Shoplifting and shoplifters-the nerve of some of them

[1664kronenbourg]

You lot aren't going to believe this (it's true and you know what they say about truth being stranger than fiction):-
Yesterday a shoplifter entered the co-op, made his way into the kiosk and walked out with a few bottles and didn't pay for them and he came back again today and tried the same thing. I've even seen people just walk into the shop, grab a fridge pack of beer or cider and walk out without paying for them.
Are shoplifters getting brave as they know they're being watched on camera and proper customers who tell the staff that they've suspected a shoplifter?

 

[uber soldat]

It's probably an inside job, expect plod at your door soon.

 

[explicit4u]

Most of the shoplifters we used to get were like that, barely any of them bothered to run, just casually stroll in and walk out with a bottle of something nice. They know we're instructed not to intervene and if they get away with it once, they get braver.

Somewhat depressingly, the ones that did try to hide it were usually women stealing stuff like baby formula and basic food :/

 

[Hades]

That shop sounds an easy target. Where is it? Asking for a friend.

 

[Rannoch]

co-op is an easy target. I have seen people load up a basket full of meat and run out.

 

[Hotwired]

After a few run ins and not reforming they'll learn that the systems barely give a damn about them doing it.

As long as losses are kept to a manageable level a few degenerates yoinking a handful of items a day is whatever. No one's dying so it's a question of maybe £200 every single day per security role vs the value of theft which can be stopped.

I've heard places with anti-social behaviour issues get more security staff than places with high theft. Priorities. Guess that risks scaring off paying customers and getting bad press.

 

[1664kronenbourg]

Once I saw a shoplifter trying to rob some meat from the chillers and last year, we didn't have any security for over eight weeks. But you can always tell a shoplifter becuase they kick off when stopped at the doors and asked to open their bags.
But I wouldn't know what to look for unless a customer tells me they're suspecting a shoplifter (they're usually right). Recently, the same shoplifter came in twice in ten minutes on a late shift so the shop had to close early and I've seen what explict4u has seen and I even saw somebody just walk in off the street, get a ten pack of Strongbow (I don't do cider but somebody might have wanted it) and walk out without paying for it.

They usually go for the high value items like meat joints, fridge packs or bottles of wine but d'you know how embarrasing to help a customer by telling them where something is, only to find out that they're a shoplifter later?
How am I to know?

 

[1664kronenbourg]

co-op is an easy target. I have seen people load up a basket full of meat and run out.

Bit of a problem with the one where I work. There aren't any pubs in the vicinity to sell it in as the last one was converted into flats.

 

[jsmoke]

I guess once you've been to prison a few times and get used to it there's little hope or fear left. Some actually want to go back to prison as it's generally am easy life as you get everything done for you.

 

[bazzabear]

I used to work at a co-op back in the early 2000's. There was a right dodgy in-bred family from the nearby estate, there were dozens of them and they were very noticeable as they were all near-albino. They were forever shoplifting. On one occasion the womenfolk came in with their babies in prams and loaded up the underneath with booze and started walking out - classy! I wasn't even working at the time, I happened to be in there to shop myself. I asked if they fancied paying for anything, and one of the more charming ones asked in return if I fancied being punched in the face. We got security guards after that one, but half of them were even less scary than the rest of us.

The other two occasions I remember were walking round a corner to find a guy stuffing tins of stewing steak into his bomber jacket, and him legging it out of the store with them flying everywhere. And a kid on a BMX grabbing a pack of Maltesers - but I was in a bad mood so I legged it after him and grabbed them back out of his pocket as he was riding up the street. He was a dopey bugger - his mum worked there! So he got a proper telling off later. Although she was fairly dodgy too, so probably only for getting caught.

 

[Monkeynut]

When I worked at a convenience store the irish caravan club usually turned up once a week and would nick everything they could lay their hands on. A lot of it was baby milk formula so we only kept 1 of each kind on the shelf at a time. No point stopping them, you really going to risk getting smacked by them for minimum wage? Hell no.

 

[bazzabear]

After working there, I worked at a full size supermarket for a while. We would occasionally get a coded message over the tannoy which meant there was a shoplifter. I never even spotted one, since my department was right at the back so they were long gone by the time I got to the entrance. Didn't stop me haring off up the street for a few minutes though - more interesting than stacking shelves!

 

[Hotwired]

I guess once you've been to prison a few times and get used to it there's little hope or fear left. Some actually want to go back to prison as it's generally am easy life as you get everything done for you.

You think they go to prison?

It's rare: https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/offences/magistrates-court/item/theft-from-a-shop-or-stall/

You need to be yoinking maybe a grand and come across as an organised criminal.

People who are a bit weird in the head grabbing 2 bottles of scotch will be told not to do it again.

 

[Philtor]

We would occasionally get a coded message over the tannoy which meant there was a shoplifter.

What was the coded message? The bird is in the nest? There’s a tea leaf on the loose! Do tell…

 

[Nevakonaza]

I work in Retail and this is a daily thing, They'll literally walk in fill a bag with items, Grab something bigger more expensive (Yesterday was a wallpaper steamer) and try and walk out.

The issue is we do NOT have security anymore, Company thought it was a great idea to get rid of security guard at £250-300 a week and take a MUCH bigger loss to theft than just paying the security wages..
They think we should challenge them too, I think not! if i see one they can happily walk out the door with it..not having a knife pulled on me or assaulted.

 

[something daft already!!]

In the words of Tom Jones, It's not unusual. When I worked in retail, in a large dept store in the last century, there would often be gangs of thieves on the loose, pillaging as they go. Taking camcorders and CD players and Walkmen out of glass display cases. They were very good at it and very quick. It was all alarmed and some of the old security guards got a little too much enjoyment out of their jobs when pinning offenders to the ground, knee firmly planted in the small of the back and face planted. Some of the perpetrators were pretty scummy, some were people who were clearly just poor. A lot were drug addicts hoping to sell something on. A few were just simply just mad and should not be allowed out in public without supervision.

 

[Dave85]

Still remember to this day guy walking into currys casually picked up a dyson stacked at the front and walked out. No one batted an eyelid was bloomin tempted myself

 

[Rroff]

In the words of Tom Jones, It's not unusual.

Yeah - when I lived in London I'd often see quite brazen shoplifting in the Somerfield I used. One time an old guy just walked out the entrance with a bottle of whiskey despite the staff trying to stop him, head down just ignoring them.

 

[Stu999]

I guess once you've been to prison a few times and get used to it there's little hope or fear left. Some actually want to go back to prison as it's generally am easy life as you get everything done for you.

These people don’t go to prison.

 

[bazzabear]

What was the coded message? The bird is in the nest? There’s a tea leaf on the loose! Do tell…

I really can't remember, but it wasn't very interested. Something like "Mr Brown to the front desk". It meant all male staff run to the front of the store because something might happen. I guess it was other issues as well, but I only ever knew it used because someone had spotted a shoplifter.