5 ms·

They have security tags in some areas of my country. Walmart is such an interesting space. Utilizing government assistance to keep wages low, then implementing

They have security tags in some areas of my country. Walmart is such an interesting space. Utilizing government assistance to keep wages low, then implementing anti-theft programs when the fruits of their low-wage efforts come home to roost. Cheaper to lock up steaks than pay workers appropriately, I suppose.

threwaway1438 5y ago
yucky 5y ago
>Cheaper to lock up steaks than pay workers appropriately, I suppose. The workers aren't the ones this deters from stealing. The people stealing steaks from Walmart aren't doing so out of hunger, they are reselling them (current value is 60 cents on the dollar in Detroit, not sure about elsewhere). Also, Tide detergent is very popular for some reason.
- PickledHotdog 5y ago
  I don't mean to imply it's Walmart workers stealing steaks, just that wage-suppression (which Walmart does engage in) causes widespread problems in communities which leads to situations where stealing steaks either to eat or sell becomes a viable thing. If they (and others) started paying people properly, they likely wouldn't need to locking up steaks. Unfortunately it's cheaper for them to lock up steaks than do the right thing.
- aaron695 5y ago
- titusjohnson 5y ago
  Don't think of the correlation as between WalMart's low pay and the current wave of shoplifting as being direct, think of as karma. For decades WalMart has pioneered low prices and below-sustenance wages. For much of America WalMart is the face of devastated small towns and the complete loss of local economies. It's probably not employees of WalMart stealing steaks and single pairs of underwear. It's probably everyone else who no longer has a local job opportunity, has lower wages because their family business folded to WalMart, or has trouble feeding their kids because the closest job now only pays $12/hr because _all they have to compete with locally is WalMart_. You cannot artificially depress the wages and economy of an area and then complain that everyone around you is doing poor people things (stealing to stay alive or pay rent). No sympathy for WalMart from me.
  - threwaway1438 5y ago
    “doing poor people things (stealing to stay alive or pay rent). No sympathy for WalMart from me.” No sympathy for you from me. There will always be people on both sides of the spectrum. There’s people who work hard to pay rent without resorting to criminality. In fact this is more common than your characterization that if you’re poor you steal, or as you call it “poor people things”. What an insult to those people. I suppose you condone the gross shoplifting and then the slippery slope to committing felonies.
  - yucky 5y ago
    - aaaaaaaaata 5y ago
Gortal278 5y ago
This is a pretty ignorant comment. They people who work at Walmart are not there people stealing from Walmart. Retail workers are not desperate theifs bro
- PickledHotdog 5y ago
  I didn't say they were. I was implying that wage suppression by Walmart and others means people can no longer afford food and some resort to stealing it. Not Walmart workers specifically, the 'working poor' in general.

threwaway1438 5y ago

yucky 5y ago

>Cheaper to lock up steaks than pay workers appropriately, I suppose. The workers aren't the ones this deters from stealing. The people stealing steaks from Walmart aren't doing so out of hunger, they are reselling them (current value is 60 cents on the dollar in Detroit, not sure about elsewhere). Also, Tide detergent is very popular for some reason.

PickledHotdog 5y ago
I don't mean to imply it's Walmart workers stealing steaks, just that wage-suppression (which Walmart does engage in) causes widespread problems in communities which leads to situations where stealing steaks either to eat or sell becomes a viable thing. If they (and others) started paying people properly, they likely wouldn't need to locking up steaks. Unfortunately it's cheaper for them to lock up steaks than do the right thing.
aaron695 5y ago
titusjohnson 5y ago
Don't think of the correlation as between WalMart's low pay and the current wave of shoplifting as being direct, think of as karma. For decades WalMart has pioneered low prices and below-sustenance wages. For much of America WalMart is the face of devastated small towns and the complete loss of local economies. It's probably not employees of WalMart stealing steaks and single pairs of underwear. It's probably everyone else who no longer has a local job opportunity, has lower wages because their family business folded to WalMart, or has trouble feeding their kids because the closest job now only pays $12/hr because _all they have to compete with locally is WalMart_. You cannot artificially depress the wages and economy of an area and then complain that everyone around you is doing poor people things (stealing to stay alive or pay rent). No sympathy for WalMart from me.
- threwaway1438 5y ago
  “doing poor people things (stealing to stay alive or pay rent). No sympathy for WalMart from me.” No sympathy for you from me. There will always be people on both sides of the spectrum. There’s people who work hard to pay rent without resorting to criminality. In fact this is more common than your characterization that if you’re poor you steal, or as you call it “poor people things”. What an insult to those people. I suppose you condone the gross shoplifting and then the slippery slope to committing felonies.
- yucky 5y ago
  - aaaaaaaaata 5y ago

Gortal278 5y ago

This is a pretty ignorant comment. They people who work at Walmart are not there people stealing from Walmart. Retail workers are not desperate theifs bro

PickledHotdog 5y ago
I didn't say they were. I was implying that wage suppression by Walmart and others means people can no longer afford food and some resort to stealing it. Not Walmart workers specifically, the 'working poor' in general.