Wally World Shoplifting

[AmericanZero8503]

Did anyone else hear that Walmart is going to stop prosecuting shoplifters who steal stuff under $25? This is in order to focus on employee stealing.

So does this mean that everything under $25 dollars is now free?

Also, why does it seem that companies would rather make their employees feel like criminals, but still give SC's refunds and returns for rediculous stuff?
(i.e. The store manager accepting a half a box of cereal because the lady's kids 'didn't like it.' Whereas my parents would have told me to shut up because there are kids starving in Africa.)

[CherryCokeKissez]

I did hear that! I saw it on the news the other day. The title underneath was something like, "Okay to steal at Wal Mart?" I laughed. I mean, I knew their stuff was cheap, but I didn't think they would stoop so far as "free"... ;)

[JustaCashier]

Yep, I heard about it too! And there's an age cut-off as well. Anyone under age 14(?) will, I believe, just be released to their parents.

"Okay Billy, you go steal an I-Pod for Daddy, and I'll a bunch of candy for you."

[Crow The Robot]

This is such a f----g joke, I hate the new policy it gives licenses to people to steal. We are allowed to prosecute people who disturb the business of the store or threaten violence. All the shoplifters who steal 25 or less from our store are the meanest, people we catch so i doubt his will have any effect on us.
Yeah, I hate it when employers treat us like criminals, telling us if we're late forom lunch that we are stealing company time, I usually want to say does it cost us as much as the six month old powerwheel for which you gave an refund.
oh, and AmericanZero, It's 'cause the customer is always right. Remember?

[cpux]

Stephen Colbert did a bit on that last night. And it's also made the rounds on the internet. With all that publicity, I'm predicting a huge increase in shrink (no pun intended) over the next few months for Wal-Mart.

[batmoody]

They do the same thing where I work. We have no cameras, (we are the only one of our stores in our town that doesnt), no security whatsoever. Of course, if we see a shoplifter, we arent allowed to apprehend.... ? But "corporate" will sit there and say that the leading cause of theft in our stores is by employees. They have this whole department set up to bust employees, the 1-800 #, auditors that go around making sure there is a receipt on your coke etc. Yet, some low life customer can walk out of the store with a stolen cart full of groceries, and we are supposed to ask if they want paper or plastic???? The only reason that "employees" are the leading cause of theft (as said by corporate) is becasue they drive their own statistics. Employees are the only ones they will bust. So thats how its going to look.
:wtf:

[toolbert]

that's going to ruin them more than they think. I think batmoody's right, corporate would rather put the blame on their own employees than their own store policy's encompetance. Its totally disrespectful to your employees that you show no trust in them whatsoever.

[Crosshair]

I work at Wal-Mart. From what I heard, the whole point was to give people a second chance and thefts under $25 really arn't worth it to prosecute. We are still going to go hard on repeat offenders and people who steal more than $25. I still think it's BS.

[CaroPhoenix]

I have heard the new Wal-Mart policy too. However, from what I have heard, the reson for Wal-Mart's new policy against shoplifters is that in the much smaller towns that Wal-Mart is located in, the police departments were complaining that they just didn't have the resources to arrest, book and jail all those who were shoplifting from Wal-Mart.

[Banrion]

OH NO!! Such bad timing on this though. Now Michelle Connolly (see PFB forum) is going to think it was her insane rantings that got the policy changed. I was fully in support of the prosecute everyone. That way there can't be any claims of profiling etc. It was one of the smarter things wally world was doing.

[Titi]

OH NO!! Such bad timing on this though. Now Michelle Connolly (see PFB forum) is going to think it was her insane rantings that got the policy changed. I was fully in support of the prosecute everyone. That way there can't be any claims of profiling etc. It was one of the smarter things wally world was doing.

Those were my thoughts exactly. And remember all 9 year olds go through a shoplifting phase, just let them do it. (according to her.)

[AmericanZero8503]

We just had a tracking system put in place on our Point of Sale system. The sign they posted in the break room says the system is to monitor employee theft. Interestingly it only monitors theft if they ring stuff through the computer. So employees can still walk out of the store with stuff (we have no cameras or security system...yay small town America, it's like we live in the 50's).
However they have had two employees arrested for supicision of theft, to the bewilderment of the police. Even with one officer saying "You really want me to arrest them." Another employee was question but the transaction occured on her day off...proving the system isn't foolproof.
My parents already gave me a lawyer's card. I called him and he told me if I'm interrogated to not give up any information, and to request that my lawyer be present. I have to cover my a** because I'm constantly doing stupid returns approved by stupid managers, who act like store policy is just pretty letters arranged on a piece of paper.
However Whitetrash Mullet Man can still come in and claim that he forgot his 30 pack of Keystone on the bottom of his cart and get's a free case. I'm treated like a criminal and under a system that is by no means foolproof.

It's times like these that I wish we had a union. At least the ones in California got stuff done.

[Clintmax]

I just heard about this too. I didn't believe it at first. But I guess it's true. I do NOT spend my money at Wal-Mart (I don't like the way they do business). I go to Target when I need something. I guess it is more trouble to get the lawyers on a piddley $25.00 theft...but STILL. :eek:

[dreamisle]

OH NO!! Such bad timing on this though. Now Michelle Connolly (see PFB forum) is going to think it was her insane rantings that got the policy changed. I was fully in support of the prosecute everyone. That way there can't be any claims of profiling etc. It was one of the smarter things wally world was doing.
As soon as I read the original post I thought of it too. Walmart! You're letting the psycho whore win! Noooooooo...........

[beercashier]

stealing is stealing, no matter the value of the product.

However, from what I have heard, the reson for Wal-Mart's new policy against shoplifters is that in the much smaller towns that Wal-Mart is located in, the police departments were complaining that they just didn't have the resources to arrest, book and jail all those who were shoplifting from Wal-Mart.
There could be truth to this. My brother used to work for a small town police department and they told the local grocery store they were going to have to be more careful about accepting checks because they were spending so much time on people with bounced checks!

[CanadaGirl]

If they can afford it, so be it. Walmart makes billions of dollars a year, $10-20 here and there won't hurt them.

[Crosshair]

If they can afford it, so be it. Walmart makes billions of dollars a year, $10-20 here and there won't hurt them.
Yea, it comes straight out of MY profit sharing check. I got $600 last year. Under the new system I will probably get more, but only if these punks get nailed and our shrink stays low.:chipper:

[Jester]

Um, who is Michelle Connolly?

[Barefootgirl]

$10 here and $10 there may not seem like much...but how many stores does Wal-Mart have in the USA alone? 3000-odd? If just half of those, say 1500 stores, let five $25 thefts just happen, in one week, that's almost $188k in revenue down the drain. Yes, WM makes billions, but do you really think they're going to just sit back and let those hundreds of thousands of dollars vanish into thin air? Of course not, they're going to claw it back from people like you and me, and from their suppliers. They're going to charge you and me more for our breakfast cereal and fish fingers, and pay Fred the farmer 5 cents less for his produce, kicking his family in the ribs as well.

[beercashier]

Should we all just walk up to the register and tell the cashier not to ring up our first $25 of merchandise because we are going to steal that stuff?

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Now, would this mean you only get prosecuted if you steal more than $25 in one attempt?

So a person could keep stealing and get away with it as long as he/she makes sure the total value of the items stolen is less than $25 each time? Is LP going to take the time to watch people and establish a pattern?

I agree, Wally World's shrink is going to go up big time once people find out they are shoplifter-friendly. And they'll try to make up for it by harrassing the employees (i.e. allege time theft if employees don't get back from breaks or lunches right on the minute they are supposed to.)

[Bugg]

Should we all just walk up to the register and tell the cashier not to ring up our first $25 of merchandise because we are going to steal that stuff?

good lord how many times do you think WM cashiers are gonna hear that in a day?:banghead:

[beercashier]

probably about as many times as I heard "hot enough in here for you?" on Monday when it was 100 in our store! People are lucky I am not armed.

[Primer]

People are lucky I am not armed.
We have a cannon for hire...:devil:

[AmericanZero8503]

We have a cannon for hire...:devil:

I still want my crossbow

[Tria]

I still want my crossbow

Or a "boomstick"....

[repsac]

Lowe's uses something similar to this. It's called RWD. Recovery without detention. It's been over a year since I dealt with this (having worked there) but I think the idea was that if you could get the shoplifter to ditch the item in the store; then you didn't bother them when they left.

Alternatively, if the alarm went off when someone went out the door, you were not allowed to stop them or even say anything beyond "Oh, would you like me to deactivate the items in the bag?" or in some cases "Here, let me hold that while you look for the receipt." And if they said "I don't have the receipt" or "Well, I was stealing that." your only answer could be "Ok." and let them leave.

Truth, is stranger than fiction.