As I passed thorough the metal detector, my carry-on bag was flagged by the TSA and, after a cursory inspection of my turkey sandwich (which was judged to be benign), the TSA officer pulled the culprit item in my toiletry kit: L'Oreal's Studio Line Invisi-Gel. "This gel container's too large. You'll either have to check your bag or I'll keep this." I shot the officer a plea for sympathy: "My Invisi-Gel?" "Don't worry," she added encouragingly,"You can get another one at Rite-Aid."The official answer is, Of course TSA employees don't get to keep the often-expensive, often-unopened health and beauty products that end up in TSA waste bins. The unofficial answer is, If you were an underpaid federal employee looking at a thrown-away bottle of L'Oreal's Studio Line Invisi-Gel (whatever that is), would you take it if you could?
I thought it over. I'd rather lose the $5 gel tube than pay a $40 bag-check fee. "Enjoy it," I said, concealing my irritation. She replied, quietly, looking away from me: "I will." Do TSA employees get to keep this stuff? Items confiscated due to their potential for hazard wind up in employees' bathrooms?
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A Goldblog reader writes about a recent encounter with a Transportation Security Administration officer at JFK:
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