I’m a store manager for a 5 billion dollar company, and I don’t want you to steal, I want you to understand why you’re stealing.

Hey y’all, I’m a manager for one of the largest companies in the world. I’m not here to shame you or to make you feel bad. I’m here to talk to you . I’m only hoping to make some of you think about WHY you’re shoplifting. <br><br>I’m a theft prevention manager and it’s my job to catch people who are stealing. I’m really good at it. But I’ve noticed lately that a lot of the people I catch are everyday people. Like you guys. Most of y’all seem to be using reddit on your phones after work, before bed or during lunch so I’m assuming you have a job. You also seem to be mainly under 30, which is great for your futures. <br><br>I’ve caught people in their 30s with their kids stealing candy. I’ve caught kids from wealthy families with 90,000 dollar trucks stealing water. I caught a cops wife the other day and I actually got cops called on me when she tried to play the cop card. <br><br>I get it, shoplifting is fun, and it seems like an easy way to get something for nothing. But when you get caught, you’re in trouble. It doesn’t matter how much you took. If I catch you, you’re going to the police. If I give you a no trespass order; and you come back, you could go to jail front he trespass alone. If you have a good career, or you want to be a teacher, a nurse, lawyer, doctor, EMT, police officer, anything like that, they’re gonna do a background check. Guess what they’ll find? Guess what you are? You are a shoplifter. <br><br>A lot of you talk about shoplifting due to poverty, but that’s just a small minority. Some of you don’t have kids, but most of you that I read seem to. Some of you treat this like a second job, I’ve seen it suggested that you shoplift full time. That’s stupid as pathetically sad, but okay. <br><br>Some of you aren’t just shoplifting food or essentials for yourself, families or kids. Many of you are stealing expensive things, expensive food, snacks, and random items. Some of you even trade these items for drugs. <br><br>Ok, so I want to talk about a few things now. I think it’s obvious to anyone who reads this that I don’t give a shit if you steal from my company due to low funds. I think it’s bullshit that we don’t pay our employees a living wage, I’m a manager and they pay me a good salary. But I wish they were able to pay our employees more. We don’t give them much of a raise, so even if they work for us for 10 years, they will never make enough to be able to afford a house, or to be able to afford health insurance. We don’t treat our employees well, but we give our customers excellent service. It’s fucking stupid, in my opinion. But whatever.<br><br>I’ve seen some of you say that medicine should be free. I agree. Our healthcare should be free, especially if you’re working 12 hour shifts a day, 40 hours a week. I don’t think that you should need to work back breaking shifts for 4o hours/week to barely be able to feed yourself, but hey, that’s another story. <br><br>If I caught you, it makes me sad. Yes, I want to protect my company’s merchandise, and I’m good at my job. But when I catch someone who seems like a single parent, or a .college student, or even some guy who works 40 hours a week and still can’t make ends meet, I want to help. I get it, but I don’t want you to fuck up your life. I want you to be able to make a better life for yourself. If you get arrested and go to jail, your life will be messed up forever. You’ll never be able to get a good job working for a reputable company. People won’t trust you. If you have kids, it will probably fuck with them mentally, especially if they have to stay with someone else or their friends while you’re locked up. <br><br>When I was younger, I went to jail for 12 hours when I was drunk at a concert, which in hindsight was very stupid. But, i get it, we’ve all been there. Still, it sucked. If you’re still in school and you’re arrested, your school might boot you. I see some of you saying that you are shoplifting to pay tuition. I get it, but Tuition is expensive as fuck, but come on, kids. <br><br>I guess I don’t really have a big point to make except that some of y’all need to slow your rolls. If you want to steal because you don’t think you have any other option, think again. There’s always an option. You might have to do something you don’t want to do, but if you haven’t thought .about asking your company to give you a raise, ask them. They might not give one to you, but at least you tried. If you think you don’t make enough, tell your boss people have told me I’m wrong for paying my employees a living wage, but honestly, I don’t think they would work hard for me if they were poor. Also, I don’t think anyone should be paid minimum wage for their work. <br><br>My point is, I see so many people on this subreddit who are smart and capable and talented, but you don’t believe in yourself. You don’t believe that you can make a better life for yourself. I want you to stop and think about why you’re shoplifting. I want you to think about your motivations. I want you to think about your future. I want you to think about your kids. Yes, things are hard. Food is expensive, the economy is messed up, jobs aren’t good, it’s hard to get a house, rent prices are way too fucking high, student loans are outrageous, rent is expensive, kids are expensive, cars are expensive. But it’s not an excuse to fuck up your life. You probably don’t make enough to be able to save a lot, but you can work your ass off and go into student loan debt and come out with a good job. It’s not fun, but it’s better than jail. <br><br>I want you to all think about your .future. I want you to think about who you are. If you can’t afford groceries, apply for food stamps. If you need a better job, list your skills on your resume. If you want a different career, go back to school. It .sucks, but .sometimes it’s necessary. <br><br>I’m so tired of catching kids with good futures ahead of them. I’m tired of catching established adults with good jobs and families, who have no reason to steal except for the thrill. <br><br>I’ve met a few of you before, and I think you have so much potential. You’re smart and cute and come in to work everyday, but you .still think you need to steal? Why?<br><br>I’m just over people fucking up their lives. I .don’t want you all to feel bad, I just want you to evaluate your lives. I want you to do something if you think you don’t make enough money. Work harder. Get a better job. I’m not saying it’s fair, or that it’s .right, but if you want something different, you need to go out there and get it. You should be able to give yourselves and your kids a better life. <br><br>If I catch you, I will have .you charged with shoplifting. I will have you arrested. But I would rather you evaluate your life and why you’re doing what you’re doing. <br><br>If you’re stealing for due to lack of .funds, I get it, but don’t get caught. Work a second job. Get a different job. Do whatever you need to do to be able to afford .your kids and yourself, but don’t risk everything. <br><br>Good luck, y’all. I want the best for you. I want you to think about your choices, and I want you to succeed. <br><br>Edit: Hey y’all, I get that some of you think I’m just a corporate person or that I’m trying to make you feel bad. But I’m not. I’m not some college dropout who got a job as a manager. I struggled when I was younger. This is the only job I’ve ever had; I was a cashier when I was 16. I started working when I was 15, and I worked 30 hours a week while going to school full time. I had to choose .between school and work, so I decided to work. Things turned out well for me. I was .promoted to a manager when I was 20, and I’m 35 now. I’ve know a lot of you forever, and it .sucks. Some of you were my employees, some of you were my coworkers, and some of you have been customers for years. I’ve watched you grow. I’m only asking you to think. This is due to my experiences catching people lately. It seems like so many more people have been treating shoplifting like a second job. You’re pretty .much fucking your own lives if you get caught. Yes, it sucks that companies don’t pay as well as we should, but idk what to tell you. Just don’t fuck your lives up. Some of you seem like .such good people, but you’re .messing up your own lives. I’ve caught so many of you lately and I just want you to stop. I don’t want to catch you. I don’t