blake murphy wrote:
> On Sun, 30 Dec 2007 13:57:38 -0500, George >
> wrote:
>
>> 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.
>>
>> 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.
>
> sorry, george. your cousin's husband's 'buddies' wife doesn't count
> as a cite except on alt.rightwing.kook.
>
> i'm not saying that some retailers aren't lax about corralling
> shoplifters, but it's more concern for employee safety - they don't
> want them conked on the head or worse (and possible lawsuits arising
> from that) - not from fear of suits by thieves from the vicious
> 'council' they all have on retainer.
>
> you also seem to be seriously deluded about the number of people who
> win their suits against large corporations. hint: it ain't many.
>
> your pal,
> blake

I didn't claim it was a citation. Just because you don't have direct
experience with something I know doesn't make me a kook.

Lets just agree to disagree.

Your pal,

George