• ArmokGoB@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    1 year ago

    I used to work in a Vons in Santa Monica in 2016. We had thefts every day. Some even got violent. Our manager got tired of it and threatened to break someone’s legs after they walked out of the store with something one morning. The theft problem in CA is real.

    • mosiacmango@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      Yeah, it’s called shrinkage and it’s built into the profit model of all brick and mortar stores. Every store has some degree of theft, and while it increased for a short time during the middle of the pandemic, its since tapered off to normal levels.

      If you read the article I posted, its clear that the rate of theft is exaggerated overall in California, especially by the commentors chosen example, Walgreens.

      I’m sorry to hear about your personal experience with Vons, but it also sounds like your manager had anger issues and was part of the problem.

      • ArmokGoB@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        1 year ago

        When I’m working 12 hours a week and seeing 3-5 thefts, plus violence, every week, it’s more than just “shrinkage.” I can’t speak for all of CA, but that was my experience.

      • Efwis@lemmy.zip
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        1 year ago

        Actually it can have repercussions on them… A lot of companies give bonuses to store managers for reducing their shrinkage, even by .5%. The inherent problem with that strategy 90% of the time it’s the lowly employee who actually does the work. Therefore the manager get more money for the employee doing the job they should do themselves for the bonus. Now mom and pop shops it makes sense, but these big corpo’s only care about increasing payments to their shareholders and board of directors.

        Now when the manager is asked for a raise, they will act like it’s coming out of their own pocket. In all seriousness, being employed is nothing more than indentured servitude. This is why people in general cannot make any headway in business unless they put themselves in debt for 30 years to be educated to do a job. Mind you better than 60% of college graduates don’t even get a job in the field they went to college for.

        And don’t even get me started on the predatory practices of colleges.

      • ArmokGoB@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        1 year ago

        The Ralph’s surrounding Santa Monica are pretty evenly spaced out, except for a mysterious hole where downtown Santa Monica is. My store was near downtown Santa Monica.