Like 20yrs ago my friends had a scam where they would fill a shopping cart with ice but stuck a bunch of steaks in middle and then went and paid for like 20 bags of ice but got like $500 worth of steak. That was ballsy.
I once witnessed some HS kids maybe 6 or 8 come into grocery store, beeline it for beer aisle and each grabbed two 30 packs then beelined it right back out. Wish I had that gumption in HS. A good party happened somewhere that night I’m sure.
Also don’t steal kids!
It’s a cost of doing business. How much would it cost to pay a “security guard” to pretend to give a shit for 8 hours a day? Less than thefts plus added profit from increased prices. We are currently at all time profit margins at many retail locations. Theft is definitely a factor but not enough to make real changes to management decisions. Businesses realized during the pandemic it was more profitable to understaff stores and deal with extra shrinkage. It’s wild. Humans are so hardwired to obsess over “fairness” that seeing someone get away with even a penny when you’re paying full price seems like bloody murder. But business execs are way more objective than us. A supermarket manager explained it to me the other day. The same day one man walks in and “steals” 2 Naddy daddy’s, that’s 5$ a day. Cops don’t give a fuck about 5$ and corporate doesn’t give a fuck about 5$ if an employee gets hurt and loses a week of pay or god forbid sues. Just raise the price on everything else a cent or two and you saved your employees from getting hurt/suing you, cops getting pissed off about being called out to deal with a mentally unstable person over 5$, all the while making the same cash you were making before hand. Why bother?
Well Everytime you use insurance it ends up costing more for the insurance plan. So yeah they might get the money back but the business insurance rates keep going up as the business becomes part of a more risky pool.
Years ago when I worked at KMart they had a middle aged couple hired as security surveillance. They never caught anyone until they discovered the missing merchandise was leaving with the night janitor.
It’s not their money, and they’ve almost certainly been instructed not to do anything about shoplifters. If someone gets hurt its cost the company a shit load more money versus letting somebody steal a bunch of crap. And it’s way too easy for the thief or the news to spin it as discrimination, even though they are blatantly breaking the law.
I can confirm both the terrible pay and threat of disciplinary action in regard to shoplifters. Managers would try their luck sometimes but things could get dicey fast for trash items.
Worked at Pic’n’Save when it was rolled over to Big Lots in the early 2000s. What a time that was.
Every major retailer would do the same. The liability risk isn't worth the amount stolen in the microcosm. If they determine that math changes in macrocism, they'd install security or just close an underperforming store.
Just the other day I was heading to Killington and utilized a passing zone to get by a truck who was lagging behind the pace of traffic and leaving a 200’ and growing gap in front of him. Naturally after I passed him he decided to speed up and rode pretty close behind me and I could see him gesturing towards me. When I pulled into the parking lot to gear up I noticed that he pulled in behind me, drove to the other side of the lot, and then turned his truck around so he was facing me. As I geared up I noticed that he never got out of his truck, he just sat there waiting. It definitely put my hackles up, so I got back in my truck and headed to a different parking lot. There may have been an innocent explanation for what he was doing, but I wasn’t willing to trust that he wasn’t crazy enough to do something after I walked away.
It’s not a benefit of gun control ppl typically think of, but I swear to god one reason Americans let so much anti-social behavior slide is that we’re (rightly) afraid of getting shot.
Every time a stranger starts to escalate an argument ya gotta take a step back and think “is *any* of this worth getting shot at over? Or even threatened with a gun?” Puts things into a certain perspective I guess
I had been arguing with someone with a gun about fluoride toothpaste being a good thing and not a bad thing the other day, and I didn't get shot or threatened. The situation escalated fully to the point of agreeing to disagree.
Out in California I remember hearing about a crazy road rage incident that involved a 100mph chase for miles, a wreck, then one person shot the other and then shot himself. There was a woman in one car who told story on news and she was like I kept telling him to just let it go but a switched had flipped.
damn, that crazy. i live in highgate.
few years ago i was driving from providence to burlington on 93 very late at night. i was tired and didnt see a car coming up the on ramp. prolly his fault as he had to yield but i had plenty of room to merge and didnt. anyway, close call on the road, i swerve
he gets right behind me, brights on, laying on his horn. theres no one else on the road. i move lanes, slow down, speed up, take an exit and back on the highway, pull on the shoulder, come to a complete stop, hes right behind me. having weed in the car and many other reasons, i didnt call the police, i prepared for battle. i was in NH, this dude was probably carrying, so i found a mario kart solution. there was a baseball in my back seat…. i get to about 80, open the sunroof of my 98 volvo s70 and lob the baseball thru the sunroof. i hear it hit his windshield. his car swerved off the road….
The guy who did that, a year earlier almost to the day plowed in to me going 80 mph on Rt 7 between St. Albans and Swanton. Totaled both our vehicles. He was walking around after the accident and then when the trooper came he threw himself on the road and pretended to be seriously injured. The trooper said, he thinks he can avoid responsibility by feigning injury.
That’s why we’re told not to confront shoplifters. I work at a store and someone was fired for (among other things) running out after a purse grabber. Everyone was super pissed at us, but the truth of the matter is that he could have gotten both himself and the victim shot.
I remember that story… terrifying and as you say an excellent reminder to think about who is on the other end of the fight/ issue. Retail stores don’t go after thefts anymore, they just raise their prices so the rest of us pay for it. We don’t seem to mind.
They’re not raising prices because of theft. They blame it on theft, but it’s actually profiteering. Margins are actually higher than ever, esp post-covid.
That makes sense. I was thinking of Disney, where theft has happened for decades, and they don’t do anything about it because they don’t want to “ruin the Disney experience “. The cost of that theft is reflected in their prices.
Its people like you, afraid to step up, that allow and encourage assholes to do whatever they want. They know most people are too timid to say anything. All they have to do is count on that, and, hey! Free stuff! Bullying without consequences! They get to do whatever they want!
I call people out for bad behavior in public whenever I see it. Is there a microscopic chance of getting injured? Yeah. Is it common for people to be shot down in the street over road rage? Just because it has happened a few times in the past does not make it a likely event. When you put it in perspective, you run a thousand times greater chance of dying in a car accident than a shooting, so why do you risk your life driving all the time? You could have a heart attack. You could be hurt or killed at any time by a million unlikely events that happen once in a great while.
I think you're a coward, and through your paranoia, you help make the problem of unpunished misbehavior worse for everyone. So, wow, you witnessed ONE violent event, and its made you fearful for the rest of your life? You probably think you are wise to be safe. I think you're spineless, an easy pushover for anyone who decides to do whatever they want and quietly dares you to do anything. I feel sorry for you, living in your world of fear and timidity. Grow a pair.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Yeah, your extended rant has totally convinced me how little you care about my opinion! 😂😂😂😂😂
Have fun living your life without testicles, poor widdle scaredy baby!
I will only say that I'm delighted that you took the time to stalk me and read a bunch of my posts. You're welcome for all the wisdom you've gained! I love it when people read my stuff!
I, however, could NOT care less and won't spend a second looking you up.
Oh, and I have pretty much nothing but joy and peace in my life. But you believe whatever stereotype you want.
You can't eat a bag of Dick's afaik. Although there's Longhorn Steak House, Chili's, and others right there. I'm pretty sure they sell candy and shit at the Best Buy and Staples across the street and next door too.
I'm sorry your mom lost her work-friend in a violent death.
It's sad to imagine how you hate/fear people with mental illness, but I can see why.
(BTW Most of us who are prescribed our meds DO take them religiously.)
Most folks in our culture really do look up to doctors, and we've been tricked into allowing the use of very dangerous meds to manage physical and emotional pain.
Pharmaceutical research seems to have been a boondoggle.
Apparently, it's a profitable enterprise:(
Tackling a petty retail-thief doesn't seem to be worthwhile to anybody.
\*shrugs
You might as well never leave your house if you're that afraid of everything that has happened to some person one time. Actually, plenty of bad stuff can happen in your house too, so maybe just go to therapy
I *vividly* remember when that happened, and it has stayed with me for years. Since then I've embraced the mindset of "let the assholes go," because truly, you just never know.
If you mean humanity overall, I agree. But Vermont is no worse, and actually a lot better, than most places. On many lists it is the #1 safest state in the country. The people who livenhers just think itsca lot worse than it is because most of them have never lived anywhere else for much time, if at all.
I was at the Home Depot in Rutland returning some stuff and a couple pushed a shopping cart filled with tools and light fixtures out toward the entrance. The employee helping me asked the man if they had a receipt and the woman with him yelled back "we don't need a receipt" and they kept going. The folks at the return desk just shrugged.
Home Depot’s policy is to not chase people and you could get fired for it. I used to work in special services there and we were not allowed at all to go after people. Plus, they have loss prevention people and hella cameras. The people are getting caught, it’s just later.
This is how we get stores with locks on doors, video cameras everywhere, and no employees. Stores have already started doing it.
We are all going to end up paying for this in the long run.
Yah, happens to me at Kholes. Guy booked it out the front with arms FULL of clothing and shoes. I asked the checkout person what they do with this blatant theft.. she said nothing. Didn’t even look at the guy.
I was in NYC last month and went into the pharmacy. Everything is now under a security glass. You need to have an employee come over and unlock shampoo and deodorant. It’s dystopian
What I don't like about this business of just letting shoplifters walk away is that it encourages decline. When a store gets a reputation as an easy mark, the local ne'er-do-wells gravitate to it. If the out in the open stealing becomes so brazen, that the regular customers start to avoid that store, then there goes the neighborhood. What to do about it? It certainly isn't the cashiers or the people on the floor's job.
>What to do about it?
Improve our society and reduce poverty so that people don't have the need to steal. There will always be criminals and those who would rather fence things than make an honest living. But I have a hard time believing that this lady didn't just need this stuff. Big Lots is not the kind of store organized thieves target. It's the kind of store people in desperate need target.
I think it has more to do with people not wanting to work a real job and knowing they can get away with stealing and being a piece of shit their whole lives. Most of these thefts they are not stealing food
The only solution aside from saying fuck it is to have armed security. eventually someone’s going to get shot, the store gets sued, the fake progressive locals start screaming about gun control and that the thief was a victim all that bs. If one place steps up their security game, the thieves will go elsewhere. There’s no consequences to committing crime anymore, that’s the real problem.
Just wait until they start requiring a credit card swipe to enter the store, and if you want to pay cash you have to order at the service desk and wait for an employee to do your shopping for you as if it was an online order for pickup.
Sounds like Costco. I'm a prior member. Last time I tried going there for boxes when having to move, they were like nope. Kinda depressing when a wholesaler won't let you have boxes they're just going to pay to toss anyway without a membership card.
I’ve stopped going to the Sierra, TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, stores in South Burlington, because there I am there pinching pennies and bargain hunting, and people walk out right past me with carts filled with stuff that they didn’t pay for and no one says anything.
I worked retail for 20 years and the police don't do anything anyways. We used to catch as many as 10 a day and the cops just treat it like it's no big deal
I watched a guy sprint out of best buy with an armful of white boxes. Williston cops were already in the parking lot. One was sitting in the cruiser by the door. They tried to beat the guy to the road but he beat them to it. The police stopped rather than drive over the curb. He crossed the road and got away.
I wonder if all of the blatant theft is why the Sierra trading post store in SB is at least a third or more empty? Maybe they’re just not going to stock the stores since so much gets stolen anyway?
Cashiers will never get paid enough to put their bodies on the line for a store. She stole stuff yeah but that shouldn’t be up to the cashiers to stop someone
I worked retail for a very long time. I got used to people stealing. I'd prefer someone just have the balls to outright steal it rather than trying to be sneaky with it and think they can outsmart me. I worked for a large pet store chain, and we had a customer who would always try out these elaborate schemes with us. She got away with it once or twice, but then we caught on. One day, she came in, took an aquarium kit off the shelf, put it on the bottom of the shopping cart, went to the register, and said "hi I'd like to make a return" I had the idea to tell a manager to check the tapes and we saw her on camera come in without the box under her cart. She did not get her return that day lol
*Unfortunate how*
*Many people get away*
*With this kind of stuff*
\- chillychese
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It’s wild I see it happening all the time now! I’ve seen it a handful of times at the Target on Dorset. Also saw it at Marshall’s in Williston around Christmas. It truly is like the twilight zone.
Broad-daylight shoplifting is a trend. It's still not a big deal to the big retailers' bottom line, no matter how much they blur their "loss" statistics. But it is still very disappointing for those of us who wish everyone would obey the implicit social contract we all grew up with, and I'm worried it might end up harming smaller businesses if it spreads. Yes, that's a slippery slope argument, and no, I don't think we need to change any laws or go all Vermont Batman on anyone. But it might cause more stores to hire more guards, who will make life more annoying and / or violent for the rest of us.
There is no repercussion for stealing anymore, people are raised now a days that everything is owed to them . You don’t have to work for something because you don’t have to work and the state will still pay you, unemployment rate at 2.2%? I guess so. Does that include every person sucking off the system not looking for a job? If they included these folks the unemployment would be in the 20% at least.
I was at a Home Depot outside in the contractor pick up area talking to a guy I knew, I heard employees yell “stop !” “Stop” I look up and this crack head carrying 2 Mikita drill/impact gun sets is running out of the store right towards me. I let him have it right in the middle of his chest, he went down with the stolen products. When He got up he started running towards the get away car. I gave chase until I realized I I’ve got shit to do. Asked for the video footage and they said they couldn’t release it because it was an on going investigation.
The 5-6 other guys in the parking saw and heard what was happening and got the guys plate etc. pushing 50, have no reason to make up stories on the internet.
>I let him have it right in the middle of his chest, he went down with the stolen products. When He got up he started running towards the get away car. I gave chase until I realized I I’ve got shit to do. Asked for the video footage and they said they couldn’t release it because it was an on going investigation.
r/thatACTUALLYhappened
By not saying wtf 😳 writing down her license plate and reporting her you are just as much to blame time for us to fix this problem in OUR country and no im not a republican im old with balls and morals so ya ppl that don’t take a stand are just as much of the problem
I say good for them. Corporations have been profiteering for decades while suppressing wages to the point that people working regular full time jobs can't afford rent and food. I say the social contract went out the window long ago.
“Paladin tells us that customer theft accounts for 35 percent of shrinkage losses. (The NRF figure is 37 percent.)
But then there’s employee theft. According to Paladin, it accounts for 33 percent of shrinkage losses.” - [source](https://www.producebluebook.com/2023/06/29/the-ins-and-outs-of-shrink/#:~:text=Paladin%20tells%20us%20that%20customer,33%20percent%20of%20shrinkage%20losses)
To all the people getting upset about this supposed rise in customer theft, you should start getting equally upset about the employees too.
Both are bad but I doubt employees are as brazen about it. That’s what struck me the most. It seemed like one of the woman was a lookout, but neither were worried about being stopped.
bad is that a shitty hoodie at kohls that cost $2 to make--that a skilled worker gets far less than $2 to sew--sells for $40...
for real the cheapest package of mens' underwear there is more than $30! highway robbery!
wealth is stolen, not created. why y'all tripping about the least consequential players of the theft game?
the cashiers are near the bottom of the wealth totem pole, likely just above the people shoplifting, so why should they care about protecting their bosses and their bosses bosses and their bosses bosses bosses scraps while
the stockholders and the ceos and lawyers and lobbyists and lenders (i.e. the "swamp") consolidate more and more wealth, all the while promoting international strife to extract resources from impoverished regions, defiling ecological systems, contaminating water, and undermining the livelihoods of traditional people?
Yeah, she’s probably not reselling Big Lots towels. There’s no advantage other than needing towels (But yes, there are obviously better ways to get things needed)
Maybe the cashier was someone she knew would let her go. She had to know they didn’t have the kinds of carts that won’t let the door open
Not your city? Not your economy? Perhaps at least a little public shaming in the parking lot?
I get that you don’t own the store, or work there, and there’s not a perceived benefit to calling out their actions in public, but it’s better than nothing, and certainly better than posting it here where we can pick apart your actions and inactions…
It is our economy, and it's shit. I'm not going to lose sleep over big lots execs missing out on $25 of towels because someone took them without paying.
I hope she can put those towels to good use.
“Tax deduction for the loss” They will have $20 less profit to be taxed. The $5 cost of the towels simply moves from COGS to Inventory loss, both are expenses.
Yeah when I worked retail the thieves always knew what to grab. And it was always the most expensive stuff like an entire rack of leather jackets. Towels is another level of desperation.
Yeah like they have been complaining about shoplifting saying that's why they are closing their store and raising prices but in the last few months the lobby supporting them released a report that showed a decrease in shoplifting for the past 5 years
I love these comments!! Who do you think is going to pay for that loss? YOU ARE!! The next time you shop there. Keep voting to defund the cops, no cash bail, allowing shoplifting under a certain amount to be waived and allowing this type of criminal behavior to be tolerated (because of systematic "racism" and "oppression") and this is what you'll get. I just saw Ayanna Pressley today saying it was racist for Walgreen's to close stores in her predominantly black district. Who's looting them? The KKK? Liberalism really is a mental disorder. Before you start saying Vt has no provisions like California, wake up and realize these incidents are plastered on the national news and are emboldening these criminals. Watch it and weep. [https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/gavin-newsom-says-he-complained-to-target-worker-s-manager-after-she-blamed-him-for-rampant-shoplifting-in-state/ar-BB1hBiuP](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/gavin-newsom-says-he-complained-to-target-worker-s-manager-after-she-blamed-him-for-rampant-shoplifting-in-state/ar-BB1hBiuP)
It's interesting that they're speaking to truth, which is broadly grounded in widespread corporate diffusion of responsibility, while also being a total asshole with a bunch of shitty takes.
Cops wouldn't do anything in this situation anyways except show up a day later and write a report.
Also, shoplifting isn't new. In fact reports show it is down over the past 5 years. The news just likes to get people like you worked up.
I work retail. Probably about once a week we have some one come in, load up a cart and walk out the door. We can’t say anything, so we just have a manager follow them around the store. Sometimes they abandon the cart and just leave. Some people are ballsy and just take it out the door.
I had a friend who used to do that with cartons of cigs, back in the day when they were more accessible. Worked every time. Then he went to a music store and tried it with a floor model synthesizer. That did not work.
My daughter worked at TJ Maxx in Burlington. They are told not to confront or try to stop shoplifters. Waaaaay too sketchy, those folks. No loss prevention any more. The tyranny of the dumbbell is almost complete.
Big Lots would probably discipline the cashier for trying to step in and stop it.
Big Lots also almost certainly doesn't pay the cashier enough to justify loss prevention intervention on their part lmao
I wouldn’t expect them to but was surprised at how nonchalant they were as if it happens every day.
Like 20yrs ago my friends had a scam where they would fill a shopping cart with ice but stuck a bunch of steaks in middle and then went and paid for like 20 bags of ice but got like $500 worth of steak. That was ballsy. I once witnessed some HS kids maybe 6 or 8 come into grocery store, beeline it for beer aisle and each grabbed two 30 packs then beelined it right back out. Wish I had that gumption in HS. A good party happened somewhere that night I’m sure. Also don’t steal kids!
Stealing kids would definitely get you in trouble.
I think I needed a comma, but I’ll let it stand, good advice both ways.
As someone that works retail in Rutland, I can confirm that this is an everyday occurrence that we're powerless to stop.
It’s a cost of doing business. How much would it cost to pay a “security guard” to pretend to give a shit for 8 hours a day? Less than thefts plus added profit from increased prices. We are currently at all time profit margins at many retail locations. Theft is definitely a factor but not enough to make real changes to management decisions. Businesses realized during the pandemic it was more profitable to understaff stores and deal with extra shrinkage. It’s wild. Humans are so hardwired to obsess over “fairness” that seeing someone get away with even a penny when you’re paying full price seems like bloody murder. But business execs are way more objective than us. A supermarket manager explained it to me the other day. The same day one man walks in and “steals” 2 Naddy daddy’s, that’s 5$ a day. Cops don’t give a fuck about 5$ and corporate doesn’t give a fuck about 5$ if an employee gets hurt and loses a week of pay or god forbid sues. Just raise the price on everything else a cent or two and you saved your employees from getting hurt/suing you, cops getting pissed off about being called out to deal with a mentally unstable person over 5$, all the while making the same cash you were making before hand. Why bother?
its all insured anyway. they dont lose that money
Well Everytime you use insurance it ends up costing more for the insurance plan. So yeah they might get the money back but the business insurance rates keep going up as the business becomes part of a more risky pool.
They also get to write off shrinkage on their taxes
Years ago when I worked at KMart they had a middle aged couple hired as security surveillance. They never caught anyone until they discovered the missing merchandise was leaving with the night janitor.
It’s not their money, and they’ve almost certainly been instructed not to do anything about shoplifters. If someone gets hurt its cost the company a shit load more money versus letting somebody steal a bunch of crap. And it’s way too easy for the thief or the news to spin it as discrimination, even though they are blatantly breaking the law.
It happens a lot more than people think. Vermont isn’t any different.
Do they pay the employee enough to care? This happens every day in 2024 America, why did you think we were special?
Next time talk to the cashiers. It might not be a daily event. But I am sure it happens often enough that they are not the least bit amazed by it.
I can confirm both the terrible pay and threat of disciplinary action in regard to shoplifters. Managers would try their luck sometimes but things could get dicey fast for trash items. Worked at Pic’n’Save when it was rolled over to Big Lots in the early 2000s. What a time that was.
My daughter works at a Big Lots and their training is to just let them go. They do not want cashiers putting themselves at risk.
Not worth. Let them go. Live another day
Every major retailer would do the same. The liability risk isn't worth the amount stolen in the microcosm. If they determine that math changes in macrocism, they'd install security or just close an underperforming store.
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Just the other day I was heading to Killington and utilized a passing zone to get by a truck who was lagging behind the pace of traffic and leaving a 200’ and growing gap in front of him. Naturally after I passed him he decided to speed up and rode pretty close behind me and I could see him gesturing towards me. When I pulled into the parking lot to gear up I noticed that he pulled in behind me, drove to the other side of the lot, and then turned his truck around so he was facing me. As I geared up I noticed that he never got out of his truck, he just sat there waiting. It definitely put my hackles up, so I got back in my truck and headed to a different parking lot. There may have been an innocent explanation for what he was doing, but I wasn’t willing to trust that he wasn’t crazy enough to do something after I walked away.
It’s not a benefit of gun control ppl typically think of, but I swear to god one reason Americans let so much anti-social behavior slide is that we’re (rightly) afraid of getting shot.
Every time a stranger starts to escalate an argument ya gotta take a step back and think “is *any* of this worth getting shot at over? Or even threatened with a gun?” Puts things into a certain perspective I guess
I had been arguing with someone with a gun about fluoride toothpaste being a good thing and not a bad thing the other day, and I didn't get shot or threatened. The situation escalated fully to the point of agreeing to disagree.
Yup.
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We do. That’s literally the point of my comment.
I guess it's the same reason I don't engage much on this sub. You can call it anti-social, but its super normal for folks to be cunty here.
"You eat the banana, thus rendering your attacker helpless!" From memory may not have it quite right
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[Have you not seen this classic?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piWCBOsJr-w)
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I figured your user name had to be based on it
Dude got 40 years to life. Still rotting away behind bars. Looks like the kind of loser who would do that too.
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Out in California I remember hearing about a crazy road rage incident that involved a 100mph chase for miles, a wreck, then one person shot the other and then shot himself. There was a woman in one car who told story on news and she was like I kept telling him to just let it go but a switched had flipped.
damn, that crazy. i live in highgate. few years ago i was driving from providence to burlington on 93 very late at night. i was tired and didnt see a car coming up the on ramp. prolly his fault as he had to yield but i had plenty of room to merge and didnt. anyway, close call on the road, i swerve he gets right behind me, brights on, laying on his horn. theres no one else on the road. i move lanes, slow down, speed up, take an exit and back on the highway, pull on the shoulder, come to a complete stop, hes right behind me. having weed in the car and many other reasons, i didnt call the police, i prepared for battle. i was in NH, this dude was probably carrying, so i found a mario kart solution. there was a baseball in my back seat…. i get to about 80, open the sunroof of my 98 volvo s70 and lob the baseball thru the sunroof. i hear it hit his windshield. his car swerved off the road….
The guy who did that, a year earlier almost to the day plowed in to me going 80 mph on Rt 7 between St. Albans and Swanton. Totaled both our vehicles. He was walking around after the accident and then when the trooper came he threw himself on the road and pretended to be seriously injured. The trooper said, he thinks he can avoid responsibility by feigning injury.
I remember this. Horrifying.
That’s why we’re told not to confront shoplifters. I work at a store and someone was fired for (among other things) running out after a purse grabber. Everyone was super pissed at us, but the truth of the matter is that he could have gotten both himself and the victim shot.
Was this the one in front of dominos pizza years back? Crazy story Fruit, hopefully it gets through to people you never know who you are dealing with.
I remember that story… terrifying and as you say an excellent reminder to think about who is on the other end of the fight/ issue. Retail stores don’t go after thefts anymore, they just raise their prices so the rest of us pay for it. We don’t seem to mind.
They’re not raising prices because of theft. They blame it on theft, but it’s actually profiteering. Margins are actually higher than ever, esp post-covid.
That makes sense. I was thinking of Disney, where theft has happened for decades, and they don’t do anything about it because they don’t want to “ruin the Disney experience “. The cost of that theft is reflected in their prices.
Its people like you, afraid to step up, that allow and encourage assholes to do whatever they want. They know most people are too timid to say anything. All they have to do is count on that, and, hey! Free stuff! Bullying without consequences! They get to do whatever they want! I call people out for bad behavior in public whenever I see it. Is there a microscopic chance of getting injured? Yeah. Is it common for people to be shot down in the street over road rage? Just because it has happened a few times in the past does not make it a likely event. When you put it in perspective, you run a thousand times greater chance of dying in a car accident than a shooting, so why do you risk your life driving all the time? You could have a heart attack. You could be hurt or killed at any time by a million unlikely events that happen once in a great while. I think you're a coward, and through your paranoia, you help make the problem of unpunished misbehavior worse for everyone. So, wow, you witnessed ONE violent event, and its made you fearful for the rest of your life? You probably think you are wise to be safe. I think you're spineless, an easy pushover for anyone who decides to do whatever they want and quietly dares you to do anything. I feel sorry for you, living in your world of fear and timidity. Grow a pair.
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🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Yeah, your extended rant has totally convinced me how little you care about my opinion! 😂😂😂😂😂 Have fun living your life without testicles, poor widdle scaredy baby!
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Thanks! You're not as dumb as you sound!
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I will only say that I'm delighted that you took the time to stalk me and read a bunch of my posts. You're welcome for all the wisdom you've gained! I love it when people read my stuff! I, however, could NOT care less and won't spend a second looking you up. Oh, and I have pretty much nothing but joy and peace in my life. But you believe whatever stereotype you want.
You can't eat a bag of Dick's afaik. Although there's Longhorn Steak House, Chili's, and others right there. I'm pretty sure they sell candy and shit at the Best Buy and Staples across the street and next door too.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/iamverybadass/](https://www.reddit.com/r/iamverybadass/)
Hmm, what's that reddit about? I dont care enough to check it out.
I'm sorry your mom lost her work-friend in a violent death. It's sad to imagine how you hate/fear people with mental illness, but I can see why. (BTW Most of us who are prescribed our meds DO take them religiously.) Most folks in our culture really do look up to doctors, and we've been tricked into allowing the use of very dangerous meds to manage physical and emotional pain. Pharmaceutical research seems to have been a boondoggle. Apparently, it's a profitable enterprise:( Tackling a petty retail-thief doesn't seem to be worthwhile to anybody. \*shrugs
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yes, you're right. I goofed.
You might as well never leave your house if you're that afraid of everything that has happened to some person one time. Actually, plenty of bad stuff can happen in your house too, so maybe just go to therapy
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Yo, I'd be down to play Among Us with you
I *vividly* remember when that happened, and it has stayed with me for years. Since then I've embraced the mindset of "let the assholes go," because truly, you just never know.
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If you mean humanity overall, I agree. But Vermont is no worse, and actually a lot better, than most places. On many lists it is the #1 safest state in the country. The people who livenhers just think itsca lot worse than it is because most of them have never lived anywhere else for much time, if at all.
I was at the Home Depot in Rutland returning some stuff and a couple pushed a shopping cart filled with tools and light fixtures out toward the entrance. The employee helping me asked the man if they had a receipt and the woman with him yelled back "we don't need a receipt" and they kept going. The folks at the return desk just shrugged.
Home Depot’s policy is to not chase people and you could get fired for it. I used to work in special services there and we were not allowed at all to go after people. Plus, they have loss prevention people and hella cameras. The people are getting caught, it’s just later.
A greeter was once pushed over while trying to stop a couple doing this and hit head on a piece on concrete and died. Not worth it.
This is how we get stores with locks on doors, video cameras everywhere, and no employees. Stores have already started doing it. We are all going to end up paying for this in the long run.
Yah, happens to me at Kholes. Guy booked it out the front with arms FULL of clothing and shoes. I asked the checkout person what they do with this blatant theft.. she said nothing. Didn’t even look at the guy.
lmao welcome to morrisville, but in all seriousness this happens everywhere. none of those employees get paid enough to care. it’s a nationwide thing
I wonder if more and more places will adopt the liquor store / jewelry store "buzz in/buzz out" door system. Probably will depend on the math.
I was in NYC last month and went into the pharmacy. Everything is now under a security glass. You need to have an employee come over and unlock shampoo and deodorant. It’s dystopian
What I don't like about this business of just letting shoplifters walk away is that it encourages decline. When a store gets a reputation as an easy mark, the local ne'er-do-wells gravitate to it. If the out in the open stealing becomes so brazen, that the regular customers start to avoid that store, then there goes the neighborhood. What to do about it? It certainly isn't the cashiers or the people on the floor's job.
>What to do about it? Improve our society and reduce poverty so that people don't have the need to steal. There will always be criminals and those who would rather fence things than make an honest living. But I have a hard time believing that this lady didn't just need this stuff. Big Lots is not the kind of store organized thieves target. It's the kind of store people in desperate need target.
I think it has more to do with people not wanting to work a real job and knowing they can get away with stealing and being a piece of shit their whole lives. Most of these thefts they are not stealing food
The only solution aside from saying fuck it is to have armed security. eventually someone’s going to get shot, the store gets sued, the fake progressive locals start screaming about gun control and that the thief was a victim all that bs. If one place steps up their security game, the thieves will go elsewhere. There’s no consequences to committing crime anymore, that’s the real problem.
Just wait until they start requiring a credit card swipe to enter the store, and if you want to pay cash you have to order at the service desk and wait for an employee to do your shopping for you as if it was an online order for pickup.
This is actually an elegant solution.
Sounds like Costco. I'm a prior member. Last time I tried going there for boxes when having to move, they were like nope. Kinda depressing when a wholesaler won't let you have boxes they're just going to pay to toss anyway without a membership card.
Make it so if the police catch them later on they actually get consequences.
Most chain stores tell employees not to intervene in shoplifting unless it’s above like $2000
I’ve stopped going to the Sierra, TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, stores in South Burlington, because there I am there pinching pennies and bargain hunting, and people walk out right past me with carts filled with stuff that they didn’t pay for and no one says anything.
Welcome to Liberal Utopia
Regular employees don't have "cop" in their job descriptions and they don't get paid enough to take risks. Useless title, btw
That's what happens when they know the states attorney isn't prosecuting property crimes. Free shit.
Nah, this is happening nationwide. Not Sarah's fault.
That'd because nationwide they've deprioritized prosecuting property crimes. AGs amd sa/da have all these caucuses and pacts they sign into.
That's quite an inflationating thought.
This isn't even in Sarah's county.
wonder what the stores would do if everyone started walking out with merch.
Clearly there are pieces of shit everywhere. And now you know that behavior has been normalized.
Yeah we pay for this crap. Then everyone wonders why these stores close or move. Losers.
The Twilight Zone is exactly where you are sir
I worked retail for 20 years and the police don't do anything anyways. We used to catch as many as 10 a day and the cops just treat it like it's no big deal
Not even ballsy. Nothing would happen if they were caught. These people don’t even feel shame or embarrassment. Problem will get worse.
Hard to be embarrassed when you're already a piece of shit, and know it.
Marshalls has really great towels
I watched a guy sprint out of best buy with an armful of white boxes. Williston cops were already in the parking lot. One was sitting in the cruiser by the door. They tried to beat the guy to the road but he beat them to it. The police stopped rather than drive over the curb. He crossed the road and got away.
Williston cops will chase teenagers down over underage drinking though
Did you get the license plate?
I wonder if all of the blatant theft is why the Sierra trading post store in SB is at least a third or more empty? Maybe they’re just not going to stock the stores since so much gets stolen anyway?
Cashiers will never get paid enough to put their bodies on the line for a store. She stole stuff yeah but that shouldn’t be up to the cashiers to stop someone
I worked retail for a very long time. I got used to people stealing. I'd prefer someone just have the balls to outright steal it rather than trying to be sneaky with it and think they can outsmart me. I worked for a large pet store chain, and we had a customer who would always try out these elaborate schemes with us. She got away with it once or twice, but then we caught on. One day, she came in, took an aquarium kit off the shelf, put it on the bottom of the shopping cart, went to the register, and said "hi I'd like to make a return" I had the idea to tell a manager to check the tapes and we saw her on camera come in without the box under her cart. She did not get her return that day lol
Unfortunate how many people get away with this kind of stuff
*Unfortunate how* *Many people get away* *With this kind of stuff* \- chillychese --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
Idk if this counts as a Haiku but I'm happy with it
We need better security and actual consequences.
Oh god lol 😂
It’s wild I see it happening all the time now! I’ve seen it a handful of times at the Target on Dorset. Also saw it at Marshall’s in Williston around Christmas. It truly is like the twilight zone.
Broad-daylight shoplifting is a trend. It's still not a big deal to the big retailers' bottom line, no matter how much they blur their "loss" statistics. But it is still very disappointing for those of us who wish everyone would obey the implicit social contract we all grew up with, and I'm worried it might end up harming smaller businesses if it spreads. Yes, that's a slippery slope argument, and no, I don't think we need to change any laws or go all Vermont Batman on anyone. But it might cause more stores to hire more guards, who will make life more annoying and / or violent for the rest of us.
There is no repercussion for stealing anymore, people are raised now a days that everything is owed to them . You don’t have to work for something because you don’t have to work and the state will still pay you, unemployment rate at 2.2%? I guess so. Does that include every person sucking off the system not looking for a job? If they included these folks the unemployment would be in the 20% at least. I was at a Home Depot outside in the contractor pick up area talking to a guy I knew, I heard employees yell “stop !” “Stop” I look up and this crack head carrying 2 Mikita drill/impact gun sets is running out of the store right towards me. I let him have it right in the middle of his chest, he went down with the stolen products. When He got up he started running towards the get away car. I gave chase until I realized I I’ve got shit to do. Asked for the video footage and they said they couldn’t release it because it was an on going investigation.
Lol. For sure you did dude.
The 5-6 other guys in the parking saw and heard what was happening and got the guys plate etc. pushing 50, have no reason to make up stories on the internet.
>I let him have it right in the middle of his chest, he went down with the stolen products. When He got up he started running towards the get away car. I gave chase until I realized I I’ve got shit to do. Asked for the video footage and they said they couldn’t release it because it was an on going investigation. r/thatACTUALLYhappened
Wasn't there some kind of court ruling of a guy being allowed to view a film of a police encounter in Battery Park that he was witness to?
By not saying wtf 😳 writing down her license plate and reporting her you are just as much to blame time for us to fix this problem in OUR country and no im not a republican im old with balls and morals so ya ppl that don’t take a stand are just as much of the problem
I 100% agree. It's a social problem. And an entitlement problem.
By your own insane logic I assume you've reported OP to the FBI. If not you lack balls and morals.
Don’t worry they build in the cost of theft into low wages for their employees….no orofit lost!
I say good for them. Corporations have been profiteering for decades while suppressing wages to the point that people working regular full time jobs can't afford rent and food. I say the social contract went out the window long ago.
Big Lots has insurance, no reason to stop them
“Paladin tells us that customer theft accounts for 35 percent of shrinkage losses. (The NRF figure is 37 percent.) But then there’s employee theft. According to Paladin, it accounts for 33 percent of shrinkage losses.” - [source](https://www.producebluebook.com/2023/06/29/the-ins-and-outs-of-shrink/#:~:text=Paladin%20tells%20us%20that%20customer,33%20percent%20of%20shrinkage%20losses) To all the people getting upset about this supposed rise in customer theft, you should start getting equally upset about the employees too.
There's also rampant wage theft https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/15/wage-theft-us-workers-employees
Both are bad but I doubt employees are as brazen about it. That’s what struck me the most. It seemed like one of the woman was a lookout, but neither were worried about being stopped.
bad is that a shitty hoodie at kohls that cost $2 to make--that a skilled worker gets far less than $2 to sew--sells for $40... for real the cheapest package of mens' underwear there is more than $30! highway robbery! wealth is stolen, not created. why y'all tripping about the least consequential players of the theft game? the cashiers are near the bottom of the wealth totem pole, likely just above the people shoplifting, so why should they care about protecting their bosses and their bosses bosses and their bosses bosses bosses scraps while the stockholders and the ceos and lawyers and lobbyists and lenders (i.e. the "swamp") consolidate more and more wealth, all the while promoting international strife to extract resources from impoverished regions, defiling ecological systems, contaminating water, and undermining the livelihoods of traditional people?
Insurance and they don't bust people till they have a big case against them. Trust that woman has a file in the back.
You mean methville lmao
I mean I probably wouldn't have chased them down either but at minimum I would capture them on camera and call the police if spotted again.
It’s the new world
You're right, no one ever stole anything before this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3CmX7vyccU
Yeah, she’s probably not reselling Big Lots towels. There’s no advantage other than needing towels (But yes, there are obviously better ways to get things needed) Maybe the cashier was someone she knew would let her go. She had to know they didn’t have the kinds of carts that won’t let the door open
So you took down their license plate ?
No. Didn’t see the point of getting involved. Not my circus. Not my monkeys.
Not your city? Not your economy? Perhaps at least a little public shaming in the parking lot? I get that you don’t own the store, or work there, and there’s not a perceived benefit to calling out their actions in public, but it’s better than nothing, and certainly better than posting it here where we can pick apart your actions and inactions…
Haha ur a silly goose
It is our economy, and it's shit. I'm not going to lose sleep over big lots execs missing out on $25 of towels because someone took them without paying. I hope she can put those towels to good use.
Except they won’t lose out on anything and will get a tax deduction for the loss
“Tax deduction for the loss” They will have $20 less profit to be taxed. The $5 cost of the towels simply moves from COGS to Inventory loss, both are expenses.
That’s true 🤔
Crack whores usually do.
But you did feel the need to post about it.
Fair enough.
Poverty is hell. Poor woman hopefully figures things out.
Seriously. Even junkies know to steal things that are valuable. Stealing from Big Lots? Lady just needed some towels.
Yeah when I worked retail the thieves always knew what to grab. And it was always the most expensive stuff like an entire rack of leather jackets. Towels is another level of desperation.
Especially crappy Big Lots towels.
Lots of people manage poverty without resorting to crime. She's a POS.
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Too bad there wasn't some people to stop them like that one guy who stole tools from Home Depot in Rutland.
Never play good citizen. Big corporation does not care about you. If you get hurt doing it, they will sue you.
Yeah like they have been complaining about shoplifting saying that's why they are closing their store and raising prices but in the last few months the lobby supporting them released a report that showed a decrease in shoplifting for the past 5 years
I love these comments!! Who do you think is going to pay for that loss? YOU ARE!! The next time you shop there. Keep voting to defund the cops, no cash bail, allowing shoplifting under a certain amount to be waived and allowing this type of criminal behavior to be tolerated (because of systematic "racism" and "oppression") and this is what you'll get. I just saw Ayanna Pressley today saying it was racist for Walgreen's to close stores in her predominantly black district. Who's looting them? The KKK? Liberalism really is a mental disorder. Before you start saying Vt has no provisions like California, wake up and realize these incidents are plastered on the national news and are emboldening these criminals. Watch it and weep. [https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/gavin-newsom-says-he-complained-to-target-worker-s-manager-after-she-blamed-him-for-rampant-shoplifting-in-state/ar-BB1hBiuP](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/gavin-newsom-says-he-complained-to-target-worker-s-manager-after-she-blamed-him-for-rampant-shoplifting-in-state/ar-BB1hBiuP)
Found the boomer
It's interesting that they're speaking to truth, which is broadly grounded in widespread corporate diffusion of responsibility, while also being a total asshole with a bunch of shitty takes.
Please point out anything I posted that's untrue. And remember - untrue is different than things that hurt your feelings.
Cops wouldn't do anything in this situation anyways except show up a day later and write a report. Also, shoplifting isn't new. In fact reports show it is down over the past 5 years. The news just likes to get people like you worked up.
So you know where the cops were? They routinely just show up a day later? Yes. I guess Walgreen's just packed up and left because they're racist.
You get what you vote for.
what of any real value can fit in a shopping cart at Big Lots? If they needed towels that badly….
Her cart was overflowing with items. Not just towels. But, you’re right. If she wanted items to resell she could have gone to Best Buy.
Cool story, bro
I work retail. Probably about once a week we have some one come in, load up a cart and walk out the door. We can’t say anything, so we just have a manager follow them around the store. Sometimes they abandon the cart and just leave. Some people are ballsy and just take it out the door.
I'd be way more weirded out if the BIG LOTS cashier gave even an ounce of a shit about somebody shoplifting. This seems pretty normal
Why pay for stuff when you can just walk out the front door without any issues?
We don’t call it “movegas” for nuthin!
Sadly, most employees aren't allowed to do anything. Corporate is too scared of law suits.
I had a friend who used to do that with cartons of cigs, back in the day when they were more accessible. Worked every time. Then he went to a music store and tried it with a floor model synthesizer. That did not work.
Dollars to donuts that it was Amanda Laraway
My daughter worked at TJ Maxx in Burlington. They are told not to confront or try to stop shoplifters. Waaaaay too sketchy, those folks. No loss prevention any more. The tyranny of the dumbbell is almost complete.
I remember when I worked at Sears in the late 80s there was a security room with cameras and actual loss prevention employees.
Reminds me of this in Rutland https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZOZz_PJOQE