A couple of months ago, I left a QFC with a bottle of wine that I had failed to pay for.
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A couple of months ago, I left a QFC with a bottle of wine that I had failed to pay for.
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Dan Savage is the one doing all this “moderating.”
You see, every comment that gets deleted DOESN’T count towards the “Most Commented” count…
Thus, with a “Deleted: Off Topic” here and a “Deleted: Sock Puppetry” there, the comment count keeps getting truncated by small amounts…
All because Dan Savage will NOT be dethroned from the #1 “Most Commented” spot…
Erica may need to go punch a baby in the face for the kind of exposure needed to take on Dan.
I shot and killed a white businessman and then raped his white wife. Fuck you haters!
Having seen Bottle Shock, I was able to locate this portrait of ECB:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/atweed/3073…
Wow, all this attention over a shoplifted bottle of cheap wine?
How’s the view from those glass houses, judgmental ones? Yeesh.
You bet I’m judgmental… I don’t steal stuff.
You steal anything from my store and you go to jail, period.
@95 – Sock Puppetry is when someone comments using the name of another, established commenter, or a writer, or other well-known name that is not theirs. It has nothing to do with the content.
Sort of like a certain local tv news reader who is much ballyhooed by Slog for “failing to pay for” things?
To “fail” implies an attempt to succeed, and thus a conscious decision.
Translation: “I stole a bottle of wine and got caught. – ECB”
How fucking humiliating, considering your age and position in the community…
#76, should I be surprised that the people that don’t have an axe to grind with EBC and don’t think her credibility is tarnished are the same thieving fuckheads that are posting their “hey look, I’m also an asshole” comments and posts to the front page?
Look, the stories about how you stole a pack of gum when you were 8 are cute. Full grown adults stealing alcohol from someone else’s neighborhood economy is just sad. I understand personality disorders can’t be helped, so if you can’t help being a worthless sack and overall negative contribution to society, at least do it in your own neighborhood and don’t drive up my goddamn prices.
This theft and numerous other thefts that she no doubt got away with, her hilariously SAD amount of parking tickets (which, lame as I sound right now, probably did nothing but inconvenience others and make the roads less safe), and willingness to fuck over someone else’s Zipcar reservation, AND nerve to whine about the consequences are just a small number of examples of what well-reasoned folks like elenchos have known for quite some time: ECB is a selfish–possibly narcissistic–bitter woman with a severe sense of entitlement, not to mention a complete hack with no business having a platform where someone that doesn’t know any better might take her hatchet jobs seriously.
But don’t worry fanboys and fangirls, she didn’t steal, she just left without paying. Once.
Hi Erica!!!! You didn’t mean to not pay right?? Otherwise that would be stealing. Once I almost forget to pay for tampoons at RITEAiD, OMG How. Totally. Embarassing. But I remembered before I walked out so it was no biggie.
Anyways I can’t beleive all these people are accusing you of stealing something as DUMB as a cheap bottle of wine. As. IF. That is so sweet though how everyone at the Stranger stole something when they were kids. What a show of SUPPORT! What’d you do honey, forget it in your bag? But adults stealing, that’s bad.
I only question why you stole a $9 bottle instead of something decent. It really brings into question your judgement and taste, which is the most disturbing part of this whole story since no one expects a high moral standard from the City’s most depraved print outlet.
@108:
You bet I’m judgmental… I don’t steal stuff.
You steal anything from my store and you go to jail, period.
thanks for the morals lesson you douchbag big tough enforcer of law and order, you. you sure told us there, Pops.
great! now no one ever is gonna swipe anything ever again anywhere because you so forcefully made your important opinion known on some stupid blog.
and then you tell other people to grow-up , sheesh. pathetic.
@111 Exactly.
The vast majority of shoplifting is not detected. It costs businesses a very significant amount of money, both if lost sales and increased costs for inventory and security.
Erica is, in all likelihood, a serial shoplifter who has done this many, many times before getting caught. It is highly unlikely her first attempt would be with wine at a grocery store.
The Stranger’s editors and other writers showing their “solidarity” with an admitted shoplifter is just sad. Advertisers should take serious offense to this. I don’t spend my extremely limited ad dollars on the Stranger so that the editor, Christopher Frizzelle and Dan Savage can make a mockery of my business on a blog. They should try surviving as a small business in this economy and then think about how funny it is to excuse shoplifters, make a big joke of it by equating a thirty-something year old senior news writer stealing wine from a grocery store with a kid picking a neighbor’s carrots.
I expected an apology. I will certainly reconsider spending ad dollars on The Stranger if this is the attitude they take toward illegal activity that harms my business and the economy at large.
@114 – go jack off to your Che Guevara poster.
1 I’m a small business owner in the retail market.
2 I budget a small percentage each year that I know I will lose to shoplifting.
3 Right now I am barely making my rent.
@114 Obviously you are too much a failure in life to even imagine having a store of your own. Someone expresses the opinion that shoplifting is bad, and the best you can do is call them “Pops” and a “douchebag.”
That’s funny from a commentator. But from the people who run this publication and write for it – Dan, Christopher, Jonathan, Charles, etc. – you should be ASHAMED and EMBARRASSED by your oh-so-casual dismissal and tacit acceptance of a colleague who shoplifts. By sharing your own stories as if they’re morally equivalent (in some cases, they’re just as bad) you damage your own credibility and the reputation of the business you work for.
I guess that makes me a “Pops” Well don’t forget it’s the hard-working “Pops” in this city that pay your fucking salaries by buying ads in your paper. You guys should be ashamed. I understand what The Stranger does but condoning shoplifting among your senior staff crosses the line. I will certainly do my part to draw attention to this within the business community.
Wow. Just catching up with this now. No time to read the preceding 100+ posts, but dang, ECB… Scrolling through all the Notes to the Readers to get here, and then finding your post of this morning — I’m surprised to say I have tears in my eyes. It must be great to work in a place that has your back like this — I’m being sincere, no snark implied nor intended. Yep, everybody makes mistakes, that aint the thing.. Your post of 11:40 IS the thing, and it’s wonderful and thank you…. And your coworkers seem like a pretty good bunch, too, as it happens….
@118:
“Someone expresses the opinion that shoplifting is bad, and the best you can do is call them “Pops” and a “douchebag.”
I think his/her point is stupid, and he/she is making it in the comments section of a stupid blog. (Sorry Slog, luv ya, but it is all pointless wankery).
That comment mildly offended me and I mildly(yeah, honestly that was mild) expressed my opinion, to which you didn’t like and **news flash** none of it means a fucking thing the the real order of things.
god, perspective people, it’s not that important.
now go have a glass of wine.
A few years ago, back when Red Hook had just come out with their Long Hammer IPA, I was at Finn’s with some friends. We were having a good time. I bought a pint of the Long Hammer and I loved that it came in an etched Red Hook glass. It was a really nice glass, I thought. After I finished my beer, I stuffed a napkin into the glass to soak up the dampness and hid the glass inside my jacket. I stole that glass.
Finn’s, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have stolen your glass. I knew it was wrong. If you don’t want to serve me any more, that’s your right. But I hope that you can forgive me.
@111 – You’re right, you do sound lame right now.
The bigger issue here is not the theft. The issue is that if the Seattle Weekly or Joel Connelly had done anything remotely like this, and either publication would not even *talk* about it, the Slog/Stranger would be all over it.
Hell, Didn’t you guys do a piece about John in the Morning possibly giving more airtime to bands he had a stake in or something..(my memory isn’t that great and I have like 5 seconds to post this comment)
So the issue with the trolls is that if anyone else in the world had done this you’d be all up in their shit (“why are they denying this, why won’t they talk to the media, why is the publication mum on everything”). Erica is the NEWS EDITOR. At the very least, when the Weekly blog broke the story, she could have said “I am currently under investigation and cannot speak about actions that may or may not have occured on this day XXXX, I will discuss it after my court preceedings” or something to that effect.
But no, there was this cloak and dagger deleting of comments, and ignoring the issue. And now this? It’s after your hearing, you can at least talk about it. Maybe it would help for you to talk about your experience? I don’t know the details, and I really don’t care. The only problem is the double standard in journalism where *you* don’t want your personal life out there, but if Joel Connelly was caught with a HOOKER or something, you wouldn’t stop the aggressive invasion of his private life. And you all know it. So why should commenters be any less mean than you would be?
@115 & 118 – Those are mighty heavy sabres you’re rattling. You might want to put them down before you cut yourself.
Also, one of the jobs I have had was to catch shoplifters/employee thefts in an army base overseas. I do know the difference between kids shoplifting, adults shoplifting, first time shoplifters, accidental shoplifters and habitual shoplifters. Those are all very different categories.
I am not sure what category that Erica falls under (with the exception of child) but what others stated above is wrong. Just because you are older doesn’t mean you are a habitual shoplifter.
I know it’s hard on people when they are caught shoplifting, I had to charge many, many people. And shoplifting is a huge deal to businesses (they call it ‘shrink’), it can eat up to 30% of your profits. However, employee theft is about $10 for every $1 shoplifted. If you have employees, watch them more than the customers. Your return will be much greater.
This is not the first time that ECB has done this. She is a habitual shoplifter and should be prosecuted.
@126 – How do you know? You write with such certainty; do you have her tailed everywhere she goes?
Erica contributes to a feminist blog called Shakesville. It’s at shakespearessister.blogspot.com.
If you read the blog FAQs, the founder says contributors, “in moments of failure, apologize when we fuck up.”
Did you fail to pay for it on purpose?
Did you try to pay for it, but it just didn’t quite work out?
Or did you fail at stealing it? Well, we know you failed at stealing it. Doesn’t this job pay you enough?
This went over well.
This is beginning to feel like a fund-drive, where they get down to the last bit, closing in on the goal.
The goal here is to bump Dan Savage from #1 Most Commented.
Dan’s post says “Look at me! I want attention and comments!”
Erica’s post, on the other hand, meekly whispers “Don’t look at me. I’ve had enough of this. I hate you. All of you. Give me your worst. I can take it.”
This is the Slog. It’s not a bowl of goldfish you can feed what you want. It’s a stream infested with piranha, that eat whatever’s tastiest.
So get on it, Sloggers. We’re closing in.
Then maybe we can all get back to bitching about foie gras and pretentious art.
#122, I’m sorry that pointing out the very real consequences of shoplifting from my community and allowing a hack like ECB to have a platform sounds lame. Sorry for you, that is.
@131:
so you’re saying she is trying to steal his thunder(bird)?
and he is angry like a pitbull or at least a maddog 20/20.
what was the name where the raise the foie gras, wasn’t boones farm was it?
lets take a nighttrain down south and find out.
It’s not the crime. It’s the cover-up.
The bottle of wine? Whatever…
The deletion of posts, the silence on the topic, the insatiable “trolls,” the subterfuge of the “sock-puppets.”
Oh, and the big show of solidarity where EVERYONE’S a thief!!! What member of the staff thought THAT would be brilliant?
Sanctimony! Treachery! Hypocrisy! Other big dramatic words!
THIS has been epic.
Thank you, Slog. I love you. I hate you. I still love you when I say I hate you.
Not one question about the Vintage or Vinyard? I expected snobier judgements from the Sloggers.
Seriously, I’m not ECB’s biggest fan, but this is fracking ridiculous. It’s a cheap bottle of wine people. QFC is not going out of business. It doesn’t affect the Stranger’s credibility (insert joke here). It was just ECB being dumb.
From reading the comments, I assure you that everyone in this thread is dumb at one time or another.
ECB, I’m pretty sure I’m within easy walking distance of the QFC in question (near 15th and Dravus?). Send me an e-mail sometime, I’ll buy you a bottle of cheap wine just for having had to put up with this bullshit.
Typical Stranger schlock. They pry into everyone else\’s lives and hang their dirty laundry for all to see. Then the second it\’s one of their own, it\’s suddenly move along, nothing to see here.
What a proud day this is for the Stranger. This even trumps the Marlee Ginter goat-blowing fiasco.
In my adolescent psychology class today, the topic was conduct disorder and socially deviant behaviour. We took an informal poll – who in the class (this is an upper-division psychology class at a university in BC, by the way), had stolen or shoplifted before? About 2/3 of people there raised their hands (and those were just the ones willing to admit it in front of a forensic psychologist prof). According to him, that’s right in line with the general population. Congratulations, ECB, you’re in the majority.
@138 well according to Michael Strangeways, that is impossible. EVERYONE has stolen something at some point, according to him, so 1/3 are lying.
It’s impossible for people with weak morals, like Michael, to even imagine that some us have never stolen anything.
I have never stolen anything. Period.
I’ll share a bottle of wine with ECB anyday.
I like ECB, and I generally agree with many of her views. But learning this little tidbit about her, after reading her copious and sanctimonious rants about the evils of Portland’s Sam Adams … I mean, come on. He lied about having legal sex (that we know of), and you admit to an illegal (albeit a super minor, and I find hardly troubling) act. He leads the public (of Portland), you inform the public (of Seattle). It’s a smidge hypocritical.
And that’s the black eye that I find in all of this. I hope you make it through this OK, and also that the experience informs the judgments you make of other people in the future.
No officer,
that isn’t a bottle of wine;
I’m just glad to see you…
Yes! Most commented on the SLOG!!! Eat it, Dan Savage!!!
TWO goddamn lines of kind-of, not-really, just-kidding admission of “I stole a bottle of wine…”
BEATS out two goddamn PAGES (or thereabouts) of kind-of, not-really, just-kidding “I’m running for mayor.”
Awesome!!! Erica WHO? Goddamn, you got some LOYAL readers now, girl!
This has GOT to be the most relevant the Slog has been since the election.
I had to get to @ 142 before I found the second thought that entered my mind.
My first thought was … Winona Ryder?
A very exciting NONstory this is.
She stole a bottle of “Nine Buck Career Fuck Up”
I haven’t shoplifted since I was 10.
@145, i think she stole a bottle of “nine buck promotion at the stranger”.
i’m stealing glances RIGHT NOW.
fuck all you sanctimonious ass pigs… the STRANGER is not a news organization
thank god
It was a blustery fall afternoon at Hogwarts and Hermione Granger sat in the Gryffindor common with only a crackling fire to keep her company. Upon hearing footsteps coming from the boys’ tower she quickly glanced up from her copy of Zublin’s Advanced Potions, hoping to find Harry or Ron.
“’Afternoon Hermione!” Neville Longbottom said, nearly tripping on the last few steps of the spiral staircase.
“Oh, hello Neville” Hermione snapped. “You haven’t seen Harry or Ron up there have you? I’ve been looking for them all day!”
“Yeah, they’ve been huddled up in Ron’s bed with the curtains drawn for hours!” Neville said, dumbfounded “I tried to peak in once to see what they were doing, but they shouted something about not wrecking their secret light sensitive spells. I didn’t want to be a bother, so I came back down here.”
“Light sensitive spells?” Hermione said to herself, “Those boys could never master such advanced magic. Something fishy is going on here!”
She quickly pulled out her charms textbook and began to rapidly search the index. The combination of heat from the fireplace and intensity of study soon created a seductive glow around Hermione’s young face. Soon, the perspiration spread through her underarms, neck and chest, highlighting key areas of her uniform.
“You’re looking… hot” Neville murmured from the oversized armchair next to Hermione.
“Yeah, I probably shouldn’t be sitting so close to this fire” She said.
Hermione stuffed her papers into her bag and walked over to the couch across from Neville.
“Oh no” He replied, moving to the empty seat next to Hermione. “I didn’t mean temperature”
“Um, thanks” She gushed, “I’ve been using a new lotion. I think it really brings out the summers mist in my skin, don’t you?”
“I don’t know,” He said, looking into her eyes “I’ve never tasted a summers mist before”
Neville quickly leaned in and kissed her on the lips. Hermione did not protest, and had soon undone the top three buttons of her blouse.
Neville slowly pulled out his wand and said “Displayus mammarium!”
The remainder of Hermione’s shirt suddenly split open, exposing her young chest to the fall air. Neville smiled with delight and quickly pressed his face against her bare skin. Hermione felt waves of ecstasy as Neville slowly and carefully licked both of her protruding nipples.
“I feel like a Hungarian Horntail” Neville whispered into Hermione’s ear “And I need to find a cave to…”
“Hermione! Neville!” Ron interrupted from the top of the stairs. “What are you two doing? Oh bugger, we’ll have to get new furniture!”
“You would say that, you old faggot!” Hermione laughed.
She writhed with pleasure on an old persian rug while Neville carefully pulled down her white cotton panties. Ron stared, open mouthed.
“I… but… how did you know?” Ron sputtered
“Let’s just say it’s clear to all of us that you two are doing more than talking during those 45 minute ‘bathroom breaks’ at lunch” Neville said, wiping Hermione’s residue from the side of his mouth.
“Bloody hell, does this mean Harry and I are a couple?” Ron said, slinking into an empty chair near the fire.
“One thing’s for sure” Hermione replied, “You’re a couple of huffle puffs!”
With the brain power in Seattle, you would think that people might draw the logical conclusion that Erica said what she said under the advice and guidance of an attorney. In fact, probably more than one, probably her own and probably one for the paper.
Comparing underage sex with a minor BY A POLITICIAN with this just shows your personal bias.
As for the myriad “small business owners,” here’s a scene:
***meeting of local chamber of commerce***
SMO #1: People, we have a situation here. I want everyone to withdraw their advertising from the Stranger. The editor is a thief and they encourage shoplifting!
SMO #2: Really? Can you tell me more?
SMO #1: She was arrested for stealing a bottle of wine and the paper did not put it on the front page!
SMO #2: *scratching head* okay, yeah, um, you know, 50% of my walk-in business comes from a Stranger ad, so I’m really going to need more than this before I pull my ads from them. Plus, I’ve advertised for so long, I get a great rate.
SMO #1: It is a matter of principle!
SMO #2: Principle ain’t paying my rent, buddy.
SMO #3: No, I want to hear more about it. What happened?
SMO #1: She did NOT apologize. SHe posted a statement that said that she walked out with a bottle of wine without paying for it.
SMO #3: And?
SMO #1: That’s Just It! She did not say anything else!
SMO #3: Right, I get that, and shoplifting sucks, but it’s not like they did some series about how easy it was to shoplift, or wrote some article that was supposed to be ironic that talked about how cool shoplifting was – did they?
SMO #1: No, but there was no transparency!
SMO #2: How did this even get in the paper?
SMO #1: Someone leaked it.
SMO #2: Yeah, okay, I’m still not getting why I should stop advertising in the one paper that actually gets me business.
::the end:::
Bozhe moi!
I am directly responsible for the single largest mass extermination in human history, roughly 43,000,000 of my comrades were murdered because of my paranoia and insatiable appetite for power.
But, against this Ericanovna, I am what you call “an amateur” for truly, leaving a grocery store having failed to pay for a single bottle of wine will completely erase my crimes from the books of history! From this day forth, until the end of time, whenever one looks in these books under the heading of “Worst Human Being – Ever!” no longer will they see my grim visage, but instead, they will cower in fear and disgust at the face of this devil’s daughter of Western Capitalist decadence!
Seriously, Erica, you know the score with what you did and I really don’t need to add anything about that.
But I am far more amazed at the Sloggers who are actually kissing your ass after this. I mean, WHAT. You fuckers have the moral code of a crackhead.
I don’t hate hipsters, but I hate how hypocritically stupid they are.
It is a moral curiosity that you stole a $9 bottle of wine. Why the cheap stuff? If I was going to take the risk of stealing a bottle of wine, I’d at least pick out a nicer bottle. You know … same risk, greater reward?