Not Worth Dying For

There are a few things in this world that most people would consider dying for. Their children, families and patriotism are the top three. What is not worth dying for is money or other property.

While according to the National Association of Convenience Stores 80% of the convenience store in America go crime free in any given year and that there has been a 16 % decrease of convenience store crimes in the past 12 years, it is still very common for robbers to target convenience stores. Often times convenience store clerks are alone early in the morning and late at night this makes the easy targets.

To many times I have seen these incredible dangerous videos on public T.V and the Internet. You have all seen them, the ones where some lunatic sticks a gun in a store clerks face or some other Kind of weapon and amazingly the clerk fights back. T.V shows like “Cops” “Real Police Video” Caught on Tape” and many other reality shows air these things often heralding the clerk as some kind of hero.

The reality is that they are just plain reckless and stupid.

Risking their lives and putting other people in danger does not make a hero. There is a reason store clerks everywhere are taught not to fight back. It is because the money is insured!

Convenience store clerks being seriously injured or killed during robberies really does happen. No one is invincible. In most cases clerks that are injured or killed attempted to not cooperate with the assailant.

For what? a little bit of money in the till, It just is not worth it. There isn't enough money in the world to replace the loss of someones parent, grandparent, brother or sister.

During the many years that I worked as a c-store manager I have been robbed at gunpoint several times. Some times were much worse that others but every time was scary as hell.

One time a robber entered my store literally seconds after I had unlocked the door. Because I had not had the time to walk back around the counter it was easy for him to grab me from behind and push his gun into my side. being caught unaware it was most definitely the worst experience of my life. I could feel his breath on the back of my neck as he shoved me in front of him. I begged for my life, and I am not ashamed to admit that. I complied with his demands and did exactly as I was told. As he was leaving my store he shot and killed a customer who was entering the store.

There was no reason for him to shoot this man he just did it. At his trial when asked why he said I just felt like it. When he was asked why he had not shot me he replied that it was because I had cooperated.

Fighting back does not help. If you want to help yourself in this situation, and this applies to everyone not just store clerks, be a good witness. Pay attention to details. Things like what s/he is wearing, how they talked, did they have facial hair, what direction did they go when they left, did they leave on foot or in a car, scars and tattoos, anything that you can remember will help police to find them.

Go to court and testify. It may be frightening and hard to have to re-live the experience but it is something that you need to do. It will help you make peace with what has happened.

If you have been the victim of a violent crime it is important to remember that not everyone handles things the same way. Being a victim can leave you with some very real issues. Issues that should be addressed by professionals.

It may not be the case for everyone but if you are having trouble such as nightmares, fear of returning to work, fear of being alone etc. it is best to seek help to be able to put it behind you.

Contact your physician or local hospital to find help resources in your area.