Our caller doesn’t like the hassle of getting certain items that
are kept behind a counter at the local Albertson’s.
Our caller doesn’t like the hassle of getting certain items that are kept behind a counter at the local Albertson’s.
“I would like to know why Albertson’s has decided to move their condoms and razor cartridges behind the counter with the booze and cigarettes,” she said. “Maybe I’m just shy, but I don’t appreciate having to grab an employee so they can fetch me some protection – and I can’t imagine doing so if I were still in high school. Young people who are trying to be responsible might be too embarrassed to go through the ordeal. But they will probably still have sex. Also, I hate to wait in line to get razors, and then wait in another line to buy them. I won’t be picking up razors or condoms at Albertson’s anymore.”
Don’t blame Albertson’s, caller. Blame thieves.
The Crusader spoke with Albertson’s manager Steve Babcock, who said items like razors and condoms are easy prey for shoplifters, so they have to be kept in a safe place.
“They’re high-theft items,” he said.
Other local grocery stores keep similar items behind the counter as well, the Crusader has determined from personal observation.
More Rally Rage
Weeks after the end of the “unofficial rally” the Crusader is still getting calls from people who thought there were too many cops in downtown Hollister for the Fourth of July weekend.
“They were everywhere,” our caller said. “On horses, bikes and on foot. They even had helicopters. It was like Nazi Germany.”
Hollister Police Chief Jeff Miller has acknowledged that there were too many officers on the streets for the “non-event.” But also, he has said, there was no way of knowing how many people would show up for the rally, and his department was preparing for the worst. In the months leading up to the Fourth of July weekend, rally supporters and detractors alike warned that thousands of bikers would pour into downtown Hollister – some wanting to “teach the city a lesson” for canceling the event in 2006.
Overpolicing during that first weekend in July is a valid gripe, but people should also take into account the uncertainty of what would transpire over those days. Also, the constant and sophomoric comparisons between Hollister and Nazi Germany are offensive. Adolph Hitler and his Nazis were a murderous regime bent on genocide and world domination. Though arguably overzealous, the law enforcement officers in Hollister at the unofficial rally don’t fit that description, not even remotely.
After it’s all said and done, though, the bikers proved to be well behaved and the City Council is getting started on a city-sanctioned event for 2007. The Crusader is tired of the complaints, and urges everyone to look toward the future.
