Item #3: Do a Beer Run

The thing about this list is that not everything on it is good. Most of them are. One item is questionable. And one is simply not good, "Do a beer run", which I took care of tonight, December 26th, 2009. For those that do not know what a beer run is, here is a brief explanaition. An individual goes into a gas station, or grocery store, grabs some beer, and leaves. Quickly. Stealing beer and hanging out do not exactly go together.

A few people that were privy to a view of my list were surprised to find this on there. From the surprise my friends expressed, doing a beer run seems like part of the American teenager experience. Prior to this moment, I have never stolen anything from anywhere. I have always been on the other side of this event.

While attending ASU, I did work at a Circle K for quite a few months, graveyard being the majority of that time. I had people do beer runs, on average, once a week. Sometimes I laughed, but I usually never cared. It was only when people talked to me that I got mad. One individual was walking out carrying a 24-pack of Bud Light bottles. He looked me in the eyes and said, "I gotta feed my kids, man," and kept on going. What he said does not make sense to the situation, and I do not even know what else to say about it.

Tonight, I hit up a gas station. I walked straight to the beer, grabbed an 18-pack of Bud Light cans, went straight out the door, and left. As I was jumping on my bike, the woman who was working followed me into the parking lot and asked me, "Sir, are you going to pay for that?" I feel this is an incredibly dumb question at this point of the process. I simply said, "No" and went about my life. If one thinks I am a total asshole for doing this, I do not disagree. Another thing one should pay attention to, never follow someone outside the store. Just call the cops.

It is interesting to have experienced this. I do not feel good about it in anyway shape or form. I feel bad for having done it at a gas station, because I know exactly what that woman is feeling right now. I feel bad for having done it the day after Christmas. But mostly, I feel bad because it is just piss-poor behavior. My arms are feeling weird, my gut does not feel right, and I am disappointed in myself for having done this. I instantly thought about going back and paying for it, whether it be tonight or another time. Then I realized that doing so would negate the act itself, as would not drinking the beer. So, bottoms up!