Entrepreneur takes measures to counter the rise in crime

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – For seven years, Jessica Carothers has owned and operated Waxing the City in the Northeast Heights.

“This used to be an area I never worried about, but that has really changed,” Carothers said.

Her view of the area is changing after an incident with a new customer on Tuesday. A woman came in for a waxing with no intention of paying.

“My staff followed her and said, 'Ma'am, where are you going? You have to pay for your services.' She was just heading to her car,” Carothers said.

Carothers says it's one thing to spend a few hundred dollars on services and products, but quite another when the safety of her employees is at stake.

“As she was trying to get out of the parking lot as quickly as possible, she drove her car almost next to my co-worker and almost hit her with her car,” Carothers said.

The incident causes them to rethink some of their business practices.

“We can and probably will start requiring credit card information from clients prior to appointments. This is really annoying because 99.9% of our clients are absolutely wonderful,” Carothers said.

KOB 4 wanted to talk to New Mexico residents who use beauty services and get their thoughts on the practice. The people we spoke to have no problem helping business owners.

“I think a deposit is fine. I think most companies do that and if you want to use the service it shouldn't be a problem.”

“I totally agree. I think when you own a business you need to protect your assets and what you put into it, but I think it's a smart idea.”

Carothers, on the other hand, took photos of the license plate and the woman. She says the police never showed up after she called, but she was able to file a police report online.

We have informed APD of any updates on the case and are awaiting a response.