"George" > wrote in message
...
> blake murphy wrote:
>> On Sat, 29 Dec 2007 20:19:03 -0500, George >
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Virginia Tadrzynski wrote:
>>>
>>>> When I worked for Walmart as a Customer Service Manager (mid level
>>>> management) I was told that we could physically 'observe' someone stuff
>>>> goods into a bag and walk out with it but could do nothing. Corporate
>>>> policy was that an "Assistant Manager" or higher had to see them steal
>>>> before they could be stopped. Find an assistant manager on the floor
>>>> at any time.....Good luck. So it got to a point that in the break room
>>>> the cashiers and the floor associates kept a tally of who saw how many
>>>> people steal. But come bonus time, there wasn't one because 'we
>>>> allowed shrink'.......go figure.
>>>
>>> Big box stores know that with the deep pockets they have it is cheaper
>>> to let someone walk away with $100 worth of stuff than to be involved
>>> even in token litigation for say $12,000 which I understand is the
>>> current amount your "council" can pretty much ask for and you will get a
>>> part of simply to go away.
>>>
>>
>> bullshit, george. how about a cite?
>>
>> your pal,
>> blake
>
> It is an everyday thing that businesses do that isn't published for
> obvious reasons. There is a cost to defend any suit or for that matter
> investigate any claim. Since ultimately it comes down to how much
> something will cost it makes sense for a deep pocketed business to simply
> make a deal and pay a token amount to make it go away rather than proceed
> with litigation.
>
> There are lawyers that thrive on this kind of stuff. It isn't
> multi-million dollar get your face on the front page deals but it is a
> constant income. My cousins husband is a local lawyer (honest guy, just
> makes an average income) who started out working for a firm that had their
> partners pictures on the city buses telling everyone that they would help
> them. He said there was a constant parade of people who knew the
> possibilities coming to the firm and the junior staff would get those
> cases. He said it is common knowledge in those circles how much can be
> demanded.
>
> My buddies wife is a paralegal and actually works for the same firm my
> cousins husband worked for (we all bust her about getting an honest job).
> She doesn't name names but always has lots of stories about these types of
> cases that they handle.
>
> Same thing with insurance companies. There is a certain threshold where
> they don't even look at a claim because the cost of an investigator is
> more than the claim.

This is absolutely true. When I had one of my major surgeries, the bill from
the hospital was more than $60,000. The insurance company sent a little note
that any overcharges we identified and reported to the insurance company was
worth a reward. I don't remember how much. But it certainly saves them from
hiring auditors. The patient audits the bill for free on their time, if a
mistake is found they get a small compensation. Very cost saving for the
insurance company.

Cindi


>
> As Virginia said the big box stores know all of this and that it is a no
> win situation to even try and stop or pursue people because of possible
> litigation because of their deep pockets so they choose to write it off as
> shrinkage. I am friendly with the police chief of a nearby town where most
> of the local big box stores are located. I was in his office a few months
> back and he showed me a DVD of a shoplifter and we got into a discussion
> about how they handle it. He said a mom & pop shop might do something on
> their own (which I think is right) and detain the person but the big box
> places simply call the police after the fact and bring them into the room
> where the DVRs are located, show them what happened and burn them a copy.