Not The Onion

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[–] bklyn@piefed.social 87 points 10 months ago

Santa Hood and his band of Merry Elves

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[–] TribblesBestFriend@startrek.website 48 points 10 months ago

God this story is getting better and better

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[–] Rhaedas@fedia.io 17 points 10 months ago (2 children)

I thought it was called "Christmas of elves", not swarm.

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[–] Valmond@lemmy.world 10 points 10 months ago (1 child)

Depends how they are deployed.

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[–] TachyonTele@piefed.social 6 points 10 months ago

The elves are drones, run by fiber cables

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[–] Triumph@fedia.io 81 points 10 months ago (5 children)

"Retail crime resulted in losses of $9.2 billion in Canada in 2024."

I wonder how that compares to wage theft for the same period.

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[–] foggy@lemmy.world 12 points 10 months ago* (4 children)

In 2017 Ontario found ~60M in wage theft.

With this we can deduce that it's about 2 billion in wage theft in canada in 2017.

So not quite total offset but significant enough that this is gonna have to fall under the cost of doing business.

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[–] lemmyng@piefed.ca 30 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Found wage theft. That is, of the number of incidents reported, which ones were ruled to be theft. But there's the undocumented part of wage theft.

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[–] bitjunkie@lemmy.world 9 points 10 months ago*

On top of that, there are "legitimate" cases that should be considered wage theft, i.e. extraction of value from the worker. The tally on that is essentially the entire world economy.

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[–] IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago

most wage thefts are not even reported. boss makes you come in early? stay late? have lunch at your desk? answer emails and calls outside of work? those are still wage theft even if they never touch your pay check.

and if I were to put my Marx hat, then all for profit business is wage theft (although I get it is not legally so, but who made that fucking law?)

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[–] pirate2377@lemmy.zip 1 point 10 months ago*

How is that measured exactly? If wage theft is able to be measured, then shouldn't the corporations be punished for it? Last year, Amazon stole from me by claiming I didn't work on days that I know for a fact I clocked in and out for, fired me over it, and then denied my appeal without reviewing any footage. I know that example is purely on experience rather than objective fact, but that's how I imagine most wage theft happens. Therefore, if it's able to be measured out reliably, then why isn't anything done towards them? Isn't wage theft highly illegal?? Or am I just ignorant???

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[+] _cryptagion@anarchist.nexus 122 points 10 months ago (17 children)

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[–] Susaga@sh.itjust.works 58 points 10 months ago (3 children)

That's the thing. They lost $9.2 billion, but they still turned a profit.

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[–] Neptr@lemmy.blahaj.zone 20 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

They factor the cost of theft into their item pricing.

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[–] Susaga@sh.itjust.works 31 points 10 months ago (1 child)

And yet, if theft stopped, prices wouldn't go back down.

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[–] Neptr@lemmy.blahaj.zone 17 points 10 months ago*

Naturally. By not stealing you are giving them free money.

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[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 29 points 10 months ago (1 child)

Wage theft fully eclipses burglary and other petty crimes

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[–] mic_check_one_two@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 10 months ago

It fully eclipses every other form of theft combined. Wage theft totals over 51% of all theft.

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[–] lath@lemmy.world 21 points 10 months ago (3 children)

Doubt they'd have these losses if they stopped throwing away the food and instead gave it to people in need.

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[–] TachyonTele@piefed.social -2 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Most grocery store do donate food

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[–] lath@lemmy.world 1 point 10 months ago* (1 child)

Eh, I'd rather say some of them do. Few honestly, the rest only as a scheme to increase profits.

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[–] TachyonTele@piefed.social 5 points 10 months ago

It was general statement. I didn't have my list of locations handy. Sorry.

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[–] Catoblepas@piefed.blahaj.zone 11 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Major retail theft is almost always done by employees, anyway. Very intellectually lazy reporting to just drop that factoid (produced by retail stores, not independent studies) without that context.

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[–] rozodru@pie.andmc.ca 6 points 10 months ago

been this way for decades or since like ever. I remember working at Best Buy in the early 00s and the primary shrink factor was internal theft not shoplifting. Hell the LP guy that stood in the front of the store with the yellow shirt spent more time watching employees than actual customers.

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[–] atzanteol@sh.itjust.works 1 point 10 months ago

Like theft from employees "doesn't count" or something?

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[–] IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world 8 points 10 months ago (2 children)

If wage theft totals to a greater number (I read than in the US it is the biggest form of theft, not canada, but dont have data for canada), then it is not the poor who are stealing food, it is the rich who stole and the poor are starving

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[–] mic_check_one_two@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 10 months ago (1 child)

In the US, wage theft is larger than every other form of theft combined. It’s literally over 51% of all theft. But it’s typically considered a civil issue, not criminal. So cops won’t help, and individual employees need to sue to get anything. And when those employees are being stolen from, they can’t afford a lawyer to sue.

And the current administration has systematically defunded, delegitimized, and dismantled organizations like the National Labor Relations Board, the Department of Labor, etc which actually had the teeth to fight for workers.

When people talk about white collar crime not being prosecuted, this is the kind of shit they’re talking about. You walk into a gas station and blatantly steal a $2 candy bar every day. By the end of the week, they’ll have a cop waiting for you to show up… But that same gas station chain steals $2 from every single employee every single day, by requiring them to show up 15 minutes before their clock-in time, netting them hundreds of thousands of dollars in stolen wages every year? That’s a civil issue, and the employees need to take it up with the gas station’s corporate lawyers… Who will drag a court case out until the employees are all broke and have to drop the case.

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[–] IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

some heads need to roll. it isn't a democracy if laws like theft only apply in one direction. steal a penny from the rich and they'll ruin your life. steal a fortune from people who make you your fortune? that's just smart business. and not a crime.

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[–] TribblesBestFriend@startrek.website 7 points 10 months ago

You know you’re right, we could do better ! That’s rookies number

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[+] the_q@lemmy.zip 45 points 10 months ago (9 children)

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[–] IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world -5 points 10 months ago (8 children)

I wouldn't call it direct action or praxis. I doubt it was done for some political message or to help people, they are likely poor and hungry... although if they stole so much food to share, then I would count it as direct action.

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[–] Krauerking@lemy.lol 8 points 10 months ago* (7 children)

Way to brag about not reading the article.

The food was donated to food shelters all over the city and placed under a public christmas tree.
You just jumped to them doing it for themselves.

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[–] IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world 5 points 10 months ago (6 children)

I'll admit I didn't do my due diligence, was late and was tired, appreciate you correcting me.

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[–] Krauerking@lemy.lol 3 points 10 months ago (5 children)

Hey, no worries, just dont want us to immediately expect the worst of others and I prefer to push back against it. Trying to give them their credit for doing something.

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[–] IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world 6 points 10 months ago (4 children)

activism like that is unheard of in this side of the pond, I'm also happy about this

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[–] Krauerking@lemy.lol 3 points 10 months ago (3 children)

Its certainly rare anywhere or else we wouldn't still be talking about robin hood much.
Its real neat they tried it though.

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[–] IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago (2 children)

try?

didn't they succeed

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[–] Krauerking@lemy.lol 3 points 10 months ago (1 child)

Nothing is ever over. Even if they hadn't succeeded this is pretty incredible thing to even try to do.

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[–] IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago

it just so heartwarming to see people put themselves at risk to help strangers in need.

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[–] IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world 44 points 10 months ago (1 child)

BTW, if you see anyone stealing food, you saw nothing.

[–] BeardededSquidward@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 10 months ago

Sorry, I had an onset of sudden blindness. I didn't see anything.

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[+] iThinkDifferentThanU@lemmy.world 31 points 10 months ago (1 child)

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[–] IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world 8 points 10 months ago

If there are hungry people in a state, while there are people with more resources than they can spend in a lifetime, it is the state that stole (or allowed the rich to steal) the food from the poor.

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[–] Allero@lemmy.today 28 points 10 months ago (3 children)

"No matter the reason, it is unacceptable and a criminal act,” Metro spokesperson Geneviève Grégoire told CBC News in a statement. ”Retail crime resulted in losses of $9.2 billion in Canada in 2024. Many factors influence food inflation, including disruptions in the global supply chain, volatility in commodity prices, changes in international trade conditions, and retail crime.”

Let me play the world's smallest violin

[–] kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world 4 points 10 months ago

Take it up with the Employers under paying, the Landlords over charging, and the Goverment Officials that prioritize anyone but the poor. They got my money. Ask them for yours.

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[–] Fogle@lemmy.ca 4 points 10 months ago

I wonder how much wage theft losses are

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[–] puppinstuff@lemmy.ca 2 points 10 months ago

Metro would have done better to claim it was their idea.

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[–] philophilsaurus@sh.itjust.works 24 points 10 months ago

Hell yea, new Christmas lore!

[–] rozodru@pie.andmc.ca 20 points 10 months ago

"stole" from a Metro. Good. in Canada all of THREE companies own ALL the grocery chains in the country. Metro being one of them. So I totally support this.

Also if you ever see someone stealing food from a Canadian owned grocery store, no you didn't. and if you ever report ANYONE for stealing from a Metro or Loblaws or Sobeys or ANY of their subsidiaries then you're a piece of shit.

[–] Formfiller@lemmy.world 16 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Stealing food….yeah I hope they get away with it in this evil dystopia

[–] BeardededSquidward@lemmy.blahaj.zone 8 points 10 months ago (1 child)

I didn't see nothing.

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[–] kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

Damn, Santa has so many Elf mouths to feed. And don't act like we don't owe him one. Didn't see a damn thing.

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[+] sleen@lemmy.zip 12 points 10 months ago (1 child)

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[–] Allero@lemmy.today 6 points 10 months ago

Subtract it from cashiers and guards' salary. At least how it's done where I live.

These mf's will do anything to keep their profits

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[–] 01189998819991197253@infosec.pub 10 points 10 months ago

Laurie: you were there, what did you see?

Me: sorry, mate. I didn't see anything. Must've happened while I was over by the bread.

[–] Wilco@lemmy.zip 9 points 10 months ago

The heroes this world needs.

[–] aramis87@fedia.io 16 points 10 months ago (2 children)

So ... Half a dozen eggs?

[–] dubyakay@lemmy.ca 5 points 10 months ago (1 child)

This is Montréal. No egg shortage here

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[–] some_kind_of_guy@lemmy.world 4 points 10 months ago

So you're saying there's un œuf?

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[–] bitjunkie@lemmy.world 11 points 10 months ago

[–] quick_snail@feddit.nl 7 points 10 months ago

Title is misleading. It's not theft. It's direct action.

[–] Honse@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 10 months ago

Why can't this shit become a social media trend? Imagine countless youths getting together and doing this nationwide. Alas

[–] jaschen306@sh.itjust.works 2 points 10 months ago (1 child)

When I lived in America, My local grocery stores have those push button security gates that block people from stealing food. It's a one sided gate and people coming in has a button to open the gate.

I saw a female with a baby in a cart at the gate, waiting for someone to open it. I'm glad to be the person that let the mom through.

[–] Warl0k3@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

Huh, I thought those were largely a commonwealth thing - like the cart returns where you have to give them a coin before they'll unlock themselves. I've never seen one in the US, though there are a few one-way gates at stores near me (they don't appear to do anything though, just prevent you from going out the wrong door - I think they're just there as traffic management, they're not active)

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[–] otter@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 point 10 months ago

FYI, "stealing food" is an oxymoron. ✊🏼

[–] Korhaka@sopuli.xyz -1 points 10 months ago

I got 8kg or so of food today for £0.20, I don't even know how I could steal £3k worth. Loving the food discounts here before Christmas.