WalMart Shoplifting

[3930dave]

It might be a good time to invest in UPS stock. Brick and mortar businesses are going the way of the woolly mammoths.

Wish it wasn't so, but tend to agree with that. One of my favourite hardware stores years ago was one where you could walk in, and ask anybody where the left-handed sknitzergruber-fittings were, and they'd know !

There's a major Canadian retailer that I used to shop at fairly often, but for a few reasons, mostly stay away from now. Needed a specific Dremel cut-off disc for a rapidly approaching project, so extended my lunch-hour (unpaid) to go by the store to pick them up. Taking lunch late, this is about 2pm on a weekday - I'm cooling my heels in line to pay, as while they are many registers, only 2 are staffed/open. One is bogged down with a price-check, the other has something that won't scan....

Building interior - about 500' x 1000'. As I commented to my boss when I got back to work, "1/2 a million square feet, and the owner only wants to pay 2 staff to work cash on a weekday afternoon <- This, is part of why Amazon will win !".

Retail service levels in Canada are typically lower than in the USA, but still, that was ridiculous.

Rgds, D.

 

[4570Man]

I think the hardware store future is pretty safe. It’ll be a sad day when I have to order plumbing fittings on amazon and wait 2 days to get a box of screws. Shipping lumber would get expensive.

 

[3930dave]

Amazon just opened a grocery (brick & mortar. You sign up for a digital account and have a transponder card, walk in, pick up your items, put it back it deletes it, walk out, it charges your account, no cash register. Wave of the future I am sure.
Ron

I tend to be all or nothing, when it comes to tech. ^ That, I would use, and value the benefit of that setup.

I won't use existing automated scanners at retail checkouts. Costco here had them for a while - I asked a supervisor one day "If I scan 28 items, and miss one, what are the legalities ?". She said - "Good question, that I don't have an answer to". She went on to say they were yanking them out, due to other problems.

I you want to be depressed, look up the Lifetime Hours typical North Americans spend in retail lineups. I like to support good local businesses, but I'd much rather be spending that much time doing something else.

Rgds, D.

 

[Soundguy]

Was grocery shopping today and often seem to spot people acting suspicious... no formal training... just 35 years of property management and hospital security...

Anyway... I see this guy of about 30 with a Hoodie grab a bottle of Vodka back handed... his "Partner" is at the Deli Counter buy Mac and Cheese... pays for the Mac and Cheese and then head for the "Entrance" to Exit... I mention it to the the clerk and ask for Loss Prevention... she said the store does not prosecute and it is just a cost of doing business...

I wish I could say I had never seen it before... but typically it has been teens... not someone in his 30's...

A few weeks back a beloved clerk at another grocery store heard a customer scream as she was leaving the store and the clerk tackled a purse snatcher and foiled the robbery and the thief was arrested... the customers and TV said the guy is a hero... 13 years on the job... the Store terminated his employment...

There was such a public outcry he got his job back with a reprimand warning should he not follow company policy in the future...

Tough call but I doubt many here could simply stand by if we had the chance to help...

Similar happenned here.. walmart does not like clerks to to stop things like that.

What I find funny is the quite obvious loss prevention people that walmart uses. They need to send them to a 'subtle' class.. really.

Our local store here has a LP employee.. if you watch you can see him come out of the side door near the entryway.. he wears an odd wide straw brim hat.. shoes and socks, shorts, and a flannel shirt.. YEAR ROUND.. must be his UNDER COVER uniform. Anyway.. you can see him lock onto somebody with a stare, nad go back and froth from looking at something on a shelf and them, and when they move, he moves. very smooth.... a stakeout cop he's not...

Anyway, at least twice i've seen this joker following me. Between me and my wife, we are probably responsible for paying hte salary of at least 3-4 people in that store yearly. I remember thinking of the waste of time this guy was doing.. following the maybe? 1 guy in the store that was for sure not going to steal.. while they let TV's go out the garden center door and then tossed over the fence. Figures.

 

[dmccarty]

One of the big banks within walking distance from work has a chambered foyer to get in and out... just like the local jail.

You open the first door and walk in and it closes... they you tell the guard what you want and the second door opens to let you in... same to go out... I refused to bank there.

Saw the same thing when we were in Dublin a few years ago but it was at the drug store.

We were staying at a nice hotel near a stadium which was in a working class neighborhood. I would guess the houses were at least 100 years old. A bit of litter here and there, mostly cigarette butts, and I do not remember seeing any graffiti. Twas not a bad looking neighborhood by US standards and we never felt unsafe even though we spent quite a bit of time walking around Dublin. The wifey had a cold so we went to the neighborhood drug store around the corner from the hotel. We had to walk in the first set of doors and then ring a bell to get through the next set of doors that were locked.

Most of the items in the store where behind the counter even though you had to get out via locked doors. To leave, they had to buzz you out. Reminded me of the old service merchandise like stores that went out of business decades ago.

We went to quite a few of the local "grocery" stores where were really just large convenience stores. All of them had big burly guys making sure people did not steal stuff. I don't think they have the liability issues that a business would have to worry over in the US. We went into a store selling alcohol and it was like the drug store but with more security. Bars and plate glass for the cashier and I don't think there was anything of value in the small space where the customers waited for the order to be handed to them.

One of the reasons we saw so many stores is that we bought a bottle of cider. Since we could not carry my Swiss Army Knife on the plane I was without a bottle opener. :thumbdown::shocked::laughing::laughing::laughing: So we figured we could walk to one of the stores and get a bottle opener. Well, that was a bad thought, and what should have been simple, was impossible. We went to at least four local stores and they did not have a bottle opener. We found a huge cork puller but that was as close as we got. I actually was carrying the cider bottle in my pocket so when I saw the big burley men at the entrance I would point out we were "carrying." :laughing::laughing::laughing:

Ended up asking the hotel to send us up a bottle opener. They sent a guy up with a bottle opener, on a TRAY, so we could open the bottles. Then they took back the bottle opener! :shocked: REALLY, for what I am paying for the #$%^&*() room, GIVE me the $%^&*(%^&* bottle opener!

Later,
Dan

 

[CADplans]

I think the hardware store future is pretty safe.
It値l be a sad day when I have to order plumbing fittings on amazon and wait 2 days to get a box of screws.
Shipping lumber would get expensive.

Lumber, yes, fittings and screws, no,,,,
I am at the point that I would rather plumb in a new shower valve from Amazon,,,
that go to the mom and pop hardware, and get a new valve cartridge,,,

Amazon is getting 99% of my Lowes/Home Depot business.

We will end up loosing 100% of small hardware stores,, I guess I am now OK with that,,,

 

[k0ua]

One look at an American with a bottle opener was probably a big red flag in their pantywaist book! No telling what you might do with that thing.. :laughing:

 

[frugalangler]

Ended up asking the hotel to send us up a bottle opener. They sent a guy up with a bottle opener, on a TRAY, so we could open the bottles. Then they took back the bottle opener! :shocked: REALLY, for what I am paying for the #$%^&*() room, GIVE me the $%^&*(%^&* bottle opener!

Later,
Dan

And I did similar once, guy almost wouldn't leave the room without a tip

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I used to play games with loss prevention when i saw them following me (before cameras). Pick up items, put it down a couple aisles over, go all over the store.

 

[4570Man]

Lumber, yes, fittings and screws, no,,,,
I am at the point that I would rather plumb in a new shower valve from Amazon,,,
that go to the mom and pop hardware, and get a new valve cartridge,,,

Amazon is getting 99% of my Lowes/Home Depot business.

We will end up loosing 100% of small hardware stores,, I guess I am now OK with that,,,

Locally there are 2 Ace hardwares and a Lowes. The second Ace is a big place at least on par with lowes. There’s another non franchise place that sells exclusively lumber. He sells a high percentage of the construction lumber used. I don’t know of any non franchise hardware stores. They’re closing the local Kmart. I’m not surprised. A fence post offers better customer service. You can’t beat Amazons price. If you can’t beat their customer service ( which is fantastic as far as online goes) then your business is probably going to fail.

 

[PILOON]

At one time I was in the wholesale consumer trade.
A large % of 'shrinkage' was attributed to employees helping themselves, more than actual shoplifting.

Folks don't realize that on line shopping, while convenient, is largely overcome by shipping fees. (hint-invest in UPS or other carriers)
As to Walmart , my local one has been great. Over the phone they actually gave me a credit for a product that was less than par, (rushed in next day to obtain the credit).
On a product that I wanted the Mgr actually imported it from another store and called to advise it was in. Naturally I took advantage of the efforts. I suspect that not all are that concerned as to client satisfaction. ( wish there was a post that I could have credited that employee)

All to say, some retailers have it and some don't enuf said.

I am a patient sort, I peruse China web sites and willing to wait for delivery as I tend to plan ahead.
So far I am most satisfied with the majority of my buy. OK some are disappointing but overall I can't complain.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

We were at Chili's a while back and my wife wanted a Marguerita and the waitress asked for an ID. Wife said "your kidding?" Waitress said no, manager required them to check ID for all alcoholic purchases. WIFE IS 70 YEARS OLD!!!! I didn't raise a stink with the manager only because we were with some friends. If we were by ourselves, I very likely would have approached the manager and not to politely told him how stupid he was before we walked out.

Target does that here; I think what happened was they got burned a time or two by incompetent clerks, and they have a company policy now that they check everyone, and type in their date of birth from their I.D. I'm used to it now, I know I don't look young enough to be 21, although my 25 year old Grand son might.

 

[dmccarty]

One look at an American with a bottle opener was probably a big red flag in their pantywaist book! No telling what you might do with that thing.. :laughing:

They spent more money to send that guy up to the room than the cheap bottle opener cost. :shocked::laughing::laughing::laughing:

We were getting a corporate rate on the room but it was still $250-300 a night. They could afford to have a 50 cent bottle opener in the room! :laughing::laughing::laughing:

We are planning another overseas trip, and in our long trip planning session this weekend, the wifey mentioned she was packing a bottle opener in the suit case. That was the third trip, at three hotels, that did not have a bottle opener! :shocked::laughing::laughing::laughing:

Later,
Dan

 

[dmccarty]

And I did similar once, guy almost wouldn't leave the room without a tip

One of the really nice things about Ireland was no tipping. :thumbsup: Feels really WRONG not to tip but it is not expected. The staff brought us the bottle opener, I opened the cider and handed him back the bottle opener. I just felt really silly have to ask for a $%^&*( bottle opener.

We found it odd that there were no bottle openers for sale in all of the little grocery stores we went too. The only thing I could figure is that this was on purpose. Our hotel was right across from a huge stadium and I wonder if they did not sell the bottle openers so that on game day people would buy canned beer or cider. :confused3: Bottles can cause damage when thrown or broken not so much with cans. At least that is my theory and the only rationalization I have for the lack of bottle openers.

When we were there, they were having a major sport final at the stadium. The street was blocked off, lots of Garda(Police) hanging about and some where actually armed, and the hotel had hired security to keep non guests out of the hotel.

On another forum, an Irishman said it was illegal to carry a knife in Ireland. I asked him if that meant pocket knifes and he said yes. When we went for a walk on game day, we stopped and talked with a Garda who looked bored and had a long, pleasant talk. I can't remember if I asked him about concealed pocket knife carry. :confused3::laughing::laughing::laughing:

Later,
Dan

 

[cqaigy2]

They still bust peeps all the time for stealing at Walmarts in Bryan College Station Texas

Ditto in Tumwater Washington.

 

[ultrarunner]

Olympia is one of the few places that actually puts accurate physical descriptions of arrested or individuals sought for crimes

It was kind of a culture shock in that it is very rare for the Bay Area media to provide any detail...

 

[smstonypoint]

One of the really nice things about Ireland was no tipping. :thumbsup: Feels really WRONG not to tip but it is not expected.

A Tipping Tip

"Never tip an economist. It only invites a lecture on the economic theories of tipping and nobody has that kind of time." Political Calculations: Tipping Guidelines

Steve

 

[Bird]

I don't know anything about their policies, any limit on the value of shoplifted items, etc., but I do occasionally see stories in the Denton newspaper about shoplifting arrests at both of Denton's Walmart Super Centers, as well as the Target store, and Kroger's.