I believe Hillsborough is quite dark. An old town in the tobacco belt.
Um, no. Hillsborough NC is in Orange County, just north of the University of NC at Chapel Hill. Check the demographics for Hillsborough. You will find your assumption is unfounded.
Home Depot employees are advised by management never to interfere with thefts-in-progress. Instead they are trained and required to thank the thief for shopping at the store and then notify management. Even following a thief out into the parking lot to obtain a license plate number is condemned. Failure to adhere to this rule can result in termination of employment. Poor old guy is probably going to lose his job. Nothing new. THD has been “woke” for years.
Quite the opposite. While there is the “other side of the tracks” it is a relatively small area. A lot more young professionals (is “yuppies” still a thing?) and hipsters buying up the older homes downtown. And still more country folks. HD is a few minutes to the south heading toward Chapel Hill.
Quite a few from Chapel Hill prefer to drive the extra 15 minutes than go to the closer “more urban” store on 15-501 between Chapel Hill and Durham. Not really “urban” to most people but it does require a little more situational awareness, as it were.