Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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Selfridges smash and grab counter

Avoiding Smash and grab of watches jewelry from display windows
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Only thing comes to mind are watches with their innards removed and a discrete sign stating this is so.

(An old watchman in the window with double barreled shotgun would mess with the ambiance. )

popbottle, Jun 07 2013

For Alterother http://www.timhunki...gal_engineering.htm
[Ling, Jun 09 2013]

[link]






       Why would you put a sign up ? They can steal the worthless display models.
FlyingToaster, Jun 07 2013
  

       And so will the diamond rings be empty, too?
This is potentionally a good idea, but actually they could just put photos of the watches in the case and there you go.
xandram, Jun 07 2013
  

       /Why would you put a sign up ? They can steal the worthless display models. /   

       Those big windows are expensive to replace. ( Someone would steal the sign, though. )
popbottle, Jun 07 2013
  

       Hmmm, am I the only one who thought a smash-and-grab counter at Selfridges, would be a counter at Selfridges where one could, hmmm, smash and grab?
pocmloc, Jun 07 2013
  

       Or just make the window out of something unsmashable. Wire mesh glass, laminated glass, or that sort of bulletproof acrylic you see in banks and fast food joints in sketchy neighborhoods would all either slow down considerably or utterly frustrate a smash and grab attempt.   

       [pocmloc]: Nope. I had hoped this would be a novel way of shopping. Maybe a way to simulate the exhilaration of theft and impress your sweetie with your sinister derring-do at the same time. You buy the stuff online, and then show up (with your oblivious main squeeze in tow) and slip your receipt to the security guard surreptitiously. He gives you a slight tip of his cap, indicating that your material is ready. While browsing the jewelry counter, you point to your selection (which, conveniently, has a drastically overinflated price tag on it) and casually remark, “Hey, you like that, baby?” While your romantic interest is gushing over it, you wait for the remark that it's too expensive. At that point you say, “Hey, go over there for a minute and watch this.” As (s)he quivers with anticipation, you produce a small hammer and use it to break through the candy glass, grab your merchandise, and hotfoot it out of there while the security guard chases after you, firing blanks from his revolver. You then meet up with your belle (or beau), give her (or him) the goods, and shout “God, I've never felt so fucking ALIVE!” Then you presumably go home and have some “naughty boy (or girl)” sex, but that's up to you, and outside the scope of this annotation.
ytk, Jun 07 2013
  

       I'm sure a bunch of Chinese hackers are working on a web interface...
Dub, Jun 07 2013
  

       "But why would I want to smash the watch before I grab it?"   

       (Except if it is a Rolex)
Ling, Jun 07 2013
  

       //I'm sure a bunch of Chinese hackers are working on a web interface..   

       I'm sure someone in Prism is reading their emails.
not_morrison_rm, Jun 08 2013
  

       It seems a little foolish of Southridges to display valuables under glass that can be smashed with a hammer. Even Jared's Galleria of Jewelers (the Wal-Mart of the diamond trade) has figured out that laminated windshield glass foils nearly all daylight robbery attempts.
Alterother, Jun 08 2013
  

       / has figured out that laminated windshield glass foils nearly all daylight robbery attempts. /   

       Ever notice how when someone knows what they are talking about, it kills the conversation.
popbottle, Jun 08 2013
  

       My apologies.   

       On a side note, jewelry store managers get really techy when you start eyeballing the vault or lean really close to the case to count the layers of laminate.
Alterother, Jun 08 2013
  

       Yeah, but it's still made out of steel, and with a selection of tools from my garage* and one hour without adult supervision per three inches of vault wall I'll show you exactly how much that other fancy stuff is worth. I'm sorry, but once you learn how to work with steel, the more you start to realize that vaults are mostly for show. It's the cameras I'd place my stock in.   

       * granted, one of those tools is a 400w plasma cutter, which requires an air compressor and dedicated 240v line and is a bit difficult to conceal under a long jacket and a pair of dark glasses
Alterother, Jun 08 2013
  

       //400w plasma cutter//   

       400 watts? What brand is that, Fisher-Price?
ytk, Jun 09 2013
  

       //it kills the conversation//   

       Yes - that's why people like us spend time in places like this.   

       [ytk]; sp. belle
pertinax, Jun 09 2013
  

       It's a Miller, since you asked; a nice little suitcase model that pulls its hydrogen right out of the air so I don't have to drag around a 70lb bottle of the stuff everywhere I go. Goes through 1/2" mild steel like butter, 3/4" like frozen butter. I once used a 6,000w Avarc to cut an eight-inch steel slab to make derrick pads for an offshore oil rig. Does that satisfy your standards, Mr. Crytk?
Alterother, Jun 09 2013
  

       I just really don't think you have a 400 watt plasma cutter. At 240 volts, that's less than 2 amps.   

       [pertinax]: Er, right—I was trying to make the entire thing gender/orientation non-specific but one slipped by. Thanks.
ytk, Jun 09 2013
  

       I may have my figures off. It's late and I'm a little stoned. If you like, I'll go down and check it in the morning.
Alterother, Jun 09 2013
  

       Alterother, an interesting link for you...
Ling, Jun 09 2013
  

       [ytk] you were correct as always: my plas is a Miller Spectrum 400 (now the Spectrum 375 X-TREME, apparently) rated for a 4,000 watts, which probably means the Avarc machine I bragged about was _called_ an Avarc 6000 and actually rated at a million gazillion watts. They don't make 'em anymore, so I didn't bother digging deep enough to get the specs.   

       Also, the Spectrum does have a nifty converter that lets it run on 120v, so it could feasably run on any wall outlet. The performance is so poor that I never use it on that setting and had quite forgotten it.   

       [Ling], that's one of the best links anyone here has given me. Immediate bookmark.
Alterother, Jun 09 2013
  
      
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