Stop Resisting!

[Sapphire Silk]

That's what I heard today, going into a big box discounter store to do some last minute Christmas shopping.

I'm walking into the store, and turn to my left to get a cart. I hear, "Stop resisting, stop resisting!" There's a crash and out of the corner of my right eye I see something moving that will cut in front of me. I stop and see two store employees wrestling with a customer, who is trying to leave the store. I'm guessing they're LP guys. The one guy keeps yelling, "You're going to go to jail if you don't stop reisisting!" The guy gets just past the front door, but is wedged against the wall by the two employees, who tell him to go back into the store.

He seems to be complying for a moment, then makes a break for it. He runs to the area where the carts are lined up, trying to get to the back of that area where the carts are brought into the store by the employees. They try to grab him but fail.

Since I was just inside the front door, I stepped out. I see the customer, a small bag in hand, hurriedly walking into the parking lot.

The LP guy pushes a cart into a storage area; it's full of stuff, tells the other guy to call 911 and go after the SC. He then goes out into the lot after the guy.

So I guess he tried to push a cart full of merchandise right out of the store, and got stopped by the alarm, and put up a fight. LP must have been watching him, because they were right on top of him.

I hope they caught the guy, but I also hope they didn't get hurt trying to chase him down.

[EvilEmpryss]

Awwwwww!!! Why didn't you invite me to go with you today?!? I could have witnessed this one first hand! :-(

Unfortunately, someone's going to lose their job now. From what I understand, those employees aren't supposed to be trying to physically restrain people from leaving the store. Was it the Co of Cost or the Mart of Wal? I'm guess it was the Mart.

[Kheldarson]

Unfortunately, someone's going to lose their job now. From what I understand, those employees aren't supposed to be trying to physically restrain people from leaving the store. Was it the Co of Cost or the Mart of Wal? I'm guess it was the Mart.

Unless they're under direction from LP. Which could be argued here if LP had enough of a hard-on for this guy to wrestle him in the store.

[EvilEmpryss]

I hope they're covered. If it was at the Mart, then they might not be. I reported a suspected shoplifter once (I saw the person ditch some CD cases in the ladies room) but was told that if the person made it out the doors they couldn't follow them except to get a license plate if they could. No chasing, no tackling. Makes sense since it puts the employee at risk but it gives the thieves a sense of security to know they just have to make it out the door and they're home free.

[Sapphire Silk]

Awwwwww!!! Why didn't you invite me to go with you today?!? I could have witnessed this one first hand! :-(

Unfortunately, someone's going to lose their job now. From what I understand, those employees aren't supposed to be trying to physically restrain people from leaving the store. Was it the Co of Cost or the Mart of Wal? I'm guess it was the Mart.

Because I was shopping for YOU silly! Well, and the rest of the family

I'm not sayin' where it happened; I don't want the LP guy to get into trouble if corporate is trolling CS.

[bainsidhe]

No chasing, no tackling. Makes sense since it puts the employee at risk but it gives the thieves a sense of security to know they just have to make it out the door and they're home free.

Back when I still worked at WalMart, LP was supposed to stop thieves before they left the building. A local WM was in the news because an LP person chased a thief outside to their getaway car. In their attempt to flee, the thieves nearly ran over the LP person and in order to avoid becoming roadkill, Mr. LP jumped onto the hood of the car and road it out of the parking lot. Minor injuries, thank goodness. Not surprisingly, this same store was looking for a new LP person a few days later. WM frowns on employees trying to kill themselves.

[Monterey Jack]

About sixteen/seventeen years ago at my old supermarket gig, I was in the parking lot doing carriages when some teenage kid ran out of the store and was literally TACKLED to the ground by one of the supervisors (they both slammed into the side of a car parked by the entrance), and the supervisor started screaming into the kid's face, "Don't you EVER hit me...!" before picking him up and dragging him back into the store by the scruff of the neck. I never learned what it was all about (I assume the kid was trying to shoplift something, was confronted about it, and took a swing at the supervisor before bolting), but I wonder if that supervisor got into trouble for that.

[raudf]

It's the mart that doesn't want you confronting shop lifters. EVER. We were supposed to offer, "Aggressive helpfulness," meaning, stick to them like glue and offer to "help" so repeatedly, they'd run off on their own to get away from us. Great idea in theory, but when you only have so many floor personnel and they're busy doing, you know, their JOBS.. it doesn't work at all. Door greeters were only supposed to be witnesses and if possible, see the vehicle or plate that the idiot was driving.

And all our regulars knew the LP people. It was the same 4 for all three stores in the area! Two were reserve cops with one of the two counties, one was an off duty officer and the third was.. I have no idea, but he was the one that would watch, but not confront.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

I hope they're covered. If it was at the Mart, then they might not be. I reported a suspected shoplifter once (I saw the person ditch some CD cases in the ladies room) but was told that if the person made it out the doors they couldn't follow them except to get a license plate if they could. No chasing, no tackling. Makes sense since it puts the employee at risk but it gives the thieves a sense of security to know they just have to make it out the door and they're home free.

No LP person is going to chase a shoplifter over some CDs.

What they would probably do instead is look at camera footage to get a good picture of the shoplifter, and wait for them to steal past a certain dollar amount before attempting an apprehension. That way they can get them on a felony instead of just a misdemeanor.

[EvilEmpryss]

Oh, I didn't expect the thief to be chased down, I was just saying that was when I learned about the no chasing rule at our local mart.

[greensinestro]

I hope they're covered. If it was at the Mart, then they might not be. I reported a suspected shoplifter once (I saw the person ditch some CD cases in the ladies room) but was told that if the person made it out the doors they couldn't follow them except to get a license plate if they could. No chasing, no tackling. Makes sense since it puts the employee at risk but it gives the thieves a sense of security to know they just have to make it out the door and they're home free.

We had to do that years ago at Publix. This woman got a birthday cake from the bakery and walked it right out of the store without paying. I followed her and took down her license plate, then gave it to management (after a cashier also witnessed this with me). Woman came back four hours later pissed, claimed she forgot to pay. No one touched her, except her nerves.