DW picks out my clothes - the very few I own - at Goodwill or other resale shops. She'll bring them home for me to try on. Any I reject just get cycled back into the resale shop! No fuss, no muss, and still a real bargain.
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DW picks out my clothes - the very few I own - at Goodwill or other resale shops. She'll bring them home for me to try on. Any I reject just get cycled back into the resale shop! No fuss, no muss, and still a real bargain.
I was walking up to my local Lowe's Home Improvement, entering through the garden area, and I got pushed aside by a man with a cart heading out. The tag alarm went off, and it was slowly dawning on me what was happening. His cart was piled high with small garden power tools.
I proceeded in and took a turn away from the activity. An employee calmly followed him and took a few pictures of the thief loading his car. He came back and another employee yelled something at him like "that was dangerous, you shouldn't have done that."
I witnessed what they are calling "shrink." It is my first go around on this, although it is apparently common in other cities.
To say I was disappointed doesn't capture how I feel. It is deeper than that. This behavior is real, and in my opinion a statement on our society and more that we are not allow to speak of on this board.
Dick's and Target both recently reported severe issues with shrink. (Oh what a quaint word to use. When did "theft" leave our lexicon?) Dick's shares slumped 24% yesterday when they reported their problems with shrink.
Yeah, brick and mortar has a problem. This is part of it. I am now a little more wary of going to these stores. I don't know what's next. The thieves burnishing weapons?
Worse yet, Amazon may be raking it in, but I have a bad feeling some of these products are finding their way back to Amazon, and especially Ebay. I don't want to be buying stolen goods, but it is likely that I have.
I was walking up to my local Lowe's Home Improvement, entering through the garden area, and I got pushed aside by a man with a cart heading out. The tag alarm went off, and it was slowly dawning on me what was happening. His cart was piled high with small garden power tools.
I proceeded in and took a turn away from the activity. An employee calmly followed him and took a few pictures of the thief loading his car. He came back and another employee yelled something at him like "that was dangerous, you shouldn't have done that."
I witnessed what they are calling "shrink." It is my first go around on this, although it is apparently common in other cities.
To say I was disappointed doesn't capture how I feel. It is deeper than that. This behavior is real, and in my opinion a statement on our society and more that we are not allow to speak of on this board.
Dick's and Target both recently reported severe issues with shrink. (Oh what a quaint word to use. When did "theft" leave our lexicon?) Dick's shares slumped 24% yesterday when they reported their problems with shrink.
Yeah, brick and mortar has a problem. This is part of it. I am now a little more wary of going to these stores. I don't know what's next. The thieves burnishing weapons?
.
I was in a Harbor Freight store with my son at the cashier, when a guy just walked out with a shopping cart containing a tool kit, power miter saw and other items, we all just looked at each other, the cashier yelled to the "other one, "did he pay with you?" the answer was no. The cashier told us, "we can"t go after anyone." the manager was called, he went and reviewed the video, for what it was worth. The situation troubled me, I hate thieves.![]()
The young man who stopped this guy was called into the office where the District mgr and the district loss prevention mgr. were. The young man was then fired for not following company policy. Which was observe and report the theft to manager.
After almost 40 years in the insurance business I understand this policy. If your child or grandchild were working a minimum-wage job would you want them to pursue a shoplifter who might be armed or otherwise dangerous?
Are we moving towards a retail environment where the only items available for purchase from a brick and mortar store are those below a certain dollar value? Or are too large to be easily shoplifted? Online purchases only for items not meeting this criteria?
I learned early on that if I got caught shoplifting anything, dealing with my father was a bigger deal than what the cops would do to me.
Where are the fathers of these thieves? (probably not a fair question to ask)
Are we moving towards a retail environment where the only items available for purchase from a brick and mortar store are those below a certain dollar value?
People are stealing from dollar stores? Oh my, that's a pretty sad commentary on our society.Apparently the answer to my question appears to be, "Even that won't work".
Dollar Tree said theft is such a problem it will start locking up items or stop selling them altogether
People are stealing from dollar stores? Oh my, that's a pretty sad commentary on our society.
Yes, I wish stores would stop calling it "Shrink" and go back to Theft!
The tictocs of groups of kids going into stores and grabbing a bunch of stuff don't help.
Heh, heh, I can't recall anything in there [Dollar Stores] I'd want for free. Can't imagine any of it's worth stealing - but that's just me, so YMMV.
That may actually be desperation. The speculation in the big box stores is that the items are being re-sold on Amazon and e-Bay by organized groups. Dollar Store items are so cheap to begin with that there's not much money to be made in re-selling, so maybe it truly is people with no money left at the end of the month taking toothpaste, snack foods, canned items etc. Doesn't make it right but it seems to be a different type of crime.
The Costco model is pretty good. People at the exits checking receipts. Dick's Sporting Goods (Home Depot, Macy's, etc.) should have a guard at each exit with a receipt checker. If theft is such a big problem it probably would cost the store less money to employ these people than to continue to put up with "shrinkage" from theft.
The problem with "guards" is that they are no more authorized to stop theft than cashiers. They aren't armed - and if they were they would be accused of felonies if they used a gun to stop a person who was stealing. <snip>
I'm sure we don't hear of all the subsequent arrests made by the authorities following thefts, but I don't think cameras and witnesses are having much effect.