Recession causing people to steal 42" TVs

[Krynn72]

Most big sellers usually hire more workers to better manage the crowds of gift shoppers during the weeks leading up to Christmas.

But last year, retailers cut their holiday hiring by 62% from the previous year, according to industry estimates.

As a result, store theft increased for the first time in six years, to a rate of 1.5% of total retail sales, or $36.3 billion lost. The rate was up from 1.4% in 2007, according to the University of Florida's National Retail Security Survey (NRSS) of 103 leading U.S. store chains.

"It's not going to be any better this year," predicted Pernice.

Games, gaming software and consoles such as the Wii are regularly targeted at electronics stores. So are 42-inch TVs.

Just how do you steal a 42-inch TV? "It's either employee theft where it's done on the inside, or sometimes people create a diversionary tactic," Pernice said. "You set off the alarm in the front of the store and someone leaves with the product from the back."

Thread title isnt really accurate to the article, but that second quote made me laugh.

http://money.cnn.com/2009/12/11/news/economy/retail_most_stolen_items/index.htm?cnn=yes


They also say that babyfood is one of the most shoplifted items. That makes me sad.

 

[Warped]

with companies fearing lawsuits, they tend not to chase thieves as much as they used to as well which probably only makes the problem worse

 

[Sloth]

I hope that when they steal the 42'' they sell it so they can buy other things, like baby food.

I have a vague image of a homeless bum sitting by the glow of a 42'' TV.

 

[Warped]

I hope that when they steal the 42'' they sell it so they can buy other things, like baby food.

I have a vague image of a homeless bum sitting by the glow of a 42'' TV.

42 plasmas throw a lot of heat mang

 

[Dynasty]

You should see the shoplifting methods in Manchester in the UK.

Putting flat screen TVs through as button mushrooms.

 

[Krynn72]

Putting flat screen TVs through as button mushrooms.

What?

 

[Vegeta897]

My thoughts exactly.

 

[Dynasty]

As in the scanner comes up as 'Button Mushrooms' when you scan the TV box?

*Rubs eyes* Ohhh Buzz Killington...

 

[Vegeta897]

I have no ****ing idea what a button mushroom is, or how a scanner can come up with them.

 

[Warped]

so people switch the codes on the box?? aha i get it now but wtf is "Button Mushrooms" lol

 

[kineaesth]

Button mushrooms are those little ones.

And that's a pretty sneaky method.

 

[VirusType2]

It's an old trick, but you need a friend running the cash register. Anyway, on stuff like that, they definitely check the receipts at the door unless you are lucky, or have more friends working the inside.

 

[Seppo]

They also say that babyfood is one of the most shoplifted items. That makes me sad.

indeed. imagine all those families who won't be able to buy any food for their baby because some dumbass thief guy stole it all. piss me off...

 

[Farrowlesparrow]

They also say that babyfood is one of the most shoplifted items. That makes me sad.

It is very sad indeed. People really need more condoms. Back in Paraguay, I would see these huge, poor families living in shanty towns, and they'd basically whore out all of their children (Not always sexually, although that was common). One of the really popular things seemed to be cleaning windscreens. Every traffic light you'd find one or two families. I saw children that couldn't have been older than 3, waddling out to clean windows they couldn't even reach. Sometimes people would just shoo them and other times they'd give them some money - which the parents would quickly take away.

These people unfortunately don't really do much apart from produce babies and make a meagre living out of inconveniencing people.

 

[Stigmata]

It is very sad indeed. People really need more condoms. Back in Paraguay, I would see these huge, poor families living in shanty towns, and they'd basically whore out all of their children (Not always sexually, although that was common). One of the really popular things seemed to be cleaning windscreens. Every traffic light you'd find one or two families. I saw children that couldn't have been older than 3, waddling out to clean windows they couldn't even reach. Sometimes people would just shoo them and other times they'd give them some money - which the parents would quickly take away.

These people unfortunately don't really do much apart from produce babies and make a meagre living out of inconveniencing people.

That's really horrible. The Catholic Church makes me really angry, what with denying any scientifically-proven efficacy of condoms. I can understand not wanting to condone "spilling your seed" or whatever the term is, but when the consequences are overpopulation and a lifetime of awful malnutrition and disease, usually value-added with AIDS or murder... I just don't see how "condoms are bad" is the most Christian response to this epidemic.

This thread has now made me sad.

 

[CyberPitz]

I bought my 40" last year.

[/gloat]

 

[YROC]

I hear baby food/formula is expensive for what it is.

 

[VirusType2]

I hear baby food/formula is expensive for what it is.

It is. Condoms aren't cheap either.

You can make your own baby food. Buy some carrots and peas and put them in a blender. Enough to fill 10 cans for $2. Baby food is probably 2 dollars each.

Unfortunately, the idea of eating food from the ground instead of from a jar is all but lost on American civilization. I could actually picture people starving to death, trapped in a vegetable garden.

 

[Krynn72]

I bought my 40" last year.

[/gloat]

Haha, you're such a new, paying for shit. Jeez thats ridiculous.

I'm buying my roomates 37" this week if he gets this job he thinks hes getting.

 

[Seppo]

i hope he doesn't get the job, so Krynn has to steal himself a 42".

no more the only guy in Louisiana without a criminal record.

 

[Warped]

These stats are even more alarming!!

edit, there can't be less than 50 years of oil left! theres still billions of unearthed in Antarctica, US, North Pole, etc

 

[CyberPitz]

^Welcome to media/politicians/etc. Look at Global Warming......