The “Water Cooler” is a feature on Claycord.com where we ask you a question or provide a topic, and you talk about it.
The “Water Cooler” will be up Monday-Friday at noon.
Today’s question:
Have you ever witnessed someone steal something from a store? If so, were they captured on scene or did they get away?
Talk about it….
I was at CVS by Concord BART recently. Two young ladies were caught stealing some cosmetic products. They were approached by employees that were asking them to stop and put the stuff back. They proceeded to just walk out, mockingly laughing the whole way til they got into a Lexus sedan. Its as if they knew nothing would happen to them. Almost like a sense of entitlement.
I’ve witnessed groups of people going into a Safeway, open items off the shelf, stuff their pieholes, leave their garbage and walk out. Again, almost as if they were entitled.
??????
Sad.
Because everyone knows employees can’t do anything to stop them. From the corporation perspective, a piece of merchandise is not worth having your employees getting injured or them injuring a potential thief. It is also often not worth the labor to have off duty officers or other properly trained people that can detain suspects.
What we don’t see is all the work that is done after a theft. Depending on the store, there is calling of police, digging through video, alerting other stores of serial thieves. The majority of thieves get too greedy and become careless and eventually get caught.
What you also don’t see is the internal employee theft. About 35% of all theft is done by employees.
Just yesterday, at the Safeway in Concord, I saw some idiot walk over to the Chinese food buffet, scoop out some sweet and sour pork, put it in his hand, and then put it in his mouth and eat it. What a stupid Douche! Hope he catches a virus.
Duh. A better question is “have you never seen anyone steal from a store”. In CA its open season because the person stealing knows its a ticket if they get caught.
Each time I shop at Safeway I see someone stealing. The thieves typically have on a backpack and common physical attributes. Use your imagination.
Walmart every time I am in there….the TJ Maxx on Clayton Road.
Safeway at Sunvalley – walked in as a couple of young men stood around shiftily out front. Thought they might be lookouts. Walked to the dairy section the back as two other young men hurried past me, one shoving a bottle of lemonade or something down his waistband. They exited the store without paying.
I’ve seen it happen a lot, now that you ask. I feel like they get away most of the time, but I have seen some pretty good take downs and traps set by security.
Just the other day! I was checking out at Rasputain and I watched a guy slide a CD into his magazine and walk right out
Other than to taste the grapes? Actually yes. A few years back I was looking for hamburger and this guy picks out a very nice steak and tucked it under his shirt. Before he left the store I was able to tell the manager. The manager said they would have to wait until the guy left the store. I doubt anyone did anything about it.
While shopping at Clayton Safeway watched a man walk out with a cart full of meat. Employee was right behind him telling him, she was going to write down his cars liscence plate number. It worked he left the cart of meat.
I see it about one a week, normally at Safeway, because that the store i shop at the most, rarely go to any other stores. I see it but report it and i personally dont care as the business doesnt care, aside from me having to pay higher costs to pay for the lost item.
If a thieves hand was cut off like they used to be this would be a lot less of a problem.
Yes Steve I see it about once a week too. I dont tackle the guys but I do what I can to prevent it because- I dont work for a corporation- its a mom & pop and these horrible people are stealing from them.
Yes and they always end up straight to the pokey.
I’ve seen it several times.
The most obvious time happened in 1991. I was driving to Baltimore and stopped in Columbus OH for the night. I was chilling in my room, smoking a cigarette, when a pretty lady walked by and asked to bum a smoke. We got talking and I mentioned that I could use a beer. She said she new a store down the road.
I drove us to a strip mall that had a Target-like store that was half grocery and half merchandise. She peeled off to look at clothes while I went back for some beer. The problem was that they stopped selling alcohol after 8:00, so I was out of luck.
I was walking to the door when I noticed her stuffing clothes in her purse. I didn’t say anything and got into the car. She came running out and barely caught up with me before I left the parking lot. I asked about the clothes in her purse but she said she didn’t know what I was talking about. She also kept talking about her “old man” who was back at the motel. Then she asked if I was interested in sex. I flat out asked her if she was a prostitute. She didn’t answer and we didn’t speak for the rest of the short drive.
What a weird night. Don’t talk to strangers!
Yes, but never caught.
See’s Candy, a Gypsy.
Safeway, many times.
Macy’s at the shoe department.
Joann Fabric’s, 3 bolts of fabric.
The list goes on.
a gypsy??? how did you know it was a gypsy? Be specific please…
@S~
This happened in about 1995. The Guy and his Lady friend were dressed in Bohemian-Boho Style clothes (gypsy style),….which I noticed and totally Love,….so that’s why I mentioned it. Kind of like a earthy-toned down version of Steve Tyler.
Ah…
Every day! Just go to the Safeway off of Willow Pass Rd and you’ll see people walk out with shopping carts full of food! It doesn’t even surprise me anymore….
Those are shoppers, Officer Fife.
I’ve watched parents at FoodMax on Monument turn a blind eye to their kids stealing candy at the check out counter. Saw a dad at the same store walk out with an armful of groceries while his kids are learning it’s ok to steal…
Yes. Each time I’m at the store I experience and witness theft. It’s called sales tax. It steals from the store and from the customer.
Yes, the Walgreens in Encina Grande. A guy loaded up a shopping bag full of cold medicine. I went to the youngster at the checkout just as the guy casually walked out. He called his manager and this Asian woman came out. I suggested she call the police and I would give them a description. She just looked confused and befuddled. So I drove to the other end of the shopping center and witnessed him hand off the bag to a female accomplice. I took her picture as I drove past. He dashed across to the new Safeway probably to do the same thing. I took his picture as he dodged cars on Ygnacio. I went back to Walgreens and told the youngster at the counter I had pictures. Now he just looked confused and befuddled so apparently his manager had a chat with him.
Yep. Macy’s at Sun Valley. Even opened the door for them before I realized they were stealing. Caught one girl, but the three guys got away.
Better cameras are needed.
Happens everyday at Concord Safeway during the evening.A cashier will say”there goes another one” and I ask them”not worth it to go after them?” they say”no”.They don’t get paid to get into a fight with a thief.
Way back when I was in college, I worked at a department store. A guy came in dressed in tattered clothes and proceeded to shop for some nice ones that he went into one of the fitting rooms and changed into. Store security was watching him the whole time and tipped off the people working the cash registers. He picked up a few small things and went to pay for them. The person working the register rang them up and then rang up everything he had changed into. He was speechless (dumbfounded?), paid for everything and left. It was PRICELESS!
robots and computers will replace shopping soon to prevent theft.
The sad truth is we all have to pay for this with higher prices.
They have those stores out there called Stealers delight. You are allowed to steal and loot all you please. Great ! For more info just call…
Twice at TJ Maxx. They just walked out and the employees didn’t go after them. One guy had a backpack full of stuff, the door alarm went off and he just kept going. The employees just told a manager over the walkie talkie. That’s it.
They need a security guard here like they have at Ross. I think it helps. One time at Ross a lady had a bag full of stuff, walked towards the shoe area and just left it there. I think the security guard scared her off. Even though the guards might not be able to do much, I think they are good at helping to prevent people from stealing.
We need to repeal Prop 47 as that allows people to steal from the tax paying public and non thieves, up to $950 without any repercussions. I have witnessed many people filling up their carts at KMart on Clayton Rd and simply strolling out the front door without paying. CVS and Safeway also.
Thank our liberals for allowing this to happen.
We need to repeal #47 immediately. People can steal up to $950 and there are no consequences to them. We the tax paying fools of California are hit with higher prices due to this. Don’t be side tracked we all pay but the criminals get off scott free.
Thank you liberals for allowing this to happen. What happened to our common sense to recall these fools who put these measures out there and we all have to suffer due to this.
KMart have women filling up their shopping carts to the brim and just rolling them out of the store laughing all the way. It’s Christmas Day everyday. CVS and Safeway is the same way.
I don’t know about you but I am sick of the way the elected officials just turn a blind eye to this and keep sticking it to us the tax payers to make up the difference.
Unfortunately the tax payers are not the ones being fleeced. It is all the little ones that are held in bondage and ruled as slaves.
Safeway, CVS, all small-scale stuff. Worked in Walnut Creek and watched people walk out of William Sonoma with large scale appliances, Nespresso machines, ECT. Some people clearly have no moral compass or humanity.
I once worked at the mall, and would watch people come in and steal piles of clothing. Days laters they would come return a size Small,Medium,Large, XL just as it was folded in the pile. We had to give them store credit. Often times the clothes smelled awful. Couldn’t do anything about it.