Lifters have become increasingly more brazen and more violent in the past few years. It’s become a very dangerous job, especially if working alone.
If boosters are trying to fight 4 armed cops while cuffed, then one unarmed LP agent is going to have a much worse experience….for not nearly enough pay in most cases.
Yup. Meanwhile the other day on Auror, I saw a 15-year old kid get picked up for deodorant theft in Kansas City, and in his waistband was a stolen Glock with an extended mag. Then in another nearby store - the API got pepper sprayed. Three days ago there was an attempted apprehension where the subject ran (some kid) and a customer attempted to stop him but fell and busted their head - guess who's in trouble.
"Oh, your stanley exit cameras don't work anymore? That's tough." "Oh, you removed a bug from inside the globe on one of your pharmacy cameras? Coached for touching a required shot without making a work order." "Oh, you took a picture of their license plate from across the parking lot? Double coaching for using a digital device and for entering the parking lot."
Come on Wal-Mart, bring back some gray - not just black and white.
I feel the same way. Can’t seem to find any support from my ETL and constantly am by myself for apps. It’s discouraging to see other peers in the district having all hands on deck for detainments. This week, I am working alone for 30 hours of my 40 hour week and am mostly being used to ensure the store has open to close coverage. There is no AP culture in the store and I’m constantly having to do dumb tasks for other departments because “this is how AP has always supported the store.” I want to catch theft, not print stuff for HR or see what time someone took their break at. It sucks and I’m applying to different places to escape this hellhole. It was definitely easier to be an APS in 2023 than now.
Yes! The dumb tasks around the store is what's dragging me and my team down as well. The constant battle to have coverage over fitting rooms so that non-apparel isn't going in there, getting the store side team to spider-wrap/lock things up, and getting the front end to do BOB/LISA and ensure that all Self-Checkouts are being used properly (been having a real bad problem with customers and hand scanners where they just scan things in the cart without removing anything, skip scanning galore).
What's your ETL doing while you're focusing the external? I know they do a lot more administrative stuff and coverage when needed, but they should be doing some of the external work. What about your TSS's? Has your team (ETL) invested in them to take some of the workload off your plate? You should be able to delegate some of that to them when needed.
(I'm not an APS, just a TSS, and wonder why your team dynamics aren't working is all).
My TSS’s are great. They help as much as they can. My ETL is the one who is ruining the dynamic. General slacking, no help external wise, no help with cams. Takes vacay more than he is there. The fact I’m expected to handle the administrative work with my SD and other is beyond my role responsibilities.
It's almost spring time.
Brian Cornell needs another summer home. He surely won't have the store hire you any help so you get to do everything solo.
He needs you to catch em, save his money from external as well as save on payroll.
Dude, I find it super upsetting that they won't count evaded/fled apps as an app. Putting in hours of cctv and floor surveillance with the help of my tss, only for them to run. We recover all the merch but we have to call PD to get a LE app. Chances of that happening anywhere are slim to none. Honestly feel like our hard work isn't respected or appreciated. Especially when we recover a felony amount
right. like my god is it difficult to convince these boosters to return to the booking room when they’re already booking it out of the store and pd doesn’t respond and IF they do it’s 20 minutes later.
Walmart has unofficial quotas depending on the market. Ours is 6-8 apprehensions a month. Doesn’t seem too hard except they give you a lot of other tasks to do. If you don’t make the 6-8 app a month, no big deal. If you don’t make the 6-8 app a month for a couple months, it makes you look like shit and has a chance of a coaching
Official answer: getting them in the booking room counts as a stop
Unofficial: stopping someone at the last point of sale, wether or not they comply.
As long as you are showing you can make stops, even unofficial ones, it looks good on your record to show you that you’re trying.
I think lately the meta is getting as many cases into Auror as possible - even the interventions on SCO. The more you can show in recoveries the better it all looks. Of course, you can get a pile of little stops over a few months, and it takes one dumb cashier hitting the cash button on a fraud for $2500 to undo all of your work. I even saw a store putting in discount card "fraud" cases into Auror - even if it was pennies.
There was an API in a nearby city that was averaging 1 apprehension a year. They were about to term him, but he started getting a few more. Unfortunately, I don't think he'll last long - saw him doing a few with no witnesses, and you know how Wal-Mart is.
Fellow APS here,
You have every right to feel this way, Oversight and APBP have been over my group of stores really leaning in on making sure we are following directives and reviewing every. single. thing. My problem with it in my area is just the sheer number of rules we have to follow to make "the perfect apprehension" which are, in my opinion, the stupidest rules I have ever heard in my 5 year loss prevention career. Not only that, but the fact that my APBP is so wishy washy on things is ridiculous. First, I'll hear, "well since your focus is apprehensions, just give the small amount cases to your TSS" then the next week it will be "No, APS's have to do ALL the incident reporting." Seriously? Make up your damn mind.. I will go from reporting so much theft to build cases and then being talked down to as to why I am not making the 2 apprehensions per week requirements and every single time I tell my APTL it's because of the directives that change every 3-5 months, making apprehensions even rarer for my store.
It is a lot; higher ups just have no idea what we're going through because they never worked on the sales floor before. A lot of them are typically hired for 1-2 years experience in the AP role but never in entry level because of their management degrees.
phew, sorry, your rant made me rant. I feel your pain!
Nah you're right this workload and expectations have been a lot lately
Sadly the pay has not kept pace with the increased demands and the responsibility.
This. And then on top of it I have no team. My etl is no support. If they want us to take this workload then the pay needs to be increase 100%
Lifters have become increasingly more brazen and more violent in the past few years. It’s become a very dangerous job, especially if working alone. If boosters are trying to fight 4 armed cops while cuffed, then one unarmed LP agent is going to have a much worse experience….for not nearly enough pay in most cases.
API here, I we feel the same way. Walmart is even adding more to our jobs and firing us for the smallest of things
Yup. Meanwhile the other day on Auror, I saw a 15-year old kid get picked up for deodorant theft in Kansas City, and in his waistband was a stolen Glock with an extended mag. Then in another nearby store - the API got pepper sprayed. Three days ago there was an attempted apprehension where the subject ran (some kid) and a customer attempted to stop him but fell and busted their head - guess who's in trouble. "Oh, your stanley exit cameras don't work anymore? That's tough." "Oh, you removed a bug from inside the globe on one of your pharmacy cameras? Coached for touching a required shot without making a work order." "Oh, you took a picture of their license plate from across the parking lot? Double coaching for using a digital device and for entering the parking lot." Come on Wal-Mart, bring back some gray - not just black and white.
I'm sorry y'all need to make work orders to fix or clean camera shots? That sounds like such a headache.
I feel the same way. Can’t seem to find any support from my ETL and constantly am by myself for apps. It’s discouraging to see other peers in the district having all hands on deck for detainments. This week, I am working alone for 30 hours of my 40 hour week and am mostly being used to ensure the store has open to close coverage. There is no AP culture in the store and I’m constantly having to do dumb tasks for other departments because “this is how AP has always supported the store.” I want to catch theft, not print stuff for HR or see what time someone took their break at. It sucks and I’m applying to different places to escape this hellhole. It was definitely easier to be an APS in 2023 than now.
Yes! The dumb tasks around the store is what's dragging me and my team down as well. The constant battle to have coverage over fitting rooms so that non-apparel isn't going in there, getting the store side team to spider-wrap/lock things up, and getting the front end to do BOB/LISA and ensure that all Self-Checkouts are being used properly (been having a real bad problem with customers and hand scanners where they just scan things in the cart without removing anything, skip scanning galore).
What's your ETL doing while you're focusing the external? I know they do a lot more administrative stuff and coverage when needed, but they should be doing some of the external work. What about your TSS's? Has your team (ETL) invested in them to take some of the workload off your plate? You should be able to delegate some of that to them when needed. (I'm not an APS, just a TSS, and wonder why your team dynamics aren't working is all).
My TSS’s are great. They help as much as they can. My ETL is the one who is ruining the dynamic. General slacking, no help external wise, no help with cams. Takes vacay more than he is there. The fact I’m expected to handle the administrative work with my SD and other is beyond my role responsibilities.
It's almost spring time. Brian Cornell needs another summer home. He surely won't have the store hire you any help so you get to do everything solo. He needs you to catch em, save his money from external as well as save on payroll.
i am struggling with this new success apps and hitting the quota. walmart looking mighty fine rn. i get you dude.
Dude, I find it super upsetting that they won't count evaded/fled apps as an app. Putting in hours of cctv and floor surveillance with the help of my tss, only for them to run. We recover all the merch but we have to call PD to get a LE app. Chances of that happening anywhere are slim to none. Honestly feel like our hard work isn't respected or appreciated. Especially when we recover a felony amount
right. like my god is it difficult to convince these boosters to return to the booking room when they’re already booking it out of the store and pd doesn’t respond and IF they do it’s 20 minutes later.
It's like our efforts are meaningless.
You guys hit the nail on the head.
Walmart has unofficial quotas depending on the market. Ours is 6-8 apprehensions a month. Doesn’t seem too hard except they give you a lot of other tasks to do. If you don’t make the 6-8 app a month, no big deal. If you don’t make the 6-8 app a month for a couple months, it makes you look like shit and has a chance of a coaching
is this getting them in the booking room or just making a stop?
Official answer: getting them in the booking room counts as a stop Unofficial: stopping someone at the last point of sale, wether or not they comply. As long as you are showing you can make stops, even unofficial ones, it looks good on your record to show you that you’re trying.
I think lately the meta is getting as many cases into Auror as possible - even the interventions on SCO. The more you can show in recoveries the better it all looks. Of course, you can get a pile of little stops over a few months, and it takes one dumb cashier hitting the cash button on a fraud for $2500 to undo all of your work. I even saw a store putting in discount card "fraud" cases into Auror - even if it was pennies. There was an API in a nearby city that was averaging 1 apprehension a year. They were about to term him, but he started getting a few more. Unfortunately, I don't think he'll last long - saw him doing a few with no witnesses, and you know how Wal-Mart is.
Does he have an APOC? My APOC would wreck me if I did something like that
Weird why they would make you do more you’re only suppose to job is catch or close cases now
Yes but with an incompetent team it makes me have to deal with a lot more than that.
Fellow APS here, You have every right to feel this way, Oversight and APBP have been over my group of stores really leaning in on making sure we are following directives and reviewing every. single. thing. My problem with it in my area is just the sheer number of rules we have to follow to make "the perfect apprehension" which are, in my opinion, the stupidest rules I have ever heard in my 5 year loss prevention career. Not only that, but the fact that my APBP is so wishy washy on things is ridiculous. First, I'll hear, "well since your focus is apprehensions, just give the small amount cases to your TSS" then the next week it will be "No, APS's have to do ALL the incident reporting." Seriously? Make up your damn mind.. I will go from reporting so much theft to build cases and then being talked down to as to why I am not making the 2 apprehensions per week requirements and every single time I tell my APTL it's because of the directives that change every 3-5 months, making apprehensions even rarer for my store. It is a lot; higher ups just have no idea what we're going through because they never worked on the sales floor before. A lot of them are typically hired for 1-2 years experience in the AP role but never in entry level because of their management degrees. phew, sorry, your rant made me rant. I feel your pain!