I started my "professional" career in retailing. First as assistant manager in a clothing store (Robert Hall), then as manager, then I moved to a discount department store (Hills), then I got out of retailing. Time period 1973-76.
My first introduction to serious shoplifting was in Youngstown, Ohio, where it mainly came in the form of women "shoppers" carrying "purses" that were as large as a medium-sized suitcase. They would come in to the store with the purse empty and leave with the bag full to overflowing, but we were cautioned that if we didn't actually see the merchandise being stuffed in the bag, we couldn't accost them for theft. When we stopped them and called the police, the police would ask us what, exactly, we saw being stolen, and if the goods in the bag didn't match, they would let them go. Much of the theft took place on Friday evenings, and sometimes the same clothing came back on Sunday, for "refund." Our computer systems at the time were too primitive to "realize" that those garments hadn't actually been sold, so there was little we could do about it. Drove me crazy.
At Hill's Department Store, we had a guy whose job was to deal with shoplifting, and our guy was the Picasso of store security. He would scan the store with binoculars from hidden windows high up on the walls and nab the bastards - usually teens stealing little stuff. He would talk them into buying the stuff (call their parents in to pay for it sometimes), making them think that if they paid for it they would get off, THEN he would call the local police. It was beautifully diabolical.
Once I got out of retailing I rarely gave it another thought, although I do recall reading an article one time stating that a large portion of retail theft was actually done by employees - almost half - and that set me back. But I guess it was/is true.
It came to my mind recently because my wife and I have been looking for various things to purchase by checking on the internet to see where they have it in stock, and then when we drive to that store we find that often they don't have what the computer says they have. This past Saturday I was purchasing a small set of dumbbells for my wife at Target. The computer said they had 5 in stock but there were only two left, thankfully, so I bought them.
When leaving the store I ran into an acquaintance who had been working at that store as their HR person for a couple years and we got into a conversation about general things, and I mentioned the fact of the missing dumbbells. "Shoplifting," she said immediately. "It has reached epic proportions during the pandemic."
The retailers don't like to talk about it because if they publicize how badly they are getting ripped off, it will call attention to how easy it is to do, and it will likely make the problem worse.
Are we really that bad?
Thoughts? Observations?
My first introduction to serious shoplifting was in Youngstown, Ohio, where it mainly came in the form of women "shoppers" carrying "purses" that were as large as a medium-sized suitcase. They would come in to the store with the purse empty and leave with the bag full to overflowing, but we were cautioned that if we didn't actually see the merchandise being stuffed in the bag, we couldn't accost them for theft. When we stopped them and called the police, the police would ask us what, exactly, we saw being stolen, and if the goods in the bag didn't match, they would let them go. Much of the theft took place on Friday evenings, and sometimes the same clothing came back on Sunday, for "refund." Our computer systems at the time were too primitive to "realize" that those garments hadn't actually been sold, so there was little we could do about it. Drove me crazy.
At Hill's Department Store, we had a guy whose job was to deal with shoplifting, and our guy was the Picasso of store security. He would scan the store with binoculars from hidden windows high up on the walls and nab the bastards - usually teens stealing little stuff. He would talk them into buying the stuff (call their parents in to pay for it sometimes), making them think that if they paid for it they would get off, THEN he would call the local police. It was beautifully diabolical.
Once I got out of retailing I rarely gave it another thought, although I do recall reading an article one time stating that a large portion of retail theft was actually done by employees - almost half - and that set me back. But I guess it was/is true.
It came to my mind recently because my wife and I have been looking for various things to purchase by checking on the internet to see where they have it in stock, and then when we drive to that store we find that often they don't have what the computer says they have. This past Saturday I was purchasing a small set of dumbbells for my wife at Target. The computer said they had 5 in stock but there were only two left, thankfully, so I bought them.
When leaving the store I ran into an acquaintance who had been working at that store as their HR person for a couple years and we got into a conversation about general things, and I mentioned the fact of the missing dumbbells. "Shoplifting," she said immediately. "It has reached epic proportions during the pandemic."
The retailers don't like to talk about it because if they publicize how badly they are getting ripped off, it will call attention to how easy it is to do, and it will likely make the problem worse.
Are we really that bad?
Thoughts? Observations?
