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A subreddit dedicated to busting shoplifters

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Re: A subreddit dedicated to busting shoplifters

#111

Post by mikkergp »

mikysco wrote: post #7

The article strangely seems like it's framing the entire industry/profession of loss prevention in a negative light. Hopefully everyone realizes the more retail theft a store experiences, the higher prices become for those of us who pay... and the more likely a store is to shut down if theft becomes too prevalent. I'm not here defending a subreddit I've never visited but in general, those in the loss prevention indus…

Thinking from a systems perspective. Does hiring individual loss prevention officers actually move the needle on a broader perspective? Law enforcement isn't prevalent enough to make an impact. We can't just let shoplifting run rampant. I found this hbr article that's pretty high level discussion of operational excellence:

https://hbr.org/2007/11/lessons-from-the-leaders-of-retail-l...

Also, is snatch and grab the most prevalent type of shoplifting? I found some articles mentioned fradulent returns and failing to ring someone up.

Re: A subreddit dedicated to busting shoplifters

#112

Post by josephcsible »

slg wrote: post #26

>“That’s a huge adrenaline rush,” he says. “I think that’s a major factor in why people are in this field.” This should be a huge red flag that should preclude someone from working in the industry. As Dan says later in the article: >“They’re more concerned with punishing and catching, and they see asset protection as a game,” adds Dan, who requested that Input give him an alias. “I don’t think it’s healthy to have th…

You shouldn't have a job because you enjoy doing exactly what the job needs you to do, and so may start overdoing it?

Re: A subreddit dedicated to busting shoplifters

#113

Post by josephcsible »

micromacrofoot wrote: post #110
voldacar wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I generally agree with the second part of your comment, but it is still true that homeless people survive fine, their quality of life is just usually bad. This is very different from starving to death and needing to shoplift

It's a little more indirect than you're presenting, but it is still a fraught situation where people have significantly shorter lifespans. Starvation is unusual, but murder, exposure, overdose, and withdrawal are common. A lot of these people shoplift to keep up a physical addiction that they can not easily or safely move on from.

How can letting people shoplift stop them from getting murdered? Also, I wonder how many people die of overdose who would have survived if they had less money to buy drugs with, versus how many people die of withdrawal who would have survived if they had more money to buy drugs with.

Re: A subreddit dedicated to busting shoplifters

#114

Post by decebalus1 »

josephcsible wrote: post #106
Apreche wrote: post #102

In this thread: Wealthy tech bros who were never desperate or courageous enough to shoplift a thing in their lives. That describes me as well, but at least I have the decency to be self aware about it. I agree with most of what this video has to say. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGB7QnOZj3g If you are so passionate about stopping theft because it's wrong, then you should be focusing your energy on stopping wage th…

Since we count not paying wages as theft, why don't we count not paying your rent, car loan, or credit card bill as theft too?

I don't think 'wage theft' means what you think it means.

Re: A subreddit dedicated to busting shoplifters

#115

Post by josephcsible »

decebalus1 wrote: post #114
josephcsible wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Since we count not paying wages as theft, why don't we count not paying your rent, car loan, or credit card bill as theft too?

I don't think 'wage theft' means what you think it means.

I think it means your employer not paying you all of the wages that it owes you. What does it actually mean?

Re: A subreddit dedicated to busting shoplifters

#116

Post by tyleo »

mcphage wrote: post #105
tyleo wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I live next to a grocery store with a high rate of shoplifting and I disagree. Grocery stores are not charity. The issue has gotten so bad that freezers containing frozen sea food and ice cream now have locks on them. Problems should be solved with real solutions rather than sacrificing businesses who are not equipped to solve the problem. In other words, if “property rights should not be above human life” then citie…

> then cities should provide for those lives through taxes and meal programs rather than letting random businesses be targets. I agree, but America as a nation isn't really big on social safety nets.

In my opinion, America not being okay with social safety nets is not equivalent to shop lifting being okay. It seems to me either:

* Americans care about shoplifting but not social safety nets and it would mean that society has implicitly decided that some shoplifting folks may not get the support they need.

* Americans care about shoplifting and social safety nets enough to force political change.

I think what doesn't seem okay to me is to say, "Americans care about shoplifting but not social safety nets... but we are going to make an end run around what society thinks and allow shoplifting as a solution to the social safety net problem".

Re: A subreddit dedicated to busting shoplifters

#117

Post by foogazi »

slg wrote: post #26

>“That’s a huge adrenaline rush,” he says. “I think that’s a major factor in why people are in this field.” This should be a huge red flag that should preclude someone from working in the industry. As Dan says later in the article: >“They’re more concerned with punishing and catching, and they see asset protection as a game,” adds Dan, who requested that Input give him an alias. “I don’t think it’s healthy to have th…

> regardless of whether the people on the other end deserve to be caught or punished

Confused by the choice of words, those seem to be two different things

If you act there are real world consequences for your actions

Run a red light and the camera will catch you - it should not punish you - but it records the event

Re: A subreddit dedicated to busting shoplifters

#118

Post by carapace »

Framing rampant shoplifting as some sort of justified Robin Hood claw back from the evil corporations based on economic inequality is, in my opinion, baloney.

I was homeless for several years. I can tell you from experience that few homeless folk shoplift, it's just not worth the risk and hassle. The simple truth is that there is lots of food to eat here in America. You have to actually work really hard to starve. Food banks, churches and other charity orgs, etc. it's literally hard to go hungry here. You know who hates thieves? Homeless people living outside where their stuff is constantly vulnerable to theft.

Mass shoplifting is mostly thrill-seeking kids and small organized crime rings. (Go check your local police blotter.)

Re: A subreddit dedicated to busting shoplifters

#119

Post by decebalus1 »

josephcsible wrote: post #115
decebalus1 wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think 'wage theft' means what you think it means.

I think it means your employer not paying you all of the wages that it owes you. What does it actually mean?

A lot more nuanced than that. It includes what you're saying, of course. But it also adds misclassification of employees as contractors, illegal deductions, not granting or paying time off that is agreed upon, manipulating work hour tracking, refusing to grant agreed upon benefits, management/owners participating in tip pooling, etc.. It does ultimately lead to losses on the part of the employee, but comparing 'wage theft' with not paying rent is not just a bad faith argument, it's actually an uninformed ignorant argument.

Re: A subreddit dedicated to busting shoplifters

#120

Post by slg »

foogazi wrote: post #117
slg wrote: post #26

>“That’s a huge adrenaline rush,” he says. “I think that’s a major factor in why people are in this field.” This should be a huge red flag that should preclude someone from working in the industry. As Dan says later in the article: >“They’re more concerned with punishing and catching, and they see asset protection as a game,” adds Dan, who requested that Input give him an alias. “I don’t think it’s healthy to have th…

> regardless of whether the people on the other end deserve to be caught or punished Confused by the choice of words, those seem to be two different things If you act there are real world consequences for your actions Run a red light and the camera will catch you - it should not punish you - but it records the event

People can be innocent. A security person isn't an impartial judge of guilt.
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