Smarter Shoplifters

[CaroPhoenix]

http://money.aol.com/news/articles/_...12114609990001

However, I first heard about the aluminum foil lining bags to foil the security sensors @ the doors, years and years ago.

[crazylegs]

Foil lined bags have been around for years, they're pretty easy to spot, harder are the boxes in a bag that have a flap cut in them, drop product into flap, its all foil lined and the bag hasn't changed shape, all you retail loss prevention types out there be aware of empty boxes in bags!

[CaroPhoenix]

I can understand retail places that tell you to check your bags behind the cash wrap, however, the shops never deign to keep someone up there to keep an eye on them. Plus, they don't do a "coat-check" type thing where they give you a number/ticket of sorts so you can reclaim your bags and not have someone else walk off with them.

[crazylegs]

I would imagine the reason that there is no area to store bags is a security issue, the same reason why there is no longer a baggage locker area in UK railway stations (as far as I am aware)

[RammsteinGirl]

I'd like to see retailers cracking down more on theft. It seems like most large retail chains push for profit, profit, profit and are so afraid to make "customers" angry - and neglect the fact that they LOSE profit when these so-called customers steal their merchandise.

I'd like to see loss prevention managers allowed to actually approach and detain customers who they have witnessed shoving merchandise into their clothing or purse. I work at Kmart and our loss prevention manager is given no power at all, other than to follow the shoplifters around and intimidate them and make fake PA pages (security to electronics!) in hopes to scare the shoplifters into dropping the stolen goods.

When the door alarms go off at my store, we have to check the customer's bags and make sure all items were deactivated and gator tags removed from clothing. If we can't find out what made the door alarms go off, we just have to let them go and write it down in a log book. Tell me, now, what is the point in even having door alarms then?! Just remove the door alarms and let people walk out with whatever.

We also have no fitting room attendant. There should be someone scheduled who does NOTHING but attend the fitting rooms - counting customers' clothing as they go in, giving them a tag with the # of items they bring into the fitting room, and counting their clothing when they come out to make sure they haven't stolen anything in there. But that'll happen at Kmart when pigs fly.

A few weeks ago, I was working checkouts till closing. There was a lady perusing the fragrances in the health and beauty section. She was actually opening all of the packages of perfume and spraying them all over herself! Instead of our LP manager having the balls to go up to her and say, "Ma'am, I'm with store security. Please do not open any more packages and stop spraying the perfumes. Use the testers," he just makes a fake page for security to scan fragrances. And that didn't even phase the lady one bit.. she kept opening and spraying. Retail stores need to grow a pair and not be afraid of losing these thieving "customers" who aren't even good customers anyway if they're opening and using merchandise and walking out with it without paying.

[Hon'ya-chan]

Plus the companies need to stop blaming the employees for being closet theieves, have good hours and staff on hand, and get their inventory standards up to snuff. If they can't provide the hours needed to keep a good number of staff working around, or do their inventory system right, don't accuse me of being a thief or make me responseable when half of the Video Game Book Section walks off or why I have 50+ copies of Halo 3 on the floor when I only have 3 in the computer.

[Plaidman]

It's sad to know that I know more about how to steal now then I ever did before I started working. Some of the things do are somewhat decent.

I'm reminded of my birthday, when we went and got my camcorder. Got camcorder, battries, recharger, carrier etc etc etc. We didn't buy it at the front counter, we bought it at the camera area. The clerk told us we could go. We started to walk out. He forgot to deacative SOMETHING and the alarm went off. I stopped, fully ready and WILLING to show my recipt. The person at the counter, (Who didn't see us pay for it) just shrugged us off.

I don't steal. (Anymore). It CAN be annoying to have people check us off, but guess what. I got nothing to hide. I didn't steal. I'm willing to stop for a bit.

What I DON'T like is being followed around, asked repeatedly if I need help. Once, twice sure, ask for help. But If I say no, then leave me alone. If I need help, I'll go to you.

I went to the Freddys, to get some corn dogs and soda. I will admit that I mighta looked supcious, as I haven't had time to shave for a week so I was a little scruffy, and I had my beloved trenchcoat on. I was looking around, seeing if anything looked good, when I noticed a guy was looking at stuff, ususally behind me. At just about every place I went too. Nothing is that concidental. So I confronted him. Pulled out my wallet, showed him my money, opened my tenchcoat to show my Plaid uniform on, told him I work retial, and I dislike thieves. To my suprise the guy said he was sorry and left.

So I went to the bakery, got my corn dog, and I HAD to pay for it there. No problem.

About a week later I went back to get a movie. I was shaven, and not wearing my trenchcoat. Wasn't followed around. and shock upon shock, the guy at the deli said ether pay there or go to the counter when I check out. Little strange no?

[king4aday]

I work in an outlet mall, and as such we have a lot of people come in with really big bags. I will always offer to hold them for customers (both as a service for customers and for us). If people refuse I let them be on their way..but Im watching them like a hawk.

My employees have no clue what to look for in shoplifters (they are basically semi-retired ladies in their 60s) and they really trust everyone. They dont believe anyone would ever steal from us. In fact, one of the ladies I work with even asked me "what do we have that people would WANT to steal?" uhm...let me think...how about bras that cost 20 something dollars each....our 2 packs of our new line of underwear (really hot line...flying off the shelves) again....not cheaper than 15.00. SO...managers end up watching everyone for shoplifting because employees are too trusting and/or naive.

[mattm04]

For over a MONTH we did not have LP in our store. The only time the managers ever entered the LP room was once when they saw some one conceal merch but when they looked at the the taps (DVR) the camera that would have caught it was adjusted to the top of a shelf and zoomed in on some dust. we recovered the merch and ended up letting the shoplifter leave.

Once when I was shopping at another store, something I had set off an alarm at the door and I stepped back inside, the MANAGER just said, "it's no big deal, you can leave." I only had purchased three items. Why bother with cameras and alarms if you are going to do that?

[crazylegs]

Door alarms are pretty much useless as has been pointed out here sooften, either through apathy or the fact they're not that hard to defeat. The tags on the other hand are a marvelous sound effect when they are ripped off and can normally be heard from quite some distance.

[symposes]

It was pointed out on this site, that some retailers, such as walmart, especially, wont go after shop lifters at all.

I hated when i worked for WInn Dixie and they made it sound like only employees steal.
What good is a customer who buys a dollar worth of gum, but steals 5 dollars worth of something else, every visit?

Specially if it takes 100 dollars worth of sales, to recoup 1 dollar worth of thefts. (according to EW James anyway)

[Hon'ya-chan]

I hated when i worked for WInn Dixie and they made it sound like only employees steal.
What good is a customer who buys a dollar worth of gum, but steals 5 dollars worth of something else, every visit?

Because theirs "hard proof" that Employees steal (i.e. Employee thefts are reported and documented more often than shoplifters). I think Norm Feuti put it best in his book Pretending You Care:

And statistically speaking, most theft is perpetuated by employees, so of course they can't be trusted.
Auuugghghhhhh!!!!!