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Thread: Best Buy in trouble?

  1. #46
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    Quote Originally Posted by David Weaver View Post
    I feel less offended by them than BB, but the bag thing didn't bother me at BB. Our store is not too far north of the city border, and I'm sure that BB (and sams) would have problems with theft if they didn't have someone checking carts.

    I'd assume that the cart checking occurs at sams because you can basically run all over the store unimpeded after you go through the register. There is nobody around to stop you and it's not hard to have someone pop right by the door and throw a gizmo in your cart on the way out.

    At least that's what I'd assume those checkout people are looking for, because they don't seem to check the food items that carefully.
    And there was a clerk at the door. http://www.wpri.com/dpp/news/local_wpri_seekonk_sams_club_computer_theft_200910 19_nek


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GK5fzCvmGH0

    Just watch what happens in the video above. This is exactly why you don't want to wait parked in the fire lane when your spouse or kids run into the store. This is what theft or robbery suspects do. The police or security may see you and your plate number will be entered into the system as a possible suspect in any past or future theft or robbery.
    I worked at a large retail complex. When a car was spotted parked in the fire lane with a driver waiting with the engine running, it triggered a series or security measures.
    Last edited by Dave Lehnert; 01-09-2012 at 3:58 PM.
    "Remember back in the day, when things were made by hand, and people took pride in their work?"
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  2. #47
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    As stated, Costco and Sam's mark the receipts to keep people from re-using them. They are also looking to make sure that big ticket items are on the receipt. An enterprising and dishonest employee and a couple of his friends could make out big if they didn't watch what goes out the door closely.

    We pay for theft in one of two ways, a small inconvienience on the way out, or higher prices at the checkout.

  3. #48
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    Might have been someone at the door, however, if they didn't see the person conceal the item...... the laws vary....

    From the picture it's hard to tell how he was carrying it when he walked out. There is something under his arm, but what? Is it in a bag? If the person at the door didn't see him conceal the item, they can't really stop them without being directed to do so by someone that did see them conceal it.

  4. #49
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kevin W Johnson View Post
    Might have been someone at the door, however, if they didn't see the person conceal the item...... the laws vary....

    From the picture it's hard to tell how he was carrying it when he walked out. There is something under his arm, but what? Is it in a bag? If the person at the door didn't see him conceal the item, they can't really stop them without being directed to do so by someone that did see them conceal it.
    My point was even with someone at the door checking a person can get away. What you think it would be like if they were not checking.

    Look at the you tube video. The guy makes no attempt to conceal. Just walk past the clerk.
    "Remember back in the day, when things were made by hand, and people took pride in their work?"
    - Rick Dale

  5. #50
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kevin W Johnson View Post
    From the picture it's hard to tell how he was carrying it when he walked out.
    It was a big honkin box, man. Just walked right by her, and she followed him out.
    Never, under any circumstances, consume a laxative and sleeping pill, on the same night

  6. #51
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    I do have a problem with stores' electric monitoring systems falsely accusing me of being a thief. Pet peeve...


  7. #52
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    Quote Originally Posted by David Keller NC View Post
    But - I would never even consider purchasing a 60" plasma TV off of the net and having it shipped to my house.
    When my first HD TV died (a Sony with a heat-related lighting failure - they offered me $900 credit on a $3000 set that had a street price of $1400) I ordered my Panasonic Viera through Amazon.
    Valet service was included, and the delivery crew removed it from the box to verify functionality. All this for $1575 - an excellent transaction.

    I'll gladly pay a little more for delivery insurance with this kind of assurance.

  8. #53
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    Its nice that you have a family friend in the business and I hope he isn't being robbed blind because thats exactly what would happen at BB if there was no one checking at the door. Now I live in Minnesota and in the suburbs so we don't have the huge issues of big cities like NY, Chicago and the like. You have to realize that they are only doing it because they have to. I went to a local hardware store and nearly everything was locked up behind glass doors - why, because of thievery. Get mad about that and quit blaming Best Buy folks.

  9. #54
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    A store only puts things locked in a case only if they have to. Because it just kills the sales of that item when you do. If you never have worked in retail you have no idea how bad theft is.
    I have always wondered what a person that never worked in a store thought a typical big box retailer lost in electronics alone in a year.
    "Remember back in the day, when things were made by hand, and people took pride in their work?"
    - Rick Dale

  10. #55
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    Quote Originally Posted by Myk Rian View Post
    It was a big honkin box, man. Just walked right by her, and she followed him out.

    The picture I saw, you couldn't tell what was under his arm.

  11. #56
    Quote Originally Posted by Dave Lehnert View Post
    A store only puts things locked in a case only if they have to. Because it just kills the sales of that item when you do. If you never have worked in retail you have no idea how bad theft is.
    I have always wondered what a person that never worked in a store thought a typical big box retailer lost in electronics alone in a year.
    I can tell you that when CompUSA opened their store here in the greater Milwaukee area well over a decade ago (now long gone), they had no loss prevention systems in place.

    Their inventory was shrinking by over $30k a month.

    They added prevention systems at the front doors, and it dropped substantially.

    They then added loss prevention systems at the rear doors (employee entrance), and it dropped to "normal" levels.

    I have a friend that is a security specialist for a chain of department stores. He has the best stories.

  12. #57
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    Quote Originally Posted by Phil Thien View Post
    I can tell you that when CompUSA opened their store here in the greater Milwaukee area well over a decade ago (now long gone), they had no loss prevention systems in place.

    Their inventory was shrinking by over $30k a month.
    I worked at a CompUSA store in Minnesota when it opened in late 1993. They had zero loss prevention. The store didn't even have video when it opened. We were doing in excess of $100K a day yet our shrinkage the first quarter was only $10,000. Our shrinkage was so low that management gave every employee a real nice leather jacket.

    Management decided after that first quarter to install a video system even though shrinkage was so low. We did have an issue a year or so after opening with some small high value items get cut out of boxes. A lot of employees suspected one particular employee and one day he was gone with no good explanation from management.

  13. #58
    I'd imagine in some rural areas where there's generally low crime (which is not all rural areas, for sure) that the loss prevention from insiders might be higher than it is from outsiders.

    I'd imagine also that management, when firing an employee suspected of repeated theft in an at-will job (i.e., you can fire anyone for any reason at all as long as it doesn't violate employment law) is likely not going to say much. While they won't get in trouble if they are not correct about suspecting someone is the reason for theft in a company, if they guess wrong and tell everyone, they can get in trouble for that.

  14. #59
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    It seems to me that everyone has an opinion on BB and just about any other large chain store of any type, selling many different types of merchandise. Many have stated "Back in the old days......." well that ages us who can remember those days and back then there were not malls, or huge stores that sell everything, there were mostly small stores that carried appliances, electronics, hardware, lumber, and so on. So we were pretty much forced to go to each store to purchase the things we wanted or needed, and there was no internet so no online buying happening! But we had Sears, Montgomery Wards, JC Penneys that had catalog sales and their department stores in towns. So now low and behold time has passed and the computer age has made us all a little jaded and truly lazy as we would rather sit in the arm chair on our laptops surfing all around the world looking for the next great thing to buy, so I guess progress and technology has given us the world we live in. So truth be told we are all guilty of wanting more stuff and more stuff and more stuff, this has created the throw away world we live in as the producers of the "SUPER NEW and IMPROVED STUFF!!" get everyone hooked and come out with the new models so we have to run out and buy it to one up our friends and family.


    But I have bought many $1000's of things from BB and I have never had an issue with anything, except within a month or 2 what I just bought has now become obsolete or new and improved and at 1/2 the price! Thus another problem with technology and our great advancing world, so be as happy with what you can buy and use it with as much care as you can and it should last you past the warranty date, because nothing lasts forever if you use it. But with that being said back in the 50's 60's 70's we made friends with the shop owners and there was the connection and attempts at better service, but that is not possible with a large national chain, unless you know someone who works there.


    I guess that is enough babbling, just buy what you need the way you want to and be happy as you can and hope it never breaks or fails................but it will and you will be irritated, but unless it was a complete failure of the company or who built it or through lies and deception of the store due to before hand knowledge of a junk item, there is not much anyone can do about things failing. It is just part of life.


    Stop and smell the roses, coffee or fresh baked bread, and not worry so much about our stuff,


    Have a great night and a wonderful new year,

    Jeff
    To turn or not to turn that is the question: ........Of course the answer is...........TURN ,TURN,TURN!!!!
    Anyone "Fool" can know, The important thing is to Understand................Albert Einstein
    To follow blindly, is to never become a leader............................................ .....Unknown

  15. #60
    Quote Originally Posted by Brian Elfert View Post
    I worked at a CompUSA store in Minnesota when it opened in late 1993. They had zero loss prevention. The store didn't even have video when it opened. We were doing in excess of $100K a day yet our shrinkage the first quarter was only $10,000. Our shrinkage was so low that management gave every employee a real nice leather jacket.

    Management decided after that first quarter to install a video system even though shrinkage was so low. We did have an issue a year or so after opening with some small high value items get cut out of boxes. A lot of employees suspected one particular employee and one day he was gone with no good explanation from management.
    Fascinating datapoint.

    In the case of the Milwaukee store, the security consultant they brought in told a friend of mine that the $30k/month wasn't much considering they had NO loss prevention systems whatsoever. He said one employee, working with a group of friends, can do a lot more damage than $30k/month.

    I guess all it takes is one bad apple.

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