Godddd stop spreading the propaganda that entry-level retail workers are punished for other people's shoplifting. They aren't! I've worked retail for 4 years at 5 different places (Walgreens, Target - at 2 locations, Sam's, and 2 local places) and have never heard of this happening. Shrinkage is considered part of expenses, entry-level employees aren't expected to stop shoplifting (and are more often explicitly told not to), and this is definitely against company policy at any big chain

I'm sure it does happen under the table or at small businesses, but people talk about it like it's guaranteed every time you nick a drink. It's fucking not, and by saying this every single time someone talks about theft you're doing exactly what the capitalists - including the ones who enact this policy - want. They're holding workers hostage and you're giving in to their demands

Boosts appreciated

@socalledunitedstates >entry-level employees aren't expected to stop shoplifting (and are more often explicitly told not to)

Can confirm, about the only training I got for my first job (at Mervyn's, may it rot in piss) was "if you see someone stealing, don't try to stop them."

@LexYeen And it's obvious why. Just imagine what would happen if these companies told their employees, "you will be punished if anything is stolen, so keep an eye out and call out anything suspicious"

In every single location you'd have employees following and probably yelling at black customers, guaranteed. It'd be a PR nightmare. No big company would make that policy

@socalledunitedstates @LexYeen

this is the same in UK, also for the reason that shoplifters over here may carry knives or other weapons. There are security staff and "town rangers" who wear protective kevlar vests, are trained to defuse situations and have bodycams and personal radios.

The only places where staff might "have a go" are smaller family run businesses but you shouldn't be nicking things from them anyway (there is a problem here with racist thugs robbing from the Asian shops)

@vfrmedia

Shoplifters carry what now?

We regularly stole food and other stuff from shops when I was young. Never a knife in sight.

Anecdatum: once my mother wandered around the supermarket, shadily hiding all sorts of things in her coat, then went to the checkout and politely asked for a carrier bag. She took all the items from her coat in front of the staff, put them in the bag and left. Not a word was said.

@LexYeen @socalledunitedstates
@lupine Your mother sounds like an absolute badass. I can just imagine her staring down the nearest cashier to establish dominance as she filled the bag.