wherein a customer tries to buy a 30 lb "empty" tote

[nomorecarts]

so I'm checking out this customer and I scan their items, then get to the end, and I saw they had some dog food under their cart, so I went around to get it, and there was a tote under there too

SC:there's nothing in the tote, just that and the dog food
me:*pulls tote out, and it weighs about 30 lbs, and stuff falls off of the dog food. I opened the tote*
SC:I didn't know that shit was in there, I guess I'll just come back for the tote tomorrow(ok, please bring it through my lane again)
me: ok *takes stuff and calls supervisor*
SC:*leaves*

sup:what was your question?(I typed in the code for training question, which is used as miscellaneous)
me:*points to overflowing tote*somebody tried to steal that, can you get somebody to put the cold stuff back?
sup:how'd they try to steal it?
me:*explains*
other customer:nice save


now I know for sure I want to be asset protection

[Polenicus]

So, what all was in the tote?

[SapphireSky]

It's amazing how stupid some people can be isn't it? I can't believe that guy though he could get away with such and obvious attempt at theft. *Sigh*

[nomorecarts]

ham, frozen food, junk food, and meat were on top and crammed around the dog food. I didn't dig into the bottom

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Hope LP (or assets protection or whatever it's called) got a picture of that customer to put up or distribute to all the employees.

Hiding things in big totes, bags or boxes is a very common method of shoplifting. It's happened at my store a couple times. Good for you to catch it.

[Polenicus]

Yeah, good catch on that.

Was the tote something your store sold? If so, REALLY good catch, because a lot of cashiers would just scan it and leave it where it lies.

I suspect stores that do sell large empty containers must have a nightmare of a time with them. Get large plastic container, fill with goodies, put on lid, make sure UPC code is somewhere easily scannable, pile heavy crap on top so cashier doesn't bother moving the junk, and just pulls out gun and scans tote where it is.

I know when I last bought a tote, I had put the lid on it (To make it easier to manage). I expected the cashier to ask me to open it, I had my hand on the lid ready to pop it off, but she just scanned it and wished me a nice day. I hope she didn't get in trouble.

[smileyeagle1021]

I admit that I've before done the "free" stuff by having it inside something larger

it wasn't entirely intentional... I was buying new luggage, I had opened up a suitcase to to what it had inside (what pockets etc) and apparently while I was closing it I knocked one of those cheapo luggage tags into it... I don't feel too bad though because it was a 50cent tag

[friendofjimmyk]

Back in the day, I've done something similar. I'm not ashamed to admit it....I was a different person back then.

Nowadays, I feel horrible if I simply forget that I have something on the bottom of my cart.

One day, I went shopping on one of my BIG shopping trips at the grocery store. I found a line and an employee was beginning to take things out of my cart to help me unload. Now, I wasn't rude, but I told her "Thank you, but I can get this myself". (I'm SUPER anal about how things go on the belt. I like to put boxy items together, bagged items together, frozen/cold stuff together, toiletries together. I know - anal, but I think it makes bagging better) This particular day, I had a HUGE cart full. I finally got done unloading it and moved forward so the bagger could start putting what was already bagged in my empty cart. The same woman who tried to help me went under the cart to get the cat food I had forgotten. I felt so bad that I did that. I started hoping she didn't think I was trying to scam!

[tropicsgoddess]

Great job! You'll do great in LP!

[TheSnakeLady]

Heh.. I was buying groceries once, and had a big 24-roll package of TP and a 16-roll package of paper towels on the bottom of my cart. Started unloading my cart, and the bagger goes, "Ma'am, let me get those for you..." towards the TP and paper towels.
I declined, he asked again.
I declined (having a preferred order of unloading, plus those things take up a lot of room on the belt).
He reached down and started tugging on them, which ticked me off.
(I admit I was a bit sucky here.) Me to the cashier: "Fine, I guess I'll do things in the order HE wants them done." and put the damn paper towels and toilet paper up to be scanned next.

I dunno what the bagger's problem was. If I forget anything on the bottom of my cart, it's not at the register where I go to pay, but at the car where I go to load...

[Evil Queen]

Once I purchased a cooler. It wasn't a big cooler, or an expensive one. Just a small, regular cooler (I still have it, actually). While I was shopping, I had packed a package of bread yeast into it (for fear of loosing it while I did my normal shopping). By the time I got to the end of the shopping trip and home, I'd discovered I didn't have my yeast and had to go back to the store to get it.

It was nearly a week later when I found my original packet of yeast, still in the cooler, when I went to use it. What was I supposed to do? Take it back to the store and say "Yeah, I accidentally stole this last week, I'd like to pay for it now?"

Gads, it was so long ago and I still feel bad about it! I'll bet someone was reamed for it...

[simplyanother]

I dunno what the bagger's problem was. If I forget anything on the bottom of my cart, it's not at the register where I go to pay, but at the car where I go to load...

It's not like the bagger knew that.


Where I work, we get people who stick things in the lidded baskets that we sell, and then when you open them up to check "oh, I didn't know that was in there...I don't want that!". It's usually beads, and on occasion, I might believe them, but when it's shit that matches the other shit they did put on the counter...meh.

[nomorecarts]

Hope LP (or assets protection or whatever it's called) got a picture of that customer to put up or distribute to all the employees.

Hiding things in big totes, bags or boxes is a very common method of shoplifting. It's happened at my store a couple times. Good for you to catch it.

they don't do that, if they kept photos of everyone we've caught shoplifting they'd have to give out large binders to over 400 people, they handle that stuff in the AP department

Was the tote something your store sold? If so, REALLY good catch, because a lot of cashiers would just scan it and leave it where it lies.

yes, and it was jammed under the part in a way that pulling it out was a PITA, when I first felt the weight I thought it was just friction from how it was jammed in there.

One day, I went shopping on one of my BIG shopping trips at the grocery store. I found a line and an employee was beginning to take things out of my cart to help me unload. Now, I wasn't rude, but I told her "Thank you, but I can get this myself". (I'm SUPER anal about how things go on the belt. I like to put boxy items together, bagged items together, frozen/cold stuff together, toiletries together. I know - anal, but I think it makes bagging better) This particular day, I had a HUGE cart full. I finally got done unloading it and moved forward so the bagger could start putting what was already bagged in my empty cart. The same woman who tried to help me went under the cart to get the cat food I had forgotten. I felt so bad that I did that. I started hoping she didn't think I was trying to scam!

putting things on the belt like that gets your things bagged better. I don't separate much when I bag, if it's on the belt next to it, it's probably going in the same bag, or if I see something that will fit, it's going in the same bag, so if you want like items together, that's the only way to go.

the cashier didn't think you were trying to scam, less than 20% of people tell us about their stuff on the bottom, if you get through a register with something on the bottom of your cart and it's honestly an accident, that's on the cashier 100%, even if it's not an accident, it's still on the cashier.

TheSnakeLady-TP and paper towels are easy for cashiers to miss, the bagger was just making sure they got scanned. he was a little sucky about it, but you don't know if a store has had issues with the type of shrink and has management getting on people about it, the only reason putting them first isn't easier is because big items get in the way, but for the bagger to ask for it they must be ready for it. go ahead and put it up there, it won't affect how anything is bagged, they aren't going in one, and if it's already up there you can't forget it.

EQ-no one was reamed for your package of yeast, if it wasn't a really small store they didn't even notice til inventory

[Danno]

It's amazing how stupid some people can be isn't it? I can't believe that guy though he could get away with such and obvious attempt at theft. *Sigh*

Some cashiers care more than others, especially after a long shift and I guess shoplifters figure it's always worth a try.

Last time I was at a big box mart I bought four big throw pillows and a few random food items and headed on over to the express lane. Somehow the lady at the register only noticed and scanned the first pillow, totally missing the other three in the cart. Not under the cart, in the cart. I pointed out the other three and she thanked me, but wow. I could've just pretended not notice to that my bill was way too cheap and left with a heckuva discount.

[DistantStar]

I and a coworker once had the fun of putting away the clothes from somebody who had tried to take three of the big bins full. They weren't caught, but were apparently freaked and nearly caught because they'd dumped the bins in different locations in the store. Nobody knew who had done it.

Our theory was that they were going to sell the loot themselves or try to return the stuff at another store.

I was amused but also pissed. You can stuff a lot of clothes in one of those! As if I didn't have enough work to do without that on top of it.