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A year or so ago I, a tourist in America, went to a pharmacy in Boston to get some headache tablets (ibuprofen). This was somewhere in the city center, very clo

A year or so ago I, a tourist in America, went to a pharmacy in Boston to get some headache tablets (ibuprofen). This was somewhere in the city center, very close to Boston Common, and felt a modern, safe neighborhood so far as a foreigner could judge. Every single item on every single shelf was behind glass. I had to get help to get myself a pack of cheap non-prescription painkillers. This article focuses on the phenomenon, but it misses the key point that struck me that day. I could only imagine such precautions were due to endemic theft. And petty theft for essentials such as medicines doesn’t speak to stealing for profit, but to desperation, like stealing food. I was left wondering: what is going on in America?

quickthrowman 3y ago
> And petty theft for essentials such as medicines doesn’t speak to stealing for profit You’re 100% wrong here. There are a couple ways I’m aware of to go about selling personal care items and medicines for profit. -Sell them to a broker/fence who sells to ‘bodegas’ and other retail stores who buy discounted stolen merchandise -Box it up and ship it to Amazon and have Amazon fence it for you (seriously). I’m sure Amazon is aware but doesn’t care. > I was left wondering: what is going on in America? Shoplifting under $1000 isn’t prosecuted in a lot of places, which enables the above behavior.
barsonme 3y ago
People have been stealing stuff, like laundry detergent or baby formula or power tools, in bulk then reselling it for half price on eBay or Facebook Marketplace. Maybe they’re desperate for money. But they’re certainly not desperate for $20k of baby formula [1]. [1]: https://www.fox8live.com/video/2024/03/24/police-thieves-caught-stealing-20k-worth-baby-formula-local-walmarts/ https://www.fox8live.com/video/2024/03/24/police-thieves-cau...
- Terr_ 3y ago
  I've seen some people defend shoplifting (including of baby-formula) with something along the lines of: "People who do it are desperate and oppressed, so unless you're a class-traitor you should pretend you didn't see anything." However cases like the one in that link--and knowing at least some of the products get fenced and resold rather than consumed by the shoplifter--make it really hard for me to fully buy into that worldview.
  - rufus_foreman 3y ago
    I would ignore anyone who used the phrase "class-traitor". But that's just me. I could be wrong.
- salesynerd 3y ago
  In fact, just yesterday, I came across this video on Reddit where a group of people are fleeing after stealing detergent powder and other essentials from a store. One of the comments mentioned how there are organized gangs who sell these items to unscrupulous businesses. https://v.redd.it/61j51qvwkgwc1/DASH_720.mp4?source=fallback https://v.redd.it/61j51qvwkgwc1/DASH_720.mp4?source=fallback
- musicale 3y ago
  > Maybe they’re desperate for money. I wonder if some of it may be related to the opiate epidemic. Interesting that CVS and Walgreens are both victims of retail theft and (former?) opioid suppliers: https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/cvs-walgreens-to-pay-opioid-settlement-how-much-when-rcna61307 https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/cvs-walgreens-to-p...

quickthrowman 3y ago

> And petty theft for essentials such as medicines doesn’t speak to stealing for profit You’re 100% wrong here. There are a couple ways I’m aware of to go about selling personal care items and medicines for profit. -Sell them to a broker/fence who sells to ‘bodegas’ and other retail stores who buy discounted stolen merchandise -Box it up and ship it to Amazon and have Amazon fence it for you (seriously). I’m sure Amazon is aware but doesn’t care. > I was left wondering: what is going on in America? Shoplifting under $1000 isn’t prosecuted in a lot of places, which enables the above behavior.

barsonme 3y ago

People have been stealing stuff, like laundry detergent or baby formula or power tools, in bulk then reselling it for half price on eBay or Facebook Marketplace. Maybe they’re desperate for money. But they’re certainly not desperate for $20k of baby formula [1]. [1]: https://www.fox8live.com/video/2024/03/24/police-thieves-caught-stealing-20k-worth-baby-formula-local-walmarts/ https://www.fox8live.com/video/2024/03/24/police-thieves-cau...

Terr_ 3y ago
I've seen some people defend shoplifting (including of baby-formula) with something along the lines of: "People who do it are desperate and oppressed, so unless you're a class-traitor you should pretend you didn't see anything." However cases like the one in that link--and knowing at least some of the products get fenced and resold rather than consumed by the shoplifter--make it really hard for me to fully buy into that worldview.
- rufus_foreman 3y ago
  I would ignore anyone who used the phrase "class-traitor". But that's just me. I could be wrong.
salesynerd 3y ago
In fact, just yesterday, I came across this video on Reddit where a group of people are fleeing after stealing detergent powder and other essentials from a store. One of the comments mentioned how there are organized gangs who sell these items to unscrupulous businesses. https://v.redd.it/61j51qvwkgwc1/DASH_720.mp4?source=fallback https://v.redd.it/61j51qvwkgwc1/DASH_720.mp4?source=fallback
musicale 3y ago
> Maybe they’re desperate for money. I wonder if some of it may be related to the opiate epidemic. Interesting that CVS and Walgreens are both victims of retail theft and (former?) opioid suppliers: https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/cvs-walgreens-to-pay-opioid-settlement-how-much-when-rcna61307 https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/cvs-walgreens-to-p...