Master Yoshi
Member
Hey GAF, had an interesting shoplifting experience at the retail chain I work at yesterday.
I'm a Meat Department Manager at a local big name grocery chain. Yesterday I had an encounter with two women at our seafood service counter that I'd like to share with you. Now, this encounter is just one of dozens upon dozens that I've had over my ten year career at this store, but it's the most recent one I've had so I'll share it today.
Alright, so I'm waiting both the service meat and service seafood counter, slightly backed up, about four sets of customers lined up for orders. These two women at the seafood counter keep interrupting me as I'm waiting those who came before them. That was already strike 1 in my mind with them, but I continued to smile and be patient and polite with them.
I finally clear everyone else and begin to serve these two.
The first of the women asks for $60 worth of our frozen lobster tails. This puts me on high alert, as our top three shoplifted seafood items are snow crab legs, frozen shrimp and lobster tails, although normally the customers who shoplift generally avoid directly interacting with employees.
I became alerted because that was a large amount to purchase, and these ladies looked less well off financially, though that's usually an unfair assumption and I don't profile people based on their physical appearance and clothing unless they are dressed suspiciously in relation to the outside weather. Backpacks catch my attention, as well as large jackets, huge bags being carried or in their carts, etc. Sunglasses and hats being worn together is also usually a good indicator, and the older of the two was wearing just that. Sunglasses and a hat.
I began to pack the lobster tails into a large zipper bag, and the younger woman of the two interrupts me again, telling me that she wants them packed in something smaller than the bag that I'm trying to use. This is strike two, as there's absolutely no reason to have asked this unless she has intention to conceal the items, in my mind. If she'd asked me to pack them into freezer paper in smaller packs so that she could use them in portions, that would have been far different.
I finish her pack of lobster tails and her tag team partner wants the exact same order, same way. Fair enough. I finish the order as they try to tell me they are down on their luck today. Interesting that they're purchasing $120 worth of seafood, but that's their business. They walk off without grabbing any sorts of seasonings, nothing else in their cart for side dishes, nothing at all. They head to the bathroom hallway with their cart. That's strike 3. I watch them from upstairs as they work their way behind the point of sale, behind all registers with a straight shot at the exit doors. Their lobsters are magically bagged in our store's plastic bags, though they've yet to check out. I confront them at the bottom of the stairs demanding a receipt. They tell me they don't have to show me one and that they aren't finished shopping. Then the younger one starts acting offended and asks if I'm the same person who had waited on them earlier. I motion for the ASM to come handle the situation and begin to walk away. My blood is boiling. The older woman with the hat and sunglasses has already exited the store at this point, and the younger begins to plead that it was all going to be done by the other, how she has kids and would never risk losing them to shoplift. I simply exclaimed with "Jesus Christ, seriously?!" as I walked away.
They weren't arrested, they'll surely be back again. One of my co-workers noted afterwards how she'd waited on this woman earlier in the week for six lobster tails. I lose hundreds of dollars worth of meat and seafood every week to shoplifters. Sometimes thousands. I'm scared to even imagine how much alcohol is stolen, as well as pharmaceuticals.
Do you have any shoplifting stories, retail GAF? Have you ever caught a shoplifter? Did you confront them? Have you ever tried to restrain one? Do you shoplift? How do you justify it if so?
I'm a Meat Department Manager at a local big name grocery chain. Yesterday I had an encounter with two women at our seafood service counter that I'd like to share with you. Now, this encounter is just one of dozens upon dozens that I've had over my ten year career at this store, but it's the most recent one I've had so I'll share it today.
Alright, so I'm waiting both the service meat and service seafood counter, slightly backed up, about four sets of customers lined up for orders. These two women at the seafood counter keep interrupting me as I'm waiting those who came before them. That was already strike 1 in my mind with them, but I continued to smile and be patient and polite with them.
I finally clear everyone else and begin to serve these two.
The first of the women asks for $60 worth of our frozen lobster tails. This puts me on high alert, as our top three shoplifted seafood items are snow crab legs, frozen shrimp and lobster tails, although normally the customers who shoplift generally avoid directly interacting with employees.
I became alerted because that was a large amount to purchase, and these ladies looked less well off financially, though that's usually an unfair assumption and I don't profile people based on their physical appearance and clothing unless they are dressed suspiciously in relation to the outside weather. Backpacks catch my attention, as well as large jackets, huge bags being carried or in their carts, etc. Sunglasses and hats being worn together is also usually a good indicator, and the older of the two was wearing just that. Sunglasses and a hat.
I began to pack the lobster tails into a large zipper bag, and the younger woman of the two interrupts me again, telling me that she wants them packed in something smaller than the bag that I'm trying to use. This is strike two, as there's absolutely no reason to have asked this unless she has intention to conceal the items, in my mind. If she'd asked me to pack them into freezer paper in smaller packs so that she could use them in portions, that would have been far different.
I finish her pack of lobster tails and her tag team partner wants the exact same order, same way. Fair enough. I finish the order as they try to tell me they are down on their luck today. Interesting that they're purchasing $120 worth of seafood, but that's their business. They walk off without grabbing any sorts of seasonings, nothing else in their cart for side dishes, nothing at all. They head to the bathroom hallway with their cart. That's strike 3. I watch them from upstairs as they work their way behind the point of sale, behind all registers with a straight shot at the exit doors. Their lobsters are magically bagged in our store's plastic bags, though they've yet to check out. I confront them at the bottom of the stairs demanding a receipt. They tell me they don't have to show me one and that they aren't finished shopping. Then the younger one starts acting offended and asks if I'm the same person who had waited on them earlier. I motion for the ASM to come handle the situation and begin to walk away. My blood is boiling. The older woman with the hat and sunglasses has already exited the store at this point, and the younger begins to plead that it was all going to be done by the other, how she has kids and would never risk losing them to shoplift. I simply exclaimed with "Jesus Christ, seriously?!" as I walked away.
They weren't arrested, they'll surely be back again. One of my co-workers noted afterwards how she'd waited on this woman earlier in the week for six lobster tails. I lose hundreds of dollars worth of meat and seafood every week to shoplifters. Sometimes thousands. I'm scared to even imagine how much alcohol is stolen, as well as pharmaceuticals.
Do you have any shoplifting stories, retail GAF? Have you ever caught a shoplifter? Did you confront them? Have you ever tried to restrain one? Do you shoplift? How do you justify it if so?
