Thievery

[JenCdn]

Back when my hubby was driving Taxi still he had a call at the Zeller's store.

The fare walks out with a 27" t.v. still in the box. Hubby did what he could to make the t.v. fit in the trunk, bungee cords and all that.

Security walks out and detained both the guy and my hubby.

Buddy had just picked up the t.v and walked out of the store with it.

My hubby lost a few hours worth of fares too.

Brazen.

[bainsidhe]

And then we have those customers who I advise should hang onto their receipt, because they'll ask to see it at the door. I'm told (in a snotty-ass voice, I might add), that he/she doesn't have to show the receipt and we can't stop him/her because it was a legitimate purchase. I doubt LP would ever stop them, but I'd love to see some jerkface tackled for the inconvenience. Of course, a lawsuit would follow...

[Bagga]

3 Stories/urban legends, 1 of which happened in a store I worked at.

Dixon's Photographic. 2 of us salesmen made a nice display of cine projectors, by putting the heavy sound projector at the back of the 3 feet deep recess in the wall, then putting 2 rows of smaller projectors in front of it. To do this we had to empty the 3 feet deep shelf full of 35 mm film that was at waist height in front of the recess, and stand on the shelf. We then put the film back. Thus, the sound projector is at about head height, nearly 2 metres away, AND WEIGHS ABOUT 25 KILOS! Someone stole it a week later, without disturbing any other products...

Rumbelow's, a domestic electrical goods store with a few local branches. They received a completed van load of products - fridges, cookers, etc. A short while later a large truck, similar to their usual delivery truck, rolls up outside the door. Driver's mate says the entire consignment was sent out in error, demands the delivery note to ensure that all the correct products are returned to the warehouse. Reloads the entire consignment onto the truck, and vanishes forever. Took a while for the store to realise they had been scammed.

Harrod's, in London. A store famous for its crazy annual knockdown sale, where upper middle-class ladies get the chance to quarrel like bitches over trendy gear that has been knocked down from insanely-overpriced to merely vastly-overpriced. TV programs used to be present sometimes, to show you large mobs of ladies wearing Laura Ashley dresses pressed against the doors at 9 am, desperate to buy 'cheap' Wedgewood crockery. Anyway, in the massive crowd, a gang of thieves smuggle in a complete checkout, issue receipts and bag up items sold, then at the end of the day abandon the till and the self assembly counter, having diverted about 50,000 dollars worth of turnover into their own pockets. Yes folks, they worked an entire shift, claiming that they were temporary staff hired to help at the first day of the sale.

You just have to be brave, people are often willing to trust people who seem confident. I am not that convincing - even when I have been on a true mission I have been challenged with "Yeah, bullshit, you thief, prove it."

[flybye023]

I worked at a home improvement store and there was a training story they would tell of how someone stole a utility trailer. Just backed up, hitched it to their truck and drove off. It's like Bagga said, if you act like you're supposed to be there, no one questions it. If you're all jumpy and anxious, you'll get a second look.

Also, my friend worked at a fabric store many years ago. It was quite common for entire bolts of fabric to be stolen. One person even managed to walk out with six of them.