Altimus Prime

I had heard about people slicing open DVD cases and shoplifting discs - not sure where - but I never saw it before until this week.

I was at WalMart, looking through a bin, when I came across a copy of The Mummy. I noticed that the shrink wrap was cut on the side, and the snap tabs were undone. That was when I started thinking something was up. And then I noticed the case felt a bit ... light.

I took it to the electronics register and told a clerk. She took a peek inside and, yup, the disc was gone. Unbelievable. I can't believe someone had the balls to do that.

Although, it was a pan&scan copy. So no big loss, right? Not only is some person a thief, they're a thief with bad taste in DVDs.

DoogieHowser

LOL. Looks like thieves have an easier time getting DVD's out of the packaging then I do.

Cameron

i've caught countless shoplifters doing this....one of them even pulled a knife...scary stuff...they were stealing fool screen too.

figures.

gutwrencher

I can. the world is full of lazy assholes who won't work and expect things to be handed to them free of charge. I could easily beat someone into a coma if I saw that. this, of course, is my downfall. I can't stand to "let it go".

kilcher

Why would you take the chance at getting caught stealing a DVD with no case when you could just buy a burner and steal without the threat of getting caught?

ernestrp

I was in a Walmart a few months after they stopped locking Dvd's up, Maybe 2 or 3 years ago. I over heard two employees talking about finding sliced opened Dvd cases pretty much through-out the store. I guess that why Kmart here still locks up most of the 10.00 plus ones.

wastro

I work for Fred Meyer, a big box store based in the Northwest. While I primarily hold it down in the grocery section, I still find stolen DVD cases/wrappers all the time; usually in the soda pop aisle, oddly enough.

Most of the time, they are empty cases, but there have been times when I've found the wrapper but no case; presumably, the shoplifter figured the security device was in the price tag.

I asked one of the home electronics clerks how much of a problem shoplifting is; they guestimate that 20% of all DVDs/CDs are stolen from the department. Then again, we don't work in what you would consider a very "nice" neighborhood. In fact, we lose $12,000 per year to alocohol shoplifting ALONE.

If it means reducing shoplifting, I'm all for those monster hard plastic cases that you usually find in the mall. You know, they're the ones that are usually a few inches bigger than the DVD case itself. Shoplifting DVDs, more than anything, bugs me to no end.

Cameron

in a perfect situation

dvd case with tabs, stickers on all 3 sides, a slipcover, a sensormatic tag, shrinkwrap, in a hard plastic case.

keep the bastards out.

my store won't allow mirrors or cameras....gives off a "seedy" impression....BS....at the same time, good customer service is the greatest theft deterance.

l_xtopher_l

DVD shoplifting irks me to no end. I've seen several times when $5-10 movies have been cut along the side, or paper cases have been sliced through the cardboard, to pull out a disc that didn't cost much to start with. I never mind when DVDs are in those impossible cases that they have to open at the register, because I'd rather not pay higher prices, just because people feel the need to steal movies they could rent for a fraction of the purchase price.

If I ever saw it in person, I'd probably flip out, right there in the store.

starving dvder

It's a problem that is usually passed onto the consumer in higher prices. If I saw somebody stealing, I would definitely rat the runt out.

DVD Polizei

When I worked retail (about 10 years ago), we had groups come into the electronics department, and literally, I would be stacking piles of empty CD jewel cases on the counter that night. They were fast and quick. Most of them were underage, while an adult seemed to be orchestrating the entire thing. But the adult would never step foot inside the department.

It's simply a game of the predators preying on the weakest stores.

If we had a law where you would lose a finger for every time being caught, I bet shoplifting would be reduced rather dramatically. But alas this will never be, and thus, capitalism has an inherent built-in 30% shoplifiting tax, added to your purchase whenever you buy something, whether it be a head of lettuce or a DVD.

SLeopold

I saw someone stealing DVD's in the restroom at Best Buy once. They took in a handful, opened them up, took out the security tag and stuffed them down their pants. I reported the punk (mid to late teens) to the electronics department and they said they'd probably just let him go because attempting to stop him would be an insurance/legal liability.

The most amusing thing I saw, though, was the opposite. A guy was walking through the DVD section with a big bag over his shoulder. I thought he was shoplifting, but instead he was putting DVD's on the shelf. I followed him around and saw that he was putting adult videos on the shelf, complete with Best Buy price tags. Turns out he was a disgruntled former employee who swiped a roll of price tags before he was canned. I thought it was pretty amusing, but the media guy I spoke with didn't get as big a kick out of it that I did.

taronga

The Walmart near me lost $4,000 in DVDs last year due to shoplifting. Now all box sets are wrapped in a spider-like protection thing (you cut one of the wires and a siren goes off), and they supposedly installed something in the bathrooms that alerts them when someone takes a tagged item (like CDs and DVDs) inside.

pcdoctor

SLeopold, I wonder how many people noticed the adult dvds?
I wonder where he got the adult dvds from?
I wonder if anyone purchased any of these?

Michael Corvin

I have a friend that works security at wal-mart. Plain clothes. I get to hear stories like this all the time. Most are funny. Here's one:

Guy had a shopping cart full of electronics, a couple dvd players, gaming systems, radios and the like. Maybe a couple of dvds. Well, my friend, grabbed a couple dvds and just followed him up to the register, stood in line behind him. Pretended to be on the phone with his girlfriend, 'I'm not going back to get it, I'm already in line. Thre's people behind me, We'll get it another day. See ya at home type conversation.' Well sure enough, the girl at the register rang up the dvds but not the electronics, and gives him his receipt - good to go. Busted. Turns out she was his girlfriend and they had been working together. They had done it a time or two before. The store got a tip about it. This was his first big bust.

Believe it or not, he said old ladys steal more than anybody. Make-up and little stuff like that, even dvds. Just shoves stuff right into their purse and then try and act all innocent or senile when they are caught.

joffa

Including the poor bastard who buys the bloody thing, from the sound of it!

talemyn

Don't feel too bad about it, gut . . . I still regret one that I ket go. I was returning a video to Wal-Mart back before I was buying DVD's (don't worry . . . it was WS ). It was some action flick like Armageddon or The Negotiator or something and when I had gotten it home and started watching it, it had some sort of screw up that caused some serious static and skipping about a half-an-hour into the film. So I took it up to the customer service counter and the lady looked at my reciept, oushed the tape over to the pile of returned merchandise and told me to go ahead and pick out a new copy and bring it back and she would process the exchange.

So I go get the new copy and bring it back up and stand in line again, this time behind a guy that had a bag of stuff and something that he was returning. He starts talking to me as we wait and he seems like a nice enough guy. The whole time, he's standing near the tape that I had just returned and the lady is helping someone else. Right before he gets up to the counter, he looks over and notices the tape that I had just returned sitting on the counter . . . without the security wrap, of course . . . and without skipping a beat picks it up, puts it in his bag, looks me dead in the eye, and says, "It's okay . . . it's mine . . ."



I was stunned. I was honestly so shocked that I couldn't respond. He obviously didnt see that I had the same tape in hand, ready to exchange, but still, I couldn't believe that this "nice guy", who had just been chatting with me, was doing this. He finished his transaction and walked out and all I could do was just stand there.

I've always wished that I had said, "No . .. actually, it's mine and I'm exchanging it as we speak," or something like that. The only consolation that I had was that I knew, for a fact, that it was a defective tape that he had just stolen.

Kaiser Soze

These posts are great! I've really enjoyed reading about all of the idiot shoplifters out there. Keep em coming.

TJCross

Ok lets see I work at Best Buy and wh had this chick on camera stuffing things in to her bag. We sent employees over to try and scare her in to dropping it with great customer service. didn't stop her from going on her shopping spree. when we stopped her at the door she had over 300 bucks in stuff. When we told her that we were going to call the cops she had the nerve to ask "well is this going to take long!"

Another good one is we had this guy looking at MP3 players and looking all around makeing it very obious as to what he was thinking. He grabs an MP3 player and heads to the bathroom. We are all oover him and we wait out side the bathroom. when he comes out there is this square shape d bulge in the front of his pants. When he goes to leave we asked him to step into the office. when we get him in the office we tell him that we think that he is trying to steal from us. he swears that he isn't. now wait I have failed to mention that this guy weighs about 350. he starts to drop his pants and al the while trying to shove the box down his pant leg. He was also wearing neon purple bikini breifs. we all yelled pull up your pants pull them up.

critterdvd

I go to Best Buy alot (usually 2 or 3 times a month), and there have been several times when I've walked into an row of DVd's to find empty cases. My friend who works at Borders says that even though they keep all there DVD's they still find 2 or 3 empty boxes a day.

ltrain

I catch people trying to steal often enough when I'm at work (FYE). We don't have cameras or anything so you kind of have to rely on your instincts if someone is up to no good. It can be tricky because you're not supposed to accuse them or anything. God forbid they could sue Trans World or something. It really pisses you off after awhile. This story is a little on the long side, but I hope you guys enjoy it:

Last year these guys came in and tried to take a whole bunch of DVD's and video games. They were working as a team and setting up the product in one area of the store, while their buddy waited to put it in his gigantic "Gamestop" bag which was bulging with stuff. It looked like it was about to burst open. (Needless to say, these guys were not the smartest thieves around.) When I confronted him, the other two guys took off and he kept heading for the door. All of a sudden he takes off running through the door and out into the mall. I took off after him and chased him through the mall and then through JC Penney and out into the parking lot. (At this point I should mention that I am not a tough guy and I weigh about 150 lbs. soaking wet) The man I was chasing however was a rather large individual and probably outsized me by several inches and many more pounds. In fact, he was kind of heavy and lucky for me, not a very fast runner. This however presented another problem...what the hell was I going to do if I caught up to him, jump on his back? I don't think so.

Anyway, by the time we got out into the parking lot he was a little winded and I'm not ashamed to admit, so was I. By now we've started walking at a brisk pace towards the main road. Now this whole time I'm thinking that the mall security knows what happened and is going to show up any minute and save the day. Fat chance. I keep telling the guy that I just want our stuff back and that's it, I don't care about him or who he is. If he would just drop the bag, he'd be off scott free. He keeps telling me that he didn't do anything and why was I chasing him... etc. etc. So we get to the main road and he informs me that he's leaving the property and I can't follow him anymore. This is news to me. I say "We'll you've still got our stuff and I'll follow you until I get it back." He didn't like that and said he was ready to "start swingin'" if I didn't leave him alone. I, being the type of person who values my physical well-being decided that I didn't want to be on the receiving end of anything this guy had to "swing" at me. I kept my distance and told him that I didn't want to fight him I just wanted the stuff back.

Now I don't know exactly how much time had passed from when I ran out of FYE after him but it had to have been about 15 minutes or so. By now we were across the street moving further and further away from the mall. (I must have looked pretty funny in my FYE outfit walking down a busy road in the middle of the afternoon, keeping up with this guy carrying a large white plastic bag filled to the brim. I think I still had my nametag hanging around my neck too.) The passing motorists must have been a little puzzled as to what exactly they were witnessing. "Hey Pa! That crazy CD guy is chasing that other one down the street!"

Anyway, by now we've crossed over another busy road and the culprit is headed towards the Holiday Inn which is about a quarter mile from the mall. I noticed a kid standing around talking on his cell phone and I asked if he would call the police. He seemed reluctant to do so, but he did let me use his phone. I dialed 911, spoke with the dispatcher and explained what was going on. She seemed a little confused, "You're chasing who and what did he steal?"

Within a few minutes the police were on the scene and the guy was apprehended. Mysteriously he no longer had the bag of stuff with him and was trying to act all innocent. Luckily one of the officers located the bag stashed under a parked car containing all of our stuff. I had to fill out some paperwork and answer some questions for the cops. All in all he had approximately $1300 worth of DVD's and video games in the bag. The funny thing is, he had some really crappy movies in the mix, like budget $5.99 stuff. (And to be $5.99 at FYE you know it can't be that good.) A lot of it was boxed sets though and the games were like $50 a pop.

In hindsight, it was probably not the smartest thing to go chasing after this guy not knowing if he had some kind of weapon or something but I was just going on adreneline. That whole "fight or flight" thing you know. In fact, Trans World does not want us to pursue shoplifters because of the liability issues. But it all worked out in the end, we got our stuff back and he went to jail.

Altimus Prime

That one story about a Best Buy just letting a shoplifter go is pretty funny. Especially for me, when I nearly had the police called on me because I didn't want the guy at the door to put a sticker on a DVD I may or may not have been exchanging - I didn't want him to put a sticker on it and possibly damage the case in case I had to keep it. The guy went ballistic on me!

On that WalMart incident with The Mummy, I was actually kinda nervous about saying anything. I had to think about it. I was worried they'd suspect I had stole it! But they didn't. And, FS or not, I didn't like the idea that if it stayed there, someone could buy it, take it home and find they bought an empty case.

I wonder what would happen if someone had bought it, took it home, and then came back to the store and said the case was empty? Anyone have an experience like that? What did the store do?

sxwxs

some idiot at my local walmart had the nerve to try and steal a reported "$2,000 of dvd's" by stuffing them in his pants shirt and jacket. not all at once, but go in and get it all full, go outside and empty it into his truck and go back in and do it again. all the while the security was watching him on camera. it was great to hear it all go down on my scanner.

Fok

People who steal should be fucking killed. Unfortunately in some countries you can't pull some who is stealing aside while in the store. Because technically that can say that they were going to pay for it.

Josh-da-man

I've never actually seen evidence of a stolen DVD, but I have seen a couple of shoplifted items.

Once, in the bathroom of a Target store, there were a couple of video game cases and torn plastic wrappers in a toilet bowl.

And once, in a music store in the mall, there was an open rap CD stuck in with the classical CDs I was browsing through. So presumably the culprit carried the CD over to the classical section and opened it there to retrieve the CD.

I didn't report either find to the management of the stores, because I didn't want them to think I did it. (I despise rap music and don't play video games, anyway.)