Come on Ilene
Slighty off topic and not exactly shop lifting

I used to work at a computer games developer sweat shop in Chesterfield that was above a sarnie shop. One of the lads that worked there would gladly take peoples money for their orders (usually topping up to £10 a day) and come back with a chirpy smile on his face. This went on for weeks before I figured out what the crack was.

The shop was run by an elderly couple (Cliff and Ilene if I remember correctly). Cliff was the sort of man that couldnt concentrate withough sticking out his tounge and biting it, much to our amusement... especially with the beatroot, but I digress.

It turns out that Ilene was a bit batty and had a soft spot for us lads that worked upstairs. When Cliff wasnt around NO MATTER WHAT was ordered the old dear would turn round and say with a little whisper... "That's just 50p love".

Now good old Cliff was surely on to his batty wife as he would hang around in the shadows trying to catch her out and dive in with the correct total but there was always inevitably some distraction that left just Ilene on the till with great rewards to the buyer. Other times you would give her the right money and she would give you far more change than you was due... sometimes it was more money than you gave her in the first place!

Of course the scam didn't always work. People would come back from the shop with a sad look on their face saying "Cliff served me". Other times you would be charged 50p for some 15p chewing gum but you had to take the rough with the smooth otherwise it just didnt seem to add up.

Twas good whilst it lasted.

Last time I walked past the shop it was closed down. I like to think to myself that the smiley faced old dear drove him to an early bankrupt grave. Somehow that brings a smile to my face.

Not one of us EVER corrected her.
(SillyMoo, Wed 16 Jan 2008, 20:54, Reply)