D.C. Diary: A Not-So-Safeway in Arlington

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Express' Kris Coronado went to Safeway to pick up some snacks. She wound up chasing a clerk and a thief down a darkened street.

IT WAS 8:45 P.M. and I was at a Safeway on Wilson Boulevard in Arlington picking up a few odds and ends. "The Office" was coming on in 15 minutes. Time was of the essence.

As I walked toward the store from the parking lot, I watched a young man suspiciously pushing one of the store's carts away from the store and towards the street. "Hey!" A woman in a Safeway uniform yelled at him. "You! Stop right there!"

He paused, looked at her and then pushed the cart around the corner onto Wilson Boulevard. Without hesitating, she gave chase. I stood there dumbfounded: Did that just really happen? She just ran after a guy by herself into a badly lit street — not the best idea.

So I hustled into the store to find a manager but was greeted by long lines and zombies posing as employees at cash registers. It seemed she was the manager, so there was no one to tell. I faced a decision: Start shopping and pretend nothing had happened ... or ... well, you know where this is going.

Soon I was running down Wilson Boulevard, cell phone clutched in palm, frantically looking for her. When I reached the nearby Texaco station, I saw an employee standing on the curb looking further down the street. I asked: "Did you see a woman chasing a man?"

He nodded: "She went down the street there." He pointed to an even darker N. Frederick Street. "My manager doesn't want me to leave our property."

Just then the woman could be seen walking toward us, defeated, her gray pony tail swinging as she shook her head. "He got away. I've had so much theft here."

I walked back with her to the store listening to her explain how she'd recently broken up a theft ring that had been coming to the store.

"They'd go to the variety aisle and steal the expensive stuff. I really need security here. Just having someone standing here at the door would make all the difference. Safeway tells me it would cost too much, but hundreds of dollars worth of stuff has been stolen. It's worth it." With that we reached the store's entrance. "Thank you for making sure I was OK."

Then we went our separate ways: She to a register and me to find some Gatorade.

Our paths crossed one last time when I ended up in her checkout line. "Hello again," she said with a smile. "By the way, if you're around this weekend on Saturday or Sunday from nine to two, I'm having a bake sale for breast cancer in the store. I've been baking like crazy for the last couple days."

I'll be there. Want to go? Here's the store location. Hey, it beats running after cart-stealers ... Besides, I only missed 10 minutes of "The Office" anyway.