4 ms·

What struck me as really odd about his job was the obsession with anti-theft measures. How big is is this store that they have enough to hire a full-time loss p

by ufmace 13y ago

What struck me as really odd about his job was the obsession with anti-theft measures. How big is is this store that they have enough to hire a full-time loss prevention officer? I've never heard of any retail store giving employees bag-checks and pat-downs every time they entered and left the building either. It's been a long time since I've worked any job like that, but I've never heard of anything like that. From everything I've read, most major retailers have little to no protection against employee theft. Is the neighborhood they're in that bad that they have to go to these extremes, or is the owner/manager just nuts about this issue for some reason?

deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
ilaksh 13y ago
Doesn't surprise me. Many years ago my first job was retail security guard. One day I was assigned to a sporting goods store. I was the victim of a scam where some woman accused me of losing an expensive bag. Pretty sure the manager of the store was in on it. Another store I worked in sold baby clothes and was constantly being robbed regardless of which guard was on duty. I've heard that Target has its own crime lab. I imagine things have gotten worse since I had that job in 1998.
ZanyProgrammer 13y ago
Whole Foods Palo Alto had the entire downstairs recorded, so employees couldn't steal. No bag checks when I was there though.
valar_m 13y ago
Bag checks are fairly common, usually occurring at ends of shift or closing. Pat downs are less so, mostly because it's generally not a good idea to require employees to touch each other. Retail internal theft really is a serious problem, though. According to the National Retail Security Survey at UF, it costs retailers (read: consumers) $14.9 billion annually [1]. What you may find surprising is that most major retailers do, in fact, have quite extensive controls in place to prevent and detect internal theft -- exception reporting, inventory tracking, etc. That these massive losses still occur should give you an idea of how complex the problem is. The reason the store requires two employees to take out the trash has nothing to do with watching for thieves or "armed intruders." It's actually a simple and surprisingly effective deterrent to internal theft. Diverting merchandise through non-public exits is a common theft strategy. Also, Ike was not "fired because [he] got a promotion." He was fired for lying on his job application about a previous conviction for theft. Ike's conviction strongly suggests a tendency to act dishonestly, which is further reinforced by his attempt to cover it up when applying for the job. This is precisely the type of individual that the background check is intended to screen. Lastly, the author says it happened when Ike was a teenager, so it could only have happened when Ike was either 18 or 19. Juvenile court records are not available to background check services. [1] http://investors.tyco.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=112348&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=229725&highlight http://investors.tyco.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=112348&p=irol-news...
- brianpgordon 13y ago
  > Ike's conviction strongly suggests a tendency to act dishonestly, which is further reinforced by his attempt to cover it up when applying for the job. I wouldn't make it out to be such a personal moral failing. Given the job climate described in the article, I wouldn't expect him to be able to get a job by telling the truth about his conviction. If they were actually concerned about producing profit instead of covering their butts, Corporate would sweep it under the rug with the realization that he is effectively required to lie about it in order to participate in society.
- ufmace 13y ago
  I have heard that, for most retailers, most of their losses are due to internal theft. Hence lots of video cameras, and background checks to a degree that seem a little absurd, plus loss prevention investigations, record keeping, and lots of internal audits. What really sounds odd are the bag checks and pat-downs. Pat-downs especially, at least partly since they seem likely to lead to sexual harassment suits. I can't think of a solid legal reason not to do bag checks, but it sounds so demeaning and pointless, unless you work somewhere where tens of thousands in inventory could legitimately be snuck out through somebody's backpack. If you're selling diamonds or gold jewelry, I could see it, but sporting goods? What are they supposedly stealing that can be snuck out in a backpack and will lead to a meaningful loss before somebody figures it out? Ike's situation is what bothers me about the current criminal justice system, though. If you get a conviction on your record for anything moderately serious, you're just done. He could tell the truth, and get locked out right off the bat, or lie, and maybe get caught later. We've probably all done dumb stuff when we were young. If you happen to get busted for something at the wrong time, well, good luck ever getting a semi-professional job again. Years and years of dedicated service are nothing against some dumb mistake a decade ago. I'll admit that I tend to think that a lot of petty thieves are doing it for the thrills rather than desperation for survival. But what do we really expect them to do after they get caught? Even if they do some time and learn their lesson, it looks like they have damn few options for making a clean living, no matter how skilled and dedicated they are. I don't have any idea how many ex-cons are making a legit effort to live a clean life after they do their time, but we sure don't seem to be making it easy for them. And we're surprised that most of them go back to crime and get busted again? I'm not sure exactly how to solve it, but it surely needs some work.
nsxwolf 13y ago
Having two friends who have careers in "LP", both who have worked at a litany of stores, pretty much any chain you've heard of has a full time loss prevention officer or two. It's probably the best paying job on the store premises. Keep in mind their job is also to stop shoplifters in addition to "internal" theft, embezzlement, return fraud, etc.
thornz 13y ago
I worked at a Best Buy one summer and bag-checks as well as pat downs were mandatory any time an employee left the premises.

by ufmace 13y ago

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

ilaksh 13y ago

Doesn't surprise me. Many years ago my first job was retail security guard. One day I was assigned to a sporting goods store. I was the victim of a scam where some woman accused me of losing an expensive bag. Pretty sure the manager of the store was in on it. Another store I worked in sold baby clothes and was constantly being robbed regardless of which guard was on duty. I've heard that Target has its own crime lab. I imagine things have gotten worse since I had that job in 1998.

ZanyProgrammer 13y ago

Whole Foods Palo Alto had the entire downstairs recorded, so employees couldn't steal. No bag checks when I was there though.

valar_m 13y ago

Bag checks are fairly common, usually occurring at ends of shift or closing. Pat downs are less so, mostly because it's generally not a good idea to require employees to touch each other. Retail internal theft really is a serious problem, though. According to the National Retail Security Survey at UF, it costs retailers (read: consumers) $14.9 billion annually [1]. What you may find surprising is that most major retailers do, in fact, have quite extensive controls in place to prevent and detect internal theft -- exception reporting, inventory tracking, etc. That these massive losses still occur should give you an idea of how complex the problem is. The reason the store requires two employees to take out the trash has nothing to do with watching for thieves or "armed intruders." It's actually a simple and surprisingly effective deterrent to internal theft. Diverting merchandise through non-public exits is a common theft strategy. Also, Ike was not "fired because [he] got a promotion." He was fired for lying on his job application about a previous conviction for theft. Ike's conviction strongly suggests a tendency to act dishonestly, which is further reinforced by his attempt to cover it up when applying for the job. This is precisely the type of individual that the background check is intended to screen. Lastly, the author says it happened when Ike was a teenager, so it could only have happened when Ike was either 18 or 19. Juvenile court records are not available to background check services. [1] http://investors.tyco.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=112348&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=229725&highlight http://investors.tyco.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=112348&p=irol-news...

brianpgordon 13y ago
> Ike's conviction strongly suggests a tendency to act dishonestly, which is further reinforced by his attempt to cover it up when applying for the job. I wouldn't make it out to be such a personal moral failing. Given the job climate described in the article, I wouldn't expect him to be able to get a job by telling the truth about his conviction. If they were actually concerned about producing profit instead of covering their butts, Corporate would sweep it under the rug with the realization that he is effectively required to lie about it in order to participate in society.
ufmace 13y ago
I have heard that, for most retailers, most of their losses are due to internal theft. Hence lots of video cameras, and background checks to a degree that seem a little absurd, plus loss prevention investigations, record keeping, and lots of internal audits. What really sounds odd are the bag checks and pat-downs. Pat-downs especially, at least partly since they seem likely to lead to sexual harassment suits. I can't think of a solid legal reason not to do bag checks, but it sounds so demeaning and pointless, unless you work somewhere where tens of thousands in inventory could legitimately be snuck out through somebody's backpack. If you're selling diamonds or gold jewelry, I could see it, but sporting goods? What are they supposedly stealing that can be snuck out in a backpack and will lead to a meaningful loss before somebody figures it out? Ike's situation is what bothers me about the current criminal justice system, though. If you get a conviction on your record for anything moderately serious, you're just done. He could tell the truth, and get locked out right off the bat, or lie, and maybe get caught later. We've probably all done dumb stuff when we were young. If you happen to get busted for something at the wrong time, well, good luck ever getting a semi-professional job again. Years and years of dedicated service are nothing against some dumb mistake a decade ago. I'll admit that I tend to think that a lot of petty thieves are doing it for the thrills rather than desperation for survival. But what do we really expect them to do after they get caught? Even if they do some time and learn their lesson, it looks like they have damn few options for making a clean living, no matter how skilled and dedicated they are. I don't have any idea how many ex-cons are making a legit effort to live a clean life after they do their time, but we sure don't seem to be making it easy for them. And we're surprised that most of them go back to crime and get busted again? I'm not sure exactly how to solve it, but it surely needs some work.

nsxwolf 13y ago

Having two friends who have careers in "LP", both who have worked at a litany of stores, pretty much any chain you've heard of has a full time loss prevention officer or two. It's probably the best paying job on the store premises. Keep in mind their job is also to stop shoplifters in addition to "internal" theft, embezzlement, return fraud, etc.

thornz 13y ago

I worked at a Best Buy one summer and bag-checks as well as pat downs were mandatory any time an employee left the premises.