Supply theft can take a bite out of business

Back in college, we used to frequent a famous German bar on campus that served boots of beer. You heard me...massive, heavy glasses shaped like boots that just overflowed with ale. We would go in large groups, gather around a long beer hall table, listen to the polka band and pass around the boots. I can't tell you how many students tried to steal those things for bragging rights purposes. Fortunately for the bar owners, the boots were so large that there was no way people could stick it in a bag - or hide it under their shirts - without management noticing. I thought of that when I saw a few articles about people stealing from restaurants and coffee shops. According to a New York Times article, diners have ripped off everything from $3 water glasses to $1,200 silver ice buckets. In the world of caffeine, it seems one of the most popular targets of theft is Splenda packets. At coffee shops, sucralose thievery has often depleted supply - leading some angry customers to storm out without coffee.
I can't say I've never snagged a few packets here and there. And once, in my poor just-out-of-college years, I stole a few rolls of toilet paper from a local bar.
But I think stealing candles, wall paintings and expensive things of that nature from restaurants is wrong, y'all! And word of advice: don't yell at the barista if there's no Splenda. It could have been your friends stealing the shop's last few packets.