A pattern is emerging...

[LadyAndreca]

There's getting to be a real pattern to the scammers returning items without a receipt around here, and while I can't -prove- it, I'm seeing it over and over. A couple times a WEEK...I don't know where they keep getting new people from.

1. Two people enter together. One time it was three, but it's usually two. It's usually a guy and a girl, between 18 and 22. They like to choose times when there's a rush at returns: 11 AM, 3 PM, odd times like that.

2. One person will usually have two expensive saw blade packs, the kind that cost $100 or more each. The other person's items often will include a pond pump and a kitchen faucet, and a third item (today it was a laser level).

3. One person will have some story about how their father (once it was grandfather) wanted them to return the items, but didn't give them the receipt. The other will not use a story, but just act like returning without a receipt is natural.

4. Each person's total will come out between $350 and $400, which requires a manager approval. They will sometimes be bewildered that they've been flagged, but never fight it or make a fuss about it.

5. The transaction history (goes by the person's ID) will show either nothing returned before, or a single transaction of similarly high-dollar items. I have never seen anyone who has two or more transactions.

I wish I could do something to stop it, but it's constantly different people coming in for the returns, so there's nothing we can prove. We know how they're GETTING the items--filling things like cabinets with expensive stuff and then trying to buy just the cabinet when cashiers are too busy to check a torn box. They've been stopped many times, especially at our sister store, which is much larger than ours but has the same staffing.

[CatsLairArchives]

if you remember the names, either check your county's court records to see if any of them have been caught or charged together, or perhaps ask your local police if they know any of the names.

Chances are that at least some of them are known by police, and not in a friendly way.

[Kristev]

That's a good idea. I wish my store took thieves seriously.

[bainsidhe]

Dang, it never occurred to me to check inside a box with a huge, heavy cabinet. Those boxes are pretty tight-fitting and the cabinet requires assembly, so I always thought there wasn't must room to hide stolen merchandise. The kids furniture with the big, bulky boxes on the other hand...

What happens when they're caught trying to steal merchandise? I assume they play the "we didn't know that was there!" card and thus aren't arrested. But can LP at least demand ID? Then you'd have something in your system.

[chainedbarista]

yes, i think it may be time for the cashiers, no matter how busy, to check out those boxes, especially since there's a rash of this occurring. the longer it takes, the more nervous and agitated a scammer will get.

i'm wondering why so many of our species have turned into complete bottom feeders? is it a mutated gene, pollution or one too many big macs??"

[MadMike]

What happens when they're caught trying to steal merchandise? I assume they play the "we didn't know that was there!" card and thus aren't arrested.

Well, that could actually happen, i.e. someone decides to be an ass and stash something inside another item, and another customer picks it up to buy, not knowing the other item was stashed there.

At my last job, we were told to give the customer the benefit of the doubt. The cashiers were instructed to open up items such as toolboxes, and if they found another item inside, politely ask the customer if they wanted to buy that item as well.

[Jack]

Box stuffing is a known shoplifting tactic, so I would assume LP would know to check tapes if a cashier noticed that. AFAIK they can't detain unless they've witnessed it in real time but they would know to watch them next time.

[LadyAndreca]

Well, that could actually happen, i.e. someone decides to be an ass and stash something inside another item, and another customer picks it up to buy, not knowing the other item was stashed there.

At my last job, we were told to give the customer the benefit of the doubt. The cashiers were instructed to open up items such as toolboxes, and if they found another item inside, politely ask the customer if they wanted to buy that item as well.

This. If we find an item inside another item, we are to ask the customer if they wish to buy that too. Sometimes we get "Oh, I meant to put that back", sometimes we get "Oh, I forgot I put that in there, yeah I'll buy it".

Another tactic I'm aware of, which seen footage of but I've never heard of being used in our area, is for people to slip thin items like saw blades in between heavy bagged items like concrete or soil. They then buy an item that has an obvious security tag, so when the door alarm goes off, they push the shouldn't-have-tags cart of concrete out and bring the obvious item back to be deactivated.

We cashiers are expected to check between every bag. But I don't know about you guys, but I am one of the few cashiers in the store that can even LIFT the 80-lb concrete bags. (Our job description only requires 25 lbs, I believe.) And a lot of the cashiers can't wrangle the large soil bags either.

And, as clarification for the person talking about cabinets: we sell pre-assembled kitchen cabinets and bathroom sink bases. They'll fill a cabinet, buy it with stuff inside, return the cabinet, and then do what they want with the items they stole. If you know what to grab, you can get a thousand dollars worth of merchandise in a cabinet without much trouble.

Drives me nuts. The FES and one of the ASMs have actually taken to turning down some of the more obvious returns, or warning them that they WILL need a receipt next time, but the other head cashiers and ASMs will approve anything because they don't have time to check the history. (And me mouthing 'no!' when the whole pattern has matched up and I dont' feel right about the transaction isn't a real reason for them to deny a return with no return history. *sigh*)

[bainsidhe]

Wow, I can't imagine trying to wrestle huge bags of concrete, but for things like the cabinets, cashiers really have to start checking inside (I know, easier said than done). I've only had one memorable time where a backpack had a couple video games hidden inside. I pulled them out and politely asked if the parent would be buying video games today as well. The kid was suddenly looking down and to the side (mhmm, wonder who put that there) and the parent first looked surprised, then started glaring daggers at the kid. Sad, really.

[Sapphire Silk]

What ever happened to "No receipt, no return?"

I read article after article about how higher prices are driven by shoplifting. Seems to me, cut the shoplifting, and losses from theft would bring down prices. QED.

[Dreamstalker]

When I was working at the game store, the receipt printer was being held together with tape and pixie dust and tended to die if you asked it to do anything strenuous like actually print something. No printer, no receipt. BIG problem especially around the holidays.

Even though the policy was "returns within 7 days only with receipt", boss soon started allowing near-indefinite returns without receipt with the excuse of "we can look the transaction up" (nobody except me ever did, and I was discouraged from doing so).

A few weeks ago the store finally got security cameras. The official reason? Too many returns without receipts. Is he still allowing returns without a receipt? Yes (the printer has not been fixed and probably never will be).

[XCashier]

i'm wondering why so many of our species have turned into complete bottom feeders? is it a mutated gene, pollution or one too many big macs??"

The prophecy is coming true, sooner than we thought.

A few weeks ago the store finally got security cameras. The official reason? Too many returns without receipts. Is he still allowing returns without a receipt? Yes (the printer has not been fixed and probably never will be).

Fixing or replacing the printer would've been cheaper!

[Chromatix]

Here's where any sensible manager/owner would enforce two policies:

1) No returns without receipt.

2) No purchases without a receipt being given. Handwritten if necessary.

[bainsidhe]

At the very least, the "no return without receipt" should be enforced for large returns. Besides, these (alleged) thieves aren't even raising a stink during the return process, so management can't even use that as an excuse. If there's no receipt, then management must be able to look the sale up in the system before processing the return. If they can't, then no return.

Well, we can dream, anyway...

[Enjis]

Thieves with many items to return (like one who stole a whole shelf of high-end sweaters) will usually find folks in the street, or the mall, and pay them a small amount to return the item for them. The patsy, with a fresh driver's licence (i.e: one that has not been flagged for multiple returns w/o receipt) will happily get their money after doing the transaction, not caring that their DL is now in the system.
The thief now has a gift card (it's always a cash return, for which they get a gift card back) that they can sell on the street, or use themselves.
At least, that's how it often worked at my store!