Behind The Blue Door: What you should know about Walmart surveilance polocies

I worked for Wal-Mart for over 6 years during my high school and college days. Just to tell you a little bit about my store, during my time there we had one murder behind the store, one homeless man found dead of natural causes, one employee abducted from our parking lot and raped, two fires, and four bomb threats. Our LP was just a 2 man team in bullet proof vests. We also employed several off duty police officers during the weekends. I personally chased several shoplifters and prevented many attempts at check fraud and bar code switching. I had a gun pointed at me once and had another customer flash his gun in his belt. Despite this, the electronics department alone lost almost $300,000.

I can honestly say our LP treated everybody with respect and dignity despite being involved in regular confrontations in and out of the store. Our policy was to make it obvious that we were following them in the hopes they would abandon the merchandise. If we had to hold somebody it was always two people - someone from LP and another employee of off duty cop. Not every store was like the OP's store.

reply to post by Joki42

When you shop and use a credit card or debit that info is stored in a data base accessible to all LP's at everystore. If you are suspected of fraud or theft, even just for shopping somewhere other than Walmart when you have a discount, the LP manager is able to access your bank statements and monitor where you shop and how you use your money. I've watched this process many times.

This right here is one of the biggest loads of manure I have ever read. Outright falsehood.

Due to privacy laws, a business cannot even call a bank and verify a personal check written by a customer (I have tried). You and the customer would have to physically be in the bank, present proof of identity before a personal check can be verified (as funds available).

There is absolutely no way that Wal Mart or any other retailer can legally gain access to your "bank statement" or account other than to charge it with a legally generated charge and even then they get zippo regarding information about the account....just the funds. BS with all caps.

I call shenanigans here. Someone is pissed off at Wally World and wants to use ATS to disseminate at least one outright and outrageous lie.

reply to post by Joki42


You Realize an LP has absolutely no legal authority over anything, and not even the business you purchase a product from has access to your bank statements right? You, and your bank have access to your bank statements. The Government has to get legal documents allowing them to even look at them, before the bank will let them.

This is why people get away with tax evasion for as long as they do. The government has to find reasonable cause, get the right paper work, ask you permission, if you deny permission prove that their is reasonable doubt get a warrant. Take the warrant to your bank and then they will get access to that information.

Same with credit cards, a business can store your transaction, but can not access your statement. If you bought a TV at walmart with your credit card, if you take the credit card to them they can look up the transactions made at that store with in 90 days(some places are less) for purchases after that there is nothing for you. AS well, the store can't look up other stuff.

I know several LP's, good ones and what you seem to talk about sounds nothing like what an LP does.

You have a vague idea of the job, but I don't believe one iota of what you have said.

reply to post by Baddogma


Walmart Criminally underpays people? I am not sure you know what you are talking about.

Edit: I am actually SURE you don't know what you are talking about after thinking about it even more.

reply to post by Aleister


Good, a company should be allowed to operate without having to unionize. Walmart chooses not to unionize. If those employees want to to work for a union they should go to a company that hires union workers.

I know for a fact Walmart's in Orange County, CA pay 2-3 dollar more per hour for even the lowest jobs than the Union backed stores like Albertson's, Ralph's and Von's.

reply to post by Joki42


All respects to those who have no other means to make a buck then to work at a place like walmart..... I refuse to step foot in the place myself.

raymundoko
reply to post by Aleister

 

Good, a company should be allowed to operate without having to unionize. Walmart chooses not to unionize. If those employees want to to work for a union they should go to a company that hires union workers.

Ah yes, unions...those Ba$tards that gave us the weekend. Walmart is just the end of a downward spiral based on moving the manufacturing overseas, and turning good American skilled labour into crappy retail gigs. And THAT, you can't blame on the unions.

Why is it people are so eager to call down those trying to maintain a living wage instead of the legislative scum that let the jobs go in the first place?

reply to post by JohnnyCanuck


Do you know who was pushed hard for the last minimum wage hike and the one that will probably pass? Do you know who fought against both?

Walmart fought for, unions fought against.

You should learn things.

Hi. Walm___ fans ??

Come on guys(irls) !!
Don't you think that the "bank" stuff/story will end

in the [ HOAX ] bin ?!?!

Blue skies.

reply to post by JohnnyCanuck


www.bloomberg.com...

In the mid-2000s, Wal-Mart backed an increase in the federal minimum wage that eventually took effect in 2007

billmoyers.com...

Dudley notes that there is precedent for such a move — in 2000, the company used its significant influence to back a minimum wage hike. If it were to do so again today, it would put Wal-Mart at odds with the National Retail Foundation, of which the company is a leading member.

www.nbcnews.com...

The higher the minimum wage, the weaker the unions as they lose some of their lure. They lost about 15% of their members from the last wage hike. They know what it means and they fight against it.

www.nbcnews.com...
www.cbsnews.com...

Labor experts say that proponents of an increase in the $7.25 an hour federal minimum wage, which buys less in real terms today than in a half century, face a set of powerful economic winds that have been blowing for decades: the weakening of unions

President Obama's proposed increase in the minimum wage is "political payback to labor unions."

So for someone so uneducated on the matter to post is just irritating.

reply to post by raymundoko

So for someone so uneducated on the matter to post is just irritating.

Welcome to this entire thread

its just sad

raymundoko
reply to post by JohnnyCanuck

 

Do you know who was pushed hard for the last minimum wage hike and the one that will probably pass? Do you know who fought against both?

Walmart fought for, unions fought against.

You should learn things.

Big picture, Dude. Why are people rioting to get a job at Walmart instead working a good solid well paying blue collar gigs. Walmart is a big part of the disease.

JohnnyCanuck

raymundoko
reply to post by JohnnyCanuck

 

Do you know who was pushed hard for the last minimum wage hike and the one that will probably pass? Do you know who fought against both?

Walmart fought for, unions fought against.

You should learn things.

Big picture, Dude. Why are people rioting to get a job at Walmart instead working a good solid well paying blue collar gigs. Walmart is a big part of the disease.

Mostly because those jobs were shipped overseas

Walmart has decent benifits and offers great upward motility if you want it and lets you earn a stake in the company

Now why cant you admitt you were wrong?

Again im not s huge fan of wallyworld

But this bashing and out right lies is just over the top

reply to post by Another_Nut


Too easy, but have to do it. Many many of the jobs were shipped "overseas" to China and India because WalMart and other companies like it will only accept (or mostly accept and sell) merchandise from China and points around China. The labor is cheaper, keeping costs down and the profit margin high. Catch-22 logic (cheaper products mean someone is underpaid somewhere).

reply to post by Aleister

You nailed...chicken or egg. Fact is, though, goods are not that much cheaper though their manufacture was outsourced to Asia (cuz Mexico was too expensive, too). Where's the difference? Why...it goes to Wall Street! And they cackle as the rest of us fight over the crumbs, and the foolish take out their ire on those with good union gigs who have not yet hit bottom.

reply to post by JohnnyCanuck


I don't think you could see the big picture if it was in thumbnail format.

raymundoko
reply to post by JohnnyCanuck

 

I don't think you could see the big picture if it was in thumbnail format.

You're kinda new around here. You might be interested in knowing that we do not engage in personal attacks or insults.

Aleister
reply to post by Another_Nut

 

Too easy, but have to do it. Many many of the jobs were shipped "overseas" to China and India because WalMart and other companies like it will only accept (or mostly accept and sell) merchandise from China and points around China. The labor is cheaper, keeping costs down and the profit margin high. Catch-22 logic (cheaper products mean someone is underpaid somewhere).

edit on 4-4-2014 by Aleister because: (no reason given)

And the consumer doesnt play a part? If it didnt sell, it wouldnt be stocked.

Consumers demand for cheaper goods and the strong dollar policy drove jobs overseas. Retailers just conformed to consumer demand.

reply to post by Joki42


What type of fraud do they suspect you of when you shop at a different store? Selling company secrets? Buying stuff cheap at Walmart and returning it at a more expensive store somehow? Or do they just decide to investigate you for the random crime of fraud just as punishment for spending your money elsewhere? So then they can say "oh sorry we cannot give you that raise or promotion we talked about (or some other thing you want or need) while you are still under investigation for fraud...so you'll be under a probationary period until the investigation has been concluded...and the investigation will not be able to find a conclusive finding until you have refrained fully from suspicious activity for a period of no less than 60 days...and shopping at other stores is considered suspicious activity...sooo.....yeah...

Or is there some kind of legitimate (no matter how flimsy) reason for there to be any concern of fraud when an employee chooses to shop elsewhere that I'm not seeing?

its pretty amazing that they have an NSA style database that allows them to track every credit/debit card purchase in every store in... what, the country? The world? Even online purchases? Man you should try to go back or to a different Walmart and get some evidence of this practice and of the existence of this database itself and that would be a HUGE story! You could be the next Snowden... I honestly can't believe nobody has come forth before with evidence of this. Maybe it's a relatively new thing and most of their employees do not see the relevance of such a breach of privacy by a corporate entity...I could almost see that. But I have to admit that most of me is leaning toward the idea that you are mistaken about this. I really don't want to think you are just making it up, but unfortunately I must at least consider that it is one possibility.

reply to post by Joki42


Well to be honest if you work or shop at a place like walmart - you should be used to being treated sub-par in life!!

People of Walmart (scummy)

IMO