People...

I was just at Lowe's.

I was walking in talked to an employee I usually see.

As i stand there, the alarm for "theft prevention" goes off.
A cashier isntantly goes to the panel and turns it off.

I look out the door to see some dude with hood up, never misstep, never hesitate. Walk to a truck that leaves before the door he got in closes.....

No, i can't prove product was stolen. But damn. Ive never seen that alarm go off without whoever just went outside. At least reacting to the noise.

So he stole something. Dude who works the "contractor" door watched it, with that knowing look.

That trash stole something.

Hey, eff that corporate system, eff Lowe's. They can afford loss of a $10 box of sheetrock screws. Capitalist pigs!

Oh wait. They pay insurance of a sort to cover loss prevention?

To avoid more legalese. Stopping said thief will make sure an employee is terminated...

So your saying that because of our litigious society, even if its clear someone is taking advantage/taking without paying. Its cheaper to let them, and prevent them being stopped.

While also charging the consumer for said cost of insurance, etc.

Because go figure. ALL business exists to profit....

FML

I spent five years at Home Depot - this was my biggest complaint.

It was against company policy to even, really, LOOK outside at the car as they drove off.

We had this one guy, been there, I think, 14 years. Maybe 17. A while.
Anyway, he's walking in one day, McD's bag in one hand, soda in the other. Bad timing, the their is running out at the same time he's walking in.
Think about your NATURAL reaction to someone running towards you - hands up in a defensive position. The their ran around him, making no contact, and out the door he went. He didnt go for the guy, he just wanted to protect himself.

He was fired.
His act of putting his hands up was enough to be considered 'going' for the guy. BS.

And, yes, HD and Lowes etc are big businesses, many billions of dollars, what's ten bucks? Well, it actually DOES hurt the folks there.
You see, we got 'profit sharing' or something once a year. They took total sales, subtract the loss/theft, and then everyone got a little bonus. Bonus based on years of service, full v part time etc.
More theft = less bonus.

Brother, I have many stories of theft from there, I hate it.
I hate a thief.

It’s a conundrum.

I'll add - I read a story years ago, a student was screwing around and getting in trouble on the bus. Bus driver said something to the effect of, "thats it, we're going back to the school" or something. Kid decided to open the emergency door on the back and jump out. Ever went out one of those? Theyre really quite high. Well, the bus was moving too. Kid got hurt.
Kid's parents sued the school system...and won.

Our legal system, the fact people can sue even when they're in the wrong (or, like here, 'he tried to stop me from stealing, I'll sue!'), is completely bogus

I have been told that for Lowe's to even consider charging someone. They had to have video of the person coming in the store, the person taking the item from the shelf and then the person leaving the store. Without all of it on video they would not even consider calling the police. The other thing is they usually don't call unless it's a felony level charge.

I noticed at my local Lowe’s they have some stuff locked up. Some electrical items and stuff like that. Most of the nice tools are left out though for scum bags to walk out with. Seems a bit backwards to me.

When I worked there part time almost 10 years they had a loss prevention guy at my store. He’d go out and get physical with folks like a bouncer

I don't know what a cashier at Lowe's makes, but it isn't enough to get their teeth knocked out.

I watched a woman running through a walmart parking lot with a 60 in tv duck behind a tall van and discreetly peek around either side of the van. When I started yelling "she's right there!" She looked at me and high tailed it with the tv in the cart with a sort of panic that made me laugh out loud.. There wasn't anybody following her, but I had fun with it

I probably shouldnt say this, as I dont want bad things to happen to the store (theft), but the WS HD has a LP guy...part time. The other part of the time he's in Greensboro . And pretty much just works days...
So half the operating hours are free reign...half of the week is completely free reign.
It sucks.

Dude, one time a customer told me a guy was being sketchy and told me some very specific things. I checked and everything was adding up to him stealing some high priced cordless batteries, plus some expensive blades.

I approached, giving 'good customer service' and asking a lot of questions. Dude stumbled and had odd stories.
Like, "anything I can help you find today?"
"Oh, not shopping, just killing time while wife is at Kohls"
"Oh, right on dude, but what about that massive pack of toilet paper in your cart?"
"That's not mine, I dont know why Im pushing it around"
he continued to push it.

I radioed my boss MULTIPLE times about a suspected theif. Boss never came.
Dude pushed the cart with TP out to parking lot, effectively 'stealing' it...but yet we get to the lot and find the tp case on it's side in the cart... Yeah, dude hid stuff underneath and stole gosh knows what.

I
Hate
Thieves.

As y’all know, consumers pay for the thefts - probably each product has a line item added to selling price for expected losses from theft and damages.

I can honestly say I don't think I have ever seen anyone arrested in statesville at HD for misdemeanor larceny. There were a few guys charged a couple years ago for stealing like 4 mowers one night. But honestly they NEVER take out regular larceny charges.

The “corporation” doesn’t pay for the loss, or take the loss.

“Insurance” doesn’t pay for the loss.

You and I do. Directly. Prices are adjusted to make stores profitable despite the theft.

Pisses me off. Our middle eastern brethren have this one right. Start whacking off fingers and hands for theft.

Soon, they’ll have everything behind glass like razor blades at the drug store.

My first job was at a grocery store. We were encouraged to stop thieves and I tackled more than one..... Times have changed for sure.

Not worth getting a knife shoved into your body for a battery pack, drill or anything else in the store.
One guy was known to be HIV positive, would have fillet blade on him all the time. You don't know what drugs they are on or in need of.
The LP don't have handcuffs anymore. The thieves run out the fire exits with kitchen trash containers packed with stuff,
hop into a waiting car or one that is on the way, they use the phones to keep in touch with their fellow thieves.

You need to have proper training otherwise the defense lawyer will have an easy time in court to get the case dropped.
One large dude bit one of our LP on the arm, twice the size of our LP, he cried like a baby when he was taken down,
off to the hospital for blood testing for the bite that broke skin on the LP.
Most of the time they do trespass on the thieves, easier then having to go to court and tie up the LP all day.

We had one guy rip open one of the Leatherman multitool package, he had an old dull knife to cut the plastic,
ended up cutting his left thumb real bad, so much blood that hazmat company had to be called to clean it up.
He had old dirty rag on his had to stop the bleeding, turned down ambulance offer, he filed lawsuit that he got cut
in lumber with large splinter from 2x4. Video showed what really happened, Convicted on insurance fraud.

HMP said:

I approached, giving 'good customer service' and asking a lot of questions. Dude stumbled and had odd stories.

Click to expand...

Generally speaking, customer servicing them to death can be effective. Worked in a record store back in the 90s and that was about the only tool we had.

Dude one of my first jobs was retail, this was in 01. We got away with A LOT in that place, but we'd straight up be like, "dude, give me my stuff back, I know you stole it" or "open your bag, what of my stuff is in there."

We had no cameras, just a small mall store

Yeah, good customer service can help, but when your freaking boss wont come over it's pointless

Lotsa "dudes" in this thread...…..

At the dive shop I had lots of things out so people could touchy-feely them. It sells.
Some things really pricey, like dive computers and regulators.
One loser decided to grab a computer and haul out the door.
The door opened onto the sidewalk, where the kids would always ride their bikes. (argh)
Just when computer thief runs out the door, one of those kids on a bike plows into him. Knocks them both down.
By this time I'm standing over them. Computer thief guy gets up, leaves the dive computer on the sidewalk, and proceeds to run across the street in a zig-zag fashion like someone was shooting at him.

I love it when fate intervenes because you had it coming...just love it.

Long before San Francisco was invaded by people that crap on the sidewalk, I was there on biness. At the time, I was about 60 pounds “younger” and in pretty good shape.

After work, I was shopping in a nice luggage shop on Market Street. I had a number of small items in my hands when a guy grabbed a leather bag and ran outta the store. I have no idea what possessed me but I had the presence of mind to drop my items on the counter (so they wouldn’t think I was an accomplice) and ran out the door chasing the guy.

We were both running down Market Street and the guy darted across traffic with me in hot pursuit. It must’ve looked like outtakes from Police Academy. In those days, I’d have been able to keep up that pace for hours thanks to daily jogging and “century” bike rides.

So...we’re still at it when a thought came to mind...

WTF is gonna happen when you finally catch him?

P.S. As I recall, they gave me a little discount when I went back to complete my purchases.