Is petty crime getting out of hand? And what do you think is the cause of it?

SeniorBen said:
Walmart made $147.568 billion in profits last year -- an increase of 2.65% increase from the previous year. If they paid their employees more and provided health insurance, people might not resort to thievery.
https://www.macrotrends.net/stocks/charts/WMT/walmart/gross-profit#:~:text=Walmart annual gross profit for,a 7.33% increase from 2020.
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Retail is considered a starter or part time job. Doesn't have to be that way but that's how many view it including executives. There was an era one could make a living working for a big store like Sears or Pennys. Got benefits, decent pay and a 20-30 year career. Not anymore.

Retail likes to hire part time to avoid paying benefits and purposely keep ones schedule under a certain amount of hours so they don't have to be considered fulltime. Even if a part-timer is used fulltime as long as it's not too many weeks in a row the employee will still be considered part-time.

Some retailers with loser locations keep them open if the costs are really low like perhaps they own the building and are not paying a lease. Some closures come close to the end of a lease. Alot of commercial leases are made for decades so renewing isn't worth to them although they could sublet if they wanted.

Yes they are making a ton of profit but propping up losing locations not a great choice.

Should also note weak shoplifting or retail theft laws not helping. Some states a thief can take upto 900-1000 dollars before arrested. Profit margins are too think in some stores to handle a lot shrink or loss from theft.
 

Old Salt said:
Why the increase in crime over the past four years?
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I am not sure it has. The trends I could find are mostly down. Property crime down 33% from 2010 to 2022. https://www.safehome.org/resources/...rage, violent crime has,by 25 percent or more.

This is contrary to public perception, that crime is up. I think what is up is the media's sensational reporting of crime. The truth is today's generation is less violent and more law abiding than we were.

Many Americans Are Convinced Crime Is Rising In The U.S. They’re Wrong.​

https://fivethirtyeight.com/feature...nced-crime-is-rising-in-the-u-s-theyre-wrong/

Property_Crime_Rates_in_the_United_States.jpg
 
Murrmurr said:
But I've posted about this a few times; how millions of jobs will be lost when major retailers close shop and go online. Theft is the major push behind this. Along with rising insurance premiums, increased rent and leasing of business property, rising taxes and business licenses and fees, expensive new safety features and protocols, theft takes a huge bite out of profits.

Especially among retailers that have major investors who expect major dividends.
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I wouldn't say "Millions" of jobs, however some will continue on with other retailers in similar low paying jobs.

Personally, I'd put 1st-5th offenders through a "attitude boot camp" the 1st. Then, 2nd-5th they're doing 6 months to three years working a farming collective.
 
Disgustedman said:
Personally, I'd put 1st-5th offenders through a "attitude boot camp" the 1st. Then, 2nd-5th they're doing 6 months to three years working a farming collective.
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I knew a retired sheriff who said 75 to 80% of those in prison didn't belong there, and 20 to 25% should never get out. He thought a few weeks in jail was enough to set most people straight, maybe your "attitude boot camp" idea. However if once or twice didn't do he thought nothing ever would. Probably makes sense.
 
SeniorBen said:
Walmart made $147.568 billion in profits last year -- an increase of 2.65% increase from the previous year. If they paid their employees more and provided health insurance, people might not resort to thievery.
https://www.macrotrends.net/stocks/charts/WMT/walmart/gross-profit#:~:text=Walmart annual gross profit for,a 7.33% increase from 2020.
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That's gross profits. As usual, you fail to provide ALL TRUTH.

Net profit 13.6 billion

Walmart annual net income/loss for 2023 was $11.292B, a 19% decline from 2022. Walmart annual net income/loss for 2022 was $13.94B, a 1.71% increase from 2021. Walmart annual net income/loss for 2021 was $13.706B, a 9.83% decline from 2020.
 
Alligatorob said:
I am not sure it has. The trends I could find are mostly down. Property crime down 33% from 2010 to 2022. https://www.safehome.org/resources/crime-statistics-by-state/#:~:text=On average, violent crime has,by 25 percent or more.

This is contrary to public perception, that crime is up. I think what is up is the media's sensational reporting of crime. The truth is today's generation is less violent and more law abiding than we were.

Many Americans Are Convinced Crime Is Rising In The U.S. They’re Wrong.​

https://fivethirtyeight.com/feature...nced-crime-is-rising-in-the-u-s-theyre-wrong/

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I think I will stop watching the news! And I am very happy to see those statistics! I live in a relatively crime free area but the Walmart story on last night's news set me off. Especially when they showed the brazeness of the shop lifters!
 
Old Salt said:
I think I will stop watching the news! And I am very happy to see those statistics! I live in a relatively crime free area but the Walmart story on last night's news set me off. Especially when they showed the brazeness of the shop lifters!
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Up or down crime and violence is not good, and something to be concerned about. But knowing there is some good news helps.
 
Disgustedman said:
I wouldn't say "Millions" of jobs, however some will continue on with other retailers in similar low paying jobs.

Personally, I'd put 1st-5th offenders through a "attitude boot camp" the 1st. Then, 2nd-5th they're doing 6 months to three years working a farming collective.
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Millions nationwide. Considering you have a manager and assistant manager for every district and at least 3 levels of management for every store, and a department manager in every department of every store, in addition to your floor employees and the crew that unloads trucks and stocks the warehouse, I think that number is realistic.

What do you think young people would gain from working on a farm collective besides bad backs? I've done farm work, and while back in the 60s it helped me appreciate the hard work farmers do, I doubt very much it would do the same for today's youth.

Most young people who turn to crime have had a hard life. They're angry and resentful. They don't envision a successful future, have no respect whatsoever for authority or for other people. They're not going to give a rat's ass for a strawberry patch, or any patch of food they never got enough of or ever saw in their parents' kitchen.

These kids hate life and they hate everyone who they believe has a better life than they'll ever have. And that's everyone except all the other kids they hang out with...and rob and burglarize and occasionally murder with.
 
jujube said:
Oh, man, I LOVE the idea of an "attitude boot camp". Unfortunately, most of the shoplifters know that the store employees can't do much to stop them so there's no incentive to abstain from stealing.
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Remember the Scared Straight Program? It started out really scary, and it worked pretty well until people complained it was too scary for juvenile offenders....the poor little dears.
 
I always thought putting up all those cameras were supposed to cut down on shoplifting. The other day, (it’s actually funny). I stopped to take notice of how many cameras were in place in the grocery store where I shop. I’m walking around with my head in the air counting cameras and when I turned around, I noticed about a half dozen other people looking up at the ceilings. I think I counted a total of 41 cameras on the inside, plus whatever was on the parking lot.
 
I think the cause could be the one two punch of the pandemic and then war causing utilities and gas prices to soar like never before in my lifetime. IMHO. People are much harder up than they were 4 years ago.
 
Murrmurr said:
The max value of what's considered Petty Theft should be lowered from $995 and change to half that amount so that "petty" thieves can get more serious jail time and an actual criminal record for an actual crime.

But I've posted about this a few times; how millions of jobs will be lost when major retailers close shop and go online. Theft is the major push behind this. Along with rising insurance premiums, increased rent and leasing of business property, rising taxes and business licenses and fees, expensive new safety features and protocols, theft takes a huge bite out of profits.

Especially among retailers that have major investors who expect major dividends.
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The stores were already getting hit because the general public was already in the middle of switching to online shopping. Plus many had already been transitioning toward self-check out. The current theft issues are not helping. As an aside many stores are ALSO making customers bring their own bags to pack their stuff to take home so we save the planet. We're living in crazy times.
 
Born_To_Lose said:
Several stores are closing some of their chains. Walgreens, CVS, Old Navy, Victoria’s Secret, Walmart, Target, Ulta, Bed, Bath and Beyond, Starbucks, Macys, Gap and more. I got these from the WSJ a few weeks ago.
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Yes, you can close all those stores but PLEASE keep "Victoria's Secret" open! Over the years it has always brought a nice wide smile to my face every time I pass this store by. It always made a trip to any mall worth while. I think any mall without "Victoria's Secret" is a mall that I would no longer wish to visit. Often, it's the little things in life that make it worth living.
 
Frank from Cleveland said:
The stores were already getting hit because the general public was already in the middle of switching to online shopping. Plus many had already been transitioning toward self-check out. The current theft issues are not helping. As an aside many stores are ALSO making customers bring their own bags to pack their stuff to take home so we save the planet. We're living in crazy times.
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That's right Frank! All the changes that you mentioned have made me hate shopping more and more. Ya, bring your own bag, pack your own stuff but the service really sucks.

Today I went into the local Lowe's Home Hardware store. What a disappointment. There was a lady at the entrance. I asked about the location of the "Stick Shade" I wanted to buy for my window. She told me where to go but when I got there, there was absolutely no staff. I looked and looked and eventually left. At the exit were 2 women "shooting the breeze."

I drove to Canadian Tire where a nice man showed me where the "Stick Shades" were. Thank you Canadian Tire and a big BOO to Lowe's. If they can't hire staff, why are they even opened. I'll never go back to Lowe's again.
 

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