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Dollar Tree is the latest retailer to say shoplifting is squeezing margins

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Re: Dollar Tree is the latest retailer to say shoplifting is squeezing margins

#71

Post by gettodachoppa »

chriscjcj wrote: post #32
ZanyProgrammer wrote: post #15

OTOH you shouldn’t necessarily trust what corporations say about this. https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/06/business/walgreens-shopliftin...

OTOOH, I have worked in SF for 24 years. Back then I don't think I ever saw anyone shoplift. I'm sure it happened, but I never personally witnessed it. In the last year or so, I have personally witnessed people shoplifting in various SF retail establishments probably more than 30 times. On only two occasions have I seen anyone attempt do anything to try to stop the perpetrator. In my opinion, I think the CNN article…

Umm, I'm sorry sweaty, but since I didn't read this on CNN or the Huffington Post, your lying eyes are guilty of spreading dangerous far-right misinformation.

Re: Dollar Tree is the latest retailer to say shoplifting is squeezing margins

#72

Post by yardstick »

HillRat wrote: post #52
yardstick wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That’s fair though, isn’t it? That reflects the lost income potential from the shoplifting. Not just how much money it took to physically build an individual unit (and package and ship and stock it etc). Now if they never sell at MSRP, then probably a slight discount from MSRP when reporting is fair. But definitely not just the BOM cost or similar…

Nope, because shrinkage is an expense against inventory in the accounting books; fundamentally, it's a "tax" on your COGS to get to your revenue. Overreporting losses is just a bit of financial kabuki to shift underperformance over to something other than executive leadership.

I wouldn’t consider how the accounting system treats this as relevant to what the real opportunity cost is.

The accounting approach is driven by taxation, and governments strong preference for maximising their tax take.

Re: Dollar Tree is the latest retailer to say shoplifting is squeezing margins

#73

Post by krustyburger »

SoftTalker wrote: post #41
bdcravens wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They often sell products that are just overstocked elsewhere. Near me, they've lately been selling bags of Starbucks brand coffee for their typical $1.25, and my wife used to buy a brand of juice that easily cost 2-3x that much elsewhere.

It’s not real Starbucks.

Come again? Starbucks products sold at Dollar Tree are as real as those sold in other food stores. The Starbucks grocery business is owned by Nestle.

Re: Dollar Tree is the latest retailer to say shoplifting is squeezing margins

#74

Post by WaxProlix »

qwerpy wrote: post #24
jrflowers wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

Are you only able to communicate through thick, smug sarcasm?

Can you engage with comments only through a dense layer of thoughtless hyperrationalism? Or is there a point that's been made here which you're missing?

Re: Dollar Tree is the latest retailer to say shoplifting is squeezing margins

#75

Post by prepend »

jrflowers wrote: post #6
prepend wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is anyone truly needy enough to shoplift? I’m not sure how we would get good data but I’ve known a lot of shoplifters and none of them needed the food.

I like this reasoning. To take it further, is anyone truly needy enough to shop at a dollar tree? I’m not sure how we would get good data, but I suspect everybody has what they need at all times based off of the fact that I’ve never known anyone that is starving.

I’m not sure how that’s relevant as shopping at dollar tree isn’t a crime.

I’m nothing thinking that shoplifters are Jean Valjean stealing bread.

If you’re starving, then there are many better ways to get food than stealing from a dollar tree.

Re: Dollar Tree is the latest retailer to say shoplifting is squeezing margins

#76

Post by prepend »

mushbino wrote: post #70
jrflowers wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I like this reasoning. To take it further, is anyone truly needy enough to shop at a dollar tree? I’m not sure how we would get good data, but I suspect everybody has what they need at all times based off of the fact that I’ve never known anyone that is starving.

Almost 10% of children in the US are food insecure, 60% of Americans can't afford a $1,000 emergency, and 40% can't afford a $400 emergency. We also have a homeless population of 500,000 and rapidly growing. Do you happen to live in a place that's considered to be a bubble?

There’s certainly people who need food.

I’m not arguing that starvation doesn’t exist. I’m arguing that most shoplifters aren’t starving. And if they were, they wouldn’t shoplift food from dollar tree as the food is all in small packages. People who starve don’t become stupid and would likely shoplift more expensive, nutrient dense items.

Re: Dollar Tree is the latest retailer to say shoplifting is squeezing margins

#77

Post by dragonwriter »

imgabe wrote: post #49
jrflowers wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I like this reasoning. To take it further, is anyone truly needy enough to shop at a dollar tree? I’m not sure how we would get good data, but I suspect everybody has what they need at all times based off of the fact that I’ve never known anyone that is starving.

This is just bad. You are not making the clever joke you think you are. For one thing, shopping at Dollar Tree is not an antisocial behavior that harms other people, so you do not need to justify it by saying you needed to do it. You are free to shop at Dollar Tree whether you "need" to or not if it pleases you to do so. The equivalency you're trying to draw between shoplifting and shopping at Dollar Tree isn't there…

> For one thing, shopping at Dollar Tree is not an antisocial behavior that harms other people

Clearly, anyone who believes “there is no ethical consumption under capitalism” would disagree. A fair number of the people who would readily acknowledge that there is ethical consumption under capitalism, and even those that see consumption under capitalism as presumptively-but-not-categorically-ethical would also disagree. [0]

[0] for some reasons they might, https://time.com/6273646/dollar-stores-osha-labor/

Re: Dollar Tree is the latest retailer to say shoplifting is squeezing margins

#78

Post by prepend »

pengaru wrote: post #45
AussieWog93 wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From what I've heard, the most commonly stolen items are things like chewing gum and energy drinks. So in the cast majority of cases, probably not.

I heard baby formula was the up there until they started locking it up.

That’s due to it being expensive and easy to resell.

Re: Dollar Tree is the latest retailer to say shoplifting is squeezing margins

#79

Post by prepend »

PhasmaFelis wrote: post #23
prepend wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is anyone truly needy enough to shoplift? I’m not sure how we would get good data but I’ve known a lot of shoplifters and none of them needed the food.

Have you, personally, ever known anyone who couldn't afford food? But you know people like that exist, right?

Of course people can’t afford food.

It’s not appropriate or accurate to think that because someone is hungry and can’t afford food that they would steal. That’s stereotyping poor people as criminals.

Re: Dollar Tree is the latest retailer to say shoplifting is squeezing margins

#80

Post by [deleted] »

prepend wrote: post #75
jrflowers wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I like this reasoning. To take it further, is anyone truly needy enough to shop at a dollar tree? I’m not sure how we would get good data, but I suspect everybody has what they need at all times based off of the fact that I’ve never known anyone that is starving.

I’m not sure how that’s relevant as shopping at dollar tree isn’t a crime. I’m nothing thinking that shoplifters are Jean Valjean stealing bread. If you’re starving, then there are many better ways to get food than stealing from a dollar tree.

[deleted]
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