And this is why employees shouldn't go after shoplifters

[NinaBella]

2 Publix workers stabbed trying to stop shoplifter


MIAMI BEACH — Two supermarket employees were stabbed while trying to stop a shoplifter at a Miami Beach store.

Police spokesman Ernesto Rodriguez said in a news release that employees were trying to intervene when they saw a man shoplifting in a Publix supermarket on Tuesday evening.

News outlets report that 43-year-old Matthew Miller was arrested later Wednesday night and charged with aggravated battery, armed robbery and retail theft.

Police say one of the employees was stabbed in the stomach and taken to a hospital for treatment. The other suffered a cut on the leg. Officials didn't release their names or provide an update on their conditions.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-supermarket-employees-stabbed-20180201-story.html

 

[mi*vida*loca]

When i worked retail i never went after shoplifters. I actually watched people shoplift twice at old navy and ignored it. I didnt get paid enough to play police officer.

 

[tvguy]

Stores here ban workers from trying to stop shoplifters.

My wife's nephew worked for a Grocery store chain in Texas, there, they are REQUIRED to try and stop shoplifters. They get $150 bonus for every arrest. His favorite method of stopping them is to ram them with a shopping cart. Broke a guy's arm once doing that. Being Texas, the cops came, took the guy to jail, and eventually took him to the ER to get his broken arm set.

 

[BrianL]

Something like this happened back at my job in a video store. I wasn't there at the time, but someone tried to steal some tapes, and the assistant manager stopped them when they set off the alarm. The shoplifter punched the assistant manager, dropping him to the ground, and then the other workers chased the guy. The store manager then chased after his employees, most of whom were high-school kids. He was just trying to get them to come back. Of course as it came down, the store manager runs across the shoplifter who stabbed him. He ended up with a collapsed lung! That's proof enough for me to not chase after a shoplifter.

 

[maxiesmom]

When i worked retail i never went after shoplifters. I actually watched people shoplift twice at old navy and ignored it. I didnt get paid enough to play police officer.

Did you not have any security in the store to call?

I wouldn't go after them either, but at least call the right people.

 

[Hikergirl]

My first retail job had plain clothes security walking around the store so if someone was attempting to shoplift we notified them and they did the following and confronting.
The other jobs I had we had to do that ourselves, and being part of management meant that I had to try to stop it.
Most of the time when confronted the thief would drop the stuff and run, or they just ran. I don't think there was ever an incident where one went after the worker who confronted them in any of the stores in the plaza I worked in.
I worked in an area where it was pretty prevalent but the people carrying weapons were after the cash in the registers not the cheap merchandise in the stores. Employees were never to try to stop them, or go after them after being robbed.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Did you not have any security in the store to call?

I wouldn't go after them either, but at least call the right people.

Nope. Just managers. This was 16 years ago.

 

[wenrob]

My first retail job had plain clothes security walking around the store so if someone was attempting to shoplift we notified them and they did the following and confronting.
The other jobs I had we had to do that ourselves, and being part of management meant that I had to try to stop it.
Most of the time when confronted the thief would drop the stuff and run, or they just ran. I don't think there was ever an incident where one went after the worker who confronted them in any of the stores in the plaza I worked in.
I worked in an area where it was pretty prevalent but the people carrying weapons were after the cash in the registers not the cheap merchandise in the stores. Employees were never to try to stop them, or go after them after being robbed.

Same. I have confronted shoplifters but never went after them. 95% of the time they dropped it and took off. If they ran with the stuff I called the cops.

 

[ashley0139]

A couple years ago, the owner of a 7/11 was stabbed and killed when he tried to stop a shoplifter. It was across the street from my office. So sad. It's not worth it to go after them.

 

[mamamary]

My DD works at a children's clothing store and I'm shocked at all the shoplifting. They are not allowed to confront anyone at all.

 

[AnnaFloridaLover]

A regular store employee should never confront a shoplifter. If the store cannot pay for security that's on them and it's not up to an untrained employee to handle a problem that often escalates into a very combative situation.

 

[gmar1210]

Stores here ban workers from trying to stop shoplifters.

My wife's nephew worked for a Grocery store chain in Texas, there, they are REQUIRED to try and stop shoplifters. They get $150 bonus for every arrest. His favorite method of stopping them is to ram them with a shopping cart. Broke a guy's arm once doing that. Being Texas, the cops came, took the guy to jail, and eventually took him to the ER to get his broken arm set.

Store requires it or it's a law in Texas?

 

[tvguy]

Store requires it or it's a law in Texas?

The store policy.

 

[gmar1210]

That store is looking at many lawsuits if they are harming someone shoplifting some food plus they put the employees lives at risk (seems like everyone in texas carries a gun)

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

When i worked retail i never went after shoplifters. I actually watched people shoplift twice at old navy and ignored it. I didnt get paid enough to play police officer.

When I’ve worked retail we were specifically told not to approach anyone we saw(or suspected) shoplifting.

 

[gmar1210]

When I’ve worked retail we were specifically told not to approach anyone we saw(or suspected) shoplifting.

Exactly. Most stores have this policy along with banks. A store rewarding employees for busting criminals is asking for a lot of problems.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

When I’ve worked retail we were specifically told not to approach anyone we saw(or suspected) shoplifting.

Except this past Christmas I did ask to see a known scammer’s reciept for proof of purchase (service desk return scam artist)...I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to do that. Whoopsie!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

When I’ve worked retail we were specifically told not to approach anyone we saw(or suspected) shoplifting.

We had a few managers that wanted to catch every single thief. One manager probably spent more time looking for shoplifters than working. One night they caught a group of shoplifters and they were arrested. The next morning before the store opened they briefed us for the day and she told us how they caught a group of shoplifters and for us to be on the look out. And “to be aware because these weren’t your TYPICAL thieves. The guys we caught were ‘all American boys’ and not what we usually expect to see.” After that i didn’t care. I quit not long after that. This was right after high school 16 years ago. I’m sure they have different protocalls now.

 

[BrianL]

We were always allowed to verbally confront them if they set off the alarm, though usually we would start with assuming it was a mistake. "Please step back through...." A lot of people were pretty compliant, even when getting busted. One lady told me, "Well, it's probably the movies in my purse." She took them out just an a uniformed police officer was walking up to the front. He took care of that! People usually didn't argue about it. If they bolted though, oh well. We could try to get a license plate maybe, but that was about it.

 

[asta]

When my daughter worked retail at a very popular mall clothing store she was not allowed to confront shoplifters. Her instructions were to stay near the front and just get very close to anyone she thought might be shoplifting. The store did not do anything to suspected shoplifters. I guess having an employee follow you around was supposed to be enough.