Family 👪 Shoplifting

[michaelskis]

When I was a kid, one of the most rebellious things a kid can do is to take a pack of gum from the corner store without paying for it.

Today shoplifting is a bit more brazen than in the past. Data shows a notable increase over the past few years and is expected to continue:

However, I have been seeing more and more reports of "Good Samaritans" detaining or at least preventing shoplifting from occurring. But with some businesses, they rather take the loss than the liability risk have have standard policies that staff is not to engage. Others are hiring security guards. Several of our local big-box retailers have uniformed, unarmed, security guards that are present to help prevent shoplifters. Personally, I noticed these folks are often older in age and are not likely to have the physical strength to prevent anything.

My question for you is would you step in and do something to prevent a shoplifter? If so, to what degree would you go? Notify the store, call the cops, or engage directly?

 

[kms]

Never engage directly. I notify the store.

I worked at a supermarket while I was in school. I could tell when someone walked through the door whether they we there to shop, shoplift, or buy drugs from Mark in produce.

 

[mendelman]

...there to shop, shoplift, or buy drugs from Mark in produce.

And these three are not necessarily mutually exclusive.

 

[jumbach]

I've never understood the point of stealing food from grocery stores. There are places you can go that will GIVE you food if you need it . . .

 

[jumbach]

Never engage directly. I notify the store.

I worked at a supermarket while I was in school. I could tell when someone walked through the door whether they we there to shop, shoplift, or buy drugs from Mark in produce.

Shoplifters come in all shapes, sizes, and colors.

 

[Maister]

Shoplifters? Break out the nunchucks!

Any excuse to go full-on vigilante!

 

[Bubba]

 

[michaelskis]

Several years ago, a coworker who was on vacation in FL with his family was charged because he clotheslined a guy who was running out of the store with something. As soon as the judge saw the surveillance photos, he tossed the case out.

The coworker didn't realize the guy was sealing something but was charging right at his wife and 5 year old daughter and would have plowed right though them in the doorway if he had not done what he did.

 

[btrage]

What's the difference between shoplifting and stealing?

 

[luckless pedestrian]

We have had a rash of people charging into stores and grabbing stuff and running out- it's really sad for the business

 

[michaelskis]

What's the difference between shoplifting and stealing?

All shoplifting is stealing but not all stealing is shoplifting?

 

[Dan]

What I heard about Target: they track shoplifters better than any other retailer. However. they'll wait until a shoplifter's total haul reaches felony levels, and then sic loss prevention. Lawful evil, as D&D players would say.

All shoplifting is stealing but not all stealing is shoplifting?

Not stealing away, like folks did in soft rock songs from the late 1970s.

 

[MD Planner]

A big problem is that in a lot of places even if they are apprehended charges are not pursued. So there is essentially no penalty. And so many people say stupid shit like "they don't have a choice, they have to steal". Not buying it. I simply cannot abide a thief and I've said that many times here. You rob me you're catching these hands.

 

[The Terminator]

Shoplifting is widely seen as ethical within the Punk community if it is done from major corporations. Shoplifting from a small business, especially one connected to the scene like a good record store or tattoo shop, will get you beat up.

While I share that view personally, thinking and doing are very separate things here, and stealing across the board is something that goes against my moral code. The only time I ever did it, I was 16 and [plead the 5th].

Of course, I tell all the anarchist types that I meet that they should quit while they are ahead and use mutual aid instead of stealing, because the reward is never worth the risk. Here in Buffalo, there is robust mutual aid; food banks, tool sharing, community thrift missions that provide donated clothes, bike workshops, etc. all out there if you know where to look and aren't afraid to ask.

 

[WSU MUP Student]

My mom was a pharmacist at a KMart for years and had an understanding with the loss prevention folks that they would "look the other way" when people were shoplifting condoms and pregnancy tests... which also happened to be the two most stolen category of items in the store. They had baby formula and stuff like that in their department too and she would turn a blind eye to small amount of theft of that but loss prevention would step in if they saw somebody taking a lot... but that was usually when they were taking so much that it went beyond what they could stuff under their jacket.

If I had to wager what music video from the '90s I've seen the most, it would probably be this one.

My best friend had a couple video cassettes that he would use to record clips of the British version of Who's Line Is It Anyway off of Comedy Central and stand-up specials from HBO. Between each of the clips he'd have a couple videos from MTV. I'd go over to his house after school nearly everyday from 5th through 10th grade and there was a period where it seemed like no matter what cassette we put into the VCR every other music video was Been Caught Stealing from Jane's Addiction!

 

[Maister]

Speaking of stealing, when I was but a lad of maybe 5 or 6 I was accompanying my parents while shopping in a department store. I saw a basket filled with (then ubiquitous) smiley face pins. The basket looked just like the free sample baskets they had at the Hickory Farms store, so I felt the pins must similarly be free and so I felt no compunctions in taking one and putting it in my pocket. Driving back home afterwards, I commented on my new acquisition. My mother was appalled. My father said "you DO realize you just STOLE that pin". No doubt thinking they had landed upon a teachable parenting moment, my father turned the car around and we drove all the way back to the store to return the pin I had taken. My father prompted me to approach the store manager in front and confess my sin. I dutifully offered up the smiley face pin (which probably was worth about a nickel or a dime back then. The store manager appeared to be annoyed that I had taken up his time with this trivial matter, and much to my parents dismay said "Uh, thanks. But go ahead, you can keep it."

 

[Suburb Repairman]

My mom was a pharmacist at a KMart for years and had an understanding with the loss prevention folks that they would "look the other way" when people were shoplifting condoms and pregnancy tests... which also happened to be the two most stolen category of items in the store. They had baby formula and stuff like that in their department too and she would turn a blind eye to small amount of theft of that but loss prevention would step in if they saw somebody taking a lot... but that was usually when they were taking so much that it went beyond what they could stuff under their jacket.

I worked at an IGA-affiliated grocery store as my first job. This was official policy from the manager. The area we were in did not have family planning support or resources, and was pretty conservative. The store also worked with WIC once a month to host information/sign-up.

About 10 years later a WIC satellite office opened in the strip center next to the grocery store. The strip center was owned by the grocery store owner, and I was told he leased the space to WIC for $10/month.

 

[mendelman]

I worked at an IGA-affiliated grocery store as my first job. This was official policy from the manager. The area we were in did not have family planning support or resources, and was pretty conservative. The store also worked with WIC once a month to host information/sign-up.

About 10 years later a WIC satellite office opened in the strip center next to the grocery store. The strip center was owned by the grocery store owner, and I was told he leased the space to WIC for $10/month.

Did he growup in this orphanage?

 

[bureaucrat#3]

Never worked at a grocery. When I worked at a home goods place, the biggest theft either came from employees or return scams. We had a lot of high end china and cookware. Employees would sneak out a piece or two every couple of weeks to get a full set. Even had a manager and receiving busted a few times for marking stuff as damaged or stolen and then stealing it.

People would also buy an expensive set of cookware or bedding and replace it with a cheap set or something they bought from a thrift store and return it to get their money back.

I know France requires groceries to give away old food instead of dumping it. When my mother retired and started working at a thrift/mission store they would get food sometimes, but most of it couldn't be given away due to the thrift stores lawyers worrying about liability.

I got busted when i was about five for grabbing a shiny watch at one store and pocketing it. My mom saw me holding it at the first store and then saw it at the 2nd store. She made me take it back to the first and apologize to the manager.

 

[WSU MUP Student]

Never worked at a grocery. When I worked at a home goods place, the biggest theft either came from employees or return scams. We had a lot of high end china and cookware. Employees would sneak out a piece or two every couple of weeks to get a full set...

When I was on a Navy ship in the Marines I had to do a couple weeks of "mess duty" and I got put in the Officer's Mess during the midnight shift. We had maybe three people come in to eat each evening and a handful of officers who would come in to drink coffee and play cards. Otherwise it was painfully boring. When the sailor who was showing me around found a plate with the tiniest chip in the world, he threw it at the wall and shattered it (and then swept it up and tossed it all out). He said they had crates and crates of the stuff and they weren't supposed to serve the officers with any dishes that had been even slightly chipped or cracked. I realized quickly there was absolutely zero inventory control and used that opportunity to tactically acquire a full place setting of USN dishes each evening until I had a set of 12 (dinner plate, salad bowl, dessert plate, soup bowl, coffee cup, and saucer). I even managed to acquire a set of four cups and saucers with the 6th Fleet logo and flag on them that they had for when the fleet commander came aboard. I stashed all my dishes away in a few boxes in our storage area and then was able to ship them home for free when we got into a combat zone with free postage.

Years later after I was married and we had bought our house and were hosting my in-laws for dinner for the first time we used those plates for dinner because my wife's dad was a Navy officer in the '60s and she thought he'd get a kick out of it. He said the designs on the dishes were unchanged from when he served 30+ years before me. After he saw my dishes, the next time we were at their house he busted out the stuff he had acquired during his time in.

His were slightly different sizes that mine but they still looked alike. A couple years ago at Christmas he gave me all the USN dishes he had (except for two coffee cups he kept) so now I've got my full set plus a handful of extra plates and bowls.

 

[Suburb Repairman]

Did he growup in this orphanage?

It was a she, for starters, but she was from Minnesota (with a heavy Minnesota accent). I was 16 so I never really asked why too much... I was just like "okay that's cool I'm gonna go stack this lettuce."