Lotting

[JessieLongleg]

So the husband just has been to lidl and people are taking what they want as the head office will not pay for a security guard. He stopped a few. But if the shops don't have security due to money, the police will not do anything about it. It's a sign of no social control and the bigger problem is if a shop closes it will affect, jobs on many levels, food production and the rest, rollers, packaging etc, increase food costs and we will ultimately starve.

Why can't we start our own police they started in the same way and are not fit for purpose.

But the shops are making more than enough profit to pay for security guards?

But for how long people are walking out with lots of food. When everyone starts doing because they can. Why should staff on living wages watch that going on when they will just be able to by food.

Lotting?

We are going to starve whilst the country descends into anarchy because a few people shoplifted from Lidl?

I am no great fan of the police, but they are not a private security company - if Lidl don't want shoplifting it is up to them to do something about it, as other companies do.

How do you think that setting up a vigilante force will improve anything - if you think the police are rubbish, just wait until you see the type who like to throw their weight around as vigilantes and are so bad they wouldn't get into the police force.

@EmmaEmerald

Apparently the head office will not authorize a security guard. Many customers have complained.

Defending stealing food unless someone starving is thief itself.

Lidl are too tight to pay for security guards, it is their problem to sort out. I won’t feel sorry for them.

I suppose they'll only pay for security when the shoplifting costs them more than security. I do wish there were laws in place to protect local staff. I won't name the shop but someone was alone in a well stocked shop in my high road, they're definitely making a profit, he had to just look on while some kids took what they wanted. I understand a small business might have to leave staff alone but many other places should be protecting their staff.

I do think it feels pretty lawless in my part of London.

Local staff? All shop staff!

My Lidl has a security guard.

No one is defending thieves?

@drpet49 I didn't ask you to feel sorry for lidl. Personally I'm concerned about staff and producers getting squeezed more to pay for losses.

I think OP means Looting

@TallulahBetty as in people are filling trolleys and walk out with the stuff in plan site. Not doing traditional shop lifting. That's what lotting is.

Why do you keep writing lotting? Is that different to looting?
there will be an area manager on 45K with his head on the block for that and it won’t last long

@JessieLongleg

Do you mean looting?

You would have to have police in each shop to deter or stop them. Each shop will have numerous thefts a day - some are reported, some are not - staff are also responsible for thefts with stock 'going out the back door'

We just don't have the numbers to put police officers in each store when you consider all the other jobs coming in that they have to deal with - DV, burglaries, mental health, missing people, assaults etc etc

Even if they are arrested and charged to court - the court just let them back out with silly sentences. A day in the court house is one, the fact that they have had to go to court is the punishment - the staff had to attend court on the day too, are they also getting punished?

There were teen boys with bags full of that energy drink out today, trying to sell them. I just thought, they probably looted them from another area.

@Quveas I never said I wanted to/personally I feel the perception of punishment stops people acting out crimes and if there are no consequences then they lose their power. I would prefer a criminal system that works to eliminate the reasons people do crime rather than just punishment. The police are not dealing with low level thieves now. What's the point of them. Crime has increased overall but 12% last year. It's not shop lifting a lot of people are obviously doing it as they see a weakness.

But how long till people and smaller shopkeepers take it into their own hands?

There's no security guarss in a few shops near me, none in Aldi, b&m, home bargains, Iceland etc etc.
And no looting going on

I don't know what is, but no, vigilantes are not the answer here.

JessieLongleg

The police can't deal as we don't have the resources to deal with low level thefts - most of which are not reported.

You have to weigh up the threat, harm & risk level of jobs coming in and resource them accordingly. So a suicidal missing from home or a DV incident will always trump a low level theft

The shops - who are making huge profits - need to resource their level of security better.

But the cost of employing a regular security team in a shop is too expensive in comparison the stock which is lost - so they don't do it as it eats into their profits.

Ahh traditional shop lifting. Those were the days. It's a shame all of our traditions are being lost isn't it?

What do you even mean?
What is traditional shoplifting?
You are basically saying that people are going into Lidl and stealing their shopping?
That's not LOOTING... it's theft

We call it a trolley-dash.

So people fill a trolley up and run out of the store without paying for it. As opposed to the 'traditional' shop lift of an individual item placed into a pocket.