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I've seen some pretty gnarly fights between grocery store security and shoplifters. Back when I worked in one I had to take our security guard to the hospital

I've seen some pretty gnarly fights between grocery store security and shoplifters. Back when I worked in one I had to take our security guard to the hospital to have a bite wound treated. There are more of them nowadays, with guns prominently displayed. It feels like we're not far from a world where they stop bothering to chase them down and just start shooting them in the back. I think you just have a nice neighborhood.

KennyBlanken 2y ago
No, you didn't. Loss Prevention in damn near any store are not allowed to even make physical contact with a shoplifter - it's a "you're fired" level policy violation. LP document, try to get the person to stop by hanging around or chasing them out of the store, try to convince the person to drop stuff, and if the person cooperates, keep them hanging around until law enforcement shows up. Companies don't want employees or customers to get injured and come after them for damages, which would almost certainly be worth far more than whatever the person is running off with. There are a slew of cameras covering the parking lots for a reason - with photos and video of the person, the car, etc - it is trivial for cops and courts to handle.
- __MatrixMan__ 2y ago
  I did. I was working as a cashier for the first one, this was several years ago. I was asked to help put handcuffs on the shoplifter since our LP guy had is hands full restraining him. I should have objected to being asked to stand by as backup when confronting a shoplifter, but I'm a pushover. But just this year I saw a grocery store security guard beat the shit out of a homeless person that they caught stealing (this was in the receiving area, not the parking lot--no cameras as far as I'm aware). This may not have been within policy, or legal, but it surely happens. It takes a certain sort to opt into a job where your primary function is intimidating people all the time.

KennyBlanken 2y ago

No, you didn't. Loss Prevention in damn near any store are not allowed to even make physical contact with a shoplifter - it's a "you're fired" level policy violation. LP document, try to get the person to stop by hanging around or chasing them out of the store, try to convince the person to drop stuff, and if the person cooperates, keep them hanging around until law enforcement shows up. Companies don't want employees or customers to get injured and come after them for damages, which would almost certainly be worth far more than whatever the person is running off with. There are a slew of cameras covering the parking lots for a reason - with photos and video of the person, the car, etc - it is trivial for cops and courts to handle.

__MatrixMan__ 2y ago
I did. I was working as a cashier for the first one, this was several years ago. I was asked to help put handcuffs on the shoplifter since our LP guy had is hands full restraining him. I should have objected to being asked to stand by as backup when confronting a shoplifter, but I'm a pushover. But just this year I saw a grocery store security guard beat the shit out of a homeless person that they caught stealing (this was in the receiving area, not the parking lot--no cameras as far as I'm aware). This may not have been within policy, or legal, but it surely happens. It takes a certain sort to opt into a job where your primary function is intimidating people all the time.