If you work in retail (shop floor) have you personally witnessed an increase in thieving?

[SaturdayGiraffe]

Someone just told me there’s conspiracy theories that the shops are lying to raise prices.
I’ve seen one theft this year (as a shopper).
Suppose the AIBU is “To believe that theft has indeed increased.”

This is so depressing. Why are the police not stopping the organised offenders? Is it a lack of police resources?

It's not a victimless crime, it drives higher prices for everyone, and smaller shops going out of business.

I manage a charity shop . Absolutely huge uplift in theft this year . Particularly coats and bedding which makes me sad as is obviously warmth related .

My daughter worked in a small grocery shop of a well known chain. Shop lifting was a daily occurrence, but not my organised criminals
Mostly people stealing basics such as bread milk,eggs etc. She's 5ft and min wage, so she wasn't challenging them.

Or, potentially, the opportunists know that people are cold so those things have resale value for them.

People like you are worse than the junkies doing the robbing

I wonder how the likes of Costco do with this where you need membership to get in and there are more checks?

I can see a time when the difference price between the likes of Costo and online only retailers compared to the high street will become even more significant. I wonder if Ocado will become cheaper than Tesco as a result!

Ever wonder if the only people that stores challenge are the ones who've never stolen anything? I get asked regularly to show the contents of my handbag to the cashier when I'm going through Aldi. Why? Because it's easier to challenge an older woman than an actual thief?

I don’t work in retail anymore but I’ve seen a huge amount of open, blatant theft recently.

literally seen people walk in and pick up a whole stack of boxes of chocolate or case of wine and just walk out with it. not hiding it at all. I was really shocked.

I spoke to the security guard in one place and he said it’s happening constantly at the moment.

I don’t work in retail any more but speak to people who do regularly. Any of them, across the board in any kind of shop, will tell you that shoplifting has gone up. If you think it’s a conspiracy theory though why would you trust anything else you read online? Go out, treat the retail staff in stores as if they are human, and ask them directly.

and that IS asking her to steal it for you. There is absolutely no other way to interpret that.

Trying to pretend it’s justifiable or reasonable is ridiculous.

Yes, they kick the fire doors open so they can steal alcohol. Usually always Eastern European young males.
Most stores have had more security gates installed by checkouts and self service to stop trolleys being pushed through. More items are having security tags including meat.
This is why most retail stores gearing up for online only and click and collect, our store loses an enormous amount due to theft. We are also seeing more abuse and violence from customers.

A relative works in a supermarket and yes it's increased. They are told not to confront people who appear to be shoplifting .

A branch of Boots in a local market town looks a mess because they've had to block off an aisle in a bid to reduce shoplifters. And they no longer have sunglasses on display (they're behind the counter) because they were being nicked.

I do think its possibly because of the reduced number of staff in Stores?

Which makes you just as scummy as her. Well done.

Utterly brazen and then sell them on local Facebook groups. Look for the same people selling multiple laundry liquid/dishwasher tablets/Lego (I'm surprised there's any left in the shops), chocolates, etc.

As others have said its absolutely endless, and that's just the ones you try and stop, let alone the "good" ones who get away undetected. Some of them are so aggressive too.

This is the exact problem in the large food retailer opposite where i work... young Eastern European lads kicking the fire exits open to steal booze.

I dated someone once who's Mum lived in sheltered housing. We went to visit her and her 'friend Lisa' came to call. I was introduced and Lisa then opened a load of carrier bags asking if I wanted anything. Bags were full of cans of Lynx deodorant and those stupid tiny balls you chuck in the washer. The Mum bought loads of stuff and Lisa moved onto the next bungalow. I was pretty shocked (and Lisa was charging prices not much lower than retail - £5 for the scented balls!) I did ask if she knew it was all stolen, to which she replied "of course, I'm not stupid" I don't think half the folk who buy stolen goods realise they are being ripped off and that the shops have to charge higher prices across the board as a result. Never mind the actual morality of it. It's often vulnerable people or those from deprived areas that buy stolen goods.

I've also seen shoplifting from the booze aisles 2 or 3 times in the past year, so yes I'd say it's on the increase.

It's because the police don't do anything, they don't even come to burglaries

And we've always had theft in our store but this is the first time ever that we've had to move so many items behind the counter, and we only put one of each type of meat out in the fridges. We had someone jump over the counter the other day to nick vapes ffs

My DD worked at Wilkos and the theft was phenomenal. Known shoplifters would walk in and clear the entire shelves of certain products such as Unstoppables fabric conditioners. Minimum wage staff weren't allowed to intervene because they carried knives and needles. Some of the security guards were getting HIV tested on a regular basis. The police never turned up, the ones who went to court were let off. It's a fecking mess and I can't see it changing.

Btw most were men, about 95%

Wonder how those who steal would like it if they had a shop and people stole from them?

i don’t work in retail, but I’ve noticed it’s become increasingly unpleasant to go in shops around here - staff are like hawks following you around. Went into a perfume shop to try and find a new scent and felt so uncomfortable I walked out without even trying anything on.

I walk through a local shopping centre on the way to work and it’s a daily occurrence, and the staff are powerless. Holland and Barrett is popular for it, they run in and do a sweep of protein powders etc in massive jars and sell them on outside the local gyms. Really deprived area.

Well you now know who to blame Random. The shoplifters/organised crime and the pp who wanted a half price coat.

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If it's left to continue like this the shops will either go online or broke, and it will be the staff who pay for it with loss of their jobs and possibly the inability to pay their rent or buy food. Society as a whole is being robbed blind and going to hell on a handcart but it's portrayed as families needing to eat which is bollox. It's got to the point of needing a multi department approach, police, courts availability and sentencing, prison capacity, drug rehabilitation, social workers, etc and nobody in government/parliament seems to have the will to co-ordinate or even talk about it. /rant over

Society as a whole is being robbed blind and going to hell on a handcart but it's portrayed as families needing to eat which is bollox.

Agreed. There is no justification for theft.

Not even on the basis they're desperate because they're putting up the prices for other desperate families and pensioners that don't break the law. And not all shopkeepers are large corporations with deeper pockets.