Would you do this for $70K a week?

[vaskidmark]

OK, let's set the "rules" for answering the question.  It's probable that nobody is going to condone the underlying activity, so no comments on the legality or morality of stealing.  The focus on chick flicks is also out of bounds for this discussion - it seems it's difficult to steal from women who are preoccupied and focused on the screen if you try it at action flicks ("average" APS women excluded).  And finally, you have to grant me one assumption since I am not a chick and do not go to the movies to watch chick flicks - that assumption is that chick flicks are shown in the same movie theaters as all other types of movies.

So - would you do this for $70K a week?

http://tinyurl.com/8ggymmx

A Philadelphia man who may have stolen as much as $70,000 per week by slithering on floors to lift credit cards from unsuspecting moviegoers has been convicted of fraud and identity theft crimes.

Johnson, of Philadelphia, typically worked with female accomplices. They purchased tickets to see films geared toward female moviegoers and chose seats where they could watch where those woman stored their pocketbooks.

"Once the movie started, Johnson crawled on the floor, removed credit cards from the stored purses, and returned the wallet to the purses," according to an FBI affidavit. "Johnson crawled in this manner around the theater until he was done … "

stay safe.

[geronimotwo]

setting the ethics of stealing aside?    i have worked in some pretty nasty crawlspaces for not even close to that amount of money, so in that regard you can count me in.  now, having to put up with a chick flick blaring in the background  (shudder).

[Jamisjockey]

Movie theatre's are nasty unclean places.  Ick.  But there are people out there who do worse legal jobs for lower pay.

[Ron]

That would make an interesting Dirty Jobs episode 

[MillCreek]

I have apparently led an ignorant and sheltered life: how can you make up to $ 70K per week stealing credit cards?  Do you get cash advances on them?  Do you buy merchandise with them and then return the goods for cash?

[K Frame]

I'm surprised that he could slither.

Most theater floors seem to be made up of equal parts Stikem, fly paper, glue, and a pine tar equivalent.

[MechAg94]

I'm surprised that he could slither.

Most theater floors seem to be made up of equal parts Stikem, fly paper, glue, and a pine tar equivalent.

Mabye he greased himself at the popcorn butter dispenser.   

[Ben]

Call me naive, but I simply don't understand how he got away with it for so long. The only place he could "slither" would be up and down the main aisles, right? I've never been in a theater that had luxurious enough seating to allow someone to slither through rows without being detected, because it seems they'd be slithering over people's feet and stuff to get around where seats are mounted to the floor. If you're crawling up and down the main aisles, even in a dark theater, it seems someone would be bound to see you.

Apparently I'm wrong though, because the $70K speaks for itself.

[MechAg94]

I am sort of assuming he slithered across empty rows and reached under seats to get to the purses and such.  How he moved between rows I don't know.  I figure he would have to pick his opportunities very carefully.

IMO, he could probably make as much or enough money doing less work.  He could get a job as a garbage man up in Massachusetts. 

[280plus]

Yup a carefully choreographed use of the random empty areas during each show. I'll even bet they were savvy to some usual seating patterns that occurred plus various placements of purses that made them easir to access. But yea, I worked in a theater for a while, I'd have to agree with the greased himself with butter theory.  My shoes always stuck to the floor when I walked between rows.

[MrsSmith]

Still not getting how this is possible. The seats are on "steps" so each row is higher than the row in front of it. Unless he has arms/wrists/hands smaller than mine, I can't see how he could reach between the bottom of the seatback and the ledge in the next row. But I also don't know a single woman who puts her purse on the floor in the theater. Hanging on an arm rest, sitting in the sit to one side of her (BAD), or next to her in her own seat. Or, like me, my ID and funds are in my pocket and purse is locked in my vehicle or left at home.

All that said, no. I cringe to think of the bottoms of my shoes on the theater floor, much less any other part of my person, not even if I were attired in a haz-mat suit. Just ick.

[Perd Hapley]

Still not getting how this is possible. The seats are on "steps" so each row is higher than the row in front of it. Unless he has arms/wrists/hands smaller than mine, I can't see how he could reach between the bottom of the seatback and the ledge in the next row.

A lot of theaters just have an inclined floor.

[Lee]

So, if stealing and movies are not part of the equation, then the question really is - would I crawl around on a movie theatre floor for $70K a year.  Sure.  Has to be better than listening to people babble about timelines in meetings.

[MechAg94]

So, if stealing and movies are not part of the equation, then the question really is - would I crawl around on a movie theatre floor for $70K a year.  Sure.  Has to be better than listening to people babble about timelines in meetings.

no, it isn't.   

[zxcvbob]

So - would you do this for $70K a week?

Is that before taxes or after?

[vaskidmark]

Is that before taxes or after?

A man who learns from History!

He's not going down like Capone did for not declaring income and paying taxes.

stay safe.