LATimes: Retail lobby admits "shoplifting surge" is a lie

[tiramisu]

Dec 21, 2023 19:02:58 GMT -5 sent said:

Dec 21, 2023 16:17:13 GMT -5 penguingrrl said:

Different state laws are so weird. I’m in NJ and no costcos can sell any alcohol whatsoever, nor can grocery stores with a few exceptions. When they can get a liquor license at all (their are only X per town and they sell for over a million apiece when they’re sold) they need to cordon off the wine/beer/alcohol section and you can’t pay for the rest of your order there, only the liquor store purchases.

It's 2 stores per chain that can sell liquor in New Jersey. For Trader Joe's, those are Princeton and Westfield. For Costco, those are Edison and Wayne. Sorry South Jersey, maybe you can go to PA. 

I was gonna say, the Costco near Clifton has an alcohol section! I only went when visiting family.

[Jalapeñomel]

This is very timely as a friend of mine just sent me a pic from her neighborhood Duane Reade and they have locked up the toothpaste. (Not the same thing but still made me think of this thread)

[Michelle]

Dec 19, 2023 13:43:28 GMT -5 StrawberryBlondie said:

I was listening to a story on MPR yesterday about this and it sounded like they had to backtrack because journalists started looking into their claims and found that that "other causes" doing some really heavy lifting.

Anecdotally, my MIL works retail and has said that it seems like people are getting more brazen about their shoplifting, but not that shoplifting itself is increasing.

I was coming in to say this.

Now that stores are better about training workers about their safety, and fewer clerks, etc. are trying to stop shoplifters, people are getting BOLD. H was shopping at Dicks and a group of ladies walked in, grabbed mounds of nike display hoodies, and ran out cackling at the top of their lungs. They didn't try to hide their appearance, and no one even flinched. The person checking him out just kept checking him out and said it happens now and then and is a part of doing business.

[picksthemusic]

Dec 19, 2023 19:04:08 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

Dec 19, 2023 18:55:34 GMT -5 jlt19 said:

Honest question, if they’re not experiencing crime, why lock things up? I get the lies about why they’re closing stores (and agree that’s BS).

Because racism. This doesn’t happen in predominantly white neighborhoods.

Yup. The two other closest Targets (in higher income areas - Lynnwood and Woodinville) are not this way and it's pretty obvious why.

[BlondeSpiders]

Dec 28, 2023 10:45:08 GMT -5 picksthemusic said:

Dec 19, 2023 19:04:08 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

Because racism. This doesn’t happen in predominantly white neighborhoods.

Yup. The two other closest Targets (in higher income areas - Lynnwood and Woodinville) are not this way and it's pretty obvious why.

I wonder if the physical layout of the store makes any kind of difference. The 2 Seattle stores closing are City Targets, which are multi-level stores in dense neighborhoods. Lynnwood, Woodinville, Tukwila all have the typical 1 story buildings near a strip mall.

However, the City Target in downtown Seattle and the one in Northgate seem to be doing ok?

[picksthemusic]

Dec 28, 2023 11:47:21 GMT -5 BlondeSpiders said:

Dec 28, 2023 10:45:08 GMT -5 picksthemusic said:

Yup. The two other closest Targets (in higher income areas - Lynnwood and Woodinville) are not this way and it's pretty obvious why.

I wonder if the physical layout of the store makes any kind of difference. The 2 Seattle stores closing are City Targets, which are multi-level stores in dense neighborhoods. Lynnwood, Woodinville, Tukwila all have the typical 1 story buildings near a strip mall.

However, the City Target in downtown Seattle and the one in Northgate seem to be doing ok?

I'm in Everett, so that's the one that is all caged up. It's near the 'bad' part of town where there are unhoused folks, so I think that's the 'reason'.