Blockquote What you should be most concerned/upset about is that he’s people are stealing things like laundry soap and toothpaste - everyday essentials for themselves or a family - because they cannot afford to buy it.
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No, they aren’t stealing it for their personal use. Well…maybe 1 out of every few thousand.There have been local news stories about people going into small stores and seeing items that actually have the Target or CVS sticker on them.
I live in NYC. Toothpaste is locked up. Mouthwash is locked up. Tide is. Cascade dishwasher detergent is. It’s super annoying because it can take forever to shop. You might have to wait five minutes 3 different times on 3 different aisles.
I’m worried that the local pharmacy is going to close. It has the misfortune of being located right next to a subway station. That makes it a target. The thieves–not all homeless or even poor—come out of the subway, into the store, load duffel bags with merchandise and walk out. They go into the subway station, jump the turnstiles and keep going.
My neighbor noticed that her favorite cashier hadn’t been working for a couple weeks. She asked about him and found out he’d been fired. Why? He tried to stop a shoplifter…and that’s against the pharmacy chain’s policy.
Costco also checks receipts and I’m happy to shop there. Difference is I agreed to that when I joined the club. At a regular store it just feels like they are suspecting me of shoplifting and I don’t like to be accused of a crime with no evidence. But like I said, if that’s the cost of keeping stores open in 2023, okay. I’ll deal.
I remember reading that stores were locking up Ice cream…. It’s to protect us. Do you remember a few short years ago when people were posting to Tic Tock them eating or licking ice cream, putting the lid back on and putting it back in the fridge, very few of the ice cream cartons had a seal on the lids.
So Costco has like one of the lowest lost due to theft. They say it’s how things are packaged plus they check you out at the door and now seem to want to see your ID closer when using self check out etc.
I think stores that can’t afford to have someone checking them out should put their cash registers closer to the exits (so they can watch them) and limit access going on one way and out the other, like Costco. Their model seems to be working and wonder why others don’t try to follow it
Costco also sells things in bulk- large sizes ( harder to hide) and you need a membership card to get in. Not exactly the same as shopping at Walgreens.
Our local stores have been locking up many, many items since early in the pandemic. I can’t understand what drive people… the whole idea of waiting around, sometimes for ten minutes, to find somebody to release a $5 item sitting behind a locked case, took me out of the brick and mortar shops. I now do much of my purchasing online. The effects of locking items up has also had the consequence of many stores ie my local CVS & Rite Aid, shuttering their doors for good.
It looks like a vicious cycle – stores try to stop shoplifting which makes things more difficult for honest shoppers, which reduces traffic in the stores, which makes them less profitable, which leads them to cut staff, which makes them more vulnerable to shoplifting, which leads them to try to stop shoplifting which makes things more difficult for honest shoppers, …
Could it be that the vicious cycle started during COVID-19, when people avoided in-person shopping due to COVID-19, leading to lower store profits and staff cuts, leading to more vulnerability to shoplifting, etc.?
One of our grocery stores has self checkout right by the door, with an employee stationed there to help customers. The theft at this place is ridiculous and I get it. The high school kid isn’t going to confront the shoplifter and he shouldn’t be expected to do it. By the time he gets the manager or the cops are called it’s too late. I just can’t figure out why they don’t hire a security guard.
I know but maybe have some of the same principles. Or these stores have to hire someone to look at the receipts when they leave. What is more cost effective? Hiring an extra person/security or the loss of revenue due to theft?
I have a friend who works at Walmart in an affluent community and she said a woman put a big screen TV on a cart and wheeled it out to the curb, skipping checkout entirely. She was getting into a taxi with it when security confronted her. Ugh. What the heck is happening?
Friend’s daughter witnessed a person grabbing a bunch of stuff, walking past the cashier and opening his jacket to flash his gun…nothing can stop this, not a receipt checker and not even a security guard, in many cases. I understand why stores are locking stuff up, I really do.
The issue, at least here in the Portland area, is that the security guards aren’t empowered to do anything anyway. They can’t restrain, they can’t chase. They can call the police, but the police won’t come for shoplifting. While security may deter Joe shoplifter, they are no match for organized retail theft, which is what we have happening.
My daughter lives in Portland… In the cool area across the river where the cool kids live, I guess .(we love it there).
Same with Chicago. They started that this year. I was at a 7/11 walking in to get a hazelnut coffee and some dude like waved at the cashier and walked out with some gateraide and something else. So frustrating. The police station is a block away and they said they won’t come…
.(we love it there).