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> “A year ago, America’s stores declared a shoplifting epidemic,” stated the CNN article. “This year, retailers are telling a very different story—or no story a

> “A year ago, America’s stores declared a shoplifting epidemic,” stated the CNN article. “This year, retailers are telling a very different story—or no story at all. It’s as if the shoplifting crisis suddenly vanished.” Or maybe because they closed down a lot of stores which were the worst and then on the borderline stores, they put up all the locked cabinets. Maybe now the rates of shrink have been reduced. There's no data here to go either way on this, just pure speculation.

vkou 2y ago
Here in Seattle, all the worst-for-shoplifting stores are still open. Mysteriously, a bunch of locations that were not bad for shoplifting, but were bad for overall sales (because of shitty layouts, small footprints, limited selection) ended up closed. Perhaps shoplifting was just the excuse regional management gave for why they closed badly ran locations.
- farnsworth 2y ago
  I've always wondered why all the big chains are closing stores, blaming shoplifting, to the point where Belltown no longer has a single pharmacy. But I haven't seen any of the small independant shops/bodegas close, including a small grocery shop right next to the 3rd/bell bus stop. I can't imagine that nobody is shoplifting from those. I'm no expert but it's never added up to me.
  - vel0city 2y ago
    I steal a bunch of candybars from a convenience store. What am I going to do, sell them for $1-2/ea just like the bodega? The high-margin goods like beer and wine require licenses to sell; I lose any benefit of plausible deniability in where I got these goods when I try and fence these on the street or online. Selling them without proper license is always a crime and practically impossible online. Meanwhile I steal a bunch of vitamins and OTC drugs I can sell at $10-20/bottle, packs of underwear at $10-20 a package. A lot of this can even be sold through Amazon at full retail pricing, I don't even have to try and sell it on the street.
    - farnsworth 2y ago
      The shops I'm talking about have vitamins and OTC drugs
dangitman 2y ago
[dead]
etempleton 2y ago
I have little sympathy for many of these big box stores because their policies have indirectly lead to an increase in shoplifting. Their official policy in many stores is to do nothing when spotting a shop lifter other than report it to police after it has happened. For a while some of these big box stores would hire a security guard whose only job was to stand next to a shoplifter in the hopes it would intimidate them into putting the item back, but they too were instructed to do nothing. In fact if they did do something it was a fireable offense. Eventually they stopped hiring these fake security guards because what is the point if they aren’t doing anything. And then a few years after that they throw up their hands and say shop lifting is out of control. Nothing can be done.
- vel0city 2y ago
  I mean, what should they do? Attempt to detain alleged shoplifters? Assault them? Shoot them? What do you think should be done?
  - dzhiurgis 2y ago
    Charge $200 bond to enter store
  - deepfriedchokes 2y ago
    Assault used to work, it probably still does. They should increase the training for security guards and legally allow them to use non-lethal force as necessary. All animals respond to violence. Just the potential of physical violence is enough. It works for bouncers, and they work in much more challenging environments.
    - vel0city 2y ago
      > legally allow them to use non-lethal force as necessary Corporations should be able to commit violence against those accused of property crimes. Interesting world view there. > All animals respond to violence Shoplifters aren't people, they're just animals. The above makes a little more sense > It works for bouncers, Because most clubs don't have billions of dollars a year in revenues to go after with lawyers itching to take on the case on contingency because the bouncer at CVS broke your nose.
8f2ab37a-ed6c 2y ago
Exactly. Come to many parts of SF, Santa Monica and Venice and you'll see half the Target behind glass. Several pharmacies in Downtown LA got closed due to theft in the last few years, see 5th and Broadway. People who don't live in those areas can pretend nothing is happening, but your lying eyes as a local tell a different story.
- consteval 2y ago
  I think everyone acknowledges shoplifting has gotten worse. What they don't agree on is the cause. There's one camp who attributes it to demographics. This is a very hard sell, particularly to individuals who belong to those demographics, sometimes from birth. The issue is this camp is very dedicated to this idea, and they refuse to explore other explanations. It's hard to argue with Eugenicists and the like. The correct response is to tell them they're wrong and move on. The problem here is that neo-nazi types sneak into the conversation and derail it completely. It would be nice if we could talk about shop lifting without it dropping to blatant racism and identity politics. Unfortunately, I've never been a part of a conversation like that. When people are unreasonable you can't solve problems.

vkou 2y ago

Here in Seattle, all the worst-for-shoplifting stores are still open. Mysteriously, a bunch of locations that were not bad for shoplifting, but were bad for overall sales (because of shitty layouts, small footprints, limited selection) ended up closed. Perhaps shoplifting was just the excuse regional management gave for why they closed badly ran locations.

farnsworth 2y ago
I've always wondered why all the big chains are closing stores, blaming shoplifting, to the point where Belltown no longer has a single pharmacy. But I haven't seen any of the small independant shops/bodegas close, including a small grocery shop right next to the 3rd/bell bus stop. I can't imagine that nobody is shoplifting from those. I'm no expert but it's never added up to me.
- vel0city 2y ago
  I steal a bunch of candybars from a convenience store. What am I going to do, sell them for $1-2/ea just like the bodega? The high-margin goods like beer and wine require licenses to sell; I lose any benefit of plausible deniability in where I got these goods when I try and fence these on the street or online. Selling them without proper license is always a crime and practically impossible online. Meanwhile I steal a bunch of vitamins and OTC drugs I can sell at $10-20/bottle, packs of underwear at $10-20 a package. A lot of this can even be sold through Amazon at full retail pricing, I don't even have to try and sell it on the street.
  - farnsworth 2y ago
    The shops I'm talking about have vitamins and OTC drugs

dangitman 2y ago

[dead]

etempleton 2y ago

I have little sympathy for many of these big box stores because their policies have indirectly lead to an increase in shoplifting. Their official policy in many stores is to do nothing when spotting a shop lifter other than report it to police after it has happened. For a while some of these big box stores would hire a security guard whose only job was to stand next to a shoplifter in the hopes it would intimidate them into putting the item back, but they too were instructed to do nothing. In fact if they did do something it was a fireable offense. Eventually they stopped hiring these fake security guards because what is the point if they aren’t doing anything. And then a few years after that they throw up their hands and say shop lifting is out of control. Nothing can be done.

vel0city 2y ago
I mean, what should they do? Attempt to detain alleged shoplifters? Assault them? Shoot them? What do you think should be done?
- dzhiurgis 2y ago
  Charge $200 bond to enter store
- deepfriedchokes 2y ago
  Assault used to work, it probably still does. They should increase the training for security guards and legally allow them to use non-lethal force as necessary. All animals respond to violence. Just the potential of physical violence is enough. It works for bouncers, and they work in much more challenging environments.
  - vel0city 2y ago
    > legally allow them to use non-lethal force as necessary Corporations should be able to commit violence against those accused of property crimes. Interesting world view there. > All animals respond to violence Shoplifters aren't people, they're just animals. The above makes a little more sense > It works for bouncers, Because most clubs don't have billions of dollars a year in revenues to go after with lawyers itching to take on the case on contingency because the bouncer at CVS broke your nose.

8f2ab37a-ed6c 2y ago

Exactly. Come to many parts of SF, Santa Monica and Venice and you'll see half the Target behind glass. Several pharmacies in Downtown LA got closed due to theft in the last few years, see 5th and Broadway. People who don't live in those areas can pretend nothing is happening, but your lying eyes as a local tell a different story.

consteval 2y ago
I think everyone acknowledges shoplifting has gotten worse. What they don't agree on is the cause. There's one camp who attributes it to demographics. This is a very hard sell, particularly to individuals who belong to those demographics, sometimes from birth. The issue is this camp is very dedicated to this idea, and they refuse to explore other explanations. It's hard to argue with Eugenicists and the like. The correct response is to tell them they're wrong and move on. The problem here is that neo-nazi types sneak into the conversation and derail it completely. It would be nice if we could talk about shop lifting without it dropping to blatant racism and identity politics. Unfortunately, I've never been a part of a conversation like that. When people are unreasonable you can't solve problems.