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Wage theft remains a pervasive issue costing workers an estimated $50 billion annually (lemmy.world)
submitted 5 months ago by to c/latestagecapitalism@lemmy.world
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Wage Theft, The $50 Billion Crime Against Workers

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[–] 14 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (9 children)

Here is the thing, the people who are typically stealing formula, diapers, laundry detergent, razors, etc. aren’t stealing 1-2 packs for their own use.

Those items are stolen in bulk by more organized shoplifters who will hit half a dozen stores in a day and literally fill carts and then resell them because they are easy to move, relatively shelf stable, etc.

Morally, I am a bit conflicted. Fuck large corpos, but large corpos take large shrink (what theft, damaged goods, etc are called) budget overages out on the stores with less hours available for employees…

So yeah, fuck big box stores and if people are stealing food, look the other way. Organized theft? Idk, hurts the employees more than the big box store

Edit: Since people are doubting what I am saying, I’ve witnessed and experienced this first hand at retail stores.

Here are some additional sources.

https://abcnews.com/US/baby-formula-targeted-organized-retail-theft-rings/story?id=13293485

https://www.tampabay28.com/news/region-hillsborough/alleged-shoplifting-ring-faces-rico-charges-after-stealing-baby-formula-throughout-florida

A simple web search of “shoplifting ring baby formula” yields dozens of results.

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  • [–] 24 points 5 months ago (6 children)

    Idk, hurts the employees more than the big box store

    Wut, how are employees hurt in any way ?

    Should probably look at the corpos like Nestle's extortionate pricing of newborn supplies to the point that a black market emerges first. (And then whining about low birth rate)

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  • [–] 3 points 5 months ago (4 children)

    If the store budgets to lose 1% of their goods to shrink, and the store exceeds that budget, then corporate will make the budget up in other ways.

    When I worked retail, the largest budget item was labor. You can cut labor fairly easy to make up for shortfalls on other budgetary items, leaving a skeleton crew

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  • [–] 1 point 5 months ago (3 children)

    Then why are they ever running any more than a skeleton crew? For fun? You claim they could easily cut labor, but if it was that easy then they would've done it already. They're always looking to maximize profit.

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  • [–] 3 points 5 months ago

    Skeleton crews are overworked and burn out faster, leading to more turnover. They may save you money in the short term but they cost more money in the long term. They also open the door for more shoplifting, as an understaffed store is an easy mark. Lastly, they reduce sales because a poorly staffed store is a messy and understocked store. If things get bad enough, people stop shopping there outright. No one wants to shop in a place that feels dirty and unsafe.

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  • [–] 3 points 5 months ago (1 child)

    For a store to actually run well you need more than a skeleton crew.

    But it's definitely possible to scale down a couple days of the week and make your employee's lives hell.

    If you always run a skeleton crew, eventually the store starts to get unorganized and boxes of packed inventory begin piling up everywhere

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  • [–] 3 points 5 months ago (1 child)

    I'm sure you could also pull up stories of the "welfare queen" by searching those words, but that doesn't mean it's as widespread or as big of a problem as portrayed.

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  • [–] 1 point 5 months ago

    Ok. So what source is acceptable to you?

    I provided my experience, then was asked for evidence. I then provided evidence and that isn’t good enough.

    Please provide counter evidence before complaining that my evidence is not good enough. You are placing the burden entirely on me and that isn’t how fair and equitable debate should work.

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