Crack Dealers and Rechargeable Batteries?

I walked into Fred’s this afternoon and immediately waved to a clerk named Tricia I knew.  I walked over to her to ask her where the rechargeable batteries are.  She was dressed neatly with a Fred’s smock and a smiley face button and nametag pinned to her chest for her flair.

“We quit carrying them,” she said, apologizing. “People kept stealing them.”

“Why were they stealing batteries?”  I honestly enquired. 

“The rumor is the thieves were trading them in for crack cocaine.”

“What would a crack dealer do with all those boosted batteries?” I asked, now amused.

She just shrugged her shoulders with no further answer. 

I walked down the medication aisle to see the price on my old arch nemesis, Benadryl.  I then left without buying anything foregoing my usual calorific cashews and mixed nuts.

Somehow, I don’t believe the batteries were being traded in for crack.  The batteries are expensive at $9.99 for a pack of four.  They were probably exchanging them at other dollar stores or Wal-Mart for cash.  We have a glut of dollar stores in the area and all it takes is one lazy or gullible cashier and you have some spare cash.

Kroger has the Energizer rechargeable batteries I need and I will get them tonight as we buy groceries.