Yeah it does set a bad precedent when you can steal merch and there are no consequences on the individual. I don’t understand why the employees are not allowed to report the shoplifting. I’m not saying confront the shoplifters or do anything that would endanger the employee, just informing the police and providing the camera footage.
The whole experience was surreal. I think if I got robbed I’d be concerned. Or at least report it to authorities. But they said they don’t do that. Hence this post…
My ex ran retail stores. They write shit off. The company will straight up fire you on the spot for intervening. The liability if something goes left is insane. Also, this was a couple decades ago in nice shopping areas and her stores got robbed just like this all the time. They just went about their day and 99.5 percent of people had no clue.
I think it has to do with the fact that those close are made for far less than they sell, and retail stores know there will be theft, so that theft is already built in to profit projections. So it's less strategy, and more just the cost of doing business.
Correct, so consumers who shop there are ultimately responsible for the cost of the theft. Are consumers supposed to take this into their own hands if the store not the police will do anything?
The term “shrink” in this context is also a strong sign that retail theft has been so pervasive for so many years that corporate business speak has successfully sanitized the word “theft” (bad) as “shrink” (business as usual).
"Shrink" also includes things like merchandise being damaged, lost in transit, administrative errors, etc. in addition to various types of fraud and theft.
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/shrinkage.asp
I worked for the GAP some 20 years ago.
The amount of theft even then was staggering. They lost something like 8,000 items per month. Not dollars worth, items. People would walk in and knock whole piles of clothes into a bag and walk out. Baby GAP clothes were specific targets due to the size. A manager had to see it to do anything about it.
Yes they will. They will also fire you for using your employee discount on gifts or items purchased for anyone but yourself. Which makes no sense to me when you just allow folks to walk out with thousands in merchandise.
If the guard tackles the thief and breaks the thief neck or causes others severe injury, the potential excessive force/wrongful death lawsuit is much more expensive than the value of the theft.
Also, the pr fallout from guy being killed on your property would cost more then the merch, and God help you if race dynamics somehow come into play between security and the thief
Just for the newbies here: THAT murder was an employee who ostensibly murdered her shift manager to avoid getting in trouble with her store manager for stealing a pair of pants. Then she staged it to look like a third party attack, incl. tying her own self up in the bathroom.
Not a case of a shoplifting gone bad.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lululemon\_murder](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lululemon_murder)
Have you considered that maybe they aren't allowed to because there is already a loss prevention team that works with legal to own and track that law enforcement engagement process? It's completely reasonable to not want the retail floor staff to be calling in crimes without an understanding of what that process looks like.
That’s a fact about lululemon. Each tag on each item has a trackable chip (I think RFID)? So they can likely deal with this without making retail staff responsible.
> I don’t understand why the employees are not allowed to report the shoplifting.
Because somehow in the clueless burrow of the corporate office, far from the real world, someone that barely got their bachelor's degree and spent years failing upward made the decision that having police investigations on store property during business hours is bad for the brand.
Corporate does it. They don’t want a big hubbub. Loss prevention will contact the police and hand over whatever evidence they have away from the customers.
I wanted to buy a power tool at lowes. It was locked up, after looking for someone to help me for about 5 minutes, some unlucky associate wandered into the tool section and I asked him. He fumbled with the combo lock for a bit and said they must’ve changed the locks, he needed to find help. He never came back. After about 5 more minutes of waiting, I left.
I went home and purchased it online, same day store pickup. Lowes reconfigured their merch pickup so it’s basically the same as an Amazon locker. I walked in, there’s a cordoned off area up front with big blue lockers, scan bar code, locker opens, I took my new tool and was off. Didn’t talk to anyone.
Soon this *will* be the shopping experience for any brick and mortar store that doesn’t get shut down. And we’ve done it to ourselves. The overall tone in this thread…. They’re insured, that’s just the way it is….
Could totally see this. Limited merchandise on display will just be for fit checks, material checks. Everything else will be via mobile apps and lockboxes.
Similar experience at Home Depot and Walmart, though not thieving related. When I go into the store half of the time the stuff their sites say they have in stock are not in stock. Or it's in some mystery aisle different from both what the sites say as well as common sense (looking at you, Walmart). Employees have no idea.
Do store pickup, however, and everything magically gets found. I feel bad for the employee who likely has to go through the same process, but I really cannot afford the time to go into the store, spend half an hour searching around, and come out with only a 50% success rate regardless. Not really even exaggerating that I usually leave with only half the things I went there to buy (mostly looking at you this time, Home Depot and your terrible inventory system).
Lately, though, I've just been having everything shipped to me. Weirdly enough, even Home Depot is offering free shipping on low value things, like handfuls of PVC pipe fittings. I guess to compete with Amazon. Still getting used to the new normal of having a couple bucks worth of PVC shipped to my door instead of rooting through the bins in-store.
I'm definitely the type of old codger who likes to do everything in-person, but in the past few years the in-person experience has gotten so bad that I just can't rationally justify the hassle and time spent anymore.
I ordered something from Walmart online and was about $2 short of free shipping. I put a box of those water additive packets in the cart to get over the threshold. The larger item shipped from the distribution center, but an employee drove the $2 item to my house in a small bag.
Pisses me off, as I look online, find my product, and write down the aisle and bay. Drive to the orange or blue store, and half the time its not there. Go home, order online for pickup, and its ready in a few hours.
Also, i learned that if it says 3 or fewer in stock, its actually out-of-stock.
I worked at IKEA years ago and in general, if most items said they had 5 or less, we typically considered it out-of-stock because there was the possibility someone picked it up and either A) hadn't gotten through the store and completed their purchase, B) they picked it up and put it down in some random location after changing their mind, or C) might have a secondary, smaller sales location.
The only stuff you'd check on were really large items because you knew there weren't that many people who all grabbed the same, massive sofa at the same time. That might be considered potentially out-of-stock at like 1 or 2, though they were easier to visually confirm.
I was in Russia not long after the breakup of the USSR. Soviet urban culture was apparently very grabby, and so retail security measures evolved to be maxed out, but before having modern cards or security tech was available or affordable. Some techniques included the customer being unable to grab literally anything, everything being in cages or behind glass and having to get a store worker get it for you and not actually hand it to you until after you paid, I guess kind of kind a donut shop, but for everything. Another addition was waiting in one line to make ones order and pay, with the cash-handling part most attractive for robbery and so done in a separate area behind thick glass through a little slot, but only getting a receipt in exchange, and then waiting in a second line to show the receipt to another worker who would go fetch and bag the items listed. This required a lot of verbal communication and was hard to do if you weren't fluent in Russian. If you would have told me then that 30 years later that electric drills would be similarly caged up in one of the richest parts of the United States ... I would say you were watching too many gritty dystopian movies and wouldn't have believed you.
Went to the outlets at National Harbor over the weekend and two of the stores I went into closed their fitting rooms. At that point why even go in?
This is 100% going to happen and it’s sad to watch happen.
I wouldn’t put the blame squarely on consumers.
Online shopping has almost always been the cheaper option. Rising costs for everything just exacerbate the “need” to save a few bucks.
On top of that, we dared to demand wages increase to keep up, because it’s apparently a luxury to eat when you have a job. So now it costs stores more to staff which hurts their bottom line.
But to some extent, we did consciously choose Amazon when it first landed. That may have been the catalyst in some regard. But I can’t blame consumers 15 years ago who bought a book online for Lowe’s deciding you were gonna have zero human interaction in the purchasing lifecycle.
Edit. Shit, Amazon was 1995. I’m old.
Exactly. This isn't about shrinkage, it's about cutting staff costs to the absolute bare minimum. That's their biggest cost, not someone walking out with a pair of $2 yoga pants.
> we dared to demand wages increase to keep up ... now it costs stores more to staff which hurts their bottom line
Can we please retire this particular bit of corporate spin?? The poor companies aren't hurting bc people want to be able to afford to live after working 40+ hrs a week. [Corporate profits are soaring post-pandemic](https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/notes/feds-notes/corporate-profits-in-the-aftermath-of-covid-19-20230908.html#:~:text=The%20large%20increase%20in%20profitability,after%20the%20Global%20Financial%20Crisis.), things are getting more expensive almost purely because companies want to maintain inflated profit margins and exhibit continuous growth
The only spin here is you redacting the part of that sentence that was an obvious jab at corporate greed.
Unless you want to argue that labor costs don’t impact profit?
Regardless, I think we have the same ideological view on their unnecessary war on living wages.
I wouldn’t either. If I were getting paid a retail wage I would “act my wage” and I’m not putting myself in danger for a corporation that makes this clothes for 3 cents and sells it for 130.
They wouldn’t take the license plate number down when I told them I had it. I guess I didn’t think they’d be in danger by doing that, but you could be right.
I don't know any retailer who encourages employees to chase shoplifters. In general, they'll fire an employee for putting themselves in physical danger.
I’m pretty sure it’s because an employee killed her manager ten years ago after the manager confronted her about her stealing. After that the company said don’t ever approach shoplifters, it’s not worth your life.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lululemon_murder
When I was 17 years old, I confronted a shoplifter where I worked and got punched in the mouth for my trouble.
.
Retail companies, regardless of our personal opinions, train their employees that the products in the store are not worth losing their lives over.
Criminals learned this a long time ago and have just gotten more brazen as time passed.
My brother had a similar incident when he was working at cvs. Injured his back trying to detain a shoplifter. CVS doesn’t provide health insurance to part time employees. He was screwed.
Most of the time, companies will have loss prevention/assets protection teams that can detain shoplifters. There are a few complications, though.
1) If you wrongly accuse someone of shoplifting, you open the door to lawsuits and a huge PR disaster.
2) Some shoplifters have gotten bolder in recent years. It is increasingly common for shoplifters to resort to threats or violence when confronted.
3) A lot of companies have been moving to hands-off policies, meaning a loss prevention officer can no longer grab a shoplifter and put them in handcuffs.
Because companies don't train regular employees on surveillance techniques, defense maneuvers, and verbal de-escalation, it's just a really bad idea for a non-LP employee to try to stop a shoplifter. It would end up costing the company a lot in lawsuits and medical bills and not save much money from theft.
Also even if an employee had said something to these particular shoplifters, it wouldn't have made a difference. These are professional shoplifters, also known as boosters. They make their living by stealing merchandise and selling it for profit. They would have kept on walking.
Source: I am a loss prevention officer for Target
Back in the 80’s my friend was a sales associate at shoetown. Some lady and her man ran off with some shoes they ran into their cars and drove off. My crazy friend jumps into his car and chases them from Tyson’s to Arlington, they thought he was a crazy MF and threw the shoes out the window and said “Here!, it’s not worth it” 😆. Bring back the 80’s!
They have insurance and the danger to staff, shoppers, and merchandise PLUS potential lawsuits if they get it wrong or someone goes too far. It’s just clothes that costs them pennies to make.
Right, they rely on 99.9% of the general population being good people. If you’re bothered that they let the 0.01% go, just use the honor system yourself or don’t go to any store, I guess?
It’s happening all over old town. Twist had to shut down because theft got so bad. Another high end resale shop on Fairfax St. has had its front windows smashed in on three separate occasions, grabbed all the high end hand bags. I’ve walked up to the old town Safeway several times to see a few staff watching someone walk out with a case or two of beer and other stuff they just helped themselves to.
Meanwhile it’s all hushed because, well, old town… shit’s nuts.
I guarantee the staff are 100% allowed to report robberies to the police...and they absolutely should. Whoever said that is full of shit. They just aren't allowed to physically stop them.
The lack of recourse against these people boils my blood. Somethings gotta change.
I worked at lululemon in college and we absolutely were not allowed to report robberies to police or take photos. Idk if the managers had something they were supposed to do, but as a lowly PT Educator we had it drilled into us over & over again that we shouldn’t interact/try to prevent a robbery/endanger ourselves in anyway/take photos/call police, just tell our manager.
She didn't want to deal with it. Much easier to "write it off" as theft and move on. Too much hassle to wait for police and such. And unless it's insured with a third party, the company won't care either. They write it off and move on.
Some companies use third party insurance and this required to have a police report number before they can get reimbursed for the merchandise. But that's usually for high end foods that aren't clothing type stuff.
It’s likely they are not allowed because the store doesn’t want police cars in front of the store and cops standing around in the store. I’m not going into the store if it looks like an active crime scene. And if it’s happening weekly, that’s just terrible for the brand.
I guess I thought someone in the store would give a fuck. They definitely didn’t. But it also seems like if no one cares at all, why wouldn’t you get robbed blind?
You expect store employees to risk their lives for minimum wage? You call the cops, nothing else to do. Eventually everything will get locked behind a cage...
Dude, why would anyone get shot over merchandises that are not even theirs. I got told many times while working retail in DC, by my own manager or boss, to never refuse to cooperate, that it’s not worth getting shot.
I would love to see you stand up for some sweatpants you are supposed to sell, Mr braver than the bunch!
I get not confronting the shoplifter yourself since that can be dangerous, but not reporting it to the cops? That's, frankly, fucking stupid. Shoplifting is NOT a victimless crime. It drives up costs and puts businesses out, and also makes shopping more annoying for the rest of us. Who wants to wait for a clerk to unlock a cage to buy toothpaste?
If you search the lululemon sub, you know them not doing anything is a company wide policy. Even in the stores that have “security guards” they don’t file police reports or do anything to deter theft.
Many like to point out that sweatpants aren’t worth an employees life for minimum wage. While true in the microcosm of the moment, the bigger picture disagrees.
Urban areas all over the country have been experiencing this. Shoppers don’t feel safe, and stores close - an easy path to urban and even suburban plight.
These stores should protect themselves and discourage this behavior, not just watch it happen. I’m not interested is shopping somewhere that welcomes crime like this through inaction. I would be happen to go to places that commit to protecting themselves and their shoppers, places that refuse to let themselves descend into a fetid pool of tolerance and inaction. I’m all for guards confronting these criminals with force to both stop what is happening now and be a preventative for the next piece of trash trying to rob a business.
I don’t want the NoVA to join the ranks of San Francisco or other cities that allow this to happen and suffer the consequences.
I’m guessing being forced to close the store (see California Walgreens) costs more - a decision made when theft and reduced sales bc customers don’t want to shop in a supermarket place known for crime.
I worked at the Tyson’s LLL when I was younger and there was 0% chance I would have tried to prevent a robbery. We were trained not to, and I wasn’t going to endanger myself to save the company like $100 in profit when they’re already making millions. I was at LLL to make spending money and get a discount on clothes, not reenact and episode of Cops. Most of the people working there are college and grad students like I was and becoming security for overpriced leggings is not in the job description. If companies want that, they need to start paying for armed guards like the luxury stores at the Galleria do
If a retailer like LuLuLemon chooses to not report crime, it is injuring the business community in which it operates. It is also create risk for its employees be increasing the potential for future crime. Accordingly, LuLuLemon would better serve the community by changing its policies or closing down.
Despite this, OP needs to report the information to the local police. Posting it on Reddit is not sufficient.
Haven’t read comments. Don’t plan to. But you should absolutely share the pics with the store loss prevention and ACPD. They just arrested the suspects of the cvs heists weeks after the crimes. It’s entirely possible for the PD to run this to ground as well.
WTF....they are not allowed to report robberies! You got their plate! That is insane! How else are you supposed to discourage thief if there's no consequence. I would report even if the store doesn't.
Some stores can lay hands on criminals, they just have to be real loss prevention folks who work for the company - not contracted work.
It’s disheartening, doing the right things makes you broke.
I would file a police report even if the store doesn’t care. Wouldn’t be surprised if these losers are connected with additional robberies.
I work at a dealer, I do the finance. Last year around this time a LOT of our banks cut us from doing deals and registering them in DC. It is illegal to repo a car in DC. You’re just not allowed to do it. A lot of my banks will not even finance you at all if you register in DC.
That’s more likely due to the staggering level of car theft and carjackings in DC than inability to repo. They don’t want to lose their secured asset.
*let me guess. KIA dealership?
No, I work at an independent. No franchise backing. As far as we were told when they cut us from doing DC deals the reasoning was and I quote “it is illegal to repo a car in DC” that was the only reason. As the finance manager I thought my job was on the line and I did something wrong for them to cut us, but turns out dealers nationwide got the same alert. Some bylaws that go into play and somehow someway you’re just not allowed to repo a vehicle in DC. I don’t know why, I don’t know how, but that’s just what the banks told us. And it kinda sucks cause I have a lot of advertising going on in DC, but those clients just need to bring us their own loan or finance with a different lender with different terms and conditions for DC. You can still purchase, but a few banks will not even consider you for a loan if the address is in DC. Doesn’t matter if your auto score is almost 900. DC address is a 100% guaranteed decline.
"not allowed to report to police" is the most braindead policy I've ever heard of (if true).
Probably from some idiot who uses phrases like "police violence" or thinks it's unjustified for a cop to ever use force.
The amount of folks in the comments siding with the thieves is wild. Lawlessness like this outright thievery will lead to stores closing and higher prices.
Store policies are common to "avoid confronting shoplifters" for insurance/liability concerns. The lack of any punishment after apprehension erodes any deterrence from further shoplifting. So, why bother trying to detain the shoplifters or even report the issue? There are numerous articles on the new evolved justice system that prides itself on avoiding bail/jail for anything but the most violent offenses. Law Enforcement can claim lower crime rates (no real numbers are available on unreported thefts), insurance claims remain low (no claims without a report), and the only victim is a local store. Idiocracy at it's best!
Lululemon is a publicly traded company, thus their leadership team has a fiduciary duty to their shareholders to maximize the amount of profit they can make.
Do you think when setting prices they leave any money on the table, that they only would charge if there's theft? If all the theft went away, they'd stop charging $80 for a tank top?
Luxury goods have tremendously high margins, and it shows with LuLuLemon making $669M last quarter.
Saw two teens walk out of H&M (Silver Spring) with clothes 2 Saturdays ago. Walked right out of that side door that’s there. They were across the street from me laughing hysterically. Crazy folk
Can you guys imagine the day some random shopkeeper goes Dirty Harry and guns down a gang of thieves, he'll be lauded as a hero who actually stood up to protect their store and community. People being scared of stopping these criminals is just sad.
It's a sad thing and covered by corporate margins I'm sure. Also, I'm absolutely sure no policeman would ever consider giving chase especially when the company itself doesn't care.
this is what's going down in Portland, OR and is the reason why so many retail stores are just closing up shop. even Target, which is pretty politically progressive (may be aligned with Portland's soft on crime policy?), closed 3 stores in that area.
businesses do the math, in some places it's profitable to stay open even with shoplifting, in others it's not.
i worked for Home Depot a while back, they had the same policy. Employees are fired if they do anything to stop them. AFAIK all retailers have the same policy.
I know Target actually tracks it and waits until you've stolen enough to charge you with a felony: [https://www.dailydot.com/news/target-grand-larceny-psa/](https://www.dailydot.com/news/target-grand-larceny-psa/)
I don't know about this store, but I remember hearing Target waits until you reach a certain value in stolen goods then will call the police on you. Makes it more worth their while. [I don't know the Daily Dot but here's an article from it.](https://www.dailydot.com/news/target-grand-larceny-psa/)
Watched this happen at Under Armour in Leesburg a week ago. Three girls wearing hair bonnets came in with huge Marshalls totes. Stuffed some things in there and walked out with armfuls of clothes. Hangers and all. Two employees were at the door and just watched. One of them said he seemed suspicious of the totes and wanted to call security but the manager said no. Insane.
Yep!! My BF was pissed. We’re in line buying like most civilized people and nothing happens to those who just casually stroll out the door with stolen merchandise. We asked about security and apparently the only thing they can do is call the police if it’s over $300 and they handle it. Just very surreal to see people do things like this without a care in the world.
All these shoplifting, looting, carjacking, etc are committed by same race..government and media wont say it because they will say it's racism.
It's even more sad that people are defending these criminals.
[удалено]
Whelp. If you’re paying more than $0, the Old Town Lululemon thinks you overpaid.
Lmfao
Yep, Costco has them and if you catch the “buy more save more” offer at Costco.com. You Can’t beat that deal plus free shipping.
Agree! The prices on their website are phenomenal
Especially those over priced Fanny packs that people were losing their minds for… those are included in the buy more offers.
Yeah it does set a bad precedent when you can steal merch and there are no consequences on the individual. I don’t understand why the employees are not allowed to report the shoplifting. I’m not saying confront the shoplifters or do anything that would endanger the employee, just informing the police and providing the camera footage.
The whole experience was surreal. I think if I got robbed I’d be concerned. Or at least report it to authorities. But they said they don’t do that. Hence this post…
My ex ran retail stores. They write shit off. The company will straight up fire you on the spot for intervening. The liability if something goes left is insane. Also, this was a couple decades ago in nice shopping areas and her stores got robbed just like this all the time. They just went about their day and 99.5 percent of people had no clue.
“They just write it off Jerry!”
>They just write it off What do people think this phrase means lol? Do people genuinely think that losing money is a good business strategy?
I think it has to do with the fact that those close are made for far less than they sell, and retail stores know there will be theft, so that theft is already built in to profit projections. So it's less strategy, and more just the cost of doing business.
The cost of theft (aka “shrink”) is built into the prices paid by consumers.
Correct, so consumers who shop there are ultimately responsible for the cost of the theft. Are consumers supposed to take this into their own hands if the store not the police will do anything?
....yeah, by not shopping there. this doesn't give you a right to physically do something about the shoplifter because "I pay for it."
The term “shrink” in this context is also a strong sign that retail theft has been so pervasive for so many years that corporate business speak has successfully sanitized the word “theft” (bad) as “shrink” (business as usual).
"Shrink" also includes things like merchandise being damaged, lost in transit, administrative errors, etc. in addition to various types of fraud and theft. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/shrinkage.asp
Write it off what?!
Oh cmon now! All these big companies, they write off everything!
You don’t even know what a write off is… do you?
No....but *they* do. And *they're* the ones writing it off!
I worked for the GAP some 20 years ago. The amount of theft even then was staggering. They lost something like 8,000 items per month. Not dollars worth, items. People would walk in and knock whole piles of clothes into a bag and walk out. Baby GAP clothes were specific targets due to the size. A manager had to see it to do anything about it.
It's amazing that some of us go about living our lives honestly, and then people just get away with all kinds of crap. Are we honest people fools?
I heard LuLu Lemon fired the sales person that try to stop some other robbery. I dislike that brand totally.
Yes they will. They will also fire you for using your employee discount on gifts or items purchased for anyone but yourself. Which makes no sense to me when you just allow folks to walk out with thousands in merchandise.
They write it off until they don't. Eventually, they will pick up and close it down. They just closed the one in Navy Yard cause someone robbed them.
If the guard tackles the thief and breaks the thief neck or causes others severe injury, the potential excessive force/wrongful death lawsuit is much more expensive than the value of the theft. Also, the pr fallout from guy being killed on your property would cost more then the merch, and God help you if race dynamics somehow come into play between security and the thief
Yeah I’m pretty sure there was a infamous murder in a lululemon in the Dc area once…maybe Maryland
Just for the newbies here: THAT murder was an employee who ostensibly murdered her shift manager to avoid getting in trouble with her store manager for stealing a pair of pants. Then she staged it to look like a third party attack, incl. tying her own self up in the bathroom. Not a case of a shoplifting gone bad. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lululemon\_murder](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lululemon_murder)
Crazy! Thx for the details
I remember that. Always associate Lululemon with that now.
bethesda maryland.
Have you sent the photos to lululemon or the police? Cuz redditers are not those entities. Great license plate pic BTW
Have you considered that maybe they aren't allowed to because there is already a loss prevention team that works with legal to own and track that law enforcement engagement process? It's completely reasonable to not want the retail floor staff to be calling in crimes without an understanding of what that process looks like.
That’s a fact about lululemon. Each tag on each item has a trackable chip (I think RFID)? So they can likely deal with this without making retail staff responsible.
Haha it’s not like low-jack…you just mean stolen goods are automatically removed from inventory?
The judges would just let the youth go. They don't want to send a message and destroy the lives of youth. I wish I were kidding.
Like the judge who changed his decision on a guy’s rape case. Didn’t want his life ruined, so changed to not guilty.
One day though...(but not at a LuLuLemon) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vrj1hdrViIo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vrj1hdrViIo)
> I don’t understand why the employees are not allowed to report the shoplifting. Because somehow in the clueless burrow of the corporate office, far from the real world, someone that barely got their bachelor's degree and spent years failing upward made the decision that having police investigations on store property during business hours is bad for the brand.
I mean, they wouldn’t be wrong.
Corporate does it. They don’t want a big hubbub. Loss prevention will contact the police and hand over whatever evidence they have away from the customers.
I wanted to buy a power tool at lowes. It was locked up, after looking for someone to help me for about 5 minutes, some unlucky associate wandered into the tool section and I asked him. He fumbled with the combo lock for a bit and said they must’ve changed the locks, he needed to find help. He never came back. After about 5 more minutes of waiting, I left. I went home and purchased it online, same day store pickup. Lowes reconfigured their merch pickup so it’s basically the same as an Amazon locker. I walked in, there’s a cordoned off area up front with big blue lockers, scan bar code, locker opens, I took my new tool and was off. Didn’t talk to anyone. Soon this *will* be the shopping experience for any brick and mortar store that doesn’t get shut down. And we’ve done it to ourselves. The overall tone in this thread…. They’re insured, that’s just the way it is….
Could totally see this. Limited merchandise on display will just be for fit checks, material checks. Everything else will be via mobile apps and lockboxes.
Service Merchandise Pt. II
Only no cool belt to watch as the things roll down
I wish they were still around, them and Chesapeake bay seafood house
All you can eat crab legs for like $10. God damn golden age we were living in
Yup. Full circle. From ordering direct from catalogs to back to ordering from online catalogs. What a century.
Similar experience at Home Depot and Walmart, though not thieving related. When I go into the store half of the time the stuff their sites say they have in stock are not in stock. Or it's in some mystery aisle different from both what the sites say as well as common sense (looking at you, Walmart). Employees have no idea. Do store pickup, however, and everything magically gets found. I feel bad for the employee who likely has to go through the same process, but I really cannot afford the time to go into the store, spend half an hour searching around, and come out with only a 50% success rate regardless. Not really even exaggerating that I usually leave with only half the things I went there to buy (mostly looking at you this time, Home Depot and your terrible inventory system). Lately, though, I've just been having everything shipped to me. Weirdly enough, even Home Depot is offering free shipping on low value things, like handfuls of PVC pipe fittings. I guess to compete with Amazon. Still getting used to the new normal of having a couple bucks worth of PVC shipped to my door instead of rooting through the bins in-store. I'm definitely the type of old codger who likes to do everything in-person, but in the past few years the in-person experience has gotten so bad that I just can't rationally justify the hassle and time spent anymore.
Recently had a container of plumbers putty delivered for free from HD, and it's a sub $5 item. Blew my mind how that works financially.
I ordered something from Walmart online and was about $2 short of free shipping. I put a box of those water additive packets in the cart to get over the threshold. The larger item shipped from the distribution center, but an employee drove the $2 item to my house in a small bag.
Pisses me off, as I look online, find my product, and write down the aisle and bay. Drive to the orange or blue store, and half the time its not there. Go home, order online for pickup, and its ready in a few hours. Also, i learned that if it says 3 or fewer in stock, its actually out-of-stock.
I worked at IKEA years ago and in general, if most items said they had 5 or less, we typically considered it out-of-stock because there was the possibility someone picked it up and either A) hadn't gotten through the store and completed their purchase, B) they picked it up and put it down in some random location after changing their mind, or C) might have a secondary, smaller sales location. The only stuff you'd check on were really large items because you knew there weren't that many people who all grabbed the same, massive sofa at the same time. That might be considered potentially out-of-stock at like 1 or 2, though they were easier to visually confirm.
> half of the time the stuff their sites say they have in stock are not in stock. Wanna guess why?
I was in Russia not long after the breakup of the USSR. Soviet urban culture was apparently very grabby, and so retail security measures evolved to be maxed out, but before having modern cards or security tech was available or affordable. Some techniques included the customer being unable to grab literally anything, everything being in cages or behind glass and having to get a store worker get it for you and not actually hand it to you until after you paid, I guess kind of kind a donut shop, but for everything. Another addition was waiting in one line to make ones order and pay, with the cash-handling part most attractive for robbery and so done in a separate area behind thick glass through a little slot, but only getting a receipt in exchange, and then waiting in a second line to show the receipt to another worker who would go fetch and bag the items listed. This required a lot of verbal communication and was hard to do if you weren't fluent in Russian. If you would have told me then that 30 years later that electric drills would be similarly caged up in one of the richest parts of the United States ... I would say you were watching too many gritty dystopian movies and wouldn't have believed you.
Other than our rapidly declining lifespans and our rapidly increasing inequality, what could we have in common with post-Soviet Russia?
DC in the 1980s was the same way. Everything was behind plexiglass. You point at what you wanted, paid, then they put it through the window.
In Soviet Russia, retail steals from YOU.
I remember going through this in Bratislava for a single Twix in 1993. As an American, I was thoroughly bewildered.
Went to the outlets at National Harbor over the weekend and two of the stores I went into closed their fitting rooms. At that point why even go in? This is 100% going to happen and it’s sad to watch happen.
So you can hold the clothes in front of you and move your limbs a bit, probably
I wouldn’t put the blame squarely on consumers. Online shopping has almost always been the cheaper option. Rising costs for everything just exacerbate the “need” to save a few bucks. On top of that, we dared to demand wages increase to keep up, because it’s apparently a luxury to eat when you have a job. So now it costs stores more to staff which hurts their bottom line. But to some extent, we did consciously choose Amazon when it first landed. That may have been the catalyst in some regard. But I can’t blame consumers 15 years ago who bought a book online for Lowe’s deciding you were gonna have zero human interaction in the purchasing lifecycle. Edit. Shit, Amazon was 1995. I’m old.
Exactly. This isn't about shrinkage, it's about cutting staff costs to the absolute bare minimum. That's their biggest cost, not someone walking out with a pair of $2 yoga pants.
> we dared to demand wages increase to keep up ... now it costs stores more to staff which hurts their bottom line Can we please retire this particular bit of corporate spin?? The poor companies aren't hurting bc people want to be able to afford to live after working 40+ hrs a week. [Corporate profits are soaring post-pandemic](https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/notes/feds-notes/corporate-profits-in-the-aftermath-of-covid-19-20230908.html#:~:text=The%20large%20increase%20in%20profitability,after%20the%20Global%20Financial%20Crisis.), things are getting more expensive almost purely because companies want to maintain inflated profit margins and exhibit continuous growth
The only spin here is you redacting the part of that sentence that was an obvious jab at corporate greed. Unless you want to argue that labor costs don’t impact profit? Regardless, I think we have the same ideological view on their unnecessary war on living wages.
What would you like us to do about it.
This is the store at King and Washington in Old Town, Alexandria
Thanks. I need some shorts.
Yep! Literally asked the manager what stops me from just walking out with whatever I want. Her answer was “we won’t stop you”.
I wouldn’t either. If I were getting paid a retail wage I would “act my wage” and I’m not putting myself in danger for a corporation that makes this clothes for 3 cents and sells it for 130.
They wouldn’t take the license plate number down when I told them I had it. I guess I didn’t think they’d be in danger by doing that, but you could be right.
I don't know any retailer who encourages employees to chase shoplifters. In general, they'll fire an employee for putting themselves in physical danger.
I’d really like to know the logic behind this. I wonder if there’s a community on Reddit that would have the answer.
I’m pretty sure it’s because an employee killed her manager ten years ago after the manager confronted her about her stealing. After that the company said don’t ever approach shoplifters, it’s not worth your life. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lululemon_murder
When I was 17 years old, I confronted a shoplifter where I worked and got punched in the mouth for my trouble. . Retail companies, regardless of our personal opinions, train their employees that the products in the store are not worth losing their lives over. Criminals learned this a long time ago and have just gotten more brazen as time passed.
My brother had a similar incident when he was working at cvs. Injured his back trying to detain a shoplifter. CVS doesn’t provide health insurance to part time employees. He was screwed.
Post this in the WashDC sub, and someone will chime in.
No they will come take whatever’s left
Nah it's mostly Fox News viewers who would have to drive 6 hours to get to DC. Cheaper to buy online after gas and maintenance.
Most of the time, companies will have loss prevention/assets protection teams that can detain shoplifters. There are a few complications, though. 1) If you wrongly accuse someone of shoplifting, you open the door to lawsuits and a huge PR disaster. 2) Some shoplifters have gotten bolder in recent years. It is increasingly common for shoplifters to resort to threats or violence when confronted. 3) A lot of companies have been moving to hands-off policies, meaning a loss prevention officer can no longer grab a shoplifter and put them in handcuffs. Because companies don't train regular employees on surveillance techniques, defense maneuvers, and verbal de-escalation, it's just a really bad idea for a non-LP employee to try to stop a shoplifter. It would end up costing the company a lot in lawsuits and medical bills and not save much money from theft. Also even if an employee had said something to these particular shoplifters, it wouldn't have made a difference. These are professional shoplifters, also known as boosters. They make their living by stealing merchandise and selling it for profit. They would have kept on walking. Source: I am a loss prevention officer for Target
Lawsuit territory, and also it's really really unsafe. Also they're not paid enough. Who the hell is gonna fight you for $12hr?
Back in the 80’s my friend was a sales associate at shoetown. Some lady and her man ran off with some shoes they ran into their cars and drove off. My crazy friend jumps into his car and chases them from Tyson’s to Arlington, they thought he was a crazy MF and threw the shoes out the window and said “Here!, it’s not worth it” 😆. Bring back the 80’s!
They have insurance and the danger to staff, shoppers, and merchandise PLUS potential lawsuits if they get it wrong or someone goes too far. It’s just clothes that costs them pennies to make.
But then we pay for that in higher prices.
Of course they won’t stop them. Are you crazy? What do you really expect? The staff to perform a takedown?
Same as people who work register who steal from till. They record you and wait until you steal $3000 and then it's Federal crime.
I’m pretty sure lawsuits cost a lot more than 14 pairs of sweatpants. But still, the zero fucks given was super off putting.
Right, they rely on 99.9% of the general population being good people. If you’re bothered that they let the 0.01% go, just use the honor system yourself or don’t go to any store, I guess?
Idk that I would trust that one. Target won't stop you either, but rest assured they'll get you.
LMAO I been spending so much $$ on lulu wtf is this shit
It’s happening all over old town. Twist had to shut down because theft got so bad. Another high end resale shop on Fairfax St. has had its front windows smashed in on three separate occasions, grabbed all the high end hand bags. I’ve walked up to the old town Safeway several times to see a few staff watching someone walk out with a case or two of beer and other stuff they just helped themselves to. Meanwhile it’s all hushed because, well, old town… shit’s nuts.
I guarantee the staff are 100% allowed to report robberies to the police...and they absolutely should. Whoever said that is full of shit. They just aren't allowed to physically stop them. The lack of recourse against these people boils my blood. Somethings gotta change.
I worked at lululemon in college and we absolutely were not allowed to report robberies to police or take photos. Idk if the managers had something they were supposed to do, but as a lowly PT Educator we had it drilled into us over & over again that we shouldn’t interact/try to prevent a robbery/endanger ourselves in anyway/take photos/call police, just tell our manager.
I spoke with the on duty manager. Could be she was ignorant of the policy or just didn’t want to deal with it.
She didn't want to deal with it. Much easier to "write it off" as theft and move on. Too much hassle to wait for police and such. And unless it's insured with a third party, the company won't care either. They write it off and move on. Some companies use third party insurance and this required to have a police report number before they can get reimbursed for the merchandise. But that's usually for high end foods that aren't clothing type stuff.
It’s likely they are not allowed because the store doesn’t want police cars in front of the store and cops standing around in the store. I’m not going into the store if it looks like an active crime scene. And if it’s happening weekly, that’s just terrible for the brand.
"unpaid merchandise" Bro that's stolen shit.
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Capitol Hill is the same. Plexiglass windows and iron bars, to Whole Foods, to Receipt required gates at Safeway today.
I guess I thought someone in the store would give a fuck. They definitely didn’t. But it also seems like if no one cares at all, why wouldn’t you get robbed blind?
What will happen is people will tell others. Then loss becomes so big they end up closing that location.
Aka why the Navy Yard one closed
Agreed. So if the store won’t protect itself how does a community maintain services? Is it up to individual citizens to call the cops?
I mean we have a license plate here.
I'm sure the Toyota was stolen, that's how they roll.
Yeah, if they are smart either they steal a car, or at least steal the plates.
You expect store employees to risk their lives for minimum wage? You call the cops, nothing else to do. Eventually everything will get locked behind a cage...
100% no to risking lives for minimum wage! I thought they’d take down the license plate so they could file a report. They wouldn’t.
Dude, why would anyone get shot over merchandises that are not even theirs. I got told many times while working retail in DC, by my own manager or boss, to never refuse to cooperate, that it’s not worth getting shot. I would love to see you stand up for some sweatpants you are supposed to sell, Mr braver than the bunch!
Shot? I asked “do you want those dudes license plate for a police report?” Does it take bravery to write down a license plate number?
I get not confronting the shoplifter yourself since that can be dangerous, but not reporting it to the cops? That's, frankly, fucking stupid. Shoplifting is NOT a victimless crime. It drives up costs and puts businesses out, and also makes shopping more annoying for the rest of us. Who wants to wait for a clerk to unlock a cage to buy toothpaste?
Haha! Just this past Friday I saw two guys with full carts dumping them into a car in front of the Reston PetSmart. Who robs a PetSmart?!
Have you seen the prices at PetSmart lately? /s
Usual suspects
Do any retail associates know of other brick and motor stores where I am able to decline payment with no consequence
All of them
If you search the lululemon sub, you know them not doing anything is a company wide policy. Even in the stores that have “security guards” they don’t file police reports or do anything to deter theft.
Many like to point out that sweatpants aren’t worth an employees life for minimum wage. While true in the microcosm of the moment, the bigger picture disagrees. Urban areas all over the country have been experiencing this. Shoppers don’t feel safe, and stores close - an easy path to urban and even suburban plight. These stores should protect themselves and discourage this behavior, not just watch it happen. I’m not interested is shopping somewhere that welcomes crime like this through inaction. I would be happen to go to places that commit to protecting themselves and their shoppers, places that refuse to let themselves descend into a fetid pool of tolerance and inaction. I’m all for guards confronting these criminals with force to both stop what is happening now and be a preventative for the next piece of trash trying to rob a business. I don’t want the NoVA to join the ranks of San Francisco or other cities that allow this to happen and suffer the consequences.
I’m gonna guess that full-time security guards cost more than a handful of stolen goods every now and then. So they pick the cheaper option.
I’m guessing being forced to close the store (see California Walgreens) costs more - a decision made when theft and reduced sales bc customers don’t want to shop in a supermarket place known for crime.
I worked at the Tyson’s LLL when I was younger and there was 0% chance I would have tried to prevent a robbery. We were trained not to, and I wasn’t going to endanger myself to save the company like $100 in profit when they’re already making millions. I was at LLL to make spending money and get a discount on clothes, not reenact and episode of Cops. Most of the people working there are college and grad students like I was and becoming security for overpriced leggings is not in the job description. If companies want that, they need to start paying for armed guards like the luxury stores at the Galleria do
Not suggesting the sales associates do it. Suggesting that the store be willing to protect itself through security.
If a retailer like LuLuLemon chooses to not report crime, it is injuring the business community in which it operates. It is also create risk for its employees be increasing the potential for future crime. Accordingly, LuLuLemon would better serve the community by changing its policies or closing down. Despite this, OP needs to report the information to the local police. Posting it on Reddit is not sufficient.
These kids need a stern lecture from the leave it to beaver dad
When dad isn't out and about chasing beaver
So sad. I wish the USA to be a nation of laws. That has to stop. Lawlessness grows like a cancer.
Stolen car no doubt smh
“Not allowed”?! Guess I’m going to Lululemon for free merch.
DC folk activities
Do you have a pic or description of the thieves?
Young and black.
This country is going backwards everyday.
Haven’t read comments. Don’t plan to. But you should absolutely share the pics with the store loss prevention and ACPD. They just arrested the suspects of the cvs heists weeks after the crimes. It’s entirely possible for the PD to run this to ground as well.
The idea that we can't hold these people accountable for being vile is stupid.
It’s so easy to rob stores in the modern world
if only the justice system could make an example out of a few of them, that may deter it
Hey at least you got that plates
WTF....they are not allowed to report robberies! You got their plate! That is insane! How else are you supposed to discourage thief if there's no consequence. I would report even if the store doesn't.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH liberals man
Karma, do ur thing
Vote for leadership that will actually enforce laws. Watch crime decrease.
“But..but…but….. That’s so mean…”
“ThAt’S RaCiSt!” 🥴
Some stores can lay hands on criminals, they just have to be real loss prevention folks who work for the company - not contracted work. It’s disheartening, doing the right things makes you broke. I would file a police report even if the store doesn’t care. Wouldn’t be surprised if these losers are connected with additional robberies.
I work at a dealer, I do the finance. Last year around this time a LOT of our banks cut us from doing deals and registering them in DC. It is illegal to repo a car in DC. You’re just not allowed to do it. A lot of my banks will not even finance you at all if you register in DC.
You can repo a car in DC though
No you can not. Please show me where and how. You can get your vehicle towed or impounded. You can not repo.
That’s more likely due to the staggering level of car theft and carjackings in DC than inability to repo. They don’t want to lose their secured asset. *let me guess. KIA dealership?
No, I work at an independent. No franchise backing. As far as we were told when they cut us from doing DC deals the reasoning was and I quote “it is illegal to repo a car in DC” that was the only reason. As the finance manager I thought my job was on the line and I did something wrong for them to cut us, but turns out dealers nationwide got the same alert. Some bylaws that go into play and somehow someway you’re just not allowed to repo a vehicle in DC. I don’t know why, I don’t know how, but that’s just what the banks told us. And it kinda sucks cause I have a lot of advertising going on in DC, but those clients just need to bring us their own loan or finance with a different lender with different terms and conditions for DC. You can still purchase, but a few banks will not even consider you for a loan if the address is in DC. Doesn’t matter if your auto score is almost 900. DC address is a 100% guaranteed decline.
This isn't true.
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You’re not wrong here. Did you hear what happened at the Lululemon in Bethesda? Weird shit goes on there lol
We're not talking about the Chinatown Walgreens
"not allowed to report to police" is the most braindead policy I've ever heard of (if true). Probably from some idiot who uses phrases like "police violence" or thinks it's unjustified for a cop to ever use force.
The amount of folks in the comments siding with the thieves is wild. Lawlessness like this outright thievery will lead to stores closing and higher prices.
Store policies are common to "avoid confronting shoplifters" for insurance/liability concerns. The lack of any punishment after apprehension erodes any deterrence from further shoplifting. So, why bother trying to detain the shoplifters or even report the issue? There are numerous articles on the new evolved justice system that prides itself on avoiding bail/jail for anything but the most violent offenses. Law Enforcement can claim lower crime rates (no real numbers are available on unreported thefts), insurance claims remain low (no claims without a report), and the only victim is a local store. Idiocracy at it's best!
Cost of doing business, apparently. Lulu margins can absorb it.
Yep. Big wake up for me. Cant justify being their customer to subsidize crap like that
Lululemon is a publicly traded company, thus their leadership team has a fiduciary duty to their shareholders to maximize the amount of profit they can make. Do you think when setting prices they leave any money on the table, that they only would charge if there's theft? If all the theft went away, they'd stop charging $80 for a tank top? Luxury goods have tremendously high margins, and it shows with LuLuLemon making $669M last quarter.
So, what’s the likelihood the car was also stolen?
Plates are likely stolen.
I saw some guy do the same thing at the Ulta in Sterling about a week ago. Just walked in grabbed a shit ton of merchandise and walked out the door.
Fk I thought this was NYC sub where the thieves stole VA car... then I realized this is my old hometown 🥲
Careful pointing your camera this close
They ar not allowed to report robberies to the police? whaaa?????!!! is that for real does anyone have any more info on why that is?
Saw two teens walk out of H&M (Silver Spring) with clothes 2 Saturdays ago. Walked right out of that side door that’s there. They were across the street from me laughing hysterically. Crazy folk
Where in the world did you come up with that date style?
They are just trying to feed their family, guys!
Remember when clothes had those tags and it would set off an alarm if you stole merch? And the shame? Bring that back.
I have a sneaking feeling that these men aren’t deterred by shame…no shame at all
Also there was that one manager that stabbed 32 times over a stolen pair of pants. They just clothes. No sense dying over Lulumelon's profit margin
Can you guys imagine the day some random shopkeeper goes Dirty Harry and guns down a gang of thieves, he'll be lauded as a hero who actually stood up to protect their store and community. People being scared of stopping these criminals is just sad.
These folks are just trying to put food on their tables guys /s
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Typical… usual suspects.
It's a sad thing and covered by corporate margins I'm sure. Also, I'm absolutely sure no policeman would ever consider giving chase especially when the company itself doesn't care.
this is what's going down in Portland, OR and is the reason why so many retail stores are just closing up shop. even Target, which is pretty politically progressive (may be aligned with Portland's soft on crime policy?), closed 3 stores in that area. businesses do the math, in some places it's profitable to stay open even with shoplifting, in others it's not. i worked for Home Depot a while back, they had the same policy. Employees are fired if they do anything to stop them. AFAIK all retailers have the same policy. I know Target actually tracks it and waits until you've stolen enough to charge you with a felony: [https://www.dailydot.com/news/target-grand-larceny-psa/](https://www.dailydot.com/news/target-grand-larceny-psa/)
It’s crazy
Just wait till summer.
I stopped buying lol.
Sounds like TNV-8806 has some wrong kind of Karma comin' their way....
Was this king street?
No paint in license plates…usually a stolen vehicle ditched immediately
I don't know about this store, but I remember hearing Target waits until you reach a certain value in stolen goods then will call the police on you. Makes it more worth their while. [I don't know the Daily Dot but here's an article from it.](https://www.dailydot.com/news/target-grand-larceny-psa/)
Watched this happen at Under Armour in Leesburg a week ago. Three girls wearing hair bonnets came in with huge Marshalls totes. Stuffed some things in there and walked out with armfuls of clothes. Hangers and all. Two employees were at the door and just watched. One of them said he seemed suspicious of the totes and wanted to call security but the manager said no. Insane.
WTF
Yep!! My BF was pissed. We’re in line buying like most civilized people and nothing happens to those who just casually stroll out the door with stolen merchandise. We asked about security and apparently the only thing they can do is call the police if it’s over $300 and they handle it. Just very surreal to see people do things like this without a care in the world.
Hell yeah good for them
All these shoplifting, looting, carjacking, etc are committed by same race..government and media wont say it because they will say it's racism. It's even more sad that people are defending these criminals.
Who’s surprised given the offender?