Irony is sometimes what you make it—or not. You decide, regarding my explanation about the Featured Image. Yesterday, I walked by the Sun Bum display inside Ralph’s and gaped. Hillcrest is one of San Diego’s homeless hangouts, and the street folk have, ah, sticky fingers. Yes, thievery.
Local street sleepers are blamed. Meaning: The supermarket doesn’t trust the bum, which is why so many items for sale are in locked displays. Buying batteries? Ask a clerk. Personal hygiene products? You will need assistance getting access to some of those, too. I could go on, but you get the point—right?
I think a display demanding you to “trust the bum” is laughably, ill-placed marketing in an area where many residents and retailers feel rather uncharitable (politely stated) towards bums (e.g., so-called unhoused).
I used Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra for the shot, which was edited for emphasis and experimentation. Vitals: f/1.7, ISO 125, 1/120 sec, 23mm (film equivalent); 10:09 a.m. PST.
Wrapping up, if you’re wondering about the stuff stolen, personal hygiene should be obvious. Deodorant, razors, toothpaste, and the such are not penny products. But everyone would want them. Why batteries? One sales clerk explained to me: Return value. This Ralph’s has a problem of costlier items being stolen then brought back to the store, usually by a homeless individual, seeking refund without receipt.