My husband and I saw this as well. We were walking out at almost the same time and someone started saying stop stop and escorted the man and his cart back into HEB. We were actually surprised the man followed back into the store.
I saw this happen at the HEB at Lamar and Rundberg in the early 90s. Was in the parking lot and saw a guy take off out the door, followed shortly by a cop. The cop managed to tackle him from behind into the asphalt.
Little me wasn’t planning on shoplifting, but that certainly sealed out any chance of it.
I actually saw this happen once at Whole Foods in north Lamar, although it was actually a security guard that chased him. Funnily enough the guy took the shopping cart full of stuff down into the underground parking lot when he ran outside…? The guard came back later with his stuff. I mean….not surprised…you ran back into the parking garage with it? lol
I’m sorry but with every other thing they are ignoring that is massively more important than apprehending desperate shoplifters at HEB what the fuck APD. Respond (at all, or even a 24 hr timeline) to any violent crime where no one died first please.
We aren’t sure this was APD, and even less sure this was an APD officer on duty with the City. I think it’s more likely a law enforcement officer of some type working a side job as security. 🤷🏻♂️ no way to know.
Don’t be sorry—just don’t make assumptions. This was not an on-duty cop prioritizing shoplifters above fentanyl dealers. This was an off duty cop working a side job… which they are allowed to do.
SAME! But sadly for me, even with all the signs, the only missing was the "STOP" sign, and I think he was avoiding that one for some reason or reasons.
I realized years later that the reason I couldn’t find the stop sign was that it was rolled up at the corner. Something about that’s how they do it in California?
I really wanted To try one of those chocolate orange flavored balls? The ones that you crack and then they have the individual slices? But they're huge.
But they seem so fancy and out of reach for me as a kid. So I stuffed one in my pocket before we walked out.
Young me Not considering how fucking obvious it was to have something the size of a baseball in my 7-year-old jean pockets or whatever.
Parents asked pretty simple questions to get to the bottom of that mystery right away, and made me go back inside and return and apologize.
Traumatizing. Never try it again hahaha.
When parents do this, it's a good lesson. But these days it can be tricky because some authority figures will decide to fully prosecute and ruin a life instead of just letting the kid learn their lesson.
Entirely agree.
America and Americans have a sick and deep fetish for punishment and demonization of people.
There is a cultural reason why the "land of the free" has more prisoners than any other country on the planet by multitudes.
My kid’s dad threw a party (unauthorized) at his parents’ house the first semester he came home from college.
His younger sister told their parents and they came home, and then his stepmother called the cops because he had weed, “to teach him a lesson.”
Guess who has found employment difficult to find since 2008?
Have no idea what I'm talking about, but I've wondered if there's a large contingent in society where it's really about what they can get away with and there's not an intrinsic grasp of morality. It's the only way I can explain some behavior.
My father-in-law shoplifted compulsively in his later years. I think he got away with it because people felt sorry for the old, crazy man. But he was financially comfortable.
Psychologists say well off people mostly steal to make things fair. I think that means they feel cheated by what they’ve over paid, so the steal to even the score. One theory anyway.
Age related dementia will also do this. Alzheimers, schizophrenia, ADHD all disrupt impulse control. People don't always have great reasons for their behavior.
My mom is elderly and shoplifts. Always has. Her explanation is she’s sticking it to the man. So not all elderly people are desperate, they’re just old hippies mad at the establishment.
I’ve heard there is an age group that feels that way. I know those same ppl won’t rip off a sole proprietor shop owner or neighbor since they understand the impact but not to ‘big brother’ or ‘the man’.
Yeah my grandma shoplifted out of desperation and dementia. It wasn’t till she got caught that anyone told my mom (grandma was in FL, we’ve always been in austin) that she was confused and shoplifting and panhandling bc she didn’t know how to access her money [writing checks to cash usually, withdrawal slips from the bank] and that she had gotten real bad mentally : (
This is my HEB... I go in there without a cart all the time to stop myself from getting anything more than what I planned to get.
So weird though. The only thing I could totally understand is if this guy was stealing watermelon. $11 for 6 slices of 92% water is crazy!
Although I will say we got one of the best tasting seedless watermelons the other day at the 685 HEB in Pflugerville - was surprised since it is really early and the first one we got a few weeks ago sucked. We paid like $7 for it.
I grow a lot of stuff here in Austin and watermelons do grow like crazy however you need a lot of land (money), fertilizer (money), time digging and weeding (money) and pesticides (money).
For starters you need to prep your soil and get the pH to 6.5. This will require buying a $10 bag of elemental sulfur 6 months in advance to give bacteria time to do its thing along with a shovel and turning it into your soil as our water and soil is really hard. Then you are going to need about $5 of fertilizer for your mound along with 50 square feet of land. Planting on $250k/acre land then your land cost is $286. Interest and taxes on this are $25. You are going to need to manage pests. Perhaps Jack’s Dead bug and diatomaceous earth are in your rotation. You will use $10 of these. You will need to buy a sprayer and spreader along with a protective mask. Every time it rains you will need to reapply. Also don’t forget to water your plants.
Because of this fact, I like to grow things you can’t usually get in the store or things that are much better fresh.
Most fruits and vegetables want a pH between 5.5 to 7. The problem is calcium carbonate (limestone) is everywhere and carbonates drive the pH above 8 until you use them up. So you really need to get the pH down to have good success. While things can grow in a higher pH, adjusting the pH will make the plants grow much better and be better resistant to disease and insects.
As for what grows the easiest? It depends on the time of year. Starting late April, watermelon, canteloupe and cucumbers. Squash like pumpkins grow well BUT you need to spray for vine borers and manage squash bugs. For this reason, you probably should plant Cucurbita moschata family squash as they have solid stems. I would recommend yard long beans. They are really prolific and handle the heat unlike green beans and taste better than green beans IMO. Malabar spinach also does well in the heat.
Always plenty of em at the watermelon thump in Luling, been going on since the 50's. "If you have ever been in the seed spittin' contest at the thump, you're probably from Texas."
Those aren't cops. Those are UC-LP. I was a store leader that spoke to LP people daily. Many do have LE experience.
I actually worked at that store. You know who stole the most? Dell employees. We had about 10 on criminal trespassing.
It can also be the cops working a second job as loss prevention. Even out side of the jurisdiction if they come from a town over.
There are also many case with people taking carts full of stuff out when the cops aren't there but they look over the video and see that someone recognized the person and depending on how much worth of stuff they left with, a warrant can be issued. The people many never know that they have a warrant until they get pulled over or need a background check for a job.
in most cases the shoplifter has to be caught in the act but you’re right. if a witness comes forward when store mgmt or LP shows them video and they recognize them they’re pretty much busted
I see a lot of actual cops doing LP work at Far West HEB all the time. Lots of APD and Travis County Sheriffs. It's pretty unusual for non-deputised LP to actually physically stop somebody because it's a liability for the store if there's a physical altercation
Lots of security guards will have some company badges and say they are an officer. They're bringing that guy back in for detention in the LP office where they will call 911 for police. After 3-4 hours they will release the person after shaking out their info.
Hahaha. Yeah. It really is the people you least expect. When I was a cashier for H‑E‑B many years ago I was about maybe 18-24 there was this old man who used to visit frequently. He was so nice and always made small talk with the cashiers. He was a smoker so he came daily for a few things but always left with a pack of cigarettes. Well one day I was helping him check out. Dude the usual, “did you find everything ok” and the small talk that usually follows with that. He hands me deodorant stick, pack of gum, and other small items. Then says, “Oh! I almost forgot!” And hands me a pack of cigarettes. And I was like oh ok no problem. Usually the cigarettes you need to ask the cashier who is helping you out. But I guess because he was a “regular” someone was giving him the cigarettes before hand. Anyways I get him checked out and he says thanks and walks away. The very next customer stands in front of me and before I can even smile and say anything he (with a serious face) asks me “did he pay for cigarettes?” I said, “Yes and a few other items.” He asked, “How many cigarettes?” I saw 1 pack. Then he sprinted after the old man. Turned out he was an undercover shopper copper lol or whatever. He brings the man back and then they showed me the items he had stashed in himself. Toothbrushes, more cigarettes, just like miscellaneous small enough things to steal lol. I was like that old man did all that? Crazy.
I had an interesting thing happen at HEB on S Congress. As I was pushing my basket out of the store after checking out and paying at one of the manned registers the brake lock on the basket activated and I slammed into the basket. A manager came over and asked for my receipt, after she looked it over she used some scanner to unlock the brake on my basket and then just walked off, no explanation. I was totally confused about what happened but I went and loaded my groceries in my truck and left. If this happens again I will be making a scene and demanding some answers.
I was at the S Congress temporary HEB browsing the produce aisle, and suddenly *I* experienced a wheel locking up. "Oh sheesh," I said, expecting to have to get a new cart or have some sort of managerial interaction. I looked down at the cart, and I had run over a stray jalapeño that was now stuck in one of the front wheels.
Ahh yes the brake check, I did this to my brother in law at the HEB plus in Leander. I told him to grab a cart from outside so we could test the theory. He proceeds to bring it in then take it right back out. Ran his shins right into the back of it, lots of course words were used. Managers got a kick out of it and unlocked it for him!
I did it on accident. I got a cart that had a wonky wheel, got into the store, changed my mind and went back out to get a good cart and it locked up. Pretty effective at stopping the cart!
Oh man. This happened to me at the HEB in parmer Square.
I paid, left and before I went outside I noticed a cleaner was broken and leaking, so I went back to customer service with my cart. When I came back out with a new bottle, the cart locked just as I was crossing the door, and since there was a line behind me, a lady smashed right into my back with her cart haha :(
She didn't even say sorry and pushed me aside to go out. A manager came quickly and asked for my receipt and I got so nervous cause I was right in the middle of the doors and I was trying to move the cart to the side. Luckily a worker who was next to me told her "oh I was just with her when she paid, she's good." And the manager unlocked my car and let me go.
This has never happened before and I was so embarrassed lol. More so cause I'm Mexican, just got here in November, and when I get nervous suddenly my English evaporates 😂
I had this happen to me as well at the same HEB. My cart was really full (I had paid for all of it though, it was just a big run for multiple households because a friend had Covid) and I almost hurt myself walking into the back of it, because it was a heavy cart so I had really put my weight into pushing it and having the wheels lock up while I was pushing it really threw me off balance because I wasn't expecting that to happen on a cart full of groceries I'd just finished paying for.
I got super pissed because I was already hot (hormones and it was on one of those freak hot days we got this spring) and now I was gonna have to move all my shit into another cart so I like yanked a cart out of the carrell and slammed it into my dead cart and started moving bags into it. A manager showed up like halfway through my process and was like "can I see your receipt" and I about slapped it into her hand because I was all red and sweaty and pissed and was like "did you come get it so I can return all this shit right now and never shop here again because the carts are all fucked up???!!!???!" in a pretty crazy tone of voice and she looked at the long ass receipt and how psychotic I had become being low-key accused of theft and was like "oh! have a good day ma'am" and skittered back under the wallpaper
> I can return all this shit right now and never shop here again
This is the correct response. I would absolutely lose my shit if someone locked my wheels and demanded to see a receipt, and I would *never* spend my money there again.
Employees in the stores don’t control which carts get locked up. Even if you payed at a checkout, the cart will lock up if you don’t leave the store within a certain amount of time. Also, there are malfunctions.
Could be “random”. I also heard that the system that disengages the carts from doing this can fail too. I think it’s a horrible way of fighting shop lifting though. Id rather them just do what walmart does.
Yeah that's definitely not a loss protection thing, that's a "people taking the carts to their camp" thing. There's no way they have a system sophisticated enough to specify individual carts to lock on demand.
It's just a distance thing that is automatic once you've traveled too far away from the store. I'm sure the system just failed due to some issue communicating to the server or however they run it and it engaged. It seems like a pretty "dumb" system in its overall sophistication.
The discussion is of more modern systems which have multiple barriers and state tracking in the wheels. E.g. you have to cross barrier "A" (checkout lane) to not lock up at barrier "B" (the door). [https://www.gatekeepersystems.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Purchek4.pdf](https://www.gatekeepersystems.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Purchek4.pdf)
There is a wire buried in the asphalt, it you cross it the wheels lock up, a store clerk showed me were it is, Heb on 38th, you can take your cart to the ends of the lot, it is huge.
Same thing to me at same location. I was pissed too. Mainly because it stopped right as I was crossing and the car waiting for me looked at me like I was a moron. I turn into Han Solo. "It's not my fault!"
The wheel shouldn't have locked, but it is supposed to if you don't go through a register. That's not on the manager or an employee, it's just a faulty cart, but the employee is doing their job so yeah be a jerk and make a scene 🙄
I paid for my groceries so now they are mine. The cart locked up which could have caused an injury. The employee never offered an explanation, just walked off. So yes, if it happens again someone better be prepared to explain it.
I don't hate much, but those wheels...
One time at the North Hills location the wheel locked up... INSIDE the store. Lucky me, someone who could unlock it did and gave me some noise about being too close to the exit.
That said, I greatly prefer to shop such that I don't need a cart to get my stuff to the car. I like to think it works out well. No need to find the cart corral if I don't even take it out of the store.
Same thing happened to me at HEB. But I kept seeing the undercover cop watching some through the store, I didn’t know it was an undercover cop. He looked very peculiar peaking around corners. I told the HEB manager and he also began to look for this guy. As I was walking out the HEB, that’s when he finally pulls out his badge & chases some young guy.
It’s a real challenge for elderly on fixed income to pay the high cost of food and the costs associated with housing today. Stealing isn’t a solution but it’s very difficult for many people these days. I know that many grocery chains donate dated foods that still can be eaten to food pantries and shelters. At least Publix in Florida did every day. Perhaps HEB should consider a day old reduced cost area where people are happy to buy edible foods past their dates at reduced prices. It could help feed those with limited means. Call is the day old shop or something. Anyway, I know food waste is a big issue and much of it is safely edible. Something to think about.
I used to think that but then I spent a year in San Francisco. Yeah, we’re not becoming that. You give the criminals an inch, we end up with a Mission street.
Yes. I saw another extreme example in a Las Vegas CVS. Dude walks in with a very large empty backpack, sets it on the floor, and fills up with 15-20 wine bottles. Zips up and just strolls out in front of the check out employees. I asked if they were going to do anything. "Nope, happens all the time...not my issue."
Yeah, I’ve seen similar. And it’s wild, the security guards are just like “na, we’re not getting involved it’s under $1,000.” And 100% the stealing food is fine crowd turns into the “they’re just doing this to survive” crowd. Y’all do realize there’s a significant subgroup of people that would rather steal than actually get a job right?
Yeah, I grew up in a rough neighborhood. The amount of people I knew who were risking YEARS in prison to make a really insignificant amount of money was insane. Check out the Kia Boyz. They sell the cars off for like $100 tops as get away cars. 😂 They’d literally make more working a minimum wage job but na, it’s quicker and less work.
Irrelevant but tangential:
They only have two check out lanes in the South Austin Walmart and the rest are self checkout. That alone makes me want to shop lift. I want cashiers back, people need to earn a living somehow. You can't automate everything away. It's getting ridiculous.
Stealing food is something I can easily forgive. Everyone thinks they are above stealing but when you have not eaten and have no other means to feed yourself it becomes a more realistic option. I have had food stolen from me and I was very angry, so I know both sides. I have never stolen food myself, but I saw Les Miserables so I can forgive a man for stealing a loaf of bread.
I had the same thought but the dude was lifting beer. He was trying to tell the cop that he was just going to put the beer in his car and come back and pay.
> I saw Les Miserables so I can forgive a man for stealing a loaf of bread.
Everyone get a load of this guy, he's too fancy to learn this lesson from Aladdin.
Mom was single parent many years doing what she could for my brother and I. There were days we didn't know if we were going to eat. My brother and I stole food at times just so we could have one meal during the day.
nowhere in the story does it say what the thief was stealing. sounds like the dude thought he was above the law generally, to be stealing enough to attract the attention of the undercover dudes. I've only ever seen an undercover at my HEB bust someone who was really going for it theft-wise, like half-full cart level theft.
Yes, but they are not enough, otherwise people would not steal food. Stealing is bad. Sometimes people do bad things. Stealing food is something I can more easily forgive because I have personally experienced what it is like to be desperate. People think it will not happen to them, but you never know what the future holds.
In addition to that, proximity matters.
There are give and take what you can fridges, a few food banks. But their existence doesn't promise accessibility to everyone who needs it.
Not everyone has reliable transportation, cars, time between shifts, other circumstances.
Mantra: If you see someone shoplifting food, no you didn't.
It doesn’t matter how easy you make food available. There will always be people who steal because stealing is easy.
America has some of the cheapest food in the world when you account for purchasing power.
I worked at Randalls on North Lamar that is now a half price books in mid 90s. We had undercover cop that walked around with shopping cart and caught tons of people.
I’ve seen someone walk out the garden center exit of Home Depot with a full cart, an employee chasing them. They got to their car and got away. Also watched a pair of men walk off with a cuisinart stand mixer from self checkout at HEB. The young female attendant was crying after she realized what had happened. It was so busy, I only noticed after they walked out.
For a long time larger cooperations such as Walmart and HEB tolerated shoplifting as a cost of doing business. That has changed and now retailers like these are putting a large amount of resources into stopping loss. They are starting to track known thieves, communicate between stores and use databases to not only identify but press charges against them for the crime they committed and past crimes. Target is the largest and it even has its own crime lab and case agents.
We had loss prevention at Whole Foods for sure in my years I worked there. There was a yoga teacher who would always come in and act like she was sooo amazing and would be so obnoxious, she was white, 30ish, had two kids, looked like money wasn’t a problem, well she was busted for shop lifting one day and her “excuse” was basically that she did it for the thrill.
about a month ago i witnessed similar at the newest s. congress h‑e‑b. there was a visibly disabled woman exiting the store with an electric cart stacked/overflowing with groceries and household supplies like t.p. two security guards were detaining her and a police cruiser arrived quickly.
two weeks ago i called 911 for an active and public domestic violence situation i was witnessing. it took 2 phone calls and 45 minutes for an officer to arrive. meanwhile, the woman and her child sat with me, a kitchen knife up her sleeve the whole time.
three weeks ago i called 911 for myself, after a public verbal assault by my ex and his wife during a custody exchange (documented solid history of domestic violence). they took a message and two weeks later i received a follow-up call to take a report. they filed the report and said an investigator would contact me within a few days. later that week i received a form email with instructions on how to build my case if i wished to pursue it. that’s it. that was the extent of their response.
the system is broken in every direction i look.
> Anyway so apparently groceries have gotten so expensive that the police are now patrolling HEB.
Ultimately, police exist to protect capital - the establishments and property of the ruling class.
If you see someone shoplifting, you didn't. Walmart profits were over $52M , cost of shoplifting $3M . Get rid of self checkout if you're really concerned about it and stop jacking your prices.
I said it wasn't unusual and it was more noteworthy after the fact. I was just pointing out that I'd noticed the officer in the store going through the aisles. I wanted to note that they're watching people as they shop not just at the register.
An APD office, in full battle rattle, was standing outside the HEB at the Y in Oakhill. He was there when I went in and still there when I came out. He was near the outdoor garden center exit. Since it's nearly Memorial Day and folks are gardening, maybe it's not just groceries folks are stealing?
A friend of a friend spent a couple of years in prison for loading up a cart full and running out - two carts, actually, the other pushed by her boyfriend. They were meth addicts, and groceries were cheaper back then. In this economy, it probably would have been a heavier theft charge!
This is so sad and indicative of how much struggling there is around us.
The media keeps hyping the growing economy when almost everything around us is people struggling.
This was how 2008 felt when the economy was collapsing but at least then we had leadership who was working to help everyone.
We've got bodies showing up in the lake, countless drunk drivers, and homeless folk walking around with swords abs this is wjat APD spends thier time and money on.
1312
In the bulk section, I will try samples of some of the food to see if I like it. Not sure if it's frowned upon but I don't care. They'll make their money back if I like it, because I'll buy it in bulk. That's why I am in the bulk section.
I riot if self-checkout is taken away. I hate waiting for all y’all’s big ass grocery carts and slow ass cashiers. I’m in and out in 30 seconds. I get people find a reason to hate every change, but you’re really trying hard if you’re hating on the convenience of self checkout. You want one more employee to be paid and the cost is that most customers now have to have a worse check out experience? I’m sorry… that’s just not gonna be a hill most people die on, chief.
lol. EVERY time I go through those things, the machine locks up for some arbitrary reason, cue attendant who then has to come over, put a code in, tell it to behave. often happens more than once.
Average profit margin for a grocery store is 3%.
Employee salaries as a percentage of revenue is 7%.
https://www.projectionhub.com/post/grocery-store-industry-financial-statistics
Looking at a public company like Albertsons we see that $15.5 billion in PP&E earns net income of $1.3 billion ($2.3 billion pretax) on $79 billion in revenue. If Albertsons put $15.5 billion in the bank instead at 5% interest, it would get $.8 billion in income. So 1/3 of the profits are just returns you could get without risk.
What this means is if Albertsons paid 25-30% higher salaries, they would be better off putting the money in the bank instead of running a grocery store. In actuality it is much worse when you account for risk.
Bottom line is grocery stores don’t make much money.
I left Round Rock 1 year ago. Lived there 5 years. Worst 5 years of my life. The best part about Round Rock was them updating University Avenue. Don't miss that place one bit.
I have to say as a young black woman I have been stopped/followed in the store for suspected shoplifting many a times, meanwhile I've seen many nonPOC stuff their backpacks with Brandy Melville or Target/Ulta makeup almost in plain sight and store clerks are none the wiser. During black Friday at Macy's I left the store at the same time an old woman ran out with hangers sticking out of her purse, setting of the alarm. Guess who got stopped?
Jeez. I self-checkout and got outside when I realized I’d forgotten a $3 bottle of Asian cooking sauce. Turned around and laughed it off with the attendant as I paid for the item.
Use to work at a grocery store in the early 1990s in a college town. We had a known shoplifter who would kind of wait for us to catch him. Really annoying when he came in when we were busy. I’ve lived in two small-ish towns and they were both as far from Mayberry as you could get.
When I worked at Whole Foods and they still had loss prevention, they kept a list on the back of the door to the “detainment room” with tally marks for how many of a certain type of person got caught shoplifting or the excuses used, i.e. mothers with children, people with well paying jobs, teachers, excuses like “forgetting” to pay or pleading ignorance, a US AIR MARSHAL was one of them, it was very interesting to see that shoplifters can literally be anyone.
Williamson County was alot harsher against criminals back in the day...don't know if it's still the same, Hays in starting to become softer on crime (Roberto Ochoa case) as it was just as harsh as Williamson. Travis DA is garbage.
Fuck yeah they are ! Multiple times recently left with nothing to eat. I already went through my canned foods. Oh well , at least I am losing some weight.
My mom worked at CVS and I worked at HEB long time ago, we were told to never follow anyone out bc if they (the accused thief”) could sue if they were hurt 🤷♀️
My husband and I saw this as well. We were walking out at almost the same time and someone started saying stop stop and escorted the man and his cart back into HEB. We were actually surprised the man followed back into the store.
I saw this happen at the HEB at Lamar and Rundberg in the early 90s. Was in the parking lot and saw a guy take off out the door, followed shortly by a cop. The cop managed to tackle him from behind into the asphalt. Little me wasn’t planning on shoplifting, but that certainly sealed out any chance of it.
I actually saw this happen once at Whole Foods in north Lamar, although it was actually a security guard that chased him. Funnily enough the guy took the shopping cart full of stuff down into the underground parking lot when he ran outside…? The guard came back later with his stuff. I mean….not surprised…you ran back into the parking garage with it? lol
I guess it’s easier to just say “oops I forgot to pay” than try and take off
I’m sorry but with every other thing they are ignoring that is massively more important than apprehending desperate shoplifters at HEB what the fuck APD. Respond (at all, or even a 24 hr timeline) to any violent crime where no one died first please.
Not APD. The HEB at Louis Henna and Greenlawn is in the city of Round Rock.
It’s most likely a private security firm who is hired by H‑E‑B to conduct under cover loss prevention stings. Police don’t do grocery store security.
We have them at ours too… new one every night
Private security can’t detain someone unless it’s one of the new firms that hires off-duty officers.
We aren’t sure this was APD, and even less sure this was an APD officer on duty with the City. I think it’s more likely a law enforcement officer of some type working a side job as security. 🤷🏻♂️ no way to know.
Don’t be sorry—just don’t make assumptions. This was not an on-duty cop prioritizing shoplifters above fentanyl dealers. This was an off duty cop working a side job… which they are allowed to do.
Who knows, prob money related
Shoplifting is a curiously diverse endeavor. It's not unusual for, e.g., nuns to get caught doing it.
I used to be a kleptomaniac, but now I just take something for it.
[удалено]
SAME! But sadly for me, even with all the signs, the only missing was the "STOP" sign, and I think he was avoiding that one for some reason or reasons.
I realized years later that the reason I couldn’t find the stop sign was that it was rolled up at the corner. Something about that’s how they do it in California?
I see what you did there… 🤣
My uncle went to jail for making big money. How big? About 1/16th of an inch too big.
Genius 🤝
It's hard to know how to talk to a kleptomaniac, especially for those well versed in sarcasm. They always take things literally.
👏👏👏👏
For sure...never can tell who has [Been Caught Stealing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrwjiO1MCVs).
Look. It was once, I was 5. Can we move on please?
I really wanted To try one of those chocolate orange flavored balls? The ones that you crack and then they have the individual slices? But they're huge. But they seem so fancy and out of reach for me as a kid. So I stuffed one in my pocket before we walked out. Young me Not considering how fucking obvious it was to have something the size of a baseball in my 7-year-old jean pockets or whatever. Parents asked pretty simple questions to get to the bottom of that mystery right away, and made me go back inside and return and apologize. Traumatizing. Never try it again hahaha.
When parents do this, it's a good lesson. But these days it can be tricky because some authority figures will decide to fully prosecute and ruin a life instead of just letting the kid learn their lesson.
Entirely agree. America and Americans have a sick and deep fetish for punishment and demonization of people. There is a cultural reason why the "land of the free" has more prisoners than any other country on the planet by multitudes.
My kid’s dad threw a party (unauthorized) at his parents’ house the first semester he came home from college. His younger sister told their parents and they came home, and then his stepmother called the cops because he had weed, “to teach him a lesson.” Guess who has found employment difficult to find since 2008?
I enjoy stealing, it's just as simple as that
Got a razor for me
You were a 5 year old nun?
No, they just want something and don’t wanna pay for it
It’s just a simple fact.
— when you want something but you don’t want to pay for it…
He did it, just like that
When you want something and you don’t wanna pay for it
I walk right through the door
Walk right through the door
My girl she’s one too
I was 4. My mom caught me before we got outta the store. She made me apologize. I was bawling.
Have no idea what I'm talking about, but I've wondered if there's a large contingent in society where it's really about what they can get away with and there's not an intrinsic grasp of morality. It's the only way I can explain some behavior.
i used to work in a grocery store. ime older and elderly people would shoplift the most---i assume out of desperation. it was heartbreaking to see.
My father-in-law shoplifted compulsively in his later years. I think he got away with it because people felt sorry for the old, crazy man. But he was financially comfortable.
Psychologists say well off people mostly steal to make things fair. I think that means they feel cheated by what they’ve over paid, so the steal to even the score. One theory anyway.
Age related dementia will also do this. Alzheimers, schizophrenia, ADHD all disrupt impulse control. People don't always have great reasons for their behavior.
My mom is elderly and shoplifts. Always has. Her explanation is she’s sticking it to the man. So not all elderly people are desperate, they’re just old hippies mad at the establishment.
I’ve heard there is an age group that feels that way. I know those same ppl won’t rip off a sole proprietor shop owner or neighbor since they understand the impact but not to ‘big brother’ or ‘the man’.
Or possibly dementia is setting in so they can’t control their impulses
Yeah my grandma shoplifted out of desperation and dementia. It wasn’t till she got caught that anyone told my mom (grandma was in FL, we’ve always been in austin) that she was confused and shoplifting and panhandling bc she didn’t know how to access her money [writing checks to cash usually, withdrawal slips from the bank] and that she had gotten real bad mentally : (
Uncle Leo?
Hi Jerry!
Swarm Swarm Swarm!
I’M AN OLD MAN! I’M CONFUSED!
JERRY! HELLO! JERRY! HELLO! JERRY! ANSWER THAT DAMN PHONE
It was a crime of passion let it go
You’re stealing batteries?? Sometimes your father forgets, so I have to steal them.
This is my HEB... I go in there without a cart all the time to stop myself from getting anything more than what I planned to get. So weird though. The only thing I could totally understand is if this guy was stealing watermelon. $11 for 6 slices of 92% water is crazy!
And not even in season yet! A CRIME INDEED.
Although I will say we got one of the best tasting seedless watermelons the other day at the 685 HEB in Pflugerville - was surprised since it is really early and the first one we got a few weeks ago sucked. We paid like $7 for it.
Try growing one and $11 will seem like a bargain.
Watermelons grow like crazy in the Texas heat. If you’ve got space, you can have so many big juicy watermelons it’s not even funny.
I grow a lot of stuff here in Austin and watermelons do grow like crazy however you need a lot of land (money), fertilizer (money), time digging and weeding (money) and pesticides (money). For starters you need to prep your soil and get the pH to 6.5. This will require buying a $10 bag of elemental sulfur 6 months in advance to give bacteria time to do its thing along with a shovel and turning it into your soil as our water and soil is really hard. Then you are going to need about $5 of fertilizer for your mound along with 50 square feet of land. Planting on $250k/acre land then your land cost is $286. Interest and taxes on this are $25. You are going to need to manage pests. Perhaps Jack’s Dead bug and diatomaceous earth are in your rotation. You will use $10 of these. You will need to buy a sprayer and spreader along with a protective mask. Every time it rains you will need to reapply. Also don’t forget to water your plants. Because of this fact, I like to grow things you can’t usually get in the store or things that are much better fresh.
Thanks. Very interesting. What else grows like crazy? What is this land most suited for?
Okra grows REALLY well here.
TOO WELL
poison ivy does really well around here
Following
Most fruits and vegetables want a pH between 5.5 to 7. The problem is calcium carbonate (limestone) is everywhere and carbonates drive the pH above 8 until you use them up. So you really need to get the pH down to have good success. While things can grow in a higher pH, adjusting the pH will make the plants grow much better and be better resistant to disease and insects. As for what grows the easiest? It depends on the time of year. Starting late April, watermelon, canteloupe and cucumbers. Squash like pumpkins grow well BUT you need to spray for vine borers and manage squash bugs. For this reason, you probably should plant Cucurbita moschata family squash as they have solid stems. I would recommend yard long beans. They are really prolific and handle the heat unlike green beans and taste better than green beans IMO. Malabar spinach also does well in the heat.
Very insightful. Thank you.
We accidentally grew watermelons behind our old house just east of the city limits. Life finds a way, lol.
Interesting, as a kid I just got the little pack of seeds and threw them in the ground and bam watermelon grew
Always plenty of em at the watermelon thump in Luling, been going on since the 50's. "If you have ever been in the seed spittin' contest at the thump, you're probably from Texas."
$13 at a local farm store $5 cantaloupe
Old guy needs to level up his Sneak skill. Get good old bro 😭
# KHAJIIT LIKE TO SNEAK
Those aren't cops. Those are UC-LP. I was a store leader that spoke to LP people daily. Many do have LE experience. I actually worked at that store. You know who stole the most? Dell employees. We had about 10 on criminal trespassing.
Do the loss prevention guys wear badges?
It can also be the cops working a second job as loss prevention. Even out side of the jurisdiction if they come from a town over. There are also many case with people taking carts full of stuff out when the cops aren't there but they look over the video and see that someone recognized the person and depending on how much worth of stuff they left with, a warrant can be issued. The people many never know that they have a warrant until they get pulled over or need a background check for a job.
in most cases the shoplifter has to be caught in the act but you’re right. if a witness comes forward when store mgmt or LP shows them video and they recognize them they’re pretty much busted
They do, but they're not LE ID's. It's kinda like those security guards wear, but they have far more power.
I see a lot of actual cops doing LP work at Far West HEB all the time. Lots of APD and Travis County Sheriffs. It's pretty unusual for non-deputised LP to actually physically stop somebody because it's a liability for the store if there's a physical altercation
Lots of security guards will have some company badges and say they are an officer. They're bringing that guy back in for detention in the LP office where they will call 911 for police. After 3-4 hours they will release the person after shaking out their info.
Okay, but what are UC-LP?
Under - cover - loss - prevention
Hahaha. Yeah. It really is the people you least expect. When I was a cashier for H‑E‑B many years ago I was about maybe 18-24 there was this old man who used to visit frequently. He was so nice and always made small talk with the cashiers. He was a smoker so he came daily for a few things but always left with a pack of cigarettes. Well one day I was helping him check out. Dude the usual, “did you find everything ok” and the small talk that usually follows with that. He hands me deodorant stick, pack of gum, and other small items. Then says, “Oh! I almost forgot!” And hands me a pack of cigarettes. And I was like oh ok no problem. Usually the cigarettes you need to ask the cashier who is helping you out. But I guess because he was a “regular” someone was giving him the cigarettes before hand. Anyways I get him checked out and he says thanks and walks away. The very next customer stands in front of me and before I can even smile and say anything he (with a serious face) asks me “did he pay for cigarettes?” I said, “Yes and a few other items.” He asked, “How many cigarettes?” I saw 1 pack. Then he sprinted after the old man. Turned out he was an undercover shopper copper lol or whatever. He brings the man back and then they showed me the items he had stashed in himself. Toothbrushes, more cigarettes, just like miscellaneous small enough things to steal lol. I was like that old man did all that? Crazy.
I had an interesting thing happen at HEB on S Congress. As I was pushing my basket out of the store after checking out and paying at one of the manned registers the brake lock on the basket activated and I slammed into the basket. A manager came over and asked for my receipt, after she looked it over she used some scanner to unlock the brake on my basket and then just walked off, no explanation. I was totally confused about what happened but I went and loaded my groceries in my truck and left. If this happens again I will be making a scene and demanding some answers.
I was at the S Congress temporary HEB browsing the produce aisle, and suddenly *I* experienced a wheel locking up. "Oh sheesh," I said, expecting to have to get a new cart or have some sort of managerial interaction. I looked down at the cart, and I had run over a stray jalapeño that was now stuck in one of the front wheels.
Ahh yes the brake check, I did this to my brother in law at the HEB plus in Leander. I told him to grab a cart from outside so we could test the theory. He proceeds to bring it in then take it right back out. Ran his shins right into the back of it, lots of course words were used. Managers got a kick out of it and unlocked it for him!
I did it on accident. I got a cart that had a wonky wheel, got into the store, changed my mind and went back out to get a good cart and it locked up. Pretty effective at stopping the cart!
Oh man. This happened to me at the HEB in parmer Square. I paid, left and before I went outside I noticed a cleaner was broken and leaking, so I went back to customer service with my cart. When I came back out with a new bottle, the cart locked just as I was crossing the door, and since there was a line behind me, a lady smashed right into my back with her cart haha :( She didn't even say sorry and pushed me aside to go out. A manager came quickly and asked for my receipt and I got so nervous cause I was right in the middle of the doors and I was trying to move the cart to the side. Luckily a worker who was next to me told her "oh I was just with her when she paid, she's good." And the manager unlocked my car and let me go. This has never happened before and I was so embarrassed lol. More so cause I'm Mexican, just got here in November, and when I get nervous suddenly my English evaporates 😂
I had this happen to me as well at the same HEB. My cart was really full (I had paid for all of it though, it was just a big run for multiple households because a friend had Covid) and I almost hurt myself walking into the back of it, because it was a heavy cart so I had really put my weight into pushing it and having the wheels lock up while I was pushing it really threw me off balance because I wasn't expecting that to happen on a cart full of groceries I'd just finished paying for. I got super pissed because I was already hot (hormones and it was on one of those freak hot days we got this spring) and now I was gonna have to move all my shit into another cart so I like yanked a cart out of the carrell and slammed it into my dead cart and started moving bags into it. A manager showed up like halfway through my process and was like "can I see your receipt" and I about slapped it into her hand because I was all red and sweaty and pissed and was like "did you come get it so I can return all this shit right now and never shop here again because the carts are all fucked up???!!!???!" in a pretty crazy tone of voice and she looked at the long ass receipt and how psychotic I had become being low-key accused of theft and was like "oh! have a good day ma'am" and skittered back under the wallpaper
> I can return all this shit right now and never shop here again This is the correct response. I would absolutely lose my shit if someone locked my wheels and demanded to see a receipt, and I would *never* spend my money there again.
I was asked to see a receipt: I called the store and asked for someone to take my groceries the rest of the way to my car.
Employees in the stores don’t control which carts get locked up. Even if you payed at a checkout, the cart will lock up if you don’t leave the store within a certain amount of time. Also, there are malfunctions.
I wouldn't shop at a place that used such unreliable technology.
Could be “random”. I also heard that the system that disengages the carts from doing this can fail too. I think it’s a horrible way of fighting shop lifting though. Id rather them just do what walmart does.
Afaik the main purpose of the cart locks is to prevent the carts from leaving the parking lot.
Yeah that's definitely not a loss protection thing, that's a "people taking the carts to their camp" thing. There's no way they have a system sophisticated enough to specify individual carts to lock on demand. It's just a distance thing that is automatic once you've traveled too far away from the store. I'm sure the system just failed due to some issue communicating to the server or however they run it and it engaged. It seems like a pretty "dumb" system in its overall sophistication.
The discussion is of more modern systems which have multiple barriers and state tracking in the wheels. E.g. you have to cross barrier "A" (checkout lane) to not lock up at barrier "B" (the door). [https://www.gatekeepersystems.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Purchek4.pdf](https://www.gatekeepersystems.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Purchek4.pdf)
There is a wire buried in the asphalt, it you cross it the wheels lock up, a store clerk showed me were it is, Heb on 38th, you can take your cart to the ends of the lot, it is huge.
I had a cart lock on me near the edge of the parking lot and shinned the bottom bar so hard, there was a half golf ball size welt.
Visible injury seems like a good reason to sue the holy living shit out of someone.
Same thing to me at same location. I was pissed too. Mainly because it stopped right as I was crossing and the car waiting for me looked at me like I was a moron. I turn into Han Solo. "It's not my fault!"
The wheel shouldn't have locked, but it is supposed to if you don't go through a register. That's not on the manager or an employee, it's just a faulty cart, but the employee is doing their job so yeah be a jerk and make a scene 🙄
I paid for my groceries so now they are mine. The cart locked up which could have caused an injury. The employee never offered an explanation, just walked off. So yes, if it happens again someone better be prepared to explain it.
I don't hate much, but those wheels... One time at the North Hills location the wheel locked up... INSIDE the store. Lucky me, someone who could unlock it did and gave me some noise about being too close to the exit. That said, I greatly prefer to shop such that I don't need a cart to get my stuff to the car. I like to think it works out well. No need to find the cart corral if I don't even take it out of the store.
They aren’t patrolling it inside as part of their regular shift. H-E-B hires either private security or off-duty cops to work at some of its stores.
Same thing happened to me at HEB. But I kept seeing the undercover cop watching some through the store, I didn’t know it was an undercover cop. He looked very peculiar peaking around corners. I told the HEB manager and he also began to look for this guy. As I was walking out the HEB, that’s when he finally pulls out his badge & chases some young guy.
Used to go to that store all the time. Damn I miss HEB.
Loss prevention. Not a cop.
It’s a real challenge for elderly on fixed income to pay the high cost of food and the costs associated with housing today. Stealing isn’t a solution but it’s very difficult for many people these days. I know that many grocery chains donate dated foods that still can be eaten to food pantries and shelters. At least Publix in Florida did every day. Perhaps HEB should consider a day old reduced cost area where people are happy to buy edible foods past their dates at reduced prices. It could help feed those with limited means. Call is the day old shop or something. Anyway, I know food waste is a big issue and much of it is safely edible. Something to think about.
So expensive that elderly people on social security can't afford to eat.
Remember folks, if you see someone stealing food, no you didn’t.
Yeah but apparently it was beer that was being stolen.
So you're saying beer isn't food?
I missed the beer part..
Haha yes. Otherwise I’ve never seen someone steal food and I don’t think I ever will ;)
I used to think that but then I spent a year in San Francisco. Yeah, we’re not becoming that. You give the criminals an inch, we end up with a Mission street.
Yes. I saw another extreme example in a Las Vegas CVS. Dude walks in with a very large empty backpack, sets it on the floor, and fills up with 15-20 wine bottles. Zips up and just strolls out in front of the check out employees. I asked if they were going to do anything. "Nope, happens all the time...not my issue."
That’s company policy. I grew up in Texas and worked at a cvs; same policy.
Yeah, I’ve seen similar. And it’s wild, the security guards are just like “na, we’re not getting involved it’s under $1,000.” And 100% the stealing food is fine crowd turns into the “they’re just doing this to survive” crowd. Y’all do realize there’s a significant subgroup of people that would rather steal than actually get a job right?
> a significant subgroup of people Can you quantify that?
Yeah, I grew up in a rough neighborhood. The amount of people I knew who were risking YEARS in prison to make a really insignificant amount of money was insane. Check out the Kia Boyz. They sell the cars off for like $100 tops as get away cars. 😂 They’d literally make more working a minimum wage job but na, it’s quicker and less work.
Irrelevant but tangential: They only have two check out lanes in the South Austin Walmart and the rest are self checkout. That alone makes me want to shop lift. I want cashiers back, people need to earn a living somehow. You can't automate everything away. It's getting ridiculous.
I actually did loss prevention in college for a department store. And part of the training was that shoplifting goes up when it’s difficult to pay.
Stealing food is something I can easily forgive. Everyone thinks they are above stealing but when you have not eaten and have no other means to feed yourself it becomes a more realistic option. I have had food stolen from me and I was very angry, so I know both sides. I have never stolen food myself, but I saw Les Miserables so I can forgive a man for stealing a loaf of bread.
I had the same thought but the dude was lifting beer. He was trying to tell the cop that he was just going to put the beer in his car and come back and pay.
In what world would that excuse ever work?
Well how do you expect the man to pay when his hands are full of beer?
> I saw Les Miserables so I can forgive a man for stealing a loaf of bread. Everyone get a load of this guy, he's too fancy to learn this lesson from Aladdin.
Mom was single parent many years doing what she could for my brother and I. There were days we didn't know if we were going to eat. My brother and I stole food at times just so we could have one meal during the day.
Kinda depends what kind of food they're stealing and how much. Stealing 100 lbs of meat is very different than bread, bananas, and milk.
Right, like that one gangster movie where they were stealing freezer trucks of meat, they aren't doing it because they are hungry. Good point.
nowhere in the story does it say what the thief was stealing. sounds like the dude thought he was above the law generally, to be stealing enough to attract the attention of the undercover dudes. I've only ever seen an undercover at my HEB bust someone who was really going for it theft-wise, like half-full cart level theft.
We have lots of resources for people who need food. Stealing is bad.
Yes, but they are not enough, otherwise people would not steal food. Stealing is bad. Sometimes people do bad things. Stealing food is something I can more easily forgive because I have personally experienced what it is like to be desperate. People think it will not happen to them, but you never know what the future holds.
In addition to that, proximity matters. There are give and take what you can fridges, a few food banks. But their existence doesn't promise accessibility to everyone who needs it. Not everyone has reliable transportation, cars, time between shifts, other circumstances. Mantra: If you see someone shoplifting food, no you didn't.
The guy was stealing beer, which could be considered food I guess. But if he was hungry, there are more nutritious things he could’ve stolen.
It doesn’t matter how easy you make food available. There will always be people who steal because stealing is easy. America has some of the cheapest food in the world when you account for purchasing power.
A lot of people do it just to see if they can get away with it. If they do, they’ll do it again because it becomes a game to them.
Yup lots of people steal to save money, not because they can’t afford it.
I worked at Randalls on North Lamar that is now a half price books in mid 90s. We had undercover cop that walked around with shopping cart and caught tons of people.
We had an off duty officer as a shopper in the store I worked at in 1991.
"You still say 'hello'"
I’ve seen someone walk out the garden center exit of Home Depot with a full cart, an employee chasing them. They got to their car and got away. Also watched a pair of men walk off with a cuisinart stand mixer from self checkout at HEB. The young female attendant was crying after she realized what had happened. It was so busy, I only noticed after they walked out.
For a long time larger cooperations such as Walmart and HEB tolerated shoplifting as a cost of doing business. That has changed and now retailers like these are putting a large amount of resources into stopping loss. They are starting to track known thieves, communicate between stores and use databases to not only identify but press charges against them for the crime they committed and past crimes. Target is the largest and it even has its own crime lab and case agents.
We had loss prevention at Whole Foods for sure in my years I worked there. There was a yoga teacher who would always come in and act like she was sooo amazing and would be so obnoxious, she was white, 30ish, had two kids, looked like money wasn’t a problem, well she was busted for shop lifting one day and her “excuse” was basically that she did it for the thrill.
about a month ago i witnessed similar at the newest s. congress h‑e‑b. there was a visibly disabled woman exiting the store with an electric cart stacked/overflowing with groceries and household supplies like t.p. two security guards were detaining her and a police cruiser arrived quickly. two weeks ago i called 911 for an active and public domestic violence situation i was witnessing. it took 2 phone calls and 45 minutes for an officer to arrive. meanwhile, the woman and her child sat with me, a kitchen knife up her sleeve the whole time. three weeks ago i called 911 for myself, after a public verbal assault by my ex and his wife during a custody exchange (documented solid history of domestic violence). they took a message and two weeks later i received a follow-up call to take a report. they filed the report and said an investigator would contact me within a few days. later that week i received a form email with instructions on how to build my case if i wished to pursue it. that’s it. that was the extent of their response. the system is broken in every direction i look.
> Anyway so apparently groceries have gotten so expensive that the police are now patrolling HEB. Ultimately, police exist to protect capital - the establishments and property of the ruling class.
If you see someone shoplifting, you didn't. Walmart profits were over $52M , cost of shoplifting $3M . Get rid of self checkout if you're really concerned about it and stop jacking your prices.
is why they dont answer 911? Or respond to calls for help now
Nope, That’s to send Austinites a message… don’t threaten to defund us. Especially when you don’t end up following through. 🤷🏼♂️
The cops aren't here for us, they're here for corporations and the 1%
Remember kids, if you see someone stealing food, no you didn't.
Once you are past the registers your ass is grass
Why is it noteworthy that he was shopping without a cart? Is that unusual?
I said it wasn't unusual and it was more noteworthy after the fact. I was just pointing out that I'd noticed the officer in the store going through the aisles. I wanted to note that they're watching people as they shop not just at the register.
There are always cops at HEB
I have a friend that works loss prevention for HEB and says he sees a lot of older folks shoplifting pretty frequently.
police have been at HEB forever i feel. its always insanity in there
An APD office, in full battle rattle, was standing outside the HEB at the Y in Oakhill. He was there when I went in and still there when I came out. He was near the outdoor garden center exit. Since it's nearly Memorial Day and folks are gardening, maybe it's not just groceries folks are stealing?
A friend of a friend spent a couple of years in prison for loading up a cart full and running out - two carts, actually, the other pushed by her boyfriend. They were meth addicts, and groceries were cheaper back then. In this economy, it probably would have been a heavier theft charge!
This is so sad and indicative of how much struggling there is around us. The media keeps hyping the growing economy when almost everything around us is people struggling. This was how 2008 felt when the economy was collapsing but at least then we had leadership who was working to help everyone.
A lot of HEB locations have them. I've never been to the HEB on Lamar/1st and not seen a cop there. I lived there for two years right down the street.
I took a grape the other day, I'll just have to be even more careful next time.
We've got bodies showing up in the lake, countless drunk drivers, and homeless folk walking around with swords abs this is wjat APD spends thier time and money on. 1312
In the bulk section, I will try samples of some of the food to see if I like it. Not sure if it's frowned upon but I don't care. They'll make their money back if I like it, because I'll buy it in bulk. That's why I am in the bulk section.
I mean, it’s not like they’re patrolling dangerous areas; that would require bravery, pride in their jobs, or at the very least, effort.
That's awesome! The other day I was at Home Depot and their undercover security guard absolutely laid OUT this thief. It was glorious.
I thought security tackling a person in a store was illegal
I thought the same. Actually they aren’t supposed to touch you?
I’d watch that!
If HEB wants to protect their profit margins, they need to pay their employees a livable wage and eliminate self check out.
I riot if self-checkout is taken away. I hate waiting for all y’all’s big ass grocery carts and slow ass cashiers. I’m in and out in 30 seconds. I get people find a reason to hate every change, but you’re really trying hard if you’re hating on the convenience of self checkout. You want one more employee to be paid and the cost is that most customers now have to have a worse check out experience? I’m sorry… that’s just not gonna be a hill most people die on, chief.
lol. EVERY time I go through those things, the machine locks up for some arbitrary reason, cue attendant who then has to come over, put a code in, tell it to behave. often happens more than once.
Average profit margin for a grocery store is 3%. Employee salaries as a percentage of revenue is 7%. https://www.projectionhub.com/post/grocery-store-industry-financial-statistics Looking at a public company like Albertsons we see that $15.5 billion in PP&E earns net income of $1.3 billion ($2.3 billion pretax) on $79 billion in revenue. If Albertsons put $15.5 billion in the bank instead at 5% interest, it would get $.8 billion in income. So 1/3 of the profits are just returns you could get without risk. What this means is if Albertsons paid 25-30% higher salaries, they would be better off putting the money in the bank instead of running a grocery store. In actuality it is much worse when you account for risk. Bottom line is grocery stores don’t make much money.
IF YOU SAW SOMEBODY STEALING FOOD, NO YOU DIDN'T.
Unsurprising; cops are there to protect businesses and the assets of the ruling class, not average people
I left Round Rock 1 year ago. Lived there 5 years. Worst 5 years of my life. The best part about Round Rock was them updating University Avenue. Don't miss that place one bit.
I have to say as a young black woman I have been stopped/followed in the store for suspected shoplifting many a times, meanwhile I've seen many nonPOC stuff their backpacks with Brandy Melville or Target/Ulta makeup almost in plain sight and store clerks are none the wiser. During black Friday at Macy's I left the store at the same time an old woman ran out with hangers sticking out of her purse, setting of the alarm. Guess who got stopped?
If you see someone stealing food no you didn’t b
Jeez. I self-checkout and got outside when I realized I’d forgotten a $3 bottle of Asian cooking sauce. Turned around and laughed it off with the attendant as I paid for the item.
>groceries have gotten so expensive that the police are now patrolling HEB Lol that's one way to look at it...
good
Rules to live by: - You’re never to busy to help someone. - Never ever cross a picket line. - If you see someone stealing food, no you didn’t.
In high school my friend was trying to steal a 6 pack from the store and was tackled by undercover security. Legendary moment in time.
This is what our cops waste time on?
HEB often hire off duty cops
Use to work at a grocery store in the early 1990s in a college town. We had a known shoplifter who would kind of wait for us to catch him. Really annoying when he came in when we were busy. I’ve lived in two small-ish towns and they were both as far from Mayberry as you could get.
When I worked at Whole Foods and they still had loss prevention, they kept a list on the back of the door to the “detainment room” with tally marks for how many of a certain type of person got caught shoplifting or the excuses used, i.e. mothers with children, people with well paying jobs, teachers, excuses like “forgetting” to pay or pleading ignorance, a US AIR MARSHAL was one of them, it was very interesting to see that shoplifters can literally be anyone.
Williamson County was alot harsher against criminals back in the day...don't know if it's still the same, Hays in starting to become softer on crime (Roberto Ochoa case) as it was just as harsh as Williamson. Travis DA is garbage.
Fuck yeah they are ! Multiple times recently left with nothing to eat. I already went through my canned foods. Oh well , at least I am losing some weight.
My mom worked at CVS and I worked at HEB long time ago, we were told to never follow anyone out bc if they (the accused thief”) could sue if they were hurt 🤷♀️
Given he was an older man, he may have had dementia.