I spoke with an acquaintance the other day who regaled me with stories of her recent trip to Las Vegas with friends. One highlight she shared, that she thought was really amusing, started with, “Did you hear about our Dine & Dash?” She gave me the whole story, how they were unsatisfied with their meal, sneaked out, and then did a mad dash around the hotel to avoid getting caught. Oh, how delightful. And high school.
When she finished her story, I said, “Oh, that’s too bad. I’ll bet the waitress had to cover your check.” (Having been a waitress, I know this is true of a lot of places. Keeps the help from giving away the food.) She justified their actions by saying, “I know. We weren’t thinking. I guess you shouldn’t get wasted and then go out to eat.”
Okay. So stealing is fine, if you’ve had enough to drink. Or is it just acceptable when you’re unhappy with your order? That’s much better than sending the food back, or talking to the manager, right?
I shouldn’t have been surprised. One of her cohorts told me a story a couple of years ago about how they tricked the door man into thinking they had already paid a cover charge, when they had not, and got in to see a lounge act for “free.”
Neither of these people are poor. They could easily afford the things they stole. So, why do it, and why is it so funny? This is a real crime, albeit a petty one, but how funny do they think it would be if they got caught and arrested?
They don’t necessarily just stick strangers with the bill. A couple of years ago, they were invited along with a group of us to a New Year’s Eve party at a local club. They showed up drunk, loud, and obnoxious, and it only got progressively worse as the minutes ticked by. When they were strongly encouraged to leave, they stuck us with their tab. Now, an honest, decent person would ask later, “Hey, did you get our tab?” or something like that. They never did. I’m guessing they either thought they were running out on their tab and the club would “eat” it, or didn’t care who paid, as long as it wasn’t them.
These small things point to a bigger issue. Can you trust someone who thinks stealing is a lark? How honest are they? If we didn’t know each other, would they steal from me?
And another thing, while I’m on a roll: Why do so many people think that drinking excuses bad behavior? If you’re going to act badly while drinking, Don’t Drink! I don’t believe that drinking changes who you are, and what values you hold dear. It just makes you less inhibited, so you feel free to do things that you would like to do while sober, but often don’t have the “courage.” So, if you steal while drunk, you are a thief when sober. And I can’t trust you to be a real friend.
