Shoplifters!!! ARGH!!!

[CRB#33]

You know, I wouldn't have a problem shopping in a store with a "NO RECEIPT, NO RETURN, NO EXCEPTION" policy.

That's what it's going to go back to.

 

[Alicnwondrln]

I used to work AT gYMBOREE IN MY AREA i was a store manager
i would not have let her rebuy those item with the credit there used to be a 24 hr restcoking policy
did u let her rebuy the same items? I love when they say that oh well ill just return and rebuy this stuff or ill return it all ok whatever you what your the customer
its like they think if thye threaten you witha return or make a scene youll cave in
its not kellys gymboree its gymboree
you wanna hve your customers leave happy but i hate to say it, its the same people ripping you off and abusing return and price adjustment policies
I totally feel your pain i have been in retail for 8 years now and you can see them coming a mile away
When you approach them to greet you get an attitude right away, or they say your only following me cuz im insert anyone they love to act like your racist or discriminating against them. They know all the grab and run techniques, booster bags, it kills you when they come in with a huge return you know they stole it all and they have no ID but an ebt ( MA WELFARE CARD) for id any company that i have worked for requires a receipt with a picture ID and becasue of the return you dotn make your day or numbers for the week cuz they come in on saturday at like 930pm
i could go on forever

 

[antnee]

I remember when my mom worked for Victoria's Secret and she said the transvestities would come in and try on stuff in the dressing room like panties and leave with them on. They always had a problem with theft. They also could had to always have someone in front of the store people couldnt just come in and steal stuff off the racks in the front

 

[kilee]

Unfortunately not offering a refund is going to run away a lot of the "legitimate business". I mean cash should always only be issued w/ a receipt. As for store credit, it's a touchy one. Think of all the people who return christmas and birthday gifts but don't want to offend the giver by asking for the receipt. And we all know the giver that doesn't kindly put the gift receipt in the box.

I think it's a no win situation. You can't seem to stop these people. But by toughening up the return policy you could drive away legit business.

Also, most stores will refund you the clearance or sale price of a full price item w/ a receipt only. There is usually a time limit of 30 days though. I've done this many times. I don't even return the item. I just bring my receipt in and get my discount. It's something that not a lot of people know about.

 

[Alicnwondrln]

everyone knows about price adjustments most people just dont have the time to bring back the receipt or continue to call and see if the stuff went on sale

we used to have a woman who would buy tons and I mean TONS online like 1000's a time then come and wan t price adjustments in the store for it all
we had to have her call before she would call in and go to a certain area and have an associate with a register just for her it used to take hours
it was crazy

 

[JoNo]

I had a little part time job at a video store once and shoplifting was horrible there too. And it sucks that you can't do anything unless either the sensor alarm goes off or you see them walk out after they put something in their clothes. Most of the time people would walk behind a tall shelf of movies (there was only 1 person at a time working mostly) and take a movie, slit it open & steal the dvd or video without being seen.

 

[Melann]

I also work in retail and hate shoplifters more than anything!

Just yesterday, we had a guy steal $100 in video games and the part that sucked was he had kids with him!!! Why do parents do that? We have had several instances where parents have stolen stuff and they have small children with them! We had a lady steal a couple DVD's with an infant before...she had to call her husband to come pick the child up!

Another thing people like to do is switch tickets! They'll want to buy the $25 steak, but put $7 scallop price tag on it...we will catch you and get you on that! We had a father who did it with his whole family (4 kids and a wife), and the kids didn't know what was going on...it's really sad sometimes!

Also, we think there is a guy who is getting his kids to steal for him! While we aren't sure, we believe he gives the kids CD's, and send them into the bathrooms to put them in backpacks, etc. THIS IS SICK......if you are going to steal, fine, but don't make your kids do it too!


I know my post is long, but when I used to work in a chocolate store, you would NOT BELIEVE the number of people that would walk in and take a handful of chocolate and leave...they would tell me they thought it was a free sample...I would always tell them the price sign says 35 cents right above where they grabbed! And, even if it was a free sample, why would you grab a handful?
I even had two customers fist fighting in my store once...one customer saw the other eat a piece of chocolate right from the bin, he said to the guy, you are stealing, the other guy said no it was a free sample...they kept going back and forth (i'm in the back doing paperwork...i don't know why my keyholder didn't come get me), and when she finally did get me, I had them pushing and shoving each other in the store!

Sorry for the long post!

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

When I look at children's clothing on ebay I often wonder if a lot of it is stolen. Who would not return large amounts of clothing and then sell it on ebay?

During GymBucks, I heard the manager tell a worker to watch these two women like a hawk. The girl stayed on top of them until they finally left without paying anything.

Lori

 

[peg2001]

I am so naive. I knew that shoplifting was a real and very expensive problem. However, I thought people shoplifted simply to get free things for themselves. I didn't realize the whole "steal and sell or return" angle existed.



Peggy

 

[Alicnwondrln]

pggy you would not believe it
they always want cahs back and when they cant get that they want a merchandise credit that they turn around and sell it seasier for them now because the stores the the credits that are actual swipe cards the old credits were paper and had names and address and we asked for ID's the companies actually made it easier they steal it in 1 store return it in another adn geta crdit for huge $$ then sell the credit

 

[alabamaalan]

I could never work retail; I would get arrested or fired the first time I knew someone was doing it no matter what my employer's policy was.

 

[want2go2disney]

Unbelievable. I always wondered why there was sooooooo much Gymboree stuff NWT on ebay. And then when me & sis go to Gymboree we can't even find the sizes we need! Aggravating.
Sis used to work at Gap and she would tell me about the empty bag thing. I don't understand and I cannot fathom going in to a store with an empty bag and leaving with a full bag (without paying). No wonder it costs $30 for a shirt.

 

[debster812]

I work support for a retail company. We sell pretty high ticket items, and do not have to worry about a lot of shoplifting per se. It's the internal thieves we have to worry about. Employees who have learned to manipulate the system and steal either money or product from us.

I think it is a fact of life in the retail world, and that the problem is getting worse.

 

[Disneyland_emily]

I also work retail and I HATE shoplifters- that and the non-legit returns that we get- its amazing how much cheaper stuff would be if we didnt have to cushion the bottom line cause of the stolen crap-

In my dept I always find a ton more stuff as I dont have any black security balls *IN* my dept- Yes my dept is watched but by other depts cameras.

The thing about racial profiling- People get mad at it but yet in some places its rather true just as the main thing I seem to find is Spanish language CDs- I think there is a very small percent of the english population that would have that extensive of a spansish cd collection...

My store has 2 of the best undercover security people in our state (least for the Walmarts) so our habitual finds have basically all disapeared-

-em

 

[MosMom]

i would not have let her rebuy those item with the credit there used to be a 24 hr restcoking policy

No, but they were on the shelf in the same size and she just went and grabbed the items again off the shelf. Can't stop her from doing that.

 

[Jenn Lynn]

My favorite were the people who would go to the housewares department, pick up a nice, expensive mixer, and take it to be returned.

We had one of our security guys go through a window after tackling a guy who had 5 pairs of Levi's on him.
They have also had knives and guns pulled on them when they go to stop someone.
Also, when they catch a female, they have to have a female employee go back there with them so they can't claim harassment. We would have to pat them down and everything. Some were drug users and you would find needles and stuff on them.

Really the worst were teeanagers who would come in with backpacks and think we were not going to suspect them.

 

[MosMom]

Originally posted by Alicnwondrln
pggy you would not believe it
they always want cahs back and when they cant get that they want a merchandise credit that they turn around and sell it seasier for them now because the stores the the credits that are actual swipe cards the old credits were paper and had names and address and we asked for ID's the companies actually made it easier they steal it in 1 store return it in another adn geta crdit for huge $$ then sell the credit

We actually still have the paper merchandise credits and we have to highlight the number or they will get the merchandise credit for stolen items to begin with and then make a forgery of it and sell it more than once.

----

As far as not offering returns, that wouldn't fly as we are a children's store with no dressing rooms. It would be unfair to not provide changing rooms and then not provide returns if it doesn't fit. I don't have a problem with not returning without a receipt though. I offer a gift receipt to everyone I ring up so there would be no excuse. It would be nice to get high tech and go to a system like Target has where we can search purchases and decline returns to people with no purchase history.

 

[Rajah]

This is so sad. I didn't realize it was that bad of a problem. I knew shoplifting existed, but to have full shoplifting *rings* and stuff. How sad.

 

[Alicnwondrln]

really at gap, express abercrombie all those places alluse merchandise credit plastic cards now

 

[Maleficent13]

to beat ALL stories. I used to work children's retail in the mall. One year, right before Halloween, we had a couple come in with a little girl (approx. a year old) in a stroller. They picked up a Snow White costume and all the accessories to go with it and piled it in the stroller, then proceeded to leave the store. My manager ran after them and you are NEVER going to believe what they did...they left the merchandise in the middle of the mall. In the stroller. WITH THE KID IN IT!!! We just stood there dumbfounded and had no idea what to do. Finally my manager called out to them to come and get their kid. The man ran back, snatched the kid out of the stroller and never slowed down. The whole thing was like something out of a movie.