I'm a former store manager for a large retail chain

I was a store manager for over 10 years for a large retail chain. I've been removed from that for about 2 years now. During my time I saw a lot of things. I caught a lot of people. I saw a lot of people get arrested. I've been spit on, threatened, etc. When I was a manager, I cared about catching shoplifters because I cared about my store. I cared more about the safety of my employees than anything, though. <br><br>I'm here partially for vindictive reasons because I hate the people who made my job more difficult. I hate the people who made me feel threatened or uncomfortable. I hate people who thought they were 'winning' by stealing. You're not winning. If you think you're 'sticking it to the man', you're wrong. The 'man' is just going to charge everyone else more. You're not Robin Hood. You're not doing anything special. You're a thief and that's it. <br><br>I'm also here for educational purposes because I want to help people. I want people to understand that shoplifting isn't something to be taken lightly. Your life can be absolutely ruined if you get caught and charged with felony shoplifting. It's not worth it. Honestly, if you're in a position where you feel like you have to steal, reach out to someone. You don't have to do it. There are resources out there. You can come to chambers and post about it. There are tons of resources and tons of people who have been in your shoes.<br><br>So, what do I know? I know a lot. I can take your questions and answer them to the best of my ability. This isn't my regular chambers account, and I'm not going to post anything about where I work or anything that could identify me. If you have questions or topics you'd like me to touch on, post them below and I'll do my best to answer as many as I can.<br><br>We'll start with some common misconceptions and general questions I get.<br><br> 1. Do stores care about shoplifting? Some do. Some don't. Some don't care if you steal, as long as you leave and don't bother anyone. Some places won't even bother calling the police for it. Some people care so much that they will do anything in their power to catch you. It depends on the store and the people who work there. <br><br> 2. How do stores detect shoplifting? This is a pretty broad question but I'll do my best to answer it. There are a lot of different ways that stores detect shoplifting. The most common way is through surveillance cameras and in person confrontation. We will look at the cameras or someone will notice something in person and then confront people who are stealing based on their behavior or on what they see. Sometimes, this means we will follow someone who is acting suspicious for a while and then we'll approach them and see how they react. Some places use AI technology. Some places have sensors above the doors. Some places have pressure pads to detect if an item is in a shopping cart that hasn't been paid for. The methods are endless. <br><br> 3. How do stores prevent shoplifting? There are a lot of ways that stores try to prevent shoplifting. Some places lock up high ticket items or items that can be easily resold. Some places use dummy displays. They'll put shells of something valuable on the shelf to make it look like they have something that they don't really have. They'll put GPS trackers in high ticket items. Some places use bags that can't be tampered with until they're scanned at checkout. Some places put GPS trackers in shopping carts. The whole "cart stays locked until you pay" thing isn't real. Sometimes, they'll put up pictures of convicted shoplifters. Some places will hire extra security guards. Some places will hire loss prevention. Some places will train their employees to approach people who they think are suspicious. It all depends on the store and what they're trying to protect. Honestly, a lot of places don't care that much. They factor in losses as a part of doing business. <br><br> 4. What makes a store suspicious? Behavior and appearance. If you're acting strange or look threatening, a store might be suspicious. Someone could watch you come in and just decide they don't like you because you look like a criminal. That's your fault. If you look like a criminal, you're going to be treated like a criminal. Don't go in with your shirt off, wearing sweatpants and flip flops and look around weird and expect people to want to help you. You just look like a piece of shit who is going to steal. If you go in with a cart and add 10-15 items to it immediately, people are going to be suspicious. If you don't make eye contact with employees and avoid them, people are going to be suspicious. You have to look like a normal customer if you expect to be treated like one.