Target’s Turn

[NotUrsula]

That is not what I meant and you know it. It's ok tho, not everyone can or wants to really think about why there are more thefts happening. Same as why there are so many more homeless folks out in the streets recently. It's easier to think these are just bad lazy ppl.

I think you have to separate the issue of organized shoplifting for resale and the issue of homelessness. The two situations don't cross all that often except in the case of alcohol, tobacco &/or drug thefts. Homelessness is mostly caused by combinations of 3 factors: mental illness, joblessness, and high housing costs.

Honestly, I think more thefts are happening not so much because prices are high as because stealing for resale has now become so easy, thanks to social media and Internet marketplaces (plus flea markets, which harbor major players in this game.) One or two social media posts to the right audience and you can get a gang together in a day to steal exactly what you have a market for. On the buyer side, if you don't care about the possibility that the goods may have been stolen, and you know you can buy the product cheaper online or at a flea market or a neighborhood "secondhand" warehouse, why would you pay retail prices?

I do think that high retail prices certainly drive ordinary shoplifting, the sort where someone steals something for personal use, or steals a few high-cost items with the idea of reselling them directly, for profit. I don't think price trends do much to drive people who participate in the gangs as thieves, though; as they only realize pennies on the dollar for their "work" product.

 

[bcla]

I think you have to separate the issue of organized shoplifting for resale and the issue of homelessness. The two situations don't cross all that often except in the case of alcohol, tobacco &/or drug thefts. Homelessness is mostly caused by combinations of 3 factors: mental illness, joblessness, and high housing costs.

Honestly, I think more thefts are happening not so much because prices are high as because stealing for resale has now become so easy, thanks to social media and Internet marketplaces (plus flea markets, which harbor major players in this game.) One or two social media posts to the right audience and you can get a gang together in a day to steal exactly what you have a market for. On the buyer side, if you don't care about the possibility that the goods may have been stolen, and you know you can buy the product cheaper online or at a flea market or a neighborhood "secondhand" warehouse, why would you pay retail prices?

I do think that high retail prices certainly drive ordinary shoplifting, the sort where someone steals something for personal use, or steals a few high-cost items with the idea of reselling them directly, for profit. I don't think price trends do much to drive people who participate in the gangs as thieves, though; as they only realize pennies on the dollar for their "work" product.

Organized theft can be even more complicated. Some have obtained the equipment to remove security tags.

I've seen items for sale spread on blankets in certain areas, and I suspect that a lot of it came from organized shoplifting rings. But some rings are big where they rent warehouses to deal with all the lifted stuff. I've heard not just flea markets and online sales, but some of this might go out of the country - possibly to Mexico.

 

[DCLMP]

Fully admit, I shop online myself, but if you have watched any news outlet you will see the dramatic rise with theft and mass theft occurring when a group of people come in and just ransack the place. I just saw yet another piece on Today Show this morning about it. I see it at least a couple times a week on the news. (California seems to be the epicenter, but the problem is all over.)

It is so easy to figure out why. We have become way too soft on this issue. California won't do anything if it is under $950. That is INSANITY! Creates a breeding ground for this to become a regular occurrence. It is a no brainer why the stores are closing so rapidly in San Francisco. Duh! I even saw a piece yesterday purse snatchers in broad daylight dragging a woman on the concrete who was not giving into the thieves. BROAD DAYLIGHT and on camera!! It shows you the thieves know there is zero to little consequence so they keep doing it.

Makes me sick. I still cannot believe officials have let it go on this long. And some act like they had no idea this could be a result of not prosecuting.

Eventually these cities will look like apocalyptic rat infested cesspools. It’s not sustainable. It’s sad what is happening to this country.

 

[bcla]

It is so easy to figure out why. We have become way too soft on this issue. California won't do anything if it is under $950. That is INSANITY! Creates a breeding ground for this to become a regular occurrence. It is a no brainer why the stores are closing so rapidly in San Francisco. Duh! I even saw a piece yesterday purse snatchers in broad daylight dragging a woman on the concrete who was not giving into the thieves. BROAD DAYLIGHT and on camera!! It shows you the thieves know there is zero to little consequence so they keep doing it.

I keep on hearing this about the felony theft threshold in California, but it's actually much lower than in other states. California actually has the 10th lowest felony theft threshold of the 50 states. Texas has the highest at $2500. And it's not exactly the case that they won't do anything for less than $950, but obviously district attorneys have huge caseloads and have to prioritize based on severity of the crime. That's not unusual anywhere.

It really far more complicated than just numbers. The biggest thing is that the retailers generally don't want confrontation because of the risk of injuring a bystander or employee. I have seen a drug store employee confront a suspected shoplifter, but I'd think these days he'd be fired for doing the same thing.

The biggest reason why stores are closing is online shopping. In San Francisco a huge contributory factor is that so many more people are working from home where downtown workers aren't shopping nearby as much.

 

[kanerf]

Well in terms of electronics, like smart phones and the like they are serialized and can be seen as soon as they connect to the network. The stores that had them stolen are likely to have a list of those serial numbers and the phone vendor or cell network can disable them as soon as they connect, making them worthless.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Well in terms of electronics, like smart phones and the like they are serialized and can be seen as soon as they connect to the network. The stores that had them stolen are likely to have a list of those serial numbers and the phone vendor or cell network can disable them as soon as they connect, making them worthless.

I've often wondered why cell phones are a hot theft item, @kanerf.. With the simple reporting of the IMEI's, the phones would be worthless paperweights. Right?

 

[bcla]

Well in terms of electronics, like smart phones and the like they are serialized and can be seen as soon as they connect to the network. The stores that had them stolen are likely to have a list of those serial numbers and the phone vendor or cell network can disable them as soon as they connect, making them worthless.

My understanding is that they might be useful for repair parts, but that's about it. And even then you get weird nanny messages that would happen even with legitimately obtained salvage parts. Each one is likely bricked almost immediately. Then there are those who are tricked into buying them even though they're not working.