Sometimes, the question of how much one values their job boils down to how far they’d go to protect it. Perhaps by working late hours? Bringing in new customers? Becoming the employee of the month for the third time in a row? Maybe. But nothing’s more blood-racing than being swung across the store by an adamant shoplifter.
Indeed, while TikTok user Dee Elrod (@deeelrod8) was at work in a mall, she happened upon a tall shoplifter attempting to steal some purses. As the security guard on duty, she rushed to him and tried to grab the purses back. However, what happened next was so bizarre, it’s unclear whether to laugh or be worried.
The shoplifting stranger, who is much, much bigger in size than Dee, made a run for the exit with the purses in tow. More insanely, Dee held on to the bags, and as a result, was dragged across the store to the doors, sliding on the ground right behind him. Naturally, reactions to the post have varied from concern to lots of laughs. It is important to note that currently, Dee is doing well and the incident occurred over a year ago. She also captioned the video, “Respoting b/c it never gets old and I like to laugh at myself,” so she’s not so mad about the situation.
User @briyaaeee commented, “My job would have to pay me $100/hr for me to be dedicated like dis.” Honestly, same. Another hilarious comment comes from user @_bakesy, who said, “I wish anyone in my life would hold onto me the way you were holding those bags.” User @boredingville also commented, “You should have gotten a raise for also cleaning the floor!! Put multitasking on the resume!”
However, and very importantly so, confronting or chasing down a shoplifter can have other, not-so-funny consequences. For example, in another TikTok video, everyone just stands by while a wire-cutting purse-snatcher walks out of the store. While that might not be what the definition of bravery entails, it is the most practical and safest route in such a scenario — something that the LAPD’s office also highlighted in a message on its website:
“Never accuse anyone of stealing. Never try to physically stop a shoplifter. Never lock the door to keep a shoplifter from leaving. Never chase a shoplifter out of your place of business. Remain at least an arm’s length away from the shoplifter.”
So while Dee should definitely have been awarded with a medal for bravery, it’s always better to steer clear of any shoplifters in the future! But in the meantime, let’s continue to laugh along with her for her exceptional, albeit unique service.