You have got to be kidding me!!

[serendipity22]

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Thank You!!!

Maybe the camera footage will come available if the customer was so much in the wrong. But then again, if that was the case, we would have most likely seen it by now.

 

[Beekissed]

My son worked at Walmart as a cashier and, if people tried to intentionally steal by loading things in the bottom of their carts and "forgetting" to pay and walking out~the cashier got penalized for not asking them to pay for the items. There were several families that did this on a continual basis and they could tell they intended to steal by their reaction to getting caught walking out. The cashiers weren't at fault, but they still got penalized...this isn't right, so I can see the point about the stealing affecting everyone and not just the big corporation.

But...at least they stop them before they walk out of the store when they notice these items were not paid for at POS. Anything else causes a lot of drama and, though they may catch a thief, they have also left a bad taste in the mouths of the public when mothers are hauled out in handcuffs in front of children of other shoppers.

If at all possible, stores should try to prevent stealing by apprehending the people before they leave the store and ask them politely if they would like those purchases rung up now. If it is a repeat offender who keeps "forgetting" or tucks items underneath dog food bags, etc., then they should let them walk out and arrest them.

For two sandwiches? They should have asked her to pay if they knew she had eaten them and didn't pay. For a stereo? Arrest away.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

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X2
And people do steal when they have their children with them, all the time. People have been known to stick the stolen merchandise in their childs clothing, carrier, etc.

Seen that before. Heard that at my job more than a few times. Kids are apparently an excellent "cover". Sigh.

Is it only 2 sandwiches? Yes. Is it $5? Yes. But vs the Kmart issue - in this case, that's 10% of the total that was paid. At what point is theft not acceptable at all vs "only forgot"? In my last job, I heard more than small number of cases where someone forgot to pay for something and got fired as such. ONE case was believable because OTHER PEOPLE saw what happened, those reports differed from the employer who wasn't present at the time and the person had very detailed evidence why he was a little scatter brained that day. Every other one? Yeah right, I'm callous and soured to society now, but nope, didn't believe it as far as I could throw the person.

If you know you are stressed, not feeling your best, dealing with a toddler - all of which makes it very easy to forget to pay for something eaten in the store - pay BEFORE you eat. I never realized that was a hard thing to figure out.

"I forgot to pay for the item" be it a $0.04 washer or a $400 tool is an acceptable reason to be fired by an employer. I'm not sure why it should be different for society.

Seems like it would have been reasonable to let them pay when they offered, but also banned them from the store for a period of time. If they had tossed the wrappers somewhere during shopping, or had hidden the merchandise, that would be different. As a previous poster suggested, doing a quick criminal background check might be in order, and taken into account on determining how to proceed. I also believe that food should be paid for BEFORE being consumed. Food from the deli that is to be paid for at the checkstand should be waiting at the checkstand, not put into the cart.

 

[Orchid]

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Wait wait wait. So if this had been a little mom and pop store, then it would NOT be okay for the people to eat the sandwiches and leave without paying for them, but since it's Safeway then it's okay? Am I understanding what you are saying? Or are you saying that as long as the business has the label "corporation" stamped on it, then it's okay for them to lose money. I own a business, it is incorporated, and trust me, my corporation cannot stand to lose any money to theft.

I do not agree with the way Safeway or the police handled this, unless there is more to the story that we don't know, but I don't believe it is ever okay to steal from a company, be it large or small. Employee theft happens all the time this way - the employee thinks "Oh, it won't hurt the big money making corporation if I take a pad of paper...and a couple pens...some markers...a scissors..." And then they're surprised when their job is downsized because the "big corporation" isn't making any money.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

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What happens if you are in a clothing store rather than a store that sells food products? Are your blood sugar levels that volatile that you have no warning, and a few moments to walk up to the registers and pay will put you into a diabetic coma? If that is the case, I'm not sure you are well enough to be out shopping.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

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Not just employees losing on bonuses or lower wages, but the prices paid by the customers are raised to cover loss from theft. $5 * how much other shopplifting goes on in the country dueing a single day is a lot of $$$$$$$$$. BUT, if they let the customer PAY in questionable circumstances, that amount could be significantly reduced. Have the police run a background check, and if clean, let them pay and possibly ban them from the store for a period of time. If the record is NOT clean, then prosecute. Basically, USE COMMON SENSE.

 

[cassie]

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Not just employees losing on bonuses or lower wages, but the prices paid by the customers are raised to cover loss from theft. $5 * how much other shopplifting goes on in the country dueing a single day is a lot of $$$$$$$$$. BUT, if they let the customer PAY in questionable circumstances, that amount could be significantly reduced. Have the police run a background check, and if clean, let them pay and possibly ban them from the store for a period of time. If the record is NOT clean, then prosecute. Basically, USE COMMON SENSE.

If that happened to me, they wouldn't have to ban me. I would not go back there. Ever.

 

[ChooksinChoppers]

Gee wizz! Some of you sound like it wouldnt take much for you to join a lynch mob. It was an honest mistake and as others have said easy to do when stressed or distracted. The store should have accepted payment when offered pure and simple and probally no need to ban them because the poor couple would be too embarresed to go back to that store anyways.

 

[Matthew3590]

It is store policy to not be able to pay for items after they left the store. So it is shop lifting. Store followed the procedures for shop lifting by calling the police. I do not see why both parents were arrested. Also do not blame the store or the cops for the child being taken away, blame child services unless you like children going to jail as well.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

Were I running a store, I personally would have accepted payment when offered. Wouldn't matter to me if it was a sketchy kid in a hoody or the golden family straight off a magazine cover. There would be no way for me to tell if they had purposefully stolen or had indeed forgotten (merchandise shoved into waste bands would be another matter). As someone else said, I've seen kids stick things in their parent's purses or pockets, I once got yelled at as a kid because I put an ornament in my pocket we were actually in the process of buying (The shop keeper was right there talking to my parents, and was the one who freaked out...I was probably 5...seemed natural to hold things in your pocket so you weren't carrying it around XD ), I've had days where I walked out of a store in a daze and only realizing what I did when outside (and yes, I did go back in to pay), my husband nearly forgot to scan a thing of cat litter stuck on the cart bottom, and so on. What would matter to me as a store owner, is that I got my sandwich money or whatever, and thus was not out any cash, and knew I had a good system in place to catch all unpaid for merchandise, whether stolen or not. I do feel you are inviting trouble when eating an item not yet paid for, and would encourage people not to do that...but I'd also encourage people not to use unnecessary amounts of punishment. Or do, but don't be surprised when people stop supporting you monetarily and in other ways.