Are you following me?

[varmintjane]

I fail to see that as funny. Once when I was in a grocery store with a group of friends. We all had different things to buy so some of us split up (there were only like four of us.) I come around a corner and some jackass who works there grabbed my purse and said "What do you have in here?" in a really nasty tone. I told him I had what I had brought into the store with me and grabbed my purse back. He then proceeded to watch us until we left the store. Kind of a scarring experience for an 11 year old, so to the ones who aren't shoplifting, it's hurtful and racial profiling shouldn't be made light of. It sucks to be made to feel like a criminal. Just because an ignorant black lady tells you to do it doesn't make it ok.

[Rubystars]

I fail to see that as funny.

That's because you fail to see it as the reality we face every day. Right after I wrote that post, I went to work and some of "Maria's cousins" stole some shoes. It's not that we WANT to profile, it's that most thieves fit the profiles and if we don't look at those who are most like other thieves we've had, we'll be robbed blind.

Once when I was in a grocery store with a group of friends. We all had different things to buy so some of us split up (there were only like four of us.)

I've seen this pattern before, a few young people come in, all with purses or bags, and split up, and each try to steal something, trying to make it to where the employees can't watch all of them at once. Now I know that's NOT what you were doing, but I can see why this would raise suspicion.

I come around a corner and some jackass who works there grabbed my purse and said "What do you have in here?" in a really nasty tone. I told him I had what I had brought into the store with me and grabbed my purse back.

In that case, you had the right to report him to the manager. Without seeing you do anything, he doesn't have any right to grab anything that belongs to you. The only thief in this scenario was him. That's a horrible way to act. He should have watched you if he had suspicions, but NOT accused you and NOT attacked you like that.

He then proceeded to watch us until we left the store. Kind of a scarring experience for an 11 year old, so to the ones who aren't shoplifting, it's hurtful and racial profiling shouldn't be made light of. It sucks to be made to feel like a criminal. Just because an ignorant black lady tells you to do it doesn't make it ok.

What was done to you was abusive and nasty. What we do in the store isn't like that at all. We don't accuse people of anything unless we KNOW they did something, even if we think they took something and we're not sure, we don't say anything to them. Now and then we have employee pizza parties and all eat together at the same table, so it's not as if we're racist against each other.

[Mixed Bag]

I quietly told her "He's my friend, we went to school together and he doesn't steal." She asked how I knew this so I said "Hey, Charles are you going to steal anything?" Chuck "No, that mgr is watching me as usual."
Mom got mad at me for embarrasing the mgr.

Tanasi, you didn't embarrass the manager--if he felt that way, he did it to himself. I don't fault him for profiling, but what was the point in discussing it with you and your Mom?

In 4th or 5th grade we'd meet in groups from different classes for special discussions. When the teacher asked if people shoplifted (for discussion, not chastisement), they couldn't get over the question until I admitted--falsely--I did as well, for they didn't believe me. I don't regret not stealing, but I wish I'd been even more arrogant at that age instead of dishonest...

[symposes]

When i worked and Winn Dixie and then a local grocery store, it was amazing that according to them, the most money was lost when employees stole.
That it had to be employees. there werent enough non-employee shoplifters to justify installing security cameras, but there were enough employees shoplifting, to justify putting cameras in the breakroom.
I actually asked the head of security once, because the store was losing lots of money, and he told me that the amount of shoplifting done by non-employees was so minimul it didnt matter, but that employee theft was what was hurting us.

I guess it didnt matter that they couldnt count the inventory right, and our meat department was told they should have almost 3 times as much meat as they actually had, etc etc.

And to be honest there was alot of theft by employees, there must have been 12 people in my 3 years, most with the local store that took over (that was an 8 month stint for me(they took over in october, hired extra people on, and had to fire all of them within a month for theft, and they were even paying those people more then the transfers (people who worked for WD when the store was bought) we were making, when you make 6.50 and someone is hired in at almost 8 bucks, and then they turn around and steal lots of money, it really does hurt ("They are paying someone who is a thief, more then someone who is honest?!" hehe thats a different story though and not really all that justifable on my part)))) that stole money, or food, or misrang things. etc etc. So i can believe them about it being employees and not other people. But still, being called a thief because im an employee, sucks.(they stole cash by doing false returns. for awhile we had all be trusted with a magic number to do voids and returns with, simply because it saved us time, and all of us from WD were trust able, the new people found out the numbers and one of them refunded almost 200 bucks into her pocket one night in small amounts 2 here, 4 there 5 somewhereoveryonder. etc... needless to say the number was taken away, that sucked... not having to wait for a sup to fix a double ring, was so nice)

[varmintjane]

That's because you fail to see it as the reality we face every day. Right after I wrote that post, I went to work and some of "Maria's cousins" stole some shoes. It's not that we WANT to profile, it's that most thieves fit the profiles and if we don't look at those who are most like other thieves we've had, we'll be robbed blind.

Well there's also the opposing viewpoint that you'll catch who you watch, so there could be old white people robbing you blind. I read somewhere that the amount of middle class middle-aged white women who shoplift is increasing, but I doubt that would change the amount of people who watch minorities in store just because they are minorities. It makes more sense to watch people who have on large coats, baggy clothing or large bags than it does to just watch blacks and hispanics.

And why should it be tiresome when they say "you're watching me b/c I'm black" YOU IN FACT ARE! And so is your boss. It doesn't matter if she's black as well because she's doing it too. Why not just admit to it if it makes so much sense to racially profile? Profiling by age is different b/c younger people do tend to engage in more risky behavior and you CAN get older, but you can't get whiter. Why should I have to resign myself to being watched when I go into a store just because I was born with the "wrong" skin color? That's BS.

[Becks]

Every once in a while, I've been followed. Since I have a tendency to look innocent, if not invisible, most of the time, I always chalk it up to someone being told, "It's always the one you least expect."

[dragonflygrrl]

When i worked and Winn Dixie and then a local grocery store, it was amazing that according to them, the most money was lost when employees stole.

While I admit that in my high-school days I had a sticky-fingered phase, I was never really into shoplifting in a serious way. When I worked at a gas station in college, though, we robbed the place blind. Hungry? Eat a sandwich. Having a nic fit? Grab a pack of smokes. And even though fountain pop was free for employees, be sure and grab a juice bottle if you're thirsty. I was actually one of the less theiving at the shop, in fact, and got teased for it by my more larcenous colleagues. When I first started, I was horrified at the theft I witnessed, but six months of working there and I was casually eating HoHo's just behind the camera's range of sight like everyone else. Some of my coworkers would actually walk off with big ticket stuff, like the "home decor," crap and the liquor, or basically do their grocery shopping every evening, but I drew the line at taking stuff to stock up my home. I don't know to this day what made us feel like we were at all justified, but I do know that every month the manager (who only showed up once a month) would come in and do inventory, and nothing was ever said about the incredible shrinkage.

[Dreamstalker]

I was once followed by LP in The Yellow Tag Store. The store was in a mall in a well-off area of Cambridge, and I wasn't dressed like the majority of mall patrons who arrived in the comfort of cars (I was in jeans, workboots, sweatshirt, heavy parka, wet from walking from the subway stop as it was snowing outside).

I had a small-for-me purse; barely held my wallet, keys, cell and a book for the train.

The LP guy wasn't even trying to be subtle about it. I eventually found what I was looking for, paid and left without being hassled.

[Rubystars]

Well there's also the opposing viewpoint that you'll catch who you watch, so there could be old white people robbing you blind.

Except they're not. We find stolens mostly after the profiled groups have been in that area of the store.

Now, we've had some white thieves, but they've generally been dumb about it and been caught before they could get away with anything except in a few cases. All groups steal, and most people in all groups don't steal, but we have more trouble with some groups than others. It's just a fact!

I read somewhere that the amount of middle class middle-aged white women who shoplift is increasing, but I doubt that would change the amount of people who watch minorities in store just because they are minorities. It makes more sense to watch people who have on large coats, baggy clothing or large bags than it does to just watch blacks and hispanics.

We do watch people with baggy clothing, although most of them also tend to fit the other profiles. It's the black male teens who wear the baggy pants or people of other races trying to look 'ghetto'.

And why should it be tiresome when they say "you're watching me b/c I'm black" YOU IN FACT ARE! And so is your boss.

It's tiresome because she's the one who tells me to do it but then I end up getting flak for being 'racist' when it's not my policy. She made me really angry a few days ago because these people got mad at me for watching them because of their race, and then she apologized to them and said she would talk to them. She was implying that I was the one profiling, when it's HER policy! She's the one that said "Go watch Maria's cousins up there in the front." I said to her "I hope you weren't meaning to imply that I was the racist when you told me to watch them."

It doesn't matter if she's black as well because she's doing it too. Why not just admit to it if it makes so much sense to racially profile?

I don't like doing it, that's why it's hard to admit to, because I know it's not fair to people who aren't doing anything. But if we don't do it, then the store will be in trouble for having too many stolens. What are we supposed to do in this situation? You tell me! I see who steals from us when I'm there and she does too, that's why she has these policies. It's not that we watch people 'just because they're black', we watch people who are black or Mexican because in our experience, they're the ones who've stolen from us more than any other groups.

Profiling by age is different b/c younger people do tend to engage in more risky behavior and you CAN get older, but you can't get whiter. Why should I have to resign myself to being watched when I go into a store just because I was born with the "wrong" skin color? That's BS.

There's nothing 'wrong' with any skin color. It's just that for some reason, I don't know if it's poverty among minorities or what, we have more trouble with certain groups in the shoe store.

[LostMyMind]

I don't know to this day what made us feel like we were at all justified, but I do know that every month the manager (who only showed up once a month) would come in and do inventory, and nothing was ever said about the incredible shrinkage.

Now we know why gas-stop stores prices are high.