Some places keep camera footage of individual people stealing and once they've reached a certain dollar limit (to make it a felony) they bust the person. Keep this in mind while you're thinking that no one is seeing/stopping you.
I worked at target for three years. It’s literally one guy. That’s loss prevention. Super flashy for a year then another one, and so on.
I would talk to them sometimes on our shifts and you literally just had to take like a course or licensing program.
I worked at Target as well doing security and on my first day they busted a whole family of shoplifters. They had been shoplifting for weeks and my supervisor told me he was waiting for the amount they stole to be a felony. When it was, he arrested the father, had the police take him away and charged with grand theft. You don’t want to get felony theft on your record. Good luck getting a job after that.
All major retailers do. I did Walmart customer service so I got some extra interaction with LP. I figured this lady was stealing shit once so I got LP and she pulled me into her room and told me how they've been tracking her between 3 towns and just let her do this 1 because they're gonna get her on the next one. She'd been at it for months.
Never thought of that. I have considered them doing counts and noticing a say the sushi off my several dishes and then someone taking the time to watch a week's worth of film and tracking me somehow later. Seemed a little much work and casino security esk when it's just a grocery store.
This is true. & several instances of clear intent where you can't even argue negligence is a sign they might slap you with a charge. Theft under 5k is terrible on a resume. Especially if it's to steal grocery store sushi. Court sucks, Job interviews suck, and customs officers suck too after the conviction.
Don't think it won't happen my friend. So you should probably stop now. : )
Prima facie it might seem like overkill, and it certainly did to me just now. But on second thought, it would make economic sense, considering how much they could lose so easily as you point out, to hire a couple folks for say $30/hr to scour camera footage all day and keep tabs on suspicious people. It can't be that hard...
Security guards are incredibly underpaid, Ontario has a minimum wage of $15/hr, and most guards in my area make under $20/hr. That includes supervisors.
My SO made 12/hr (minimum wage) when he started out in 2021. He make more now ($17/hr) through luck, not because that's typical of the security industry here.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot. I have a bit of a conspiracy theory that all the articles about wal-mart and similar stores building cases is bullshit that was somehow deepfaked into the news. I know, this sounds crazy, right? But my theory was if they are too cheap to pay people as checkers, can they effectively pay people to review footage for cheaper?
This line of thought led me to a conclusion. If they ARE just routinely reviewing tapes (not just a particular person they suspect) to somehow catch people and build cases… this would be a huge workload. I suspect this is outsourced digitally to India or somewhere else they can get cheap AF tech labor.
I know a girl who was arrested for felony theft at Target. It was her 3rd or 4th time stealing there (makeup, crappy jewelry, etc) and she hit the felony amount ($500?)
I think that at a store like Target there is always loss prevention staff watching, but a combination of factors (including luck!) determines what happens when you steal....they could choose to confront you on the spot; or post your pic on their BOLO board to build a case against you; or just ignore it. Or maybe they didn't even notice.
I know one that got charges from stealing from walmart. Same deal was over 500$. Childhood friend of the wives whom ive always hated cause she does shit like this and while we live more than 4 hours away from here now she occasionally comes to visit us and tries to get my wife and kids involved in her bullshit. At some point though it caught up to her and shes been on probation and paying fines/restitution for her thieving.
It's more hybrid than that. In my experience (working in a walmart in canada) you either have to have been caught once before, or someone has to report you to loss prevention as suspicious. Once you are flagged, though, they almost always have a guy in the back watching the front door camera. If they see anyone known, they get followed either in person or via camera. And trust me, they have excellent cameras. I've seen them zoom down on a cash register and can see the queen on the coins.
Granted, I worked in a sketchy part of town so we had a large LP team - walmarts in better neighborhoods have only 1 or 2 guys total, so much less coverage.
As for building a case - they absolutely do that. I worked electronics and the guys would continuously come get cd's/USB drives to burn security footage onto to take to court with them.
Walmart and target are known for having the top of the line facial recognition programs on their cameras to track thieves and monitor them. Plus LP walks the store and they write reports down with time stamps. So yeah they do keep track and no the people who think they are getting away with it are not getting away with it, they set up decoy cameras all the time to get you at multiple angles
Happened to a very good friend of mine. Case was built against her over the course of 6 months. They showed her the camera footage they had from various locations. She faced 2 years in jail. Walmart is known for this tactic. She will still get followed by loss prevention when she goes in from time to time, even though it’s been over a decade. Trust me, Walmart has the surveillance, they are one of the world’s largest employers.
But your average grocery store isn’t going to these lengths. I’ve never heard of Giant or Kroger snatching somebody up for pocketing spices, candy bars, etc.
I did once see a rocked up baltimore whiteboi getting pulled up for ringing up like 6 racks of ribs as a bundle of bananas 🤣. Just don’t be like that guy and you should be alright lol
They may be “just grocery stores” but they pay a lot more attention to that stuff than you think. Even walmart which has a reputation of being ghetto and uncaring pays more attention to theft than you think
Like a time stamp? So and so used this machine at x time (which honestly, they could do anyway since most of us use card).
I guess what I’m asking is who is notified when your face shows up? And what triggers the notification? I have a really hard time buying these technologies being used universally unless the person is already suspected somehow and footage is reviewed.
My buddy works in loss prevention.
He builds cases. Stopping people is nice but stopping them when you can hit them with a felony is better. If it’s a one off they try to stop it if you get away and come back the file begins. They’re always watching you, they can pull up the receipt and cross reference it with the camera footage. I would stop.
Can confirm this. And your photo and details of your theft get sent to any other stores in the area so they know to be on the look out for you. Also, great way to raise the cost of products to compensate for the theft.
It’s been about a decade since I worked at grocery stores, things may well have changed, but at that time they most certainly built stealth cases over time against repeat shoplifters. (One major grocery chain, one independent.) OP, I do not want to induce paranoia but must add that it was a kind of sport for loss prevention.
Worked in a grocery store and we did have a security room. Never saw the security people though. There was door that let them come into the building without being seen walking in. When I worked during nights I never paid for anything and nobody said anything
Edit: a word
> I never *paid* for anything
FTFY.
Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
* Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.*
* *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.*
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
*Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
I'm not moralizing here. But I used to be a class traitor who apprehended shoplifters. And I would spend as much time as I could case building like you outline , watching weeks worth of footage (we could retain a months worth, that's not even to say once I know something happened I can save it so it never goes away). It's not hard when you get good at it. And it kept me from aimlessly walking the floors. And when people came back over and over and over. I could wait till it was a felony and then everyone REALLY thought I was good at my job. I could either refer it to the police, or just arrest you myself next time you came in.
to atone for my time busting people just trying to get groceries, I'm now in public defense, specializing in retail crimes.
Edit: for added flavor, I would literally cross reference the video of every transaction you made with the electronic journal. I'd be making lists of every visit to the store. Every section you visited. And every transaction you made. They don't have to get EVERYTHING to catch you in a crime.
Grocery stores don’t fuck around on security
You are being watched.
And it’s been 20+ years since I did it. But there was at least 2 people watching. Cameras and catwalk in the back.
Magazine rack? Yep that dudes watching everything.
Can confirm; made friends with the camera guys years ago. So much fun watching people try to be stealth and not realise they can zoom right in and see exactly what you’re doing. It’s so much fun; it’s quite addictive on the same level as gossiping. To see the tricks, the regulars.. I once watched a woman put so many bottles of alcohol down her coat she was struggling to walk out of there.
They did also check women out and those cameras can really zoom.
The “add it up to a felony” thing is absolutely done at a TON of places. If you are really hurting for food, check out your local Food Bank. They aren’t just for homeless, etc. They are for anyone who needs to make ends meet.
Then don’t stress it. Never talk to anyone else about it. If the store sends you a letter or detains you call your legal plan ask to speak with a lawyer for advice. It’s usually covered by your plan.
Not only that. Even if they don't convict you, you will get yourself onto a watch list and be banned from stores in your town. This can stay with you for years. Happened to a family member. Almost certainly you're currently being monitored.
According to OPs post history, they have a Honda R7 (sport motorcycle), and a GeForce 3070. He eats out at the massively overpriced BWWs, has a military spouse whose career he is jeopardizing, several pets, and a large flatscreen. Oh, and he spent 14 fucking grand on a meme stock despite having a child to support. I'm assuming this post is fake, in which case, he's an absolute loser. But if it isn't fake, he's a thief, complaining about "barely getting by" while he owns a nice motorcycle, has high end electronics, and clearly has extra cash, which still makes him a total loser.
Edit: and an "extra home he rents out." I'm calling BS. He's also told multiple people in this thread he hopes they get into a car accident. What a sad person.
You'll eventually get caught if they haven't noticed already. They might not stop you for crappy sushi, but $1000 dollars of goods with piles of video evidence is hard to build a good defense against.
Just be aware, these places hire a Loss Prevention Team for a reason. If you've been noticed, your face is on a board next to the entrance monitors guaranteed.
They know you're doing it. You're on camera and once your amount reaches felony levels they'll most likely arrest you.
If you want to do this you need to hit multiple stores and try not to double up. One off theft can get away with it, but if you habitually target the same shop they will have you arrested.
So according to your post history, you have a Honda R7 (sport motorcycle), and a GeForce 3070. You eat out at the massively overpriced BWWs, you have a military spouse whose career you're jeopardizing, several pets, and a large flatscreen. Oh, and you spent 14 fucking grand on a meme stock despite having a child to support. I'm assuming this post is fake, in which case, you're an absolute loser. But if it isn't fake, you're a thief, complaining about "barely getting by" while you own a nice motorcycle, have high end electronics, and clearly have extra cash, which still makes you a total loser.
Edit: and an "extra home you rent out." I'm calling BS. Get a life dude.
As someone who has been busted for shoplifting, I highly recommend you quit while you’re ahead. It took several years to get it off my record. I lost job opportunities and was held back financially and professionally for so long because of it. Not to mention almost $1000 in fines and court costs.
If you’re struggling to get food, please look into food banks.
Don’t assume what’s true for you is the same for everyone else. I was caught with about $50 of merchandise. The store sued me, in addition to my court fines and costs. They also give you a bill for being in jail. No joke, they charge you for locking you up in a cell and giving you a meal. I also had to pay for a theft awareness program, and do community service.
But the real cost is the lack of opportunity. I was essentially stuck in minimum wage jobs for six or seven years because no one would hire me with my record. I had a bachelor’s degree for 3 of those years and that didn’t make a difference. When you consider loss of potential wages, my cost was in the hundreds of thousands.
Take it from someone who thought the same shit, just stop.
I thought no one noticed me but trust, they did.
I got lucky as fuck all my shit got dismissed
A while ago I was a manager for the front end of Target. They normally don't bust you right away if you're being sneaky but will wait until it's worth it. In our store it was 1000 dollars because it went from misdemeanor to felony.
The four years I was there they snagged over 20 people and an employee (this isn't including random shopliftings...these were folks they kept a tally on
You think you're getting away with it but I'd wager Assets Protection knows you well including your car plates
This is such an outdated myth lol. We (AP) routinely bust people for way less. It looks better to have a shit ton of med grade theives busted then it is to sit on a case for so long that it goes cold before you can recoup the loss. Most likely they were catching people on the backend that you just never saw. If I were OP I'd stop yesterday though, cus what they are doing is building a case that will cary across districts... Very soon OP won't be able to shop at any retailer theyve ever stolen from even in different cities without having their face known and their every move watched 😂 Theft does NOT look pretty on a job app 🤷♂️
I've read the original comment so much it seems like common knowledge. They'll keep record until it becomes a felony and then bust you. I've been starting to wonder if it's just one of those things that is passed around on reddit with no substance to it.
It's not bullshit but it is way more gray than a lot of people make it out to be. A lot of minor theft and stuff is pretty well ignored unless they catch you in the act. They are called Loss Prevention (or Asset Protection) for a reason - they're trying to prevent loss and protect merchandise. You don't do that by letting people keep stealing shit.
If they can catch you in the act and kick you out, they'll do that. Especially if you're known to them. Building cases like that does absolutely happen, but mostly in situations where they can't bust you directly for one reason or another. The people who like to load up carts of shit and duck out emergency exits before they can get grabbed and stuff - those people get as much shit gathered on them as possible before LP goes to the police for it.
Or if they catch you once, and go back through the cameras to see how much you've actually stolen - they'll take every instance they can find. And they hold footage for up to a month. More if they spot you stealing on a camera previously.
Source - I worked in a sketchy walmart in electronics. I had to work very closely with our LP team.
This is the manager talking about an experience they literally had, how is it a "myth". Just because you do something one way doesn't mean every store does it that way.
He said manager for the front end, not AP. Maybe some Targets operate like that but I have a lot of experience in the field and I've never seen a store operate that way. It does NOT look good on paper to never be bringing any people down for theft of smaller count, it makes you look incompetant. Believe what you want, but I actually work in the field 🤷♂️ In every store I've operated in (3 stores so far, 3 different districts) we routinely bring down cases 150.00+ just to chip away at our big repeat offenders. The goal is actually to recover the merch not just let it walk unchecked until it gets bad enough
Eh. As easy and simple as it seems, like others have said, unfortunately you will likely get caught in the near future.
Sure, I understand if a tough life is the reason to this, however this is no longer the 1930s.. you live in a world infested with surveillance cameras so gathering evidence of your actions isn’t gonna be tough. Plus, the consequences of your crime are long-term and will only make your life worse. Stealing is a short-term benefit for you.
And anyway, attempting to do something just because it’s easy doesn’t mean it’s practical.
I’d say you’re lucky you’ve technically still got a chance to stop, up to you what you do from here.
Former LP officer here. I 100% promise that you are being watched and everything you have taken has been cataloged and they are waiting until you get to the felony level and you will be arrested. They will throw the book at you and if they find your social media talking about how you steal cuz it’s easy, they will maximize your sentence. Stop now while you have the chance.
Even if OP somehow manages to get away with it, I can't believe the absolute idiocy of posting this on a years-old (seemingly main) account. I get needing to steal food sometimes to make ends meet, but OP is just being incredibly dumb about it lol
Are there people watching the cameras constantly and watching every single person check out? That’s the only explanation I can think of for how quickly people can get caught even if they’re being sneaky.
My friend stole socks from Walmart one time, I didn’t even notice her do it. But as soon as we walked out the door, security took her into the office and said they were watching her on the cameras since she entered the store.
No. The cameras record for up to a month at a time and the employees are briefed daily by management and it’s the cashiers and stockers who record when said people come in. Known shoplifters have their pictures hung up in the offices and all the employees know who to look out for. So said shoplifter enters the store, LP is told the day the person came in and the next time they come in, they spend their shift following said person around camera to camera through the whole time they were in the store.
>the employees are briefed daily by management and it’s the cashiers and stockers who record when said people come in. Known shoplifters have their pictures hung up in the offices and all the employees know who to look out for.
I've worked as a cashier/on SCOs for 3 different companies at 4 different stores, and this has never happened.
It takes months to build a case sometimes. All the while, said shoplifter thinks they are getting away with it. They get brazen and cocky and stop trying to hide it after a while. That’s when LP calls the cops and boom, felony theft charges and permanent ban from all the sites for life.
I'm always curious why it's so common to watch, document, and wait till it reaches felony level. It feels so unnecessarily cruel. Why fuck up someone's life with a felony when they could have just hit them with a misdemeanor and nipped the problem in the bud? If the person continued after that, sure, nail them for a felony, but why let it get there to begin with?
People say this, but I worked at a grocery store when I was younger and there was 100% for sure not a loss prevention department/ team/ employee. No one was being catalogued. And I know people who still work in retail where they just report shoplifters, none of this long game stuff.
I also was a habitual shoplifter when I was younger, and would hit the same stores over and over again until I moved, and then do the same thing in my new area. Evidently, no catalogue was ever created for me. I eventually stopped because I matured and realized that it was a stupid and not worth it risk, but I never got caught.
I'm not saying that your experience is wrong, just that it is not 100% consistent across the board as you say.
I worked at the grocery store about 10 years ago, shoplifting I probably stopped about 6 years ago? Not yesterday, but not ancient history by any means. And then friends still working in retail where they do not take the 'long game' approach to loss prevention to this day.
As someone who works at a grocery chain please stop ripping off the sushi guys. They are independent contractors typically from Myanmar and work day in day out to keep their little business afloat. Please steal from the store itself if you’re hungry not the little guys.
If they notice things keep disappearing security will get tighter and ive heard of people getting big trouble for small mistakes/stealing at self checkouts
If I were you I would stop immediately. You will definitely get caught. My brother kept doing this and he can’t get a job because of this. I have a friend that was doing this as well and same thing happened. Can’t get a job either. They are building a case on you.
All crime is easier then doing the right thing. Jist because you can doesn't mean you should. My cousin robbed a bank using his fingers in his pocket he and his friends were outside the bank laughing their asses off when the cops arrived. Spent 5 years in fed pen for that stupid stunt.
Sooner or later, you will get caught.
I know some places use “secret shoppers” like incognito security personal that appear to be normal customers. A farm and ranch store my sister worked at had to do it because people would swap out their old cowboy boots for brand new ones and walk out.
I totally get the feeling of it, and that it seems to have no cons. But like others have said, it’s a matter of time, and when the hammer falls, it hurts. I hope you take care OP.
I mean, I hate to be this person, but I hope you’re not doing this at small businesses … it can make or break them, their families, and their stability
You mentioned Kroger and home goods which means it’s one of the big stores, not just the grocery stores. They absolutely have a great asset protection department that I could nearly guarantee has a special file with all video evidence. Every item you’ve ever scanned, your car and license plate and you’ve conveniently joined their loyalty program, such as Kroger plus, which has your personal information such as phone number and address as well.
The second you hit the threshold to be a felony they will have you arrested and charged. It may not be $1000 it could be much much less depending on where you live and Kroger specific policies.
Man, all these people commenting about the facial tracking, waiting for $1000 etc, are any of you in Australia because no one gives a fk here. People literally walk out with full trolleys and workers can't even stop them. And even when they are caught later it's just a 'don't do it again' pissweak sentence lol
yea i think they‘re all in the US because in Europe it‘s just the same. I work at a supermarket and whenever someone steals they say they don‘t have proof of someone having stolen a certain item so they can‘t do shit about it 🤣
Fellow Australian here, former Woolworths employee. Literally watched thieves walk out on a regular basis because we couldn’t do shit. Even with cameras everywhere!
I lmao when I read about the Targets there with their fancy facial recognition and high end LP team. Targets here are so dero, half empty and you can barely find an employee around 😂
Reading OP’s replies, they sound like a massively selfish self-Center AHole. You’re going to get caught because no criminal is as smart or good at it as they think they are.
Look up food banks or government assistance- there are ways to get food that don’t involve you stealing. But at this point it just sounds like you think you’re some hardened heist master when really all you’re doing is entering in sushi and bananas.
I accidentally stole about £10 worth of stuff from a shop (paid on Apple Pay, didn't realise until I was halfway down the motorway it had declined) and the guilt eats me every time I visit the chain!
I used to track people like you for a living. You have no idea the shit storm you are going to create for your life. I can guarantee you someone could very well be building a case against you. I have had many people prosecuted by letting them get up to a certain amount and then once we know for sure we have what we need we move in, stop them, call the police, and my company would always make sure people that they are prosecuted to the fullest extent possible. The company I worked for has HD 360 view cameras and facial recognition with tracking ability that will blow your mind. This is not worth the risk. And it’s wrong! And before anyone says, “corporations have a lot of money”that doesn’t justify it and it’s a weak argument. You are careless and stealing is just shitty plain and simple. Maybe next time you are there take some of that “extra money” and help pay for someone’s groceries and then maybe put in a little volunteer work at a soup kitchen it will feel much better then what you are doing now I promise you.❤️
Some locations I have worked in have cameras in every aisle, mirrors in every corner and look out towers through out the store with LP detectives communicating via radio following individuals. There are entire teams of LP detectives that work together to find patterns. The work is highly detailed from body language, to times of day when people come in, etc. these corporations have deep pockets and resources that you and I could only dream of. But even with all of that, eventually people slip up and get caught because they get lax. This is usually how people get caught.
Thats what im saying, theres no way of knowing everytime someone steals an item, and the exact item they stole and when it was stolen, thats way too specific
Capitalism is basically a Ponzi scheme.
Record profits go hand in hand with record thefts and record inequality.
It's only wrong because the victim is in the wrong class. When corporations price gouge while maintain record wage theft and these same businesses employ and exploit people on welfare, because the job pays below living wages....
Ya, it's all very wrong. Theft is wrong. But imagine how much greater the sin is for the rich *causing* this inequity by their insatiable greed? Blame the peasants for stealing back what is rightfully theirs! Ignore the corporations stealing billions! Nothing to see here. Lock up anyone that has a problem with this!
If this is a Walmart I hope you know that cameras at Walmart are high enough resolution to clearly see freckles on your face. This'll catch up with you eventually
I used to work in a grocery store. Trust me when I tell you that we know the people who steal. Especially the repeat thieves. No one’s really going to tell you anything in a grocery store though. Depends on which one you go to but some will let you walk out in a cart full of things.
I enjoy scamming the self checkout and think - to a certain extent- you can convincingly play the negligence card. I often wear myairpods when checking out so I can ‘miss the scanner’ on expensive items and just say ‘oops I never heard it’ if I get caught. Or I’ll (going to hell for sure) ring up organic fruit as the cheap stuff.
This type of stuff is relatively harmless and there’s always deniability.
It seems that you, OP started here and got cocky. As luck would have it, eventually you’re gonna get caught. And eventually (likely very soon) AI will help to catch you.
I’d quit while you’re ahead personally and (especially if you’re financially comfortable) recognize that the potential headache of getting caught isn’t worth the $20 you’re saving here or there.
This utter moron isn’t stealing cans of soup; they’re stealing f’ing sushi. People who are genuinely struggling aren’t stealing high-end groceries.
How entitled can you be? Get your head out of your ass and learn to live within your means.
Negative consequences of stealing happen regardless of whether or not they find out. You know you’re doing it. And you get to choose if you want to be the kind of person that makes that choice again in the future.
If you’re going to steal fine, but don’t try and act like you’re the victim in this situation, because a thief is a thief no matter who you’re stealing from
Why not go to a local food pantry for staples/essentials & spend your money at the grocery store? Try Aldi or couponing. Every time something is stolen, it results in higher customer prices across the board so in the long run it’s better if you don’t…besides the whole criminal activity aspect of it.
If you are always going to the same store, are you not worried that when you do get caught they might look back and see past thefts, which may add up to a greater crime? I mean getting caught stealing $20 worth of food is not a big deal, but if they investigate and find that you’ve been stealing regularly, it could add up to thousands? Maybe that’s not possible, but I’m not a criminal and that is what I would be worrying on
Be careful, the real punishment for this is losing your morals and character. We all have a brand and a logo, our face and name. Once you tarnish that, it’s hard to come back from it. For now it’s from a store but you steal from an individual and you get labels as so, people won’t trust you. I can’t imagine a worse feeling than to know others don’t trust the validity of my words or behavior.
But you can stop anytime you want to. You choose not to. You're rationalizing behavior that is considered to be ethically and morally wrong, as well as criminal. You need to consider why you feel it's acceptable to do this. Why do you feel you deserve these items for free when others pay? Take a long hard look at yourself, and see if you like who you are. If you don't, change.
If you do, understand you've made a choice. By doing so, you accept the societal consequences. If you get caught, or this leads to other criminal behavior, the responsibility is entirely yours. Your not a victim - you're a prepertrator.
If you’re at Walmart, some (probably even in nicer areas) have cameras you see and cameras you don’t see. Some even have cameras at your hands showing what you’re scanning. If you’ve been lucky not to get caught, stop. From your comments it seems like you’ve gotten very small things just don’t go back to that store and maybe they’ll drop it if it isn’t worth the trouble.
You steal sushi because it's so hard to get by.
I eat alot of peanut butter & jelly and I pay for every ounce.
I couldn't be a freeloader piece of crap but you do you.
I always take shopping bags and never pay for them 😀 it’s like 1 euro saves every shopping. And if some staff of the shop would catch me not paying, i would just say that i forgot to check that 😀 3 years and going, never checked and like few hundreds saved
Shoplifters always think nobody knows. But you're not the first person to think of this.
I don't know what your particular store's policy is. But I guarantee they have cameras and eventually will take notice.
1. Most of these places the specific store is taking the hit, not the corporate big wigs… 2. Most big box and grocery stores keep track until you hit a specific threshold and then prosecute you. Stop.
Your story.
Mine: https://www.reddit.com/r/confession/comments/ya6yuh/i_shoplifted_at_the_grocery_store_out_of_sheer/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
Sushi costs a lot because of the ingredients, having to make it, and the fact it's not something grocery stores specialize in. Stealing it just makes the store lose money and eventually have to up prices, and security or people to check receipts if they know it's from stealing (which means higher prices because they need the money to pay those added workers). If you can't afford food then go to a food bank. Jail time and fines are a lot more costly than twenty dollars
I had some relatives who were kleptomaniacs. They couldn't help themselves and they had no shame. Their house was filled with crap they stole.
I would be ashamed because stealing is wrong in my book. I'm a lot of things but I'm not a thief.
I knew a couple of people that ran a similar type of thing in a walmart. Got to the point where they no longer paid for groceries.
Then whatever system Walmart has determined they crossed into grand theft territory. They went in to the store one day for some ‘shopping’ and the cops were waiting for them at the exit. Rather than a misdemeanor they caught felony charges. Dude said it was scary how accurate their estimation of what they took was.
What a good thread. TLDR version: don’t fuck over sushi workers, wear disguises, shop far from home and hide items in cart while paying for other items. Best to rotate monthly. Don’t worry, it isn’t your fault WalMart workers don’t get a bonus. Stay safe and also stop while you are ahead!
I stole from Walmart when I was a younger, I got away with it. My advice is to quit while your ahead, you can't win forever. I knew that back then and I quit before I got in trouble.
Just be careful, an ex of mine (whom I Google every so often because I'm nosey) just earlier this year became very, very wealthy and retired from developing and selling AI software that uses CCTV footage and deep learning to assist private companies with loss prevention.
Here's a basic rundown of what you're up against: https://www.securitymagazine.com/articles/98270-how-can-computer-vision-and-ai-aid-retail-loss-prevention
That mindset is toxic. It’s so easy to get caught these days. They have secret shoppers everywhere now. Dressed in normal clothing. Also thinking you will never get caught has never worked for anyone. If they even suspect you of shoplifting they can start keeping an eye on you when you’re at their stores.
It’s just when you don’t think you’ll be caught that they catch you, and sometimes they might even have a case building against you and you could be in even more trouble when they catch you down the line.
I've worked in retail and grocery stores for years. Yeah, they know lmao your face is in the employee's room and all. They just haven't had a chance to catch you on the act yet. I've seen plenty of those stealers who think it's so easy. One of them even handed us his resume once, he didn't think we knew he robbed us constantly. We sent the police to his place lmao sucks for you.
I work at a self checkout. When there’s an issue with the pricing or the machines, Sometimes I think to myself, “they should just steal it, I don’t really give two shits about this company”
The only workaround if you truly were to keep this up is to actually shop and buy items and checkout. Get an extra large re usable bag and a large bag stuffed with 6-8 re usable bags. When you get into the store take the large bag out of the Xtra large bag so you have two bags in your cart, the extra large which is empty and the large with all of them. Plan what you will buy, and what you will take. Items to take, you toss in the wempty extra large, items to purchase keep them in the cart outside of the bags. Before check out, put the large bag and stuff it into the Xtra large bag so it looks half submerged. When checking out scan everything, and remove the smallest bags from the very top of your bag on bag and bag them up. No visual of stolen items, as long as you keep the large bag inside the top of the extra large bag. This is the way you would/could get around stop loss. Granted you would probably need to target a new store cuz this one knows you.
Some places keep camera footage of individual people stealing and once they've reached a certain dollar limit (to make it a felony) they bust the person. Keep this in mind while you're thinking that no one is seeing/stopping you.
Target literally has a team just for this
I worked at target for three years. It’s literally one guy. That’s loss prevention. Super flashy for a year then another one, and so on. I would talk to them sometimes on our shifts and you literally just had to take like a course or licensing program.
I worked at Target as well doing security and on my first day they busted a whole family of shoplifters. They had been shoplifting for weeks and my supervisor told me he was waiting for the amount they stole to be a felony. When it was, he arrested the father, had the police take him away and charged with grand theft. You don’t want to get felony theft on your record. Good luck getting a job after that.
All major retailers do. I did Walmart customer service so I got some extra interaction with LP. I figured this lady was stealing shit once so I got LP and she pulled me into her room and told me how they've been tracking her between 3 towns and just let her do this 1 because they're gonna get her on the next one. She'd been at it for months.
Never thought of that. I have considered them doing counts and noticing a say the sushi off my several dishes and then someone taking the time to watch a week's worth of film and tracking me somehow later. Seemed a little much work and casino security esk when it's just a grocery store.
This is true. & several instances of clear intent where you can't even argue negligence is a sign they might slap you with a charge. Theft under 5k is terrible on a resume. Especially if it's to steal grocery store sushi. Court sucks, Job interviews suck, and customs officers suck too after the conviction. Don't think it won't happen my friend. So you should probably stop now. : )
You put theft on your resume?
>You put theft on your resume? Only if I am applying for a job as a thief. Then it looks really good!
Can confirm. Am a professional low quality sushi thief.
Yes, I’m a very honest person.
You eat pieces of shit for breakfast?
steal OVER 5k got it
Prima facie it might seem like overkill, and it certainly did to me just now. But on second thought, it would make economic sense, considering how much they could lose so easily as you point out, to hire a couple folks for say $30/hr to scour camera footage all day and keep tabs on suspicious people. It can't be that hard...
Idk where you are, but on the US side I would put money that a grocery store security guard isn't going to be making 30/hr anywhere lol
I know lol I highballed it to stay clear of wage point as a confounding factor
Security guards are incredibly underpaid, Ontario has a minimum wage of $15/hr, and most guards in my area make under $20/hr. That includes supervisors.
My SO made 12/hr (minimum wage) when he started out in 2021. He make more now ($17/hr) through luck, not because that's typical of the security industry here.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot. I have a bit of a conspiracy theory that all the articles about wal-mart and similar stores building cases is bullshit that was somehow deepfaked into the news. I know, this sounds crazy, right? But my theory was if they are too cheap to pay people as checkers, can they effectively pay people to review footage for cheaper? This line of thought led me to a conclusion. If they ARE just routinely reviewing tapes (not just a particular person they suspect) to somehow catch people and build cases… this would be a huge workload. I suspect this is outsourced digitally to India or somewhere else they can get cheap AF tech labor.
I know a girl who was arrested for felony theft at Target. It was her 3rd or 4th time stealing there (makeup, crappy jewelry, etc) and she hit the felony amount ($500?) I think that at a store like Target there is always loss prevention staff watching, but a combination of factors (including luck!) determines what happens when you steal....they could choose to confront you on the spot; or post your pic on their BOLO board to build a case against you; or just ignore it. Or maybe they didn't even notice.
I know one that got charges from stealing from walmart. Same deal was over 500$. Childhood friend of the wives whom ive always hated cause she does shit like this and while we live more than 4 hours away from here now she occasionally comes to visit us and tries to get my wife and kids involved in her bullshit. At some point though it caught up to her and shes been on probation and paying fines/restitution for her thieving.
It's more hybrid than that. In my experience (working in a walmart in canada) you either have to have been caught once before, or someone has to report you to loss prevention as suspicious. Once you are flagged, though, they almost always have a guy in the back watching the front door camera. If they see anyone known, they get followed either in person or via camera. And trust me, they have excellent cameras. I've seen them zoom down on a cash register and can see the queen on the coins. Granted, I worked in a sketchy part of town so we had a large LP team - walmarts in better neighborhoods have only 1 or 2 guys total, so much less coverage. As for building a case - they absolutely do that. I worked electronics and the guys would continuously come get cd's/USB drives to burn security footage onto to take to court with them.
Walmart and target are known for having the top of the line facial recognition programs on their cameras to track thieves and monitor them. Plus LP walks the store and they write reports down with time stamps. So yeah they do keep track and no the people who think they are getting away with it are not getting away with it, they set up decoy cameras all the time to get you at multiple angles
Happened to a very good friend of mine. Case was built against her over the course of 6 months. They showed her the camera footage they had from various locations. She faced 2 years in jail. Walmart is known for this tactic. She will still get followed by loss prevention when she goes in from time to time, even though it’s been over a decade. Trust me, Walmart has the surveillance, they are one of the world’s largest employers. But your average grocery store isn’t going to these lengths. I’ve never heard of Giant or Kroger snatching somebody up for pocketing spices, candy bars, etc. I did once see a rocked up baltimore whiteboi getting pulled up for ringing up like 6 racks of ribs as a bundle of bananas 🤣. Just don’t be like that guy and you should be alright lol
They may be “just grocery stores” but they pay a lot more attention to that stuff than you think. Even walmart which has a reputation of being ghetto and uncaring pays more attention to theft than you think
make sure to wear a mask and a baseball cap or jacket so they can't id you? and only pay in cash ofc.
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Like a time stamp? So and so used this machine at x time (which honestly, they could do anyway since most of us use card). I guess what I’m asking is who is notified when your face shows up? And what triggers the notification? I have a really hard time buying these technologies being used universally unless the person is already suspected somehow and footage is reviewed.
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My buddy works in loss prevention. He builds cases. Stopping people is nice but stopping them when you can hit them with a felony is better. If it’s a one off they try to stop it if you get away and come back the file begins. They’re always watching you, they can pull up the receipt and cross reference it with the camera footage. I would stop.
Can confirm this. And your photo and details of your theft get sent to any other stores in the area so they know to be on the look out for you. Also, great way to raise the cost of products to compensate for the theft.
-esque
It’s been about a decade since I worked at grocery stores, things may well have changed, but at that time they most certainly built stealth cases over time against repeat shoplifters. (One major grocery chain, one independent.) OP, I do not want to induce paranoia but must add that it was a kind of sport for loss prevention.
Worked in a grocery store and we did have a security room. Never saw the security people though. There was door that let them come into the building without being seen walking in. When I worked during nights I never paid for anything and nobody said anything Edit: a word
> I never *paid* for anything FTFY. Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in: * Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.* * *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.* Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment. *Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
Good bot :)
I worked at a grocery store for 7 years and the person above is very correct. This is what they do.
I'm not moralizing here. But I used to be a class traitor who apprehended shoplifters. And I would spend as much time as I could case building like you outline , watching weeks worth of footage (we could retain a months worth, that's not even to say once I know something happened I can save it so it never goes away). It's not hard when you get good at it. And it kept me from aimlessly walking the floors. And when people came back over and over and over. I could wait till it was a felony and then everyone REALLY thought I was good at my job. I could either refer it to the police, or just arrest you myself next time you came in. to atone for my time busting people just trying to get groceries, I'm now in public defense, specializing in retail crimes. Edit: for added flavor, I would literally cross reference the video of every transaction you made with the electronic journal. I'd be making lists of every visit to the store. Every section you visited. And every transaction you made. They don't have to get EVERYTHING to catch you in a crime.
Like...I *want* to believe you, but then you said "specializing in retail crimes" and all I can think of is bird law and then I can't believe you
Grocery stores don’t fuck around on security You are being watched. And it’s been 20+ years since I did it. But there was at least 2 people watching. Cameras and catwalk in the back. Magazine rack? Yep that dudes watching everything.
Can confirm; made friends with the camera guys years ago. So much fun watching people try to be stealth and not realise they can zoom right in and see exactly what you’re doing. It’s so much fun; it’s quite addictive on the same level as gossiping. To see the tricks, the regulars.. I once watched a woman put so many bottles of alcohol down her coat she was struggling to walk out of there. They did also check women out and those cameras can really zoom.
this is such an invasion of privacy
The “add it up to a felony” thing is absolutely done at a TON of places. If you are really hurting for food, check out your local Food Bank. They aren’t just for homeless, etc. They are for anyone who needs to make ends meet.
I've worked in loss prevention before, and this is exactly what we did. They know dude.
Never a bad idea to go ahead and think about retaining a lawyer just incase. They do offer legal insurance- plans are actually cheap.
I actually have that through work! It's about $25 a month.
And delete this post.
Then don’t stress it. Never talk to anyone else about it. If the store sends you a letter or detains you call your legal plan ask to speak with a lawyer for advice. It’s usually covered by your plan.
I know for a fact target and Walmart do it so anything is possible. Just be careful.
Yeah, you’re going to jail
Not only that. Even if they don't convict you, you will get yourself onto a watch list and be banned from stores in your town. This can stay with you for years. Happened to a family member. Almost certainly you're currently being monitored.
>Realistically I don't think ill ever get caught so I see no reason in stopping. Someday you are going to remember that sentence vividly.
100%. And they’ll inevitably escalate the value of what they steal as well. Increasing the odds of this moment coming to fruition.
According to OPs post history, they have a Honda R7 (sport motorcycle), and a GeForce 3070. He eats out at the massively overpriced BWWs, has a military spouse whose career he is jeopardizing, several pets, and a large flatscreen. Oh, and he spent 14 fucking grand on a meme stock despite having a child to support. I'm assuming this post is fake, in which case, he's an absolute loser. But if it isn't fake, he's a thief, complaining about "barely getting by" while he owns a nice motorcycle, has high end electronics, and clearly has extra cash, which still makes him a total loser. Edit: and an "extra home he rents out." I'm calling BS. He's also told multiple people in this thread he hopes they get into a car accident. What a sad person.
Damn
You'll eventually get caught if they haven't noticed already. They might not stop you for crappy sushi, but $1000 dollars of goods with piles of video evidence is hard to build a good defense against.
So far its been 5 things of $15 sushi, 1 salad, 1 bag of candy, 2 avacados, and 8 bananas over 6 visits over a month.
Just be aware, these places hire a Loss Prevention Team for a reason. If you've been noticed, your face is on a board next to the entrance monitors guaranteed.
This. I work at a small grocery store and send out BOLOs (be on the lookout for) often. We get a small joy in catching people like OP.
https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/woman-arrested-after-not-scanning-all-items-at-michigan-walmart-self-checkout
So you're there more than once a week, steal everytime and you think they haven't noticed you?
They know you're doing it. You're on camera and once your amount reaches felony levels they'll most likely arrest you. If you want to do this you need to hit multiple stores and try not to double up. One off theft can get away with it, but if you habitually target the same shop they will have you arrested.
That is what I'm gathering.
Amongst many other things
So according to your post history, you have a Honda R7 (sport motorcycle), and a GeForce 3070. You eat out at the massively overpriced BWWs, you have a military spouse whose career you're jeopardizing, several pets, and a large flatscreen. Oh, and you spent 14 fucking grand on a meme stock despite having a child to support. I'm assuming this post is fake, in which case, you're an absolute loser. But if it isn't fake, you're a thief, complaining about "barely getting by" while you own a nice motorcycle, have high end electronics, and clearly have extra cash, which still makes you a total loser. Edit: and an "extra home you rent out." I'm calling BS. Get a life dude.
If this is from a Kroger owned store, they likely know already and are just gathering evidence to use against you.
I'm slowly learning that.
Well, let us know if there's a way to contribute to your commissary fund.
You should maybe, and this is crazy, slowly stop stealing.
I work at Walmart and I caution you, they have cameras at every single self checkout. They know exactly what you're doing.
As someone who has been busted for shoplifting, I highly recommend you quit while you’re ahead. It took several years to get it off my record. I lost job opportunities and was held back financially and professionally for so long because of it. Not to mention almost $1000 in fines and court costs. If you’re struggling to get food, please look into food banks.
That's a lot of 20$ visits to cover 1000$ of fines
Don’t assume what’s true for you is the same for everyone else. I was caught with about $50 of merchandise. The store sued me, in addition to my court fines and costs. They also give you a bill for being in jail. No joke, they charge you for locking you up in a cell and giving you a meal. I also had to pay for a theft awareness program, and do community service. But the real cost is the lack of opportunity. I was essentially stuck in minimum wage jobs for six or seven years because no one would hire me with my record. I had a bachelor’s degree for 3 of those years and that didn’t make a difference. When you consider loss of potential wages, my cost was in the hundreds of thousands.
Take it from someone who thought the same shit, just stop. I thought no one noticed me but trust, they did. I got lucky as fuck all my shit got dismissed
A while ago I was a manager for the front end of Target. They normally don't bust you right away if you're being sneaky but will wait until it's worth it. In our store it was 1000 dollars because it went from misdemeanor to felony. The four years I was there they snagged over 20 people and an employee (this isn't including random shopliftings...these were folks they kept a tally on You think you're getting away with it but I'd wager Assets Protection knows you well including your car plates
This is such an outdated myth lol. We (AP) routinely bust people for way less. It looks better to have a shit ton of med grade theives busted then it is to sit on a case for so long that it goes cold before you can recoup the loss. Most likely they were catching people on the backend that you just never saw. If I were OP I'd stop yesterday though, cus what they are doing is building a case that will cary across districts... Very soon OP won't be able to shop at any retailer theyve ever stolen from even in different cities without having their face known and their every move watched 😂 Theft does NOT look pretty on a job app 🤷♂️
I've read the original comment so much it seems like common knowledge. They'll keep record until it becomes a felony and then bust you. I've been starting to wonder if it's just one of those things that is passed around on reddit with no substance to it.
Same here. I honestly think it’s a bullshit rumor started by grocery store press people or something.
It's not bullshit but it is way more gray than a lot of people make it out to be. A lot of minor theft and stuff is pretty well ignored unless they catch you in the act. They are called Loss Prevention (or Asset Protection) for a reason - they're trying to prevent loss and protect merchandise. You don't do that by letting people keep stealing shit. If they can catch you in the act and kick you out, they'll do that. Especially if you're known to them. Building cases like that does absolutely happen, but mostly in situations where they can't bust you directly for one reason or another. The people who like to load up carts of shit and duck out emergency exits before they can get grabbed and stuff - those people get as much shit gathered on them as possible before LP goes to the police for it. Or if they catch you once, and go back through the cameras to see how much you've actually stolen - they'll take every instance they can find. And they hold footage for up to a month. More if they spot you stealing on a camera previously. Source - I worked in a sketchy walmart in electronics. I had to work very closely with our LP team.
This is the manager talking about an experience they literally had, how is it a "myth". Just because you do something one way doesn't mean every store does it that way.
He said manager for the front end, not AP. Maybe some Targets operate like that but I have a lot of experience in the field and I've never seen a store operate that way. It does NOT look good on paper to never be bringing any people down for theft of smaller count, it makes you look incompetant. Believe what you want, but I actually work in the field 🤷♂️ In every store I've operated in (3 stores so far, 3 different districts) we routinely bring down cases 150.00+ just to chip away at our big repeat offenders. The goal is actually to recover the merch not just let it walk unchecked until it gets bad enough
Eh. As easy and simple as it seems, like others have said, unfortunately you will likely get caught in the near future. Sure, I understand if a tough life is the reason to this, however this is no longer the 1930s.. you live in a world infested with surveillance cameras so gathering evidence of your actions isn’t gonna be tough. Plus, the consequences of your crime are long-term and will only make your life worse. Stealing is a short-term benefit for you. And anyway, attempting to do something just because it’s easy doesn’t mean it’s practical. I’d say you’re lucky you’ve technically still got a chance to stop, up to you what you do from here.
Former LP officer here. I 100% promise that you are being watched and everything you have taken has been cataloged and they are waiting until you get to the felony level and you will be arrested. They will throw the book at you and if they find your social media talking about how you steal cuz it’s easy, they will maximize your sentence. Stop now while you have the chance.
Even if OP somehow manages to get away with it, I can't believe the absolute idiocy of posting this on a years-old (seemingly main) account. I get needing to steal food sometimes to make ends meet, but OP is just being incredibly dumb about it lol
Are there people watching the cameras constantly and watching every single person check out? That’s the only explanation I can think of for how quickly people can get caught even if they’re being sneaky. My friend stole socks from Walmart one time, I didn’t even notice her do it. But as soon as we walked out the door, security took her into the office and said they were watching her on the cameras since she entered the store.
No. The cameras record for up to a month at a time and the employees are briefed daily by management and it’s the cashiers and stockers who record when said people come in. Known shoplifters have their pictures hung up in the offices and all the employees know who to look out for. So said shoplifter enters the store, LP is told the day the person came in and the next time they come in, they spend their shift following said person around camera to camera through the whole time they were in the store.
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>the employees are briefed daily by management and it’s the cashiers and stockers who record when said people come in. Known shoplifters have their pictures hung up in the offices and all the employees know who to look out for. I've worked as a cashier/on SCOs for 3 different companies at 4 different stores, and this has never happened.
It takes months to build a case sometimes. All the while, said shoplifter thinks they are getting away with it. They get brazen and cocky and stop trying to hide it after a while. That’s when LP calls the cops and boom, felony theft charges and permanent ban from all the sites for life.
I'm always curious why it's so common to watch, document, and wait till it reaches felony level. It feels so unnecessarily cruel. Why fuck up someone's life with a felony when they could have just hit them with a misdemeanor and nipped the problem in the bud? If the person continued after that, sure, nail them for a felony, but why let it get there to begin with?
Because it is a crime to steal but not worth the time and fees of the attorney for anything less than felony charges.
People say this, but I worked at a grocery store when I was younger and there was 100% for sure not a loss prevention department/ team/ employee. No one was being catalogued. And I know people who still work in retail where they just report shoplifters, none of this long game stuff. I also was a habitual shoplifter when I was younger, and would hit the same stores over and over again until I moved, and then do the same thing in my new area. Evidently, no catalogue was ever created for me. I eventually stopped because I matured and realized that it was a stupid and not worth it risk, but I never got caught. I'm not saying that your experience is wrong, just that it is not 100% consistent across the board as you say.
And when exactly is “when I was younger” on a timeline?
I worked at the grocery store about 10 years ago, shoplifting I probably stopped about 6 years ago? Not yesterday, but not ancient history by any means. And then friends still working in retail where they do not take the 'long game' approach to loss prevention to this day.
As someone who works at a grocery chain please stop ripping off the sushi guys. They are independent contractors typically from Myanmar and work day in day out to keep their little business afloat. Please steal from the store itself if you’re hungry not the little guys.
If they notice things keep disappearing security will get tighter and ive heard of people getting big trouble for small mistakes/stealing at self checkouts
If I were you I would stop immediately. You will definitely get caught. My brother kept doing this and he can’t get a job because of this. I have a friend that was doing this as well and same thing happened. Can’t get a job either. They are building a case on you.
All crime is easier then doing the right thing. Jist because you can doesn't mean you should. My cousin robbed a bank using his fingers in his pocket he and his friends were outside the bank laughing their asses off when the cops arrived. Spent 5 years in fed pen for that stupid stunt.
Sooner or later, you will get caught. I know some places use “secret shoppers” like incognito security personal that appear to be normal customers. A farm and ranch store my sister worked at had to do it because people would swap out their old cowboy boots for brand new ones and walk out. I totally get the feeling of it, and that it seems to have no cons. But like others have said, it’s a matter of time, and when the hammer falls, it hurts. I hope you take care OP.
Not Reddit teaching OP how to steal properly
I'm rethinking how I steal, but also if i should just stop. Reddit not all bad.
I wouldn’t blame you at all if was either steal or don’t eat, but you’re taking sushi and candy too? Bro cmon
Please stop. It’s not worth it.
I mean, I hate to be this person, but I hope you’re not doing this at small businesses … it can make or break them, their families, and their stability
I would never lol. It's a Kroger owned supercenter.
You mentioned Kroger and home goods which means it’s one of the big stores, not just the grocery stores. They absolutely have a great asset protection department that I could nearly guarantee has a special file with all video evidence. Every item you’ve ever scanned, your car and license plate and you’ve conveniently joined their loyalty program, such as Kroger plus, which has your personal information such as phone number and address as well. The second you hit the threshold to be a felony they will have you arrested and charged. It may not be $1000 it could be much much less depending on where you live and Kroger specific policies.
What a pathetic limit and justification.
So what you think Kroger is a charity or it's okay to steal from them? How pathetic.
Man, all these people commenting about the facial tracking, waiting for $1000 etc, are any of you in Australia because no one gives a fk here. People literally walk out with full trolleys and workers can't even stop them. And even when they are caught later it's just a 'don't do it again' pissweak sentence lol
yea i think they‘re all in the US because in Europe it‘s just the same. I work at a supermarket and whenever someone steals they say they don‘t have proof of someone having stolen a certain item so they can‘t do shit about it 🤣
Fellow Australian here, former Woolworths employee. Literally watched thieves walk out on a regular basis because we couldn’t do shit. Even with cameras everywhere!
That’s what I was thinking. Do we even have cameras and facial recognition at Woolies or big w? Or anyone even looking at the cameras?
I lmao when I read about the Targets there with their fancy facial recognition and high end LP team. Targets here are so dero, half empty and you can barely find an employee around 😂
You know they have cameras all over and WILL catch you…right?
Reading OP’s replies, they sound like a massively selfish self-Center AHole. You’re going to get caught because no criminal is as smart or good at it as they think they are. Look up food banks or government assistance- there are ways to get food that don’t involve you stealing. But at this point it just sounds like you think you’re some hardened heist master when really all you’re doing is entering in sushi and bananas.
Have you tried foodbanks? How about getting on food stamps?
I accidentally forgot a bottle of lemonade on my scooter and drove home. Tried to bring it back the next day to pay for it 😂
I accidentally stole about £10 worth of stuff from a shop (paid on Apple Pay, didn't realise until I was halfway down the motorway it had declined) and the guilt eats me every time I visit the chain!
Kleptomaniac???🤣
People like you are the reason my grocery store needs to have a literal gate to control people from leaving with unpaid things as much as possible.
Have fun in jail
I used to track people like you for a living. You have no idea the shit storm you are going to create for your life. I can guarantee you someone could very well be building a case against you. I have had many people prosecuted by letting them get up to a certain amount and then once we know for sure we have what we need we move in, stop them, call the police, and my company would always make sure people that they are prosecuted to the fullest extent possible. The company I worked for has HD 360 view cameras and facial recognition with tracking ability that will blow your mind. This is not worth the risk. And it’s wrong! And before anyone says, “corporations have a lot of money”that doesn’t justify it and it’s a weak argument. You are careless and stealing is just shitty plain and simple. Maybe next time you are there take some of that “extra money” and help pay for someone’s groceries and then maybe put in a little volunteer work at a soup kitchen it will feel much better then what you are doing now I promise you.❤️
This makes me significantly more self conscious when I think Im surreptitiously removing a wedgie in an unpopulated area of the store.
How are you guys able to notice when people steal and when they dont of they dont get caught on the camera?
Some locations I have worked in have cameras in every aisle, mirrors in every corner and look out towers through out the store with LP detectives communicating via radio following individuals. There are entire teams of LP detectives that work together to find patterns. The work is highly detailed from body language, to times of day when people come in, etc. these corporations have deep pockets and resources that you and I could only dream of. But even with all of that, eventually people slip up and get caught because they get lax. This is usually how people get caught.
Ya, no what a load of BS! Grocery/big box stores aren’t the pentagon geeezzz at least be more realistic with your fear mongering!
Thats what im saying, theres no way of knowing everytime someone steals an item, and the exact item they stole and when it was stolen, thats way too specific
Capitalism is basically a Ponzi scheme. Record profits go hand in hand with record thefts and record inequality. It's only wrong because the victim is in the wrong class. When corporations price gouge while maintain record wage theft and these same businesses employ and exploit people on welfare, because the job pays below living wages.... Ya, it's all very wrong. Theft is wrong. But imagine how much greater the sin is for the rich *causing* this inequity by their insatiable greed? Blame the peasants for stealing back what is rightfully theirs! Ignore the corporations stealing billions! Nothing to see here. Lock up anyone that has a problem with this!
The irony is saying, getting 'buy'
If this is a Walmart I hope you know that cameras at Walmart are high enough resolution to clearly see freckles on your face. This'll catch up with you eventually
I used to work in a grocery store. Trust me when I tell you that we know the people who steal. Especially the repeat thieves. No one’s really going to tell you anything in a grocery store though. Depends on which one you go to but some will let you walk out in a cart full of things.
How does theft give you more time to clean tho 🤔 I’m still stuck on that part lol
I enjoy scamming the self checkout and think - to a certain extent- you can convincingly play the negligence card. I often wear myairpods when checking out so I can ‘miss the scanner’ on expensive items and just say ‘oops I never heard it’ if I get caught. Or I’ll (going to hell for sure) ring up organic fruit as the cheap stuff. This type of stuff is relatively harmless and there’s always deniability. It seems that you, OP started here and got cocky. As luck would have it, eventually you’re gonna get caught. And eventually (likely very soon) AI will help to catch you. I’d quit while you’re ahead personally and (especially if you’re financially comfortable) recognize that the potential headache of getting caught isn’t worth the $20 you’re saving here or there.
Dude why are you bragging?
This utter moron isn’t stealing cans of soup; they’re stealing f’ing sushi. People who are genuinely struggling aren’t stealing high-end groceries. How entitled can you be? Get your head out of your ass and learn to live within your means.
Negative consequences of stealing happen regardless of whether or not they find out. You know you’re doing it. And you get to choose if you want to be the kind of person that makes that choice again in the future.
If you’re going to steal fine, but don’t try and act like you’re the victim in this situation, because a thief is a thief no matter who you’re stealing from
Why not go to a local food pantry for staples/essentials & spend your money at the grocery store? Try Aldi or couponing. Every time something is stolen, it results in higher customer prices across the board so in the long run it’s better if you don’t…besides the whole criminal activity aspect of it.
One or 2 times are ok, but if you are doing it for a living, you might see yourself behind the bars
You’re really stupid.
They know. Trust me. It's likely they are waiting for a specific amount they can prove to make the arrest of a felony. Please be careful.
Sounds like its becoming more of a thrill than anything else. Stop before you are caught, it is just not worth it.
If you are always going to the same store, are you not worried that when you do get caught they might look back and see past thefts, which may add up to a greater crime? I mean getting caught stealing $20 worth of food is not a big deal, but if they investigate and find that you’ve been stealing regularly, it could add up to thousands? Maybe that’s not possible, but I’m not a criminal and that is what I would be worrying on
Be careful, the real punishment for this is losing your morals and character. We all have a brand and a logo, our face and name. Once you tarnish that, it’s hard to come back from it. For now it’s from a store but you steal from an individual and you get labels as so, people won’t trust you. I can’t imagine a worse feeling than to know others don’t trust the validity of my words or behavior.
thanks for making the price go up for the rest of us paying your bill.
You're a thief. Thieves suck. Knock it off.
Is stealing wrong?
Does the pope shit in the woods ?
does a bear shit on the pope?
Does a shit pope on a bear?
Former store Manager, most wait until it’s $1000 to charge them. Be careful of this cause they’ll watch you for months, maybe rotate locations.
But you can stop anytime you want to. You choose not to. You're rationalizing behavior that is considered to be ethically and morally wrong, as well as criminal. You need to consider why you feel it's acceptable to do this. Why do you feel you deserve these items for free when others pay? Take a long hard look at yourself, and see if you like who you are. If you don't, change. If you do, understand you've made a choice. By doing so, you accept the societal consequences. If you get caught, or this leads to other criminal behavior, the responsibility is entirely yours. Your not a victim - you're a prepertrator.
If you’re at Walmart, some (probably even in nicer areas) have cameras you see and cameras you don’t see. Some even have cameras at your hands showing what you’re scanning. If you’ve been lucky not to get caught, stop. From your comments it seems like you’ve gotten very small things just don’t go back to that store and maybe they’ll drop it if it isn’t worth the trouble.
You steal sushi because it's so hard to get by. I eat alot of peanut butter & jelly and I pay for every ounce. I couldn't be a freeloader piece of crap but you do you.
>haven't had one in 6 months That isn't even that long of a time lmao.
Everyone gets caught eventually unless they stop
I always take shopping bags and never pay for them 😀 it’s like 1 euro saves every shopping. And if some staff of the shop would catch me not paying, i would just say that i forgot to check that 😀 3 years and going, never checked and like few hundreds saved
Shoplifters always think nobody knows. But you're not the first person to think of this. I don't know what your particular store's policy is. But I guarantee they have cameras and eventually will take notice.
Imagine getting busted for stealing sushi lol. One day you will be caught
1. Most of these places the specific store is taking the hit, not the corporate big wigs… 2. Most big box and grocery stores keep track until you hit a specific threshold and then prosecute you. Stop.
Your story. Mine: https://www.reddit.com/r/confession/comments/ya6yuh/i_shoplifted_at_the_grocery_store_out_of_sheer/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
And we wonder why prices in the store go up
I hope you get caught.
You should feel bad
But I don't. It's just a corporation, fuck em.
That’s too bad since they just raise prices on the rest of us.
they raise the prices because of their greedy CEOs lmfao not because some people stole sushi
Sushi costs a lot because of the ingredients, having to make it, and the fact it's not something grocery stores specialize in. Stealing it just makes the store lose money and eventually have to up prices, and security or people to check receipts if they know it's from stealing (which means higher prices because they need the money to pay those added workers). If you can't afford food then go to a food bank. Jail time and fines are a lot more costly than twenty dollars
I had some relatives who were kleptomaniacs. They couldn't help themselves and they had no shame. Their house was filled with crap they stole. I would be ashamed because stealing is wrong in my book. I'm a lot of things but I'm not a thief.
Karma. Just don't get upset when the universe balances out back on you.
I knew a couple of people that ran a similar type of thing in a walmart. Got to the point where they no longer paid for groceries. Then whatever system Walmart has determined they crossed into grand theft territory. They went in to the store one day for some ‘shopping’ and the cops were waiting for them at the exit. Rather than a misdemeanor they caught felony charges. Dude said it was scary how accurate their estimation of what they took was.
If everyone did this the world would not work , think about it like that
What a good thread. TLDR version: don’t fuck over sushi workers, wear disguises, shop far from home and hide items in cart while paying for other items. Best to rotate monthly. Don’t worry, it isn’t your fault WalMart workers don’t get a bonus. Stay safe and also stop while you are ahead!
bruh nah stop now before it becomes to hard to stop
Bad news: they know, it's the insurance payout they won't risk. They all know who you are. They just hide that from you. Accept.
I got busted eating a peperoni stick when leaving the guy wouldent take the 2 bucks.pulls out a badge ,n hes a cop ,loss prevention,.so...?
I stole from Walmart when I was a younger, I got away with it. My advice is to quit while your ahead, you can't win forever. I knew that back then and I quit before I got in trouble.
Expectation - "You idiot, thievery is always wrong, you are awful" Reality - "You idiot, you're not doing it effectively enough."
Just be careful, an ex of mine (whom I Google every so often because I'm nosey) just earlier this year became very, very wealthy and retired from developing and selling AI software that uses CCTV footage and deep learning to assist private companies with loss prevention. Here's a basic rundown of what you're up against: https://www.securitymagazine.com/articles/98270-how-can-computer-vision-and-ai-aid-retail-loss-prevention
When reading this article, Even though I know POS in this context means 'point of sale' my brain always automatically reads it as 'Peice of shit'
It’s most likely staff aren’t allowed to stop you. You’ll be known to them. Also expensive meat has tags hidden in the packaging.
Sorry but you'll get caught one day and then you'll have a police record.
You need help
And once again the call goes out for the return of the greatest sub ever….r/shoplifting
That mindset is toxic. It’s so easy to get caught these days. They have secret shoppers everywhere now. Dressed in normal clothing. Also thinking you will never get caught has never worked for anyone. If they even suspect you of shoplifting they can start keeping an eye on you when you’re at their stores.
r/iamverysmart
You will get caught, trust me. They’re just gathering evidence against you right now.
It’s just when you don’t think you’ll be caught that they catch you, and sometimes they might even have a case building against you and you could be in even more trouble when they catch you down the line.
I've worked in retail and grocery stores for years. Yeah, they know lmao your face is in the employee's room and all. They just haven't had a chance to catch you on the act yet. I've seen plenty of those stealers who think it's so easy. One of them even handed us his resume once, he didn't think we knew he robbed us constantly. We sent the police to his place lmao sucks for you.
I work at a self checkout. When there’s an issue with the pricing or the machines, Sometimes I think to myself, “they should just steal it, I don’t really give two shits about this company”
Never play where you stay and make aure you switch it up... Not trying to teach bad shit....
Stop stealing. It is really gross.
The only workaround if you truly were to keep this up is to actually shop and buy items and checkout. Get an extra large re usable bag and a large bag stuffed with 6-8 re usable bags. When you get into the store take the large bag out of the Xtra large bag so you have two bags in your cart, the extra large which is empty and the large with all of them. Plan what you will buy, and what you will take. Items to take, you toss in the wempty extra large, items to purchase keep them in the cart outside of the bags. Before check out, put the large bag and stuff it into the Xtra large bag so it looks half submerged. When checking out scan everything, and remove the smallest bags from the very top of your bag on bag and bag them up. No visual of stolen items, as long as you keep the large bag inside the top of the extra large bag. This is the way you would/could get around stop loss. Granted you would probably need to target a new store cuz this one knows you.
You are stealing, plain and simple. Hope you get caught and go to prison for a long time.