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- ironnick, on 11/04/2009, -0/+19This article doesn't even mention that people will shoplift from a store and then come back another day, claiming to have lost the receipt and then they turn around and auction of the store credit at a discount.
they get pretty clever. If only the could get clever enough to get a real job. - alanocu, on 11/04/2009, -0/+14Last year a married coupled appeared on the “Dr. Phil Show” to "share their story"; Not a gang, but they were essentially bragging about making $100,000 shoplifting and selling the items on eBay. (ok, I've watched Dr. Phil before, I admit it). To make matters worse, the couple had a video of their three small children accompanying them on a three-day shoplifting binge.
For shame!!!
But really, how bad are things when people are bragging about their crimes to Dr. Phil. And even worse, how awful that Dr. Phil would have this couple on his show. - senorboombino, on 11/05/2009, -0/+12Doesn't anyone fence goods the old-fashioned way anymore?
- Barackalypse, on 11/05/2009, -1/+11The title should read "Weak morals spur shoplifting"
- NoLibertarians, on 11/04/2009, -4/+13This is BS. There have always been tons of shoplifters and they have always been fighting and abusive.More excuses to commit a crime. Shoplifters rarely if ever steal something they need.
- wannaBdug, on 11/05/2009, -3/+12Shop lifters hurt us all. We end up paying in the end one way or the other.
- Barackalypse, on 11/05/2009, -2/+10Shoplifters aren't the major problem, it is employees that are:
48.5% of inventory shrinkage is employee theft, only 31.7% is shoplifting (from 2002):
http://retailtrafficmag.com/retailing/operations/r ... - cheddaro, on 11/04/2009, -0/+6They also print fake receipts. Or take receipts out of the trash and steal the items on the receipts.
You can get about 80% or more in cash for a gift card on Ebay, so it's very enticing to a lot of people. With a receipt you get 100% cash back.
Sometimes you can buy something cheaper at one store, and return it elsewhere and make a profit on the difference.
Or buy damaged merchandise on clearance, and return it for 100% store credit.
Oh the list goes on.... - bphicke, on 11/04/2009, -0/+6You could save yourself the extra effort and just take items at Walmart to customer service for store credit without ever leaving the building.
- JCH897, on 11/05/2009, -0/+5No *****...how is this news? In desperate times, people will become more ballsy and have lowered reservations about morality and consequences.
- MacBookForMe, on 11/04/2009, -0/+4It's all about buzz making...bigger the crime...the better for his show (approved by Dr.Phil)
- inferno10, on 11/05/2009, -1/+5With a sword?
- BuzzFriendly, on 11/05/2009, -1/+5In reality what does the shoplifter have to fear? Most likely they will get away many many times prior to being caught and only after several repeat trips to court will they serve any type of jail time. By contrast catch a guy selling a bag of pot or just smoking some the courts fine them, lock them up ruin there careers when they caused no harm to anyone. You can't blame everything on the economy.
- DirtyVicar, on 11/05/2009, -0/+4Shoplifters are getting more aggressive .... and they're running? So most people who have no qualms about shoplifting will just allow themselves to get led to the office like lambs for the slaughter?
- Pyros7, on 11/05/2009, -0/+3Companies don't like losing money. If they haven't put tougher measures in place it's because they've examined the alternatives and decided that the investment in other anti-theft options isn't worth it.
All the high tech RFID tags and PTZ HD DVR cameras in the world won't stop someone from walking through the door, grabbing a few thousand dollars worth of high ticket stuff and running. So what do you do? Revolving doors with armed security guards? Sure it might cut theft down to nothing, but the companies can estimate exactly how much that would cost them in lost sales by looking more like a penitentiary than a fancy department store.
As far as most companies are concerned, they do what they can to a certain point and write the rest off as a business loss. - hellotyler, on 11/05/2009, -0/+3During a recession people will make money however they can. It's no wonder people are turning into career criminals when they can't even get a job.
- zbeast, on 11/05/2009, -0/+3In most cases the only person who can stop a shop lifter is store security.
If an employ trys to do it they will get fired.
Pro shoplifter and also defeat store towers by any number of means.
1) Tower Jammers, little electronic devices that block over loads the sensor towers.
2) Just remove the tags.. a small set of custom cutters can easily remove tags from clothing.
Prevents damage to that $1200 leather jacket you've always wanted.
3) RF proof bag's bags with a copper mesh of rf screen prevents the "tag" form being seen
by the tower.
4) removing the item from the packaging, This is very common when people shoplift dvd's..
Why take the package when all you want is the disk.. people make little tools that can be used to slit open the case and pulls out the disk with one easy move. - theDashRendar, on 11/05/2009, -0/+3Through Ribald Barterman?
- zbeast, on 11/05/2009, -0/+3100k from shoplifting.. from a small team?... I don't believe it ...
You would have to be stealing big ticket items.
That cameras and computers, you can't pull down that type of cash from the
simple swipe and return or sell it on ebay.
One person or groups of people selling that much crap on ebay would get busted in no time.
As ebay works with the police on stolen goods. - lurrch1, on 11/05/2009, -0/+2And their next hustle was to get paid to be on the Dr. Phil show.
- spyd3rweb, on 11/05/2009, -1/+3Because it is a huge liability if you assault or detain someone falsely, apprehension is usually restricted to LP and store managers only, who then have to meet certain criteria before they can make a stop, such as you have to actually watch the suspect pocket something, you have to maintain visual contact to see if they ditch it or not, then you have to observe them heading for the door. you have to make the stop between the door and outside, once outside there is nothing you can do other than contact the police. Also many of these people have been previously convicted for violent crimes and it is not worth an employee injury for a product. The best thing to do is just get them on video and catch a good glimpse of their face then get them when they return and they will usually come back and hit you again, or they will go hit another store in the area immediately after so you can call over and notify the other store to watch for something, either way they get them eventually or the police do based on a photo and their previous records.
- goomba323, on 11/05/2009, -0/+2you sound like you've done this before.
- JohnnySoftware, on 11/06/2009, -0/+1George Bush's former highly paid assistant for Domestic Policy for example:
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/03/10/claude-allen/ - JohnnySoftware, on 11/06/2009, -0/+1If a store forgets to deactivate an electronic theft tag on clothing or tries but isn't really successful it is going to do that every time you exit a store that uses the same type of tag. If you walk out the door and they wave you through then you cannot figure out on your own what is happening.
You would think it would happen at the store where you bought the item but if the pylons by the door are not working and nobody is testing them then that will not happen. - JohnnySoftware, on 11/06/2009, -0/+1Okay, I think it is time you checked the news and see what is going on in Mexico where the bag of pot that guy is selling came from. Apparently, your definition of "no harm to anyone" fails to describe the situation there.
- Pyros7, on 11/05/2009, -0/+1$100k is nothing if they're basing the value of the items on their original ticket price.
Anyone who's been to a department store in the last few years knows that ***** is really only worth $40,000 on a sale day or $32,000 if you have a coupon from the daily paper. - flip2trip, on 11/05/2009, -1/+2"...once outside there is nothing you can do other than contact the police"
Where do you get your information ? You have to wait till they leave the store to establish intent to steal, and it is perfectly legal to detain them until the police arrive. - JohnnySoftware, on 11/06/2009, -1/+1When the body imaging scanners used in airports are cheap enough they will put them in retail stores to catch more shoplifters.
- dhartin, on 11/05/2009, -2/+1I heard an interview from a target employee saying that their taught not to stop shop lifters because its not worth the risk because even if they steal a thousand dollars cash, target makes that much every .5 seconds. I think the real rip off is the profits they make for their stockholders instead of actually decreasing prices for their customers.
- akchrs, on 11/05/2009, -4/+1I like how people walk through the anti shoplifting tag detectors at the store exits and the red lights flash and the alarms go off and nobody does anything.
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