Flying Off the Shelves

Seattle's Stranger has a funny piece about an independent bookseller and the shoplifters he chases down Seattle's city streets, highlighting the types of books that most often get stolen (most all the Beat poets, for instance).

Ah, remembrances of things past! I worked in the men's department at Lamonts, a crappy chain department store that has since (there is a God) gone bankrupt. If we assisted in the apprehension of a vile shoplifter we got a $50 gift certificate. SWEET! I'm fast, too, so I had that in my favor as well. The best catch I remember was this dude who ran out of the store with a maroon Nike hooded sweatshirt. Boom, out the door I went sprinting after him in the parking lot, not quite jumping over the hoods of cars, but weaving anyway. "I can run fast!" I yelled at the villian, "and I can run for a looonnnggg time!" He threw the sweatshirt onto the ground and leapt up this grassy embankment and into the trees. "We'll find you!" I yelled, panting. The police came soon after and, perhaps they were bored (?), but they let out the dogs to sniff him out. Sniff him out they did. He was promptly arrested, I got a $50 gift certificate and, because the sweatshirt fell into a puddle, I got a good discount on that, too.