Disturbing Situtation I've Witnessed Lately

[bettymae1121]

My DH worked a 2nd job as security at a Wal-Mart many years ago (this was before I met him). He told me he'd sometimes spot people put stuff in their coats/pockets etc. and if it was someone he didn't recognize from previous thefts, he'd go over to them and just say "put it back, leave, and don't ever come back". Most would sheepisly hand over whatever they had and quickly exit the store, but a few would insist they didn't do anything wrong and he'd have to follow them and stop them once they attempted to leave the store. That always made him shake his head, here he was giving them a chance to NOT be arrested and charged, but they'd insist they hadn't done anything wrong. He had them on tape, they'd have the proof once they detain them and the cops show up to search them...how do they think they'll get away with it?

 

[cteddiesgirl]

Sadly, I think this is only the beginning. Things are going to get much worse.

Yep. With so many people out of a job and so many of them just cut off from unemployment, things are going to get worse.

 

[JulielovesDisney]

I currently work in a retail store, and let me tell you, we have a shoplifter almost daily. When I first started working there in December 06, it was a rarity. But now that the economy has gotten much worse, we have many more shoplifters. It's sad.

 

[Nik's Mom]

That kind of stuff has been going on for years. When I was about to make my first communion, my mom took me shopping for a new veil. I still remember standing there with a lady from the store helping to put on the veil when all of a sudden, a woman grabbed a veil from the display case and took off running with her little girl behind her. I can remember the lady had the veil in one hand, and her little girl in the other. People from the store went after her, but she got away. My mom and I just stood there in shock. This was in 1978.

 

[Piglets Mommy]

That kind of stuff has been going on for years. When I was about to make my first communion, my mom took me shopping for a new veil. I still remember standing there with a lady from the store helping to put on the veil when all of a sudden, a woman grabbed a veil from the display case and took off running with her little girl behind her. I can remember the lady had the veil in one hand, and her little girl in the other. People from the store went after her, but she got away. My mom and I just stood there in shock. This was in 1978.

WOW!!!! What a time to steal. Mom was making sure her daughter looked pretty for her First Communion, but she had obviously forgotten her 10 commandments!!!

 

[moburg]

Last week my children and I were in Burlington Coat Factory. As I was exiting a middle-age woman with a boy about 6 existing at a rushed pace slightly ahead of me. At that moment I said "gee, she really wants to beat me out" Just as I exited the alarms went out. Luckily security realized it was her and called to her. By this time she was half-way across the parking lot. She briefly stopped, said it wasn't her and when security asked her to come closer she ran into her vehicle, pushing the little guy into the backseat and took off through the parking lot!! The employees were able to get her plate and call the police, although I don't know what happened

Today I was walking into Walmart with my kids as a younger man came running out of the exit with a flat screen tv in his hands. He got into his vehicle, which he had left parked right in front of the store (not running) and took off! Nobody came out! Not the "security checker", nobody. As I was headed towards customer service to let them know I thought I just witnessed a thief a few workers were calling the police with the license plate info.

Maybe I've just been in the wrong place too many times, I certainly hope this is not a new trend

Wasn't a Wal Mart employee fired not too long ago for chasing after or tackling a shoplifter? Might have been a different store. But yes, that is what things have come to. Let the thief go. 'No chase' orders for the police, etc. Pathetic.

 

[momof1princess]

We have a judge that offers this sentence: The shoplifter that gets caught can stand outside the walmart shopping center on the main intersection with a sign that says I am a thief, I stole from this store.
I saw this again today; usually they are covered up in coats, hoods, etc but with it being 100 degrees today this lady had on regular clothes for everyone to see who she is.

OMG! do you live near attalla, al? i'm from gadsden, and i've seen people doing that at the attalla wal-mart!

 

[Nik's Mom]

WOW!!!! What a time to steal. Mom was making sure her daughter looked pretty for her First Communion, but she had obviously forgotten her 10 commandments!!!

No kidding! My mom was so mad that a mother could steal like that, plus add in the fact that it was an item for a religious ceremony!

 

[pixiefairy]

I work in retail and we have people steal pretty much daily. We try to watch everyone, make sure everyone knows we know they are there...but they still manage to do it. They know how to defeat the sensors and be sneaky about removing jewelry. As I was leaving today, I found two jewelry packages missing jewelry underneath a clothing rack. It makes me so angry that people do this! And we have a "no confront" policy, as well. If we see them do it, we can't ACCUSE them...we have to put it tactfully. It's ridiculous. We did have a manager chase some teens out of a store in another state, and they hit her with their car...so there are valid reasons for NOT following, but we have gotten license plate numbers, etc. And we know who our shoplifters are. And we stick to them to the point of annoyance.

 

[S. C.]

my SIL got her purse stolen from her cart when she turned her back.

I now use a cross body bag and make it a habit to never put my purse in a shopping cart. I know purse straps can be cut, etc, but I figure it is not as easy for someone to get as a purse left in a cart. I see way too many purses in carts with the owners back to the cart while shopping. I use to a be guilty of doing that too.

Yep. With so many people out of a job and so many of them just cut off from unemployment, things are going to get worse.

Very sad, but true.

 

[PatriciaH]

I worked retail at Lord and Taylor in NYC years ago and some people were crazy! One shoplifting lady had to be dragged away by security screaming and kicking and smashing perfume bottles she was grabbing off the counters the whole way. One threatened to stab security with a needle she had in her pocket! The fitting rooms always had bloody tissues in them from people trying to bite off the sensors. This was a nice store too.

 

[jekajekalynn]

I remember a situation I saw with my dh when we were at Walmart I believe.

We were in a check yourself out line when we saw a three or four-ish year old looking boy running in front of a man with a cart FULL of stuff (not in bags). The man was yelling at the child to 'come back", but the kid ran out the door and the man followed and the alarms went off.

Now, flash forward about 2 minutes when we were done , and we went out the door. We fully expected to see and hear the man scolding the child in a parking lot since there were hardly any cars in the lot at that time of night. Nope , not a thing.. Not a car with any activity nor the family.

To this day I am convinced we witnessed a con man/thief. I mean if your toddler is bolting towards the store door, are you REALLY gonna push a heavy full cart in front of you with unpayed for items to catch him/her when it would be far more easier to set it aside? And like I said, we were just a couple of minutes behind them and we saw NO one in the parking lot or heard anything. The man probably told the child "When I say so, I want you to run straight for the door and don't stop until we reach the car ok? "

 

[omghidanielle]

When I worked at Starbucks, we always had big displays of CDs right in front of the registers, and had no beepers or security whatsoever. Once I peeked from behind the bar, and noticed an older guy sneaking a stack (the most he could fit in one hand) of CDs into a plastic bag. I hopped up on the counter and said "WHAT'CHA DOOOOOOOIN?" and he just looked me like "OH I DIDN'T KNOW YALL SOLD MUSIC!" as he admired the 7 or 8 plastic cases he had in his hand, like they weren't all the exact same Ray Charles CD.

How dumb!

 

[SelfEmployedDebtFree]

Many of the stores tell their employees not to interfere. They are simply to get a description/license plate, if possible, and call the police. It is too dangerous for them to try to stop the theft.

Things there have changed for the WORSE!!!
When I was a 16 year old working retail I remember the store employees would CHASE YOUR BUTT DOWN AND TACKLE YOUR STEALIN HIND-END TO THE GROUND!!! I actually witnessed one guy get a flying smack down as the employee (about 6' 2) ran up behind the guy in the parking lot and he leaped into the air and took the guy down by the head. LOL Just like on wrestling!!!!
It was the highlight of our week when someone stole. there were always plenty of guys who loved to jump at the chance to take down a "runner".
now they would probably get sued. Its too bad. Inflation gets worse and worse as thieves get more and more rights.

 

[DisneyFed]

When I was a local cop, we'd be sitting in grocery store parking lots doing paperwork, and watch guys go in wearing trench coats in the August, South Carolina Heat....

Would always put down our clipboards and start stretching, because the chase was coming...

 

[MrsPete]

Makes me think about something I overhead a long time ago when I worked in retail:

A woman with two small children was looking at little girls' shorts, and her son said rather loudly, "Are you gonna get 'em for her, Mama? Take her in the bathroom and put 'em on her!"

Young girls just do not understand the trouble they will get into by doing that. Probably only stole $50 or so dollars worth of stuff.

My husband did some volunteer work with a youth agency in our county, and he ended up learning some things about our Teen Court program (first time offenders, non-violent crimes). He came back and told me that the average or most typical person who goes to Teen Court is a 14-15 year old white girl from a middle-class home. This typical girl has enough money in her pocket to buy the item in question but choose to steal instead. She usually is with a small group of girls, and usually they are stealing too.

But now that the economy has gotten much worse, we have many more shoplifters. It's sad.

Know when it's going to be really bad? This year at Christmas. People are running out of unemployment and have maxed out credit cards, yet they still feel that they must give something.

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

I think public humiliation is an awesome sentence, if the person is not too far gone to humiliate. Of course, if I were the judge, I would require the person be fully visible and dressed appropriate for the weather.

ITA!

 

[Laura24]

Well, if it was the store in Woonsocket that is where my SIL got her purse stolen from her cart when she turned her back. We have heard that thieves are also traveling in packs and hunt for victims. Several cars in a local school parking lot were broken into during the day by one of those packs - they smash the windows and grab whatever they can.

Jill

If someone wants my handbag, they will have to take the whole cart as I use the child safety belt and lock my bag into the seat of the cart. I just make sure it's zipped or snapped for no reach ins and I keep a hand and eye on the cart when people are around me. I even pile a few things on top of it as I go along to make it a little less noticeable. Just never let your guard down and keep your cell phone and car key in your pocket...two less things of value in your bag for a thief to take.

 

[MinnieFlute]

Many of the stores tell their employees not to interfere. They are simply to get a description/license plate, if possible, and call the police. It is too dangerous for them to try to stop the theft.

I see this as a problem that will only get worse.

I worked at Old Navy when I was in high school and that was our store policy. Our managers told us that good customer service would help with loss prevention. We also weren't supposed to directly intervene. I had a manager get kind of upset with me because I couldn't stop a lady who was OBVIOUSLY stealing a cart full of stuff. Well, there were no alarms at Old Navy at the time! DUH! What was I supposed to do, tackle her?! The manager was right there, too...

Every Old Navy I've been to in recent years has an alarm system now. Guess that policy didn't work out too well!

 

[cdrn1]

DD managed a Target store for a while; they would have people that would look for dropped receipts in the parking lot, and then take them in to the store, pick up the listed items, and take them to the return counter for a "refund".