Police departments are furious at Walmart for a policy that has made it a dangerous place to shop

[KamaAina]

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/police-departments-furious-walmart-policy-152300931.html

Walmart locations have been host to crimes from shoplifting to stabbing, manslaughter, and attempting kidnapping in 2016, report Shannon Pettypiece and David Voreacos at Bloomberg.

From housing meth labs to shootings, police stations across the country told Bloomberg that Walmart locations have become a hotbed for crime.

"It’s ridiculous — we are talking about the biggest retailer in the world," Tulsa police sergeant, Robert Rohloff, told Bloomberg, saying that the retailer forces taxpayers to pay for the police to do work that Walmart should be paying security to do.

Worse, Bloomberg argues that the crime is a result of corporate policies. Cost-cutting policies that started in the early 2000s resulted in a drop in store quality, while the loss of greeters and the rise of self-checkout scanners made shoplifting and other illegal activities easier to engage in without employees noticing.

Always the low standards. Always.

[gratuitous]

1. Wal-Mart: Why pay for something when the taxpayers can?

Crap wages? No sense paying people more; the taxpayers will eke out our employees' income with food stamps.

Store security? We're so profitable we can tolerate a little (okay, a lot) of shrinkage. Why pay for security when we can just call the cops? The cops have to respond when we call, right?

Every corner cut, every dollar saved on things other retailers pay for, means more profit for the Walton family. And because they're not wealthy enough, your tax dollars are used to make sure they get as much money as possible. If you have a choice (and I know a lot of people don't thanks to Wal-Mart's rapacious corporate policies), please consider shopping somewhere else whenever possible. In a consumer society, your dollar is your vote, and every dollar spent at Wal-Mart is a vote in favor of their greed.

[salin]

5. Corporate socialism. Socialize (tax payer) the cost, privatize the resulting additional profits.

[Kingofalldems]

2. Let's see if the Walmart supporters can come up with something

to debunk this.

[Stuart G]

3. Thanks for posting...great find...k and r. nt

[LeftyMom]

4. They also allow RV parking overnight in most of their parking lots.

You can fucking imagine the high quality people that attracts.

[gladium et scutum]

8. A lot of people like me

retire, no great responsibilities, about 80 grand tied up in trailer and vehicle. Spent 8 weeks touring the National Parks of our country. Nice to stop at a Walmart parking lot for an evening while traveling from park to park. At the parks, I would spend several days at the regular camp ground. Have seen many RV worth over 100k parked for the night in a Walmart parking lot. These are not the Jodes leaving Oklahoma. You may want to actually go look for yourself someday.

[LeftyMom]

13. Good for you. You don't cancel out all the meth toothed child molesters.

The WalMart parking lot should be nuked from orbit.

[xmas74]

23. My parents have done it

When they arrived at a destination too late to check in or were tired and needed to nap.

They usually stay in state parks and those close by sundown.

[brush]

6. Are they still locking in nightshift workers overnight so they can't "shoplift"?

Fire in the store, who cares?

I heard that several years ago, along with Walmart limiting hours to just under the full time threshold so they don't have to pay benefits which also allows workers to qualify for food stamps which means that we, the taxpayers, subsidizes the most profitable and largest company's payroll without sharing in the profits they make from not paying their workers a living wage.

[X_Digger]

7. You mean do they lock the doors while the store is closed? Damned near all stores do that.

Anyone who's ever worked retail has been 'locked in' if they've been in the store before or after the store is closed. You make that sound like a non-routine occurrence.

[brush]

9. Overnight and they can't get out if there is a fire is routine?

Locked to customers, I get that, but no emergency exit for employees?

You're joking, right?

[X_Digger]

10. If your shift is overnight, stocking, yeah, the front door is locked.

Of course in case of a fire, there are actual, you know, fire doors. Great big red bars across them saying, "an alarm will sound..".

What, you thought fire regs didn't apply to wal-mart?

[brush]

11. Do you work at Walmart?

[X_Digger]

12. No, but apparently unlike you, I've worked retail.

I've worked stock shifts, I've worked inventories at night, I've 'closed' after the front doors are locked, and 'opened' before the store opens. Goodness me, I'm locked in while we mop floors, restock shelves, and clean the grill! Oh noes! Terrible mistreatment!



I'd offer to buy you a clue, but obviously I can't afford wherever it is you shop.

[brush]

14. Okay, so you work an overnight shift

And consider the locking in overnight routine, but what about Walmart limiting hours to just under the full-time threshold so they don't have to pay benefits which also allows workers to qualify for food stamps which means that we, the taxpayers, subsidizes the most profitable and largest company's payroll without sharing in the profits they make from not paying their workers a living wage.

You wanna defend the rest of that too?

[X_Digger]

15. Thanks for admitting that the 'locked in' schtick was bullshit.

I have problems with a lot of employers for doing 35 hour work weeks. Wal-mart isn't the first, nor the worst of the lot. Since there are no penalties for doing so, I can't really blame a business for maximizing profits. Especially a publicly traded company who has shareholders expecting dividends. It sucks.

Now, how do you plan to change it? Boycotts? Then let's work down the list. All fast food, all home improvement, all large grocery stores, all chain office supply stores, damned near every store in the mall or large shopping center... and then there's internet giants like amazon..

Or is it just wal-mart that you think deserves scorn, because it's the cool thing to be mad about, while completely ignoring every other store that does the same thing?

[brush]

17. Good God, you sound like you're reading from a repug talking point script.

Why would you think I agree with any of those companies policies that exploit and under pay their workers?

I support those companies' workers in their unionization efforts.

Do you?

[X_Digger]

19. So when you're out of steam, throw insults? Typical.

I support unionization- I was picketing for the UMWA before I could walk, thanks.

[brush]

21. Oh, Im the one with the insults? Dude, read your own words below.

"I'd offer to buy you a clue, but obviously I can't afford wherever it is you shop."

"Or is it just wal-mart that you think deserves scorn, because it's the cool thing to be mad about, while completely ignoring every other store that does the same thing?"

Talk about dishing it out but not being able to take it.

You mad, bro?

Well, at least you support unionization.

[X_Digger]

24. I support reality, not some made-up poutrage scenario like 'oh noes, they're locked in!'

[Buckeye_Democrat]

16. I'll predict his reply.

It will be something like this:

Corporations exist to increase profits. I'm not sure what kind of fantasy world you live in, but big boys know that's how business operates. I'll be sure to keep the diapers well-stocked for you.

Then he'll add some words in Latin.

EDIT: Nope, but I wasn't too far off.

[brush]

20. Makes you wonder about some people

He/she has a pretty high post count here on this progressive site yet responds like a winger in so many ways.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

22. He brings up some good points sometimes, but his delivery isn't the best. n/t

[flvegan]

18. We did this in depth in Tampa recently.

Enjoy. And check the follow ups.

http://www.tampabay.com/projects/2016/public-safety/walmart-police/

[Ligyron]

25. 16,800 calls in one year!

I'm pretty sure one of our local Walmarts has a sheriffs sub-station in it.

[CrispyQ]

26. "Walmart: The High Cost of Low Price"

One of the best documentaries I've seen. It covers all aspects of this crappy company, from union busting to low wages to the horrid conditions of the factories in China, to how they threaten their vendors they'll dump them if they don't move their operations to China. I know some people don't have other shopping options & that's too bad, it's such a fucking shithole company.