Boycott Safeway Supermarket

Off Topic
341

This is an interesting and telling part of the article:

[quote]
Famished, the former Air Force staff sergeant picked up the two sandwiches that together cost $5. She openly munched on one while they shopped, saving the wrapper to be scanned at the register later.

But they forgot to pay for the sandwiches as they checked out with about $50 worth of groceries.[/quote]

They picked up two sandwiches, she ate one, but they “forgot” to pay for both. Where was the other one? Forgetting one used wrapper is one thing, but another whole sandwich? Is this article poorly written or are crucial facts being glossed over?

342

Further, a lot of this thread has discussed the lady’s intent in eating and paying for the sandwich, and the elements of a crime. From the security guard/loss prevention standpoint, he had all of the elements he needed to make the stop: the sandwich was selected, used/eaten/concealed, and left the store without being paid for.

If she simply forgot may be relevant to the courts, but not to Loss Prevention. We hear that story all the time. The variable with the guard is how he approached the situation and handled the customer interaction. For example, we have one guy on our loss prevention team who is damn good at finding shoplifters, but he lacks a certain bedside manner and ends up in way more fights than the rest of the loss prevention team combined.

I rarely get into a violent altercation when I make apprehensions because I am usually pretty good at talking to and reasoning with people. I wonder if the guard in this story was a bit of a prick and may have incited a disturbance from the couple, if they indeed caused a disturbance as I speculated above.

Also, whether or not they paid for $50 worth of groceries apart from the sandwiches means very little to me. I see that all the time. I don’t understand it, but it is very common for shoplifters to conceal one thing but pay for several other items, when they have enough money to cover it.

In this particular story, the biggest issue to me is not whether they intended to steal or simply forgot, or that they purchased other groceries. That would not weigh into my decision to stop them so much as the fact that they had a kid with them, and if it turns into a shitstorm, just as any apprehension could, I’m going to look like the bigger asshole no matter what happens, just because I’m stopping a pregnant lady with a 2-year-old, regardless of what they stole or how they reacted. It’s a PR issue.

343

I made a bust last night with some similarities and some noteworthy differences: A young white couple selected an oatmeal energy bar and walked through the store. They continued to shop for other items while they ate the bar, the female carefully held it in the palm of her hand close to her body and broke off pieces for herself and her boyfriend.

When they were finished, the girl stuffed the empty wrapper in her pocket. So I continue to follow to see if they actually produce the wrapper at checkout to pay for it, thankful that they are not big, black bodybuilders. The male takes the groceries to checkout to legitimately purchase them, but the girl leaves the store.

I contact the girl, ID myself as security, and ask about the wrapper, which is still in her pocket of course. She has passed all points of sale, made no effort to pay for the item, which was selected, eaten, and concealed. No brainer for me. I take her to the security office.

I could have nabbed up the guy when he was done making his purchases, since he helped eat it, but didn’t want to go overboard for this $2 item. Besided, she admitted that she selected it, held it the whole time, and put it in her pocket. I let the guy walk out, which makes my job easier, although I was surprised the pussy made no effort to defend his woman or even wait for her.

It was an easy, textbook shoplift incident. I did my paperwork, took her photo, banned her from the store, and the police cited her for shoplifting. Court date is next month. She was out and on her way in about 15 minutes.

Now, if they had had a kid with them, or if the wrapper was left in the cart and the cashier missed it, I would have simply given a reminder to pay for it. If it was still in the cart, that could have been chalked up to an honest mistake. If they had a kid with them, I would look to avoid a potential shitstorm of bad PR for the store.

344

I fucking hate it when shoppers eat their selections in the store before they have paid for them. Even if they fully intend to pay for the wrapper, I still have to follow, because I don’t know what they are going to do.

I have seen a lot of people place an empty wrapper on the conveyer belt with their other items like it’s no big deal. I have also fished out empty wrappers from a trash can or from behind some other item on the shelf to wave in someone’s face as evidence as I stop them for shoplifting.

It bugs the hell out of me from a loss prevention standpoint.

I have also seen people pocket an item, and I get all amped up to stop them, but then they take it out at the register. I don’t know why they do this. In Nebraska, even the act of concealing merchandise that has not been paid for is illegal, but we don’t stop people for this reason alone, and I have never heard of someone being convicted of only that. They have to leave the store with it.

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Two thefts has been commited here without the shadow of a doubt.

the theft of taxpayer money commited by the store. for way more than $5.
the theft of my free time commited by all the admirably stubborn posters of this thread.

346

[quote]Christine wrote:

[quote]Professor X wrote:

[quote]biglifter wrote:

[quote]SkyzykS wrote:
This type of event does sort of speak to varying degrees of honesty that some people have. There really are a lot of people who believe that they can walk around a store chowing down and have no qualms or doubts at all about not paying for it.

My sis used to do this (and I’d assume still does) even to the extent of grabbing hands full of certain items like yogurt coated raisins, and virtually any small fruits or veggies and feeding them to her kid. I asked her about it once, and she said it wasn’t stealing at all, citing how much she was spending and the fact that “they don’t even count that type of stuff” as her rationale for doing it.

[/quote]

Right-o. Yet we have a few experts running around here saying that if you somehow present a scannable tag on some 1/2 empty bag, it’s not stealing whatsoever. I keep looking for that try before you buy sign at my local store. So far, nothing.[/quote]

Yep…I don’t see those signs either.

I wonder if I can use the toilet paper before I leave the store?[/quote]

I have also never seen one sign in any grocery store that I have ever visited that eating while shopping is prohibited.[/quote]

do you really need a sign? some things are just common sense, people like this is why there are directions on pop-tarts

347

The bottom line, beyond Safeway PR, beyond the price of a sandwich, beyond the intent of the eater, and beyond the store policies, is that the little kid was taken from her parents for the night. Based on what we know (with some missing info), this was uncalled for and should not have happened barring some extreme circumstance.

348

[quote]Christine wrote:

[quote]biglifter wrote:

[quote]Christine wrote:

[quote]Professor X wrote:

[quote]biglifter wrote:

[quote]SkyzykS wrote:
This type of event does sort of speak to varying degrees of honesty that some people have. There really are a lot of people who believe that they can walk around a store chowing down and have no qualms or doubts at all about not paying for it.

My sis used to do this (and I’d assume still does) even to the extent of grabbing hands full of certain items like yogurt coated raisins, and virtually any small fruits or veggies and feeding them to her kid. I asked her about it once, and she said it wasn’t stealing at all, citing how much she was spending and the fact that “they don’t even count that type of stuff” as her rationale for doing it.

[/quote]

Right-o. Yet we have a few experts running around here saying that if you somehow present a scannable tag on some 1/2 empty bag, it’s not stealing whatsoever. I keep looking for that try before you buy sign at my local store. So far, nothing.[/quote]

Yep…I don’t see those signs either.

I wonder if I can use the toilet paper before I leave the store?[/quote]

I have also never seen one sign in any grocery store that I have ever visited that eating while shopping is prohibited.[/quote]

Ugh. Fail. There’s also no sign that clearly states raping our cashiers is prohibited. Store policy trumps all. [/quote]

It’s a fucking store selling mostly food items.

Loads of people eat while shopping. If the stores don’t like it, they should do something to prevent it.[/quote]

they are trying to, but all these people in the thread are bitching that they aren’t allowed, LOL

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Ulty, good posts. I agree.

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[quote]Professor X wrote:
Ulty, good posts. I agree.[/quote]

Do you also agree with what I said above?

Arrested for the night, mugshots, etc. for a 5$ sandwhich.

It’s true when they say that it’s much better to steal millions than cents.

351

Go to a supermarket in a predominantly black or hispanic part of the city. It’s not uncommon to see people sampling the fruit or opening a box of something and eating as they shop. The deli and produce clerk actually encourage you to taste it, as long as you don’t chow down a shit ton of food.

I used to give my kids apples while I shopped, sometimes I opened a box of dried fruit snacks for them to keep everybody happy. When I got to the cashier, I tell her to scan my bag of apples twice, because my kids ate half of them. Sometimes she did it, sometimes she just let it go.

That supermarket has been there for over 30 years without the customers eating them out of business. Maybe it’s just a cultural thang, but I don’t see what that poor woman did constitutes a crime of stealing. But then again, I ain’t no lawyer and fuck the police.

352

I over-analyze as well as the next guy…but this thread is nuts

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[quote]Edevus wrote:

[quote]Professor X wrote:
Ulty, good posts. I agree.[/quote]

Do you also agree with what I said above?

Arrested for the night, mugshots, etc. for a 5$ sandwhich.

It’s true when they say that it’s much better to steal millions than cents.[/quote]

What did you think I meant by the reaction being over the top? That is why I mentioned drug laws. We both agree on the expense and the waste…but it still a crime and if we focus on that, then we must also be against all of these other wastes of times and useless wastes of tax dollars…BUT PEOPLE AREN’T.

They will complain about this one story due to emotion or stereotypes…but say nothing against throwing some kid in jail for a week for carrying half a gram of weed.

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[quote]Yo Momma wrote:
Go to a supermarket in a predominantly black or hispanic part of the city. It’s not uncommon to see people sampling the fruit or opening a box of something and eating as they shop. The deli and produce clerk actually encourage you to taste it, as long as you don’t chow down a shit ton of food.

I used to give my kids apples while I shopped, sometimes I opened a box of dried fruit snacks for them to keep everybody happy. When I got to the cashier, I tell her to scan my bag of apples twice, because my kids ate half of them. Sometimes she did it, sometimes she just let it go.

That supermarket has been there for over 30 years without the customers eating them out of business. Maybe it’s just a cultural thang, but I don’t see what that poor woman did constitutes a crime of stealing. But then again, I ain’t no lawyer and fuck the police.[/quote]

Most of the big chains here in Houston, HEB, Kroger etc you cant go 10 feet without them giving you samples of shit to eat. I mean literally I see fat people going in there for their 3rd breakfast.

The rest of this thread is serious LOL.

355

Indeed.

What everyone seems to forget is this part :

[quote]
"They were led upstairs, where the couple expected to get a lecture, pay for the sandwiches, and be allowed on their way.

But store managers wouldn’t allow them to pay for the sandwiches, she said.

“I asked to talk to a manager and he said it was against their policy to pay for items that left the store,” she said. “The security guard said we were being charged with shoplifting.”[/quote]

baiscally and factually : the customers offered to pay for their sandwiches.
the store managers refused to take their customers money because of “their policy”.
Then they called the cops, who then had to call the Child Welfare Service.

IE : the store make YOU pay hundred of dollars because “their policy” prevented them to accept their $5.

And all people see is “they stole the sandwiches” ?!

The store managers should be heavily fined for abusing 9-11.
Period.

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[quote]kamui wrote:

The store managers should be heavily fined for abusing 9-11.
Period.

[/quote]

???

357

[quote]kamui wrote:
What everyone seems to forget is this part :

Correction: the store make YOU pay hundred of dollars because you shoplifted.

I think everyone agrees that the overall situation was handled poorly. But we also don’t know all of the facts.

It is a common policy - you shoplift, you face repercussions. If it is truly an honest mistake, it comes to a judgment call on how to handle it, not just from a legal perspective but from a liability and PR perspective. However, if someone is shoplifting, you can’t just let them say, “oops, ok I’ll pay for it now!” It’s not a game of hide and seek. Stores prosecute for shoplifting, and they have the right to do so. My store prosecutes EVERYONE.

The fucked up thing is how it all boiled down with the arrests, the amount of time it took, and what happened with the kid. We don’t know why all of that happened, and if the situation was handled properly, even if they had stolen a hundred sandwiches, there wouldn’t be such a shitstorm. But the policy itself is fair.

358

I just got back from the grocery store where my daughter and I enjoyed a light snack on organic gummy worms, as she normally gets a small snack because it gets her through shopping without being bored. I use the opportunity to teach about sharing, she is in charge of giving me some, as well as how it is important to pay for things you use and why it is important. We use the self checkout and I make it a point to her when I pay for our snack. But for some here I imagine are reading the following…

Eat food that has not been paid for…

blah blah blah…

stealing.

359

Ok, i’ll do it again :

what happened :
-the family eat a sandwich
-they doesn’t pay it
-they left the store
-they are arrested by the store’s security
-the family explains it’s a mistake and offers to repair said mistake by paying the sandwich.
-The store managers refuse to let them pay the sandwiches (because “it has left the store”, and “the store’s policy doesn’t allow them to”).
-The store managers call the police
-The police arrest the parents
-The police call the Child Welfare Service
-The Child Welfare Service take the child.

what could have happend :
-the family eat a sandwich
-they doesn’t pay it
-the security arrest them before they left the store
-the family explains it’s a mistake and offers to repair said mistake by paying the sandwich.
-The store managers accept the $5
-end of story

now,
-compare the cost for the community in these two scenarii.
-remember the store’s “loss” is $5
-remeber that this loss happened only because they let it happened

now ask yourself who is the real thief.

360

[quote]Tex Ag wrote:
I just got back from the grocery store where my daughter and I enjoyed a light snack on organic gummy worms, as she normally gets a small snack because it gets her through shopping without being bored. I use the opportunity to teach about sharing, she is in charge of giving me some, as well as how it is important to pay for things you use and why it is important. We use the self checkout and I make it a point to her when I pay for our snack. But for some here I imagine are reading the following…

Eat food that has not been paid for…

blah blah blah…

stealing.[/quote]

Nah, I wouldn’t see it that way. As the loss prevention guy, I would keep an eye on you to make sure you paid for it but in no way would consider you a thief unless you walked out the door without paying. If you linger in the store for a long time before paying I would get annoyed, but as soon as you scanned it, I would simply move on and keep looking for real shoplifters.