Home Depot selling power tools that won't work unless they're activated at a register

lot of people these days know that once you are out the door no one will stop you . Too much liabilty. i saw a well dressed lady walk out of a lowes with a weed eater . cashier saw her and yelled at her to stop. she did even bother to turn around and just kept on walking.

my local HD that is in a very affluent area puts their tools under lock and key. you want it they will take it out and walk it to the cashier and put it in a box. when you are ready to pay they take it out and you pay for it.

in the end it about liabilty vs shrinkage.
 
With all of this shoplifting going on, I don't understand why they don't put one of the employees at the door, and check everyone's receipt as they leave? Costco has been doing this in Phoenix for years.
That would be the perfect job for my PITA brother-law. When can he start?
 
Call me crazy, but I'm not getting it? By your own admission you agree to the terms of showing your receipt at Costco and Sams Club. So you obviously don't have a problem having your freedoms "infringed" there.... But you're willing to raise hell anywhere else they ask you to do the same. How dare they!

What's the difference? How come you didn't scream about your freedoms being infringed, and tell Costco to ram it, when you filled out the application there? Obviously it's because you wanted to join. So you were basically bought, to march to the beat of their drum by the choice you willingly made....

But when asked to do the same at Home Depot, or anywhere else, all of a sudden you turn into this magnificent freedom fighter. All are private businesses with the same goal. They check receipts in order to help avoid stolen merchandise from exiting the store. It makes absolutely zero sense that you would agree with one, and fight the other. At least based on principal alone........ Unless of course those principals can be surrendered, for the price of a $60.00 membership card.

The local Walmart here in Cary, NC checks receipts on your way out the door, every single day. The Walmarts in Iowa did the same around Christmas time, and Ames, IA is about as far away as you can get from a high crime area.
 
Thief is rampant @ HD. Batteries/Tools/Power Tools, etc. Some stores will get an asset protection person. One recourse is to smother the thief w/customer service. The bottom line, everyone is paying. Every time prices go up just a little...you just paid a small percentage of the stolen goods. Not much can be done except locking up and having more associates on the floor. It's a shame whats going on. All is not well and will get much worse.
 
Employees are told not to confront shoplifters, or they will be fired.
Which is fine. I understand moral high ground of catching shoplifters blah blah however if you are not an owner or directly profiting off the business, a waged worker should not get involved. $15-$20/hr to get roughed up, no thanks. Thefts like this are an employer issue not an employee problem.

The only job I ever had that was awesome with theft was catching people at ski area without valid tickets. They paid us $35/pp to catch them. It was awesome when making $3.35/hr + ski pass to local mountain. I would usually catch 1-2 people/day over a 7 hr shift.

I worked in a grocery store for $4.50/ hour as teen. I saw occasionally (meat) theft and would find manager. They could deal appropriately.
 
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The local Walmart here in Cary, NC checks receipts on your way out the door, every single day. The Walmarts in Iowa did the same around Christmas time, and Ames, IA is about as far away as you can get from a high crime area.

They all do that regardless of the area. I've been to locations in different states, and that's they're all supposed do it now. Also with the QR code they might randomly scan receipts to maybe catch that someone didn't just buy something, then come back with the same receipt after grabbing the same items.

As for any kind of deterrence, the only thing I can think of that might be a big one is to hire off duty police in full uniform. There are a couple of Apple Stores near me located on streets, although one is kind of a made up private street as the design of a shopping center, but I digress. The police do regular patrols, but there is a dedicated police parking spot right in front, and often there's an officer right there. I'm pretty sure that Apple is paying for that like how stadiums of nightclubs pay for off duty officers full uniform to serve as security. There's this one Nike store I've been to - the Nike Clearance Store at Marina Square in San Leandro, California. It's a mini outlet mall more or less. It's actually quite nice as it has stuff that a lot of the Nike Factory Stores don't have and often really cheap. But they've had tons of problems with organized theft. The parking lot has a dedicated police parking space right in front of that store, and about half the times I'm there, and officer is sitting on a stool near the entrance. I'm not sure what happens if there's a call at any of the other stores (Nordstrom Rack has got to be another prime target) but it's my understanding that a lot of these off-duty officer agreements stipulate that they can be called into service outside of the off-duty assignment at any time.
 
Call me crazy, but I'm not getting it? By your own admission you agree to the terms of showing your receipt at Costco and Sams Club. So you obviously don't have a problem having your freedoms "infringed" there.... But you're willing to raise hell anywhere else they ask you to do the same. How dare they!

What's the difference? How come you didn't scream about your freedoms being infringed, and tell Costco to ram it, when you filled out the application there? Obviously it's because you wanted to join. So you were basically bought, to march to the beat of their drum by the choice you willingly made....

But when asked to do the same at Home Depot, or anywhere else, all of a sudden you turn into this magnificent freedom fighter. All are private businesses with the same goal. They check receipts in order to help avoid stolen merchandise from exiting the store. It makes absolutely zero sense that you would agree with one, and fight the other. At least based on principal alone........ Unless of course those principals can be surrendered, for the price of a $60.00 membership card.
Ok, your crazy :unsure:
Who screamed about freedoms? Who is screaming about anything? I think you are.
Im fine with everything, you have a problem of my choice (and others) to not feel obligated to surrender a receipt and have my items searched like a criminal in a store I patronize. Hey man, if that ok for you, Im fine with it. You seem obligated to want to rule over what other people do.
Just do your thing and leave others to do theirs.
In the Untied States your not forced to prove your honesty, enforcement is forced to prove your dishonesty. In case you are not aware.

Point #2 = Costco and Sams Club = Even though not obligated to answer you seem to have a hard time understanding it. SO will try one last time and this is the end of my replies to you, I tired.
I join a club and I abide by the rules of the club, as another in here has mentioned does too. Does anyone join a club to break rules? Not that I know if. You know the rules and you can join or not join.
 
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They can ban you from their stores and have you arrested for trespassing if you try to enter.
Im ok with that, I like to see some examples from you to back up your statement regarding major retailers. I've been around a long time (finger crossed) and have never heard of such a thing. I have heard of course people caught stealing being banned or something like that.
 
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The local Walmart here in Cary, NC checks receipts on your way out the door, every single day. The Walmarts in Iowa did the same around Christmas time, and Ames, IA is about as far away as you can get from a high crime area.
Wow... I think its been years now since anyone wanted to look at my receipt except warehouse clubs and we are in all the major stores ALL the time.
A long time ago Walmart used to ask and just recently I did see someone ask a customer with a full basket for a receipt, first time in a LONG time, I was wondering what that was about, automatically I just walked around them.🙃
 
Ok, your crazy :unsure:
Who screamed about freedoms? Who is screaming about anything? I think you are.
Im fine with everything, you have a problem of my choice (and others) to not feel obligated to surrender a receipt and have my items searched like a criminal in a store I patronize. Hey man, if that ok for you, Im fine with it. You seem obligated to want to rule over what other people do.
Just do your thing and leave others to do theirs.
In the Untied States your not forced to prove your honesty, enforcement is forced to prove your dishonesty. In case you are not aware.

Point #2 = Costco and Sams Club = Even though not obligated to answer you seem to have a hard time understanding it. SO will try one last time and this is the end of my replies to you, I tired.
I join a club and I abide by the rules of the club, as another in here has mentioned does too. Does anyone join a club to break rules? Not that I know if. You know the rules and you can join or not join.
Running interference with all that meaningless song and dance, doesn't change the fact you're being a hypocrite, pure and simple. Why would you "join a club" in the first place, that has a rule you don't agree with, (looking over your receipt before leaving)?

Which you've proven you don't agree with, because you squawk about having to do it elsewhere. If having your receipt checked goes against your beliefs and principals, that's all fine and well.

But you can't have it both ways. If having to show a receipt when leaving a store bothers you, (and you clearly have shown it does), it should bother you everywhere. If it doesn't, then it shouldn't bother you at all...... Anywhere. It really is just that simple.
 
Running interference with all that meaningless song and dance, doesn't change the fact you're being a hypocrite, pure and simple. Why would you "join a club" in the first place, that has a rule you don't agree with, (looking over your receipt before leaving)?

Which you've proven you don't agree with, because you squawk about having to do it elsewhere. If having your receipt checked goes against your beliefs and principals, that's all fine and well.

But you can't have it both ways. If having to show a receipt when leaving a store bothers you, (and you clearly have shown it does), it should bother you everywhere. If it doesn't, then it shouldn't bother you at all...... Anywhere. It really is just that simple.
Whatever, as I implied, I can do as I please. I can have it both ways and I do.
 
I like to see some examples from you to back up your statement regarding major retailers.
Feel free to Google "walmart customer trespassing". This has also came up more recently regarding people refusing to wear a mask and people stomp past the employees telling customers to put them on. The store calls the police and they are cited for trespassing.
 
Thief is rampant @ HD. Batteries/Tools/Power Tools, etc. Some stores will get an asset protection person. One recourse is to smother the thief w/customer service. The bottom line, everyone is paying. Every time prices go up just a little...you just paid a small percentage of the stolen goods. Not much can be done except locking up and having more associates on the floor. It's a shame whats going on. All is not well and will get much worse.
When I worked retail some eons ago, we were taught to spot theft and offer a recovery statement or just give that person extra attention so they give up.
 
Keep in mind that there is something else the merchant can do, which is install more modern, higher resolution security cameras, particularly lower up on the wall at the entrances and exits.

My local police precincts post pics of shoplifters on their Facebook pages. Quite often they are identified.
 
Feel free to Google "walmart customer trespassing". This has also came up more recently regarding people refusing to wear a mask and people stomp past the employees telling customers to put them on. The store calls the police and they are cited for trespassing.
Na, its a rarity, Walmart knows there has to be probable cause. 1.5 million employees in the USA some are going to screw up on that "probable cause"
Heck even then all I could find is old stuff on the search you suggested. Even more heck, police departments will not even respond to petty theft never mind not showing receipts. Anyway, its not a thing here, use to be more common, Im not saying its everywhere but non issue here.

For what its worth, I did find some interesting stuff in regard to what you are saying and I understand your point. It won't change me but I can see some concerns for others.
 
This is one, albeit maybe not the best, solution to combatting bold thievery occurring nation wide.

It's well known now that thieves (wearing socially permissible masks) can just walk in, take what they want, and walk out unopposed. It would be cost effective to put everything valuable behind cages at this point.
 
Keep in mind that there is something else the merchant can do, which is install more modern, higher resolution security cameras, particularly lower up on the wall at the entrances and exits.
Won't do any good. People are wearing masks, and property crimes are seemingly rarely even pursued by law enforcement any more. It's too risky for the LEOs, and a big waste of time for the LEOs.

Merchants sadly need to be aggressive in defending wares, with locked cages, maybe credit card ID checks to enter the stores, escorts for high dollar goods to the payment counter, and more guards... which all means higher costs for consumers.
 
I worked at a grocery store in high school and when one of us saw someone stealing, most of the time it was hard alcohol or meat, you would call out 99 on the PA and all the employees would chase the person in the parking lot and tackle them. This was before cameras, old stores had cat walks with little windows so you could see down the aisles.
 
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Won't do any good. People are wearing masks, and property crimes are seemingly rarely even pursued by law enforcement any more. It's too risky for the LEOs, and a big waste of time for the LEOs.

Merchants sadly need to be aggressive in defending wares, with locked cages, maybe credit card ID checks to enter the stores, escorts for high dollar goods to the payment counter, and more guards... which all means higher costs for consumers.
Costco does that - recently the local Home Depot is locking up high-value items, something Ace has been doing for a while. But… the demographics for Home Depot and Walmart, as well as the dollar store overlap, Ace caters to a higher-end client who sees a wait for service as a minor inconvenience.
 
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