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Why it’s hard to buy deodorant in Manhattan

economist.com

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Re: Why it’s hard to buy deodorant in Manhattan

#601

Post by midasuni »

Scoundreller wrote: post #355
bombcar wrote: post #231

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can make a small but moderate side income reselling clearance LEGO on eBay. Even with the Walmart sticker still on it, no theft involved.

Or international arbitrage. Lots of stuff sold cheaper in USA than other places. Even stuff like a big bottle of ibuprofen or allergy pills are much more expensive in Canada. While arbitraging deodorant sounds silly, I have bought EU roll-on deodorants online before because they're not much of a thing in North America. And they don't melt into a mess in a hot car. Deodorants are hardly a thing in SE Asia, partly beca…

Usually because you avoid tax legitimate business pay (import tarrifs, vat)

Tax evasion may be profitable, so is shoplifting.

Re: Why it’s hard to buy deodorant in Manhattan

#602

Post by taurath »

dls2016 wrote: post #363
axutio wrote: post #161

Most of the comments here are ignoring the difference between regular old shoplifting and the trend driving the increase discussed in the article, which they're referring to as "organized retail crime". I think it's very fair to have differing attitudes/moral thresholds for an impoverished mother shoplifting a week's worth of baby formula versus "a couple in Alabama [which] pled guilty to shifting $300,000-worth of s…

> Most of the comments here are ignoring the difference between regular old shoplifting and the trend driving the increase discussed in the article, which they're referring to as "organized retail crime". I guess, but conversely I'd argue that organized retail theft has been around pretty much as long as supply chains have existed. That's the mob's bread and butter. The phrase "riding shotgun" is in common use. Perha…

> The phrase "riding shotgun" is in common use.

I’m in my 30s and this is the first time I’ve ever actually understood the historical meaning of this

Re: Why it’s hard to buy deodorant in Manhattan

#603

Post by midasuni »

WalterBright wrote: post #581
pbhjpbhj wrote: post #552

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is it unprofitable or just not profitable enough for the capitalists who could get more return elsewhere? The cause in the increase is possibly an increase in poverty, or increase in wealth disparity?

Would you invest in something that returns 1% when there are 2% returns elsewhere? That is called the "opportunity cost", and a business is misallocating capital if the expected return is less than the opportunity cost. > The cause in the increase is possibly an increase in poverty, or increase in wealth disparity? I don't understand your question. Businesses have to have a return on their investment, or they go out…

The price will be increased until people stop buying (either because they do without, go elsewhere, or shoplift)

The cost of shrinkage doesn’t factor into the price a business can charge. You don’t decide “I will buy X for $1 and sell it for $3”, you go “I can sell X for $3, where’s the cheapest I can buy it and does it make sense”

Now if you have a competitor next door selling X for $2.50 you will struggle to sell for $3, even if your rent or your supplier is higher

Re: Why it’s hard to buy deodorant in Manhattan

#604

Post by LatteLazy »

el_nahual wrote: post #177
fragmede wrote: post #53

I've lived in the same city now (not NYC) for 10+ years, so I'm moderately connected with all sorts of people and not just a bubble of affluent tech people. So I'll be real, I know some sketchy people that probably do drugs or at least know where to find some. What I don't know, however, is any "fences". That is, someone that traffics in stolen goods. Or maybe I do, they don't exactly advertise their services. I've n…

To further underline your point, if the chain is (thief)→(amazon)→(end user) then the fence isn't "anyone with an Amazon" account: the fence is amazon .

Help me understand here: how is blaming amazon any different to blaming the post office (who are also an intermediary here) or the payment processors and banks? None of these groups actually know theft is involved in the transactions they're facilitating.

Re: Why it’s hard to buy deodorant in Manhattan

#606

Post by einpoklum »

monero-xmr wrote: post #539
ryandrake wrote: post #470

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I’ve also noticed a weird tendency to downplay theft lately, either through projecting a theoretical moral justification on to the shoplifter or by insinuating that retail stores are evil corporations and therefore deserve no sympathy. Let me try to convince you without defending the morality of the shoplifter or declaring corporations evil. 1. On the totem pole of crimes, petty shoplifting (without violence) is pr…

It’s morally wrong to steal, and has been since the beginning of civilization. “Though shalt not steal” - Ten Commandments “If a man has stolen goods from a temple, or house, he shall be put to death; and he that has received the stolen property from him shall be put to death.” - Code of Hammurabi Private property is the foundation of civilization and pretending theft doesn’t matter undermines the basis of our world.…

Bible laws are imposed rules of violent hostile overlords, not the foundation of civilization. Although you could argue that the way civilization has evolved, those kinds of rules _are_ its foundation :-(

I might agree that all theft is wrong, but - as Proudhon aptly put it: La propriété, c'est le vol !

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Property_is_theft!

Re: Why it’s hard to buy deodorant in Manhattan

#607

Post by nottorp »

nostromo wrote: post #124
fragmede wrote: post #53

I've lived in the same city now (not NYC) for 10+ years, so I'm moderately connected with all sorts of people and not just a bubble of affluent tech people. So I'll be real, I know some sketchy people that probably do drugs or at least know where to find some. What I don't know, however, is any "fences". That is, someone that traffics in stolen goods. Or maybe I do, they don't exactly advertise their services. I've n…

Blaming Amazon is misplaced. Blame the people stealing and the system that refuses to prosecute them.

Yeah, I look at this thread and wonder why a store should have to do the police's job.

It's also interesting how the HN crowd will jump to protect a company's profit except when it's about the few love to hate you entities.

Re: Why it’s hard to buy deodorant in Manhattan

#608

Post by exitb »

ryandrake wrote: post #470
PragmaticPulp wrote: post #297

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I think it's very fair to have differing attitudes/moral thresholds for an impoverished mother shoplifting a week's worth of baby formula versus "a couple in Alabama [which] pled guilty to shifting $300,000-worth of stolen baby formula on eBay". I’ve also noticed a weird tendency to downplay theft lately, either through projecting a theoretical moral justification on to the shoplifter or by insinuating that retail…

> I’ve also noticed a weird tendency to downplay theft lately, either through projecting a theoretical moral justification on to the shoplifter or by insinuating that retail stores are evil corporations and therefore deserve no sympathy. Let me try to convince you without defending the morality of the shoplifter or declaring corporations evil. 1. On the totem pole of crimes, petty shoplifting (without violence) is pr…

Im sure that Walmart is the gold standard of cost optimization, but it's not universal. Many stores operate on very low margins, so it's easy to imagine that just a few missing cans of baby formula actually brings down the profitability of the entire shelf down to zero.

Re: Why it’s hard to buy deodorant in Manhattan

#609

Post by Kbelicius »

prvit wrote: post #545
Kbelicius wrote: post #525

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So what you are basically saying is that poor people should suffer more for committing the same crime as someone rich.

> So what you are basically saying is that poor people should suffer more for committing the same crime as someone rich. Do you believe that rich people should suffer more because poor people can’t afford bail? If you break a leg, should everyone else have their legs broken too? That’d be fair, right?

> Do you believe that rich people should suffer more because poor people can’t afford bail?

They aren't suffering more than poor.

> If you break a leg, should everyone else have their legs broken too? That’d be fair, right?

No.

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