Community Chat

[threecees]

I have also witnessed shoplifting. I saw a woman stuffing food into her purse

in a grocery store and reported it. Don't know if anything was done about it.

No matter if the item was 50 cents or worth 20 dollars, it is a crime and they

do need to be stopped because it will just continue. Get a thrill each time that

they get away with it.

I read in our newspaper probably early last year that at a McDonalds a customer

asked for a paper cup for water and they gave it to the guy. They witnessed

him filing it up with soda and he was arrested for taking something he was

not paying for. Charges against him were filed. 

[suzyQ3]

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@SahmIam wrote:

The roaming groups of teens is, IMHO, a different situation than the gangs who are essentially setting up a "flash mob robbery" situation at specific stores. The latter is usually an organized event with big crime connections though it can be neighborhood punks just being punks. 

The roaming teens is a bigger issue and some malls do deal with it and some don't. Bottom line, this is a PARENTING issue and the parents are NOWHERE to be found. A very large mall near me dealt with it in this way:

ANY individual under the age of 18 who is NOT with an adult from 2:30 pm to closing MUST WEAR AN ID BRACELET PROVIDED BY MALL SECURITY. This is done with the assistant of the county police. Friday, Saturday and Sundays county police are at the mall monitoring. The check for the bracelets and remove teens (by calling their parents). It was a mess in the beginning but the change......WOW. The ONLY people who complained were....you guessed it....the teens and their absentee parents/guardians. Shoppers, stores, mall employees, EVERYONE loves the policy. When school lets out for the summer, the policy is extended from open to close hours, 7 days a week. It takes time, effort and following through but it DOES work.

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I guess the mall can get away with this because it is private property and they are not discriminating against a protected class of people, @SahmIam.

[suzyQ3]

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@Annabellethecat66 wrote:

Well I recently posted how people don’t get prosecuted or given much time anymore.

Not everyone agreed...I’ll leave it at that.

I keep hearing the term, “catch and release”.  Whatever that means.

I know there are places I won’t mention where people caught in a crime do not have to post bail...they’re released..

Don’t believe me?  Google it.

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To be fair, @Annabellethecat66, when posters questioned your statement, you said that you would post confirmation but never did.

[Spurt]

Sadly a long time ago one of the malls in our city had to close due to these teen gangs.....  When a small mall in another part of town began to experience this same problem....they solved it by moving the Police Substation right inside the mall.....

[Meowingkitty]

I was in Nordstrom Rack a couple of years ago when a woman ran by me with an armful of clothes telling her driver to go. I got the license plate and told the manager but they said there's not a lot they can do, same with Home Depot. They are told to let them take it, it's not worth losing your life for a saw. 

[Twins Mom]

A group of four was caught carrying arms of goods from outlet stores, charged, kept overnight and released. Don’t know if on bail. One walked to nearby Macy’s, stole jewelry and was caught. Again charged. Don’t know if case has gone any further. Problem with going further not just NY.

[SahmIam]

@suzyQ3 I would tend to agree with you. I also suspect that the mall owners made sure to check into any and all legal issues that could be thrown their way.

At some point I do believe that the majority who want something in place when it comes to crime will agree to come together on a solution no matter what it may look like to those who aren't having to deal with it. In this case, the community (college and surrounding residential), the county, law enforcement, mall employees, shop owners/corporate ownership and the mall held meetings and asked for the publics' input. This policy was the result. People are no longer terrified of the roving teens who were stealing, mugging, causing fights and, in two cases....murdering (whole different topic).  Understand as well, NO parental supervision was also an issue and so, making parents and teens follow the rules caused those who didn't want to to go elsewhere.

[tobes]

@Twins Mom Some states do not prosecute shoplifters who shoplift less than $900.  i heard that shoplifters are going into stores with calculators and waiving goodbye to securty as they exit the store.  Police do not want to come to a shoplifting crime and I guess stores find it too expensive to prosecute as well,

[jeanlake]

There's a two-part blame, IMO. Store policy and theives. I worked at Macy's my senior high school year and through college. Junior department was at the front of the store and and merchandise was constantly walking out. I just had to report it so I wouldn't get blamed for it. No description of thieves were inquired about. Store manager never would move the department, so I stopped being as diligent and focused on organizing department and giving friendly customer service. Jewelry was also front and center of the main  entrance. A young, security guard lost his life when jewelry shoplifter pulled a gun on him. Security guard was to be married the next weekend.

I've mentioned this before. For years I worked temporary retail at Gordmans, Macys and Kohls during holiday season to pay for young family Christmas gifts. At Gordmans, I watched a woman slip her shoes off and wear new shoes out of the store. I followed her to front of store, holding her old shoes and reported to manager. The thief smirked at me and walked slowly out of the store. Manager told me to back off as the store had been accused of making reports of theft targeting minorities. It was best that I look the other way. The store has insurance for theft. I had no desire to work there after that holiday season.

Kohls paid little attention to outside theft. They made that clear. But they had spot checks with employees when store closed, regarding handbags and mens' pockets. 

Macy's -- back there for seasonal work when I had a young family. The primary focus was 'pushing' customers to open a line of credit; not keeping an orderly department or friendly service. We were 'talked to' about how many lines of credit we opened. It was an ethical thing for me and I gave my notice after week two. My last holiday season in retail.

A couple of years ago, at Target, a family was stopped by Security after leaving the register area.  Security pulled out unpaid items in kids' back-to-school backpacks. The little kid wearing the backpack out of the store was weeping. The two women with him were screaming to leave him alone. Even a few onlookers told the Security guard to leave the little boy alone. This was a planned theft. Bought the backpacks that they filled with unpaid clothes. 

So strange. All of it.           

[10sluvr]

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@4kitties wrote:

Some areas of the country will not prosecute shoplifters.  If the items stolen are worth less than $900.00 I think.  There are videos of people with armfuls of clothes walking right out of a Marshall's.  The stores will not call police because there is nothing they can do.  It is very disturbing and unfair to business owners.  

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isn't California, a leader in "looking the other way", in this kind of shoplifting? no prosecution what so ever.