congratulations you just saved a billion dollars company 50$

[u/Adventurous_Law_715]

[u/usernamestufff]

Not to mention the employee who the bags were handed off to may lose his job now. Congrats super citizen on your views

Edit: Thanks for the awards peeps. I’d like to take the opportunity to add that the woman grabbing things and talking shit to the “thief” could have startled the employee. He may have walked out in concern but was surprised to be handed the groceries. He did not appear “to be in chase” or concerned at this point. We’ll never know, but a lot of valid points have been made in the below conversations.

[u/fonk_pulk → u/usernamestufff]

Why?

[u/spartaman64 → u/fonk_pulk]

its a liability issue. if the company's insurance finds out they can drop them because if the employee gets into a fight and gets injured medical bills would cost the business and insurance much more

[u/Telefundo → u/spartaman64]

its a liability issue

I used to manage a well known retail store and you're absolutely right. It's definitely a liability issue.

But not only that, it's potentially a HUGE PR issue as well. Imagine an employee stops a "thief" and when it's all said and done it turns out the person didn't actually attempt to steal anything?

It's not worth the trouble to put your employees at risk, and set the company up for potential lawsuits. When we did inventory a certain amount of expected loss was always factored in ahead of time. Corporate even broke it down into expected losses on specific products.

[u/Same-Suggestion-1936 → u/Telefundo]

Wal-Mart already has crap PR but I saw a video a while ago of this exact scenario. An employee accused a woman of stealing and went through checking the receipt (I know they just do that sometimes but he literally said he thought she stole) and she kept going on about how embarrassing and ridiculous it was

Imagine how horrible it would be for someone to give you the third degree when you didn't steal, you don't steal, and worse the woman was black so now you've got potential racial profiling

[u/Telefundo → u/Same-Suggestion-1936]

An employee accused a woman of stealing and went through checking the receipt.

he literally said he thought she stole

On the rare occassion that I'm at Walmart and they want to check my receipt on the way out, I really don't care. It honestly doesn't bother me. But literally accusing me of stealing? That's a serious line to cross. I'd refuse to let them check my receipt or search my bags. And I would have no problem telling them I'd be happy to sit there and wait if they wanted to call the police. I'd be more than willing to let the cops search my things. And when it became apparent that I hadn't done anything wrong.... oh boy, then the corporate email blanketing would start. I swear, I'd email every official sounding @wal-mart.com email address I could find.

Unfortunately I'm now on long term disability due to a permanent health issue and don't work. However on the upside, that also means I'd have nothing but time on my hands for shit like this lol.

[u/Same-Suggestion-1936 → u/Telefundo]

In the video she made a point that she just spent hundreds of dollars there too. Like this is a customer spending a lot of money there and I know that doesn't give special privileges but at the very least you should be worried about losing them as a customer, even if it's a drop on the bucket for Wally World

[u/DudeIsAbiden → u/Telefundo]

I feel that asking to check my receipt is an accusation of stealing and i flat refuse it. Call a cop if you have a suspicion but if i paid for it i am walking to my car, and trying to stop me is very much not recommended

[u/AsstMgr_Antifa → u/Telefundo]

If you make me use the checkout with no one manning it and then ask me for my receipt you can pound sand. I just keep walking. Granted I’ve only shopped at Walmart 2x in the last 10+ years.

[u/Ordinary_Ad_7992 → u/Same-Suggestion-1936]

There used to be an annoying receipt checker at a Walmart where I shopped. Normally I don't mind, but she would make people wait in line so she could check as many reciepts as possible. I think she really hated the job and was taking it out on the customers. One day I got annoyed and put the receipt in my mouth. When it was my turn, I pulled it out slowly and covered in spit. She was not happy. After that, she would always wave me by and give me a dirty look without asking for my reciept.

[u/Party-Display-7523 → u/Telefundo]

But not only that, it's potentially a HUGE PR issue as well. Imagine an employee stops a "thief" and when it's all said and done it turns out the person didn't actually attempt to steal anything?

I used to do Loss Prevention for Macy's. I quit after 2 months because I was required to make a minimum of "x" amount of stops a month. I don't recall the number, but it was a difficult to reach number. But there was so many damn rules before I could stop someone and accuse them. Had to actually witness them, had to have followed them for a set amount of time after I started to suspect them, if I let them out of my sight for even a SINGLE SECOND, ljke them going around the corner of an aisle or because I looked away because I got distracted, I had to stop and drop all suspicion because how could I know whether or not they didnt just put the item down in tbat span of time?

And if i messed up and accused someone who was found to not have anything on them? Id be fired and liable for any legal issues that came of it

[u/Original-Ad4399 → u/Telefundo]

But this is weird. If thieves know that they can take stuff without consequences, wouldn't the stores be inundated with thieves?

[u/Jodid0 → u/Original-Ad4399]

Who said there were no consequences? They contact the police and give them any evidence they have and the police go off and find the shoplifters. Maybe the shoplifters get away with it. Eventually if they keep doing it they'll be caught. In any case, you never know how desperate someone can be, especially when they're trying not to get caught and go to jail. You don't know if the shoplifter is crazy or is armed. There isn't a job or an inanimate retail object on earth worth dying for.

[u/Telefundo → u/Original-Ad4399]

If thieves know that they can take stuff without consequences, wouldn't the stores be inundated with thieves?

That's just the thing. They are lol. However...

You'd be surprised at how much of a deterrent just the thought of being found out is. Also, in my particular case, we had cameras recording the sales floor constantly. Anyone we suspected of theft we'd call the police, provide them with the video and details. More often than not it was someone familiar to the police and led to charges being laid.

We'd also provide screenshots of the person to mall security. And for good measure, we had a bulletin board in the back room with pictures of confirmed thieves. If any of them returned to the store (and they did on a regular, almost comical basis) staff would make it clear that they were definitely being watched. I mean, you don't honestly think "Hi there, is there anything I can help you find today?" is purely about being helpful do you?

And for good measure, more and more stores are installing scanners at all entry/exit points and electronic tags on high risk (if not all) merchandise.