Tell HN: Ideas from a developing country to curb shoplifting in Bay Area

13 points by techsin101 ↗ HN
I've been watching lot of videos of shoplifting in California, and I do think it's due to recent laws, but it's more of a case of good intentions and bad outcomes. However, similarly where I lived before the laws didn't matter because when you called police they came an hour late if ever, and if they did come they'd find something wrong with your business and leave only if you paid bribe. So you were better off NOT calling cops. Unless they were already happen to be passing through and saw robbery in action.

But over time norms had developed that prevented robberies....

1. Don't have aisle system. A typical shop would have cashiers standing and when you reached to cashier, you'd tell them what you want and guys in back would start to pack your order. Then meanwhile you are screaming items you want, or asking to see alternatives, cashier would handle other customers behind you. Once your order is ready, the back guy would bring it to cashier who would call out your name and you can come to front. (Don't be shy or care about personal space, probably be improved with apps/internet)... no shop lifting if there is nothing to lift and you can't enter a shop.

2. When there is lawlessness and incentive then criminals consolidate into gangs, and then gangs into the gang. Simply pay the biggest gang in your area. Once you are a paying member of their territory, none of their members will ever hurt you and other gangs will not dare hurt their customers. This "protection" feel is not always optional. You either pay or incidents keep happening. But once you pay, they stop.

3. Retailers that sell expensive stuff consolidate into areas, which they all pay to make security top notch. Imagine jewelry stores with diamonds and gold, all decide to be located next to each other in a single street. This whole street has probably 50 armed guards, cameras, road blockers, and no one passing through who doesn't work there or trying to buy something. Amazing display of weird relationship, where you are competing with all of your neighbors but also benefiting from their existence. Or even if not armed, if someone shouts thieves, all merchants come out to beat the thief. Thief doesn't shoot because too many people to matter and will probably be killed brutally, vs just getting beat up and handed over to cops. (laws need to allow this, not like walgreens getting sued because their security guard tried to stop a shoplifter...)

Or don't pass stupid laws

11 comments

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"but it's more of a case of good intentions and bad outcomes"

If you say you have good intentions but all of your actions have bad outcomes then I start to doubt the goodness of your intentions

4. In El Salvador groceries have a small outside window from metal bars, you order through it (you are supposed to know what you need though)
What are these stupid laws to which you refer?
1) No prosecution of property crimes by CA DA.

2) Theft of less than $950 is not a felony but misdemeanour.

1.

- aisle system encourages spur of the moment purchases (reducing revenue).

- The US stores have so many different brand and pricing choices. Personally, I prefer to shop where I can see the ingredients, prices, and choices, especially if I am purchasing something I do not usually purchase (and thus know what to ask for).

2.

- I might be wrong, but I don't think its gangs raiding the stores, but homeless drug addicts. Not sure if you can just cut a check to a gang and have all of the addicts stop selling (unless maybe you pay off the dealers and the dealers could control the addicts?).

3.

- The stores have been paying for security within their stores, but its still insanely expensive and humans aren't perfect.

I wonder if Amazon's Go stores where you have to scan a QR code for payment is better system than above. I guess that those stores exclude travelers, people that can't afford smart phones, or don't want to create an account.

2. It’s both. There is minor theft from drug addicted and mentally ill folks, and organized groups stealing high value items to sell elsewhere. The second group is the larger issue, and committing the more impactful thefts(clearing shelves in Walgreens).

The recent example of the woman charged with 100+ counts of stealing from target, and of the looters charged with robbing Louis Vuitton, it’s notable one is being charged fora robbery at Walgreens.

The goal of lawlessness by Democrat/Marxists/MSM is to destroy the existing power structure and society, and build a new system with them permanently at the top.

Democrat/Marxists hate the US constitution, hate the US legal system, and are working to seize control of the US Supreme Court.

Until then, politicians hire their own security details. You should do that too.

"Progressives disregard US legal system amid Rittenhouse verdict: WSJ editor"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2watcv61hwM

Things that countries with European culture and super majorities never have to deal with. Imagine showing this to someone from 100 years ago. We've already lost so so much, maybe forever, and there will still be people calling for further deracination and demographic replacement.

Call me racist but you can't tell me it's not true.

None of the things you mentioned make sense in the US.

Selling behind bars doesn’t solve any problems for CVS, Walgreens, etc. These are big stores with a lot of walking surface that benefit mostly from uninterrupted traffic of people.

Paying gangs? Dude, these are not gang-level crimes. The people who loot stores are uneducated poor people with a low sense of morality. But what you’re suggesting is absurd simply because paying criminal organizations for protection is a crime itself.

The last point does make sense though. But again, this completely ignores how retail commerce and urban distribution works in the US.

These are all ideas that only work in corrupt, lawless and economically challenged settings.

Things that countries with European culture and super majorities never have to deal with. Imagine showing this to someone from 100 years ago. We've already lost so so much, maybe forever, and there will still be people calling for further deracination and demographic replacement.

Call me racist but you can't tell me it's not true.

Congratulations on the multiculturalism, now the great US empire is taking advice from third world hellholes on trying desperately to keep shit together.

Suck a black one dang, you know it's true. Hahahaha