Retail Theft Impact on Purchased Goods

Nuts

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Dec 9, 2025
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This morning I was at the local convenience store (Sheetz) getting coffee. I always use self check out. It has audible prompts. I was in the middle of paying when a dude walked up to the self checkout next to me. Bagged his stuff. And walked out. No scanning. No payment. Pretty brazen. Hoping to help him out and maybe offer some advice I called out to him as he briskly walked away. My thought was I would pay for it. Keep him from committing a crime. He kept walking. Probably naive of me. Staff let me know this is built into the pricing and nobody should say anything. They are not permitted to. They see it all day everyday and can only watch. So what is that built in cost to the consumer? Why not prosecute? And why am I paying more so someone else doesn't have to pay at all? Pretty crazy to me.
 
Historically more inventory loss (or “shrink” as it’s called) comes from employees. That said, there are always some bad actors.
 
A long career (mine) in the retail world will really open your eyes to the actual cost of those things you buy every day due to what you just witnessed. Employees statistically can be worse.
 
This morning I was at the local convenience store (Sheetz) getting coffee. I always use self check out. It has audible prompts. I was in the middle of paying when a dude walked up to the self checkout next to me. Bagged his stuff. And walked out. No scanning. No payment. Pretty brazen. Hoping to help him out and maybe offer some advice I called out to him as he briskly walked away. My thought was I would pay for it. Keep him from committing a crime. He kept walking. Probably naive of me. Staff let me know this is built into the pricing and nobody should say anything. They are not permitted to. They see it all day everyday and can only watch. So what is that built in cost to the consumer? Why not prosecute? And why am I paying more so someone else doesn't have to pay at all? Pretty crazy to me.
I watched a guy do the same thing a couple weeks when I was processing my items in self checkout. As he headed to the door with his stolen items, I shouted, “ Hey Chitbag !!! Get back here and pay your bill !!” As can be expected, he kept on walking and the store employees ignored me.
 
I watched a guy do the same thing a couple weeks when I was processing my items in self checkout. As he headed to the door with his stolen items, I shouted, “ Hey Chitbag !!! Get back here and pay your bill !!” As can be expected, he kept on walking and the store employees ignored me.
I like this strategy. If you're not gonna stop them, at least shame then a little.
 
I have a hard time believing that the person who would knowingly steal from the local convenience store or retail store is not willing to steal elsewhere as well. If we are going to let them get away with it there how can we be surprised when they do it elsewhere. They should be identified and charged accordingly. It should not be acceptable. We do background checks for employment. So just because someone's "Clean" doesn't mean they aren't doing it everyday. It just means nobody chose to care. That's ludicrous.
 
This morning I was at the local convenience store (Sheetz) getting coffee. I always use self check out. It has audible prompts. I was in the middle of paying when a dude walked up to the self checkout next to me. Bagged his stuff. And walked out. No scanning. No payment. Pretty brazen. Hoping to help him out and maybe offer some advice I called out to him as he briskly walked away. My thought was I would pay for it. Keep him from committing a crime. He kept walking. Probably naive of me. Staff let me know this is built into the pricing and nobody should say anything. They are not permitted to. They see it all day everyday and can only watch. So what is that built in cost to the consumer? Why not prosecute? And why am I paying more so someone else doesn't have to pay at all? Pretty crazy to me.
Prolly not worth triggering someone who's walking a fine line between brazen "I dare ya" and & desperation.
 
Corporate's laissez faire non enforcement will avoid being on the 6 o'clock news and litigation while defraying negative profit mitigation by reducing managerial incentivization.

-Randolph & Mortimer Duke
 
Obviously it cost them less than hiring someone to check everyone’s bag and receipt. Don’t worry, AI will figure all this out.
 
Obviously it cost them less than hiring someone to check everyone’s bag and receipt. Don’t worry, AI will figure all this out.
The first thing AI, by definition, should accomplish is keeping consumers out of convenience stores and San Francisco.
 
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