Hyper-vigilance sacks Safeway guard

It’s not so surprising that another Safeway security guard got himself in trouble by pushing the boundaries too far on the store chain’s crackdown on shoplifters. There must be some kind of company policy leading employees to think they need to be really strict.

Of course, even a company policy assumes that employees are endowed with common sense, of which the guard in Washington state showed very little.

Like the recent, well-publicized case at a Honolulu store, the story involves a customer taking merchandise without any initial effort to pay for it. But the situation in Everett, north of Seattle, was even worse because the alleged thief is a 4-year-old girl, who ate from a dried fruit package then put it back on the shelf.

The guard told the kid’s dad that she’d face criminal charges. He was sacked, but not before he got the girl to sign a paper acknowledging she’d be banned from the stores. Such a smart child! Maybe Safeway should hire her.

Volleyball Wahine end WAC run at the top

Hurray for Hawaii’s Rainbow Wahine volleyball team for finishing the regular season ranked third and seventh in the two national ratings, and earning the Western Athletic Conference crown for the 13th time in 14 years.

If, as expected, the Wahine get seeded by the NCAA in the top 16, the subregional will be next week at the Stan Sheriff Center. At that point, Hawaii can say adieu to WAC volleyball and hello next year to the Big West.