funny business. Every item was out in the open, not a security case to be seen. What a revelation that a well-functioning society should not subject its local populace to rampant retail thievery. Worse, there’s hardly any consequences for that sort of crime in the San Francisco Bay Area. Go to the 24th and Mission BART station and you can see vendors selling goods stolen from the likes of Target, Walgreens, and CVS. It’s madness.

I was at a Walgreens recently. Three young teens that looks to be of high school age walked in, and I immediately knew they were trouble. They took their sweet time to find items they wanted, stuffed them into their bags and jackets, then simply walked right out. Nobody working at the store paid any attention, not one person said anything.

And I don’t blame them. This is America, after all: you have no idea who has a gun and can shoot you for speaking out. Fellow shoppers just want to be left alone in peace. The minimum-wage store clerks definitely do not get paid enough to deal with this shit. Even for dedicated loss-prevention officers, potentially losing your life over theft is absolutely not a worthy tradeoff.

I don’t know what the solutions are. Smarter people have to figure out a solution to retail theft. It creates a wholly unpleasant situation for anyone. People coming into stores to steal utterly terrorize other shoppers while the act is being committed. Stores, in order to stem the tide, erect barriers that inconveniences otherwise law-abiding citizens. Eventually, it spirals into the store closing, like the Whole Foods in the heart of downtown San Francisco.

For the teens doing retail theft, I ask: “Where the heck are the parents?”

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This is the way.

Supply chain comes for us all

I do laundry about every two weeks. Sometimes however, for various logistical reasons, I have to extend out the interval. Either the machines are in use, or I’m physically not home over the weekend. Whenever that happens, I often come close to running out of basic clothes. The socks, underwear, and t-shirts that get changed out often. I only have so much of those in my admittedly spartan closet. Plus, my laundry basket is only so big.

Anyways, to avoid the clothing crunch when I need to skip an extra week of laundry, I stock up on the basics. There’s always new and unworn socks and underwear at the ready. If I truly run out of anything, I’m lucky to live within walking distance to a Target store where I can buy practically anything I would need.

Except there’s a problem: the great pandemic supply chain crunch means sometimes there isn’t any stock, even on the most basic of clothing items. Just this past week I went to two different Target and both were out of the model of Hanes sock I buy. Half the shelves were absolutely barren of product. Granted, it is fall semester season so I’m sure lots of students stocked up on the essentials. But to visit two Target stores miles away from each other and see the same situation, it’s a supply chain issue.

In the end I had to buy a different brand of socks. Not an ideal situation because now I have to sort out two different sets whenever I do laundry. At least these Fruit of the Loom items are the same color as the Hanes I have: black.

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It’s party time.

Time for a new microwave

Well, my microwave broke last evening. While I was making dinner too, if you count heating up a plate of roast pork as making. The microwave has been flakey for awhile, and seems like it finally gave up the ghost. I never did finish heating up that roast pork. Had to do it the old fashion way: steam. It took relatively forever compared to the minute and a half it would have taken with the microwave.

I caan’t really complain, though. This microwave is a hand-me-down that have lasted for at least a decade. Wished it would have lasted a bit longer but now a perfect excuse to get a model in my preferred finish: stainless.

I guess I am going to Target after work. Unfortunately I can’t go to my local Target, even though it’s within walking distance from home. Due to rampant retail theft in San Francisco, Target is now closing all its San Francisco locations at 6:00PM, instead of the typical 9:00PM. This isn’t so bad for the retiree who can shop during the day, but for the working professional who can’t visit a store until after work, this is a huge inconvenience.

I now how to drive to the Target in Daly City. Talk about not being very environmentally friendly!

A story as old as time: the few ruining it for the many. Hopefully the authorities are working hard to curb the retail theft. Limited store hours are a real inconvenience. Others have it worse: their local Walgreens closing down completely. A key to green, walkable living is having stores close by. Retail theft is a threat to that endeavor. Police and the district attorney’s office have got to get handle on it.

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A slice of (Little) Tokyo.

It's going to take a while

As of two days ago, California has fully opened back up from the pandemic. That means no masking practically everywhere, and zero capacity restrictions. Yesterday after work I went to the local Target to re-up on mouthwash, and everyone inside was still masked - even me! I guess returning to our formerly maskless lives is going to take some adjusting.

I am very happy to stop wearing masks, but my workplace still requires it as of this writing. And since I walk to work, I put on a mask before I leave the house. It makes no sense for me to wait until I get to the office to put the mask on because I hate touching my face with unclean hands. At the ripe old age of 33, I am still prone to acne breakouts for some inexplicable reason.

So if you encounter me on the sidewalks and I have a mask on, it’s not because I am fanatical about mask-wearing and don’t trust the science. I am merely following the rules of my workplace! Hopefully things will change soon. The governor has signaled that he will sign an executive order to fast-track the relaxation of workplace COVID restrictions. I suspect once I return from vacation in a fortnight’s time, I can freely enter the office without face covering.

That’s right: to perfectly coincide with the state opening back up, I am taking a two week vacation from work. Indeed it’s the first proper time-off since the start of the pandemic. Time to load up the Kindle… app on the iPad!

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Lanes.