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Some Walmart employees say customers are getting hostile at self-checkout — and they blame anti-theft tech (www.businessinsider.com)
submitted 3 years ago by [M, B] to c/technology@lemmy.world
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Some Walmart employees say customers are getting hostile at self-checkout — and they blame anti-theft tech::When Walmart's anti-theft self-checkout tech alerts an employee of a missed scan, it can cause some uncomfortable situations.

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[–] 123 points 3 years ago (30 children)

Remember everyone. If you see someone shoplifting from Walmart, no you didn't.

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  • [+] -19 points 3 years ago (5 children)

    I feel like it depends. Stealing is morally wrong no matter what. But I'd probably act as if I saw nothing if someone just stole a sandwich or similar. I'm not sure I'll act the same if I see a teenage girl of a family that is obviously very well off steal things like makeup (that one literally bragged about it in front of her parents during a dinner where I was invited).

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  • [–] 22 points 3 years ago* (last edited 3 years ago) (1 child)

    In our society people are acknowledged as human beings through consumption, and that need is hammered onto our heads by ads and beauty norms everywhere.

    Belonging is a human need. Sometimes some cheap makeup is all it takes.

    But also, the rich people are stealing from us in so much worse ways. A rich teen stealing from a rich corporation is kind of karmaeic, and really, even if she was caught, nothing significant would happen, whilst a poor girl doing the same would suffer a lot more.

    Ergo, if you see something, no you didn't.

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  • [–] 14 points 3 years ago

    I don’t know that stealing is morally wrong no matter what. My rabbi taught that if a man steals to survive, the crime is not his, but of his community because they did not save him from poverty. That teaching really stuck with me. Yes, stealing indicates something is seriously wrong in the world, but there’s a big difference in where the evil lies— is it in the thief, or in the society?

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  • [+] -20 points 3 years ago* (last edited 3 years ago) (19 children)

    As long as it's just "shoplifting". Where I'm at, people will come in on a bike with a trash bag, load it up, roll out, and go to the next town over and sell the stuff on the street in the ghetto.

    Since you kids are so sheltered you don't believe anything like this happens, here it is on video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=f8JLIWxxya4

    Also https://www.ktvu.com/news/where-is-sfs-boosted-merchandise-being-fenced-police-say-check-your-local-flea-market

    Tell your moms I said hi, suburb kids

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  • [–] 21 points 3 years ago (2 children)

    That's quite a story.

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  • [–] 0 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    It's pretty common here. A lot of stores have been hiring private security, but if the security intervenes then the thief can sue them.

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  • [–] 20 points 3 years ago

    I used to be in security. I couldn't imagine getting paid a little over minimum wage and giving a shit about theft. The only ones that would were people who took it too goddamn seriously and we called them "tac heads" because they purchased all this tactical gear like the maglights like a fucking billy club and were looking for an excuse to throw down.

    Matter of fact that describes some cops too. Damn is there a serious problem with how we staff enforcement jobs.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 years ago (6 children)

    What would even be wrong with someone doing that? 🤔

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  • [–] -3 points 3 years ago (5 children)

    • makes the shopping experience shittier for the rest of us (locked merchandise)

    • the syndicates fencing these goods use the money to support actual harmful crimes

    • the people doing the thieving often get violent themselves

    • raises prices and causes store closures

    • people don't want to work in shitty stores, so the workers they have do the bare minimum (again, worse shopping experience for the rest of us)

    The bazaars where people sell the stolen goods also cause lots of problems.

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  • [–] 0 points 3 years ago (4 children)

    NGL I genuinely prefer the bazaars and street markets over the big box stores.

    I take your point with the thieves getting violent. The others, ehh. The big box stores really ought not to be there in the first place and be replaced with little specialized mom and pop joints owned by locals the way life used to be.

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  • [–] 0 points 3 years ago (3 children)

    Okay so then we have mom and pops, who can't absorb the loss, getting their shit stolen. Don't see how that helps.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 years ago (2 children)

    Then we could have this talk. Then we could debate the morality of it.

    Until that time, stealing from Walmart will always be the ethical thing to do.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 years ago (3 children)

    Just curious, do you get anything if you tell on them?

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  • [–] -4 points 3 years ago (2 children)

    Tell what? All of it's happening out in the open, the cops just refuse to do anything about it. It's not like if you tell a cop they'll be like "oh shit I had no idea, let me go run over there and do my job for once, thank you citizen!"

    To be fair to cops, they're understaffed and they don't want to do their jobs for fear of activists suing them. But all of those suits are paid for with tax dollars, so idk why they care, just do your job and if they sue you, they sue you.

    I think it boils down to laziness but with the excuse of being sued.

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  • [–] 3 points 3 years ago* (1 child)

    Tell what?

    Tell on people who are shoplifting.

    All of it’s happening out in the open

    Then what did you mean by:

    As long as it’s just “shoplifting”

    To me, it seems like you were saying that if you saw people "on a bike with a trash bag, load it up, roll out" then you would snitch, since this comment chain is about not telling on people who are stealing from corporations.

    Please correct me if I'm wrong.

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