Best Buy Employee Fired for Stopping Laptop Thief

Originally posted by deltaboy
reply to post by incrediblelousminds

 

But wouldn't loss prevention folks get killed in the process if they stop a desperate thief? They are usual unarmed.

Well, in the retail outlets i have worked i in the past, the loss prevention folks were not standard employees, but outside contractors with a better understanding of the law and direct authority to engage in more hands on prevention.

I'm sure it differs from business to business, but the point is tackling someone is a big no no in the retail world for a standard clerk. Thats why bank robbers need only give the teller a note saying they have a gun, because insurance prevents them from resisting in any way, as it could potentially escalate the situation, potentially leaving the business liable.

For example: So he tackles a guy with a 400 dollar laptop (wholesale) and then the company gets sued for damages to the tune of tens of thousands. They have insurance for 'shrink" (loss theft).hey will get it back. Tey dont really care.

On a related note: A Toronto store owner was acquitted for detaining a shoplifter in a 'citizens arrest'

Less clear is what Toronto police will take away from the Chen case, which ended in acquittal for the shopkeeper and two employees, Qing Li and Jie Chen. The three men were cleared of assaulting and forcibly confining Anthony Bennett, a 52-year-old drug addict with a long record for petty crime. They chased, bound and detained Mr. Bennett in a van after he stole plants from the Lucky Moose in May of 2009.

www.theglobeandmail.com...

reply to post by incrediblelousminds


Most loss prevention, although not all, seem to come from either a law enforcement or military background as well.

reply to post by v1rtu0s0


i work at target and we have that same policy...only way i'd ever put hands on a thief or get in their way was if they grabbed a hostage or tried attacking me in some way. however i do so knowing i will be fired, but my conscience or well being is much more important then work.

reply to post by optimus primal


The right thing should always be what ends with minimal injury to the people around you. This of course is debatable from person to person.

What would have happened if this person who stole two laptops had a firearm, was tackled, pulled the gun and shot the employee then decided to shoot a few other people while he ran off? The headline would have been a lot different: Best Buy Massacre: Best Buy Employee and Customers Shot and Killed When Employee Failed to Successfully Apprehend Gunmen Because He's An Electronic Store Employee and Not A Trained Law Enforcement Officer.

thanks for the link. do the employees hold the door open for you too. i never knew best buy had a no interference policy. i'm going to load up on a 60 inch big screen t.v. a couple of ipads and a lap top.

I have a quick question. Do the devices, any not just laptops not have tracking devices in them? Or am I too space age about all this? I don't just want to know so I can steal one lolz. I have too many lying around already that I am not truly satisfied with. The American Dream Yeahhhh!

OMG what a load of crap. To all within the sound of this post, go out and steal all you can from Best Buy being that they aren't allowed to stop you from shop lifting. Guess I'm going shopping tomorrow.

Originally posted by Mosfet51
OMG what a load of crap. To all within the sound of this post, go out and steal all you can from Best Buy being that they aren't allowed to stop you from shop lifting. Guess I'm going shopping tomorrow.

You DO grasp that they have security who very much are allowed to detain you, right?


Or did you comment after reading only the headline?

If a company wants to let thieves run out with unpaid merchandise, I say let um go. I work at a mom and pops store in SC. We're in a small town and we protect each other. Wish everyone could have that feeling....

So, I guess all them signs we always see " We Prosecute Shoplifters " don't mean squat. Now that this story is out about best buy; I'm sure they will have biggest losses ever due to theft in the coming months from that article. now every low life on the planet be is going to walking out the door with a computer and a 42 flat screen TV. It would have been less expensive to keep the employee on, even with the law a suite. How many best buy store are there ? now multiply each stores loss due to the coming increasing theft by say, $2500 per week. it will be in the millions due firing that employee. There is so much wrong with society.

I do like the poster at the Air Force BX. you will think twice before shoplifting there . The poster shows uniformed personal (Military Police) with 9mm on there hip holding the shoplifters face down by the neck with a knee on there back in the parking lot while slapping on the cuffs, a K9 patrol unit is pictured behind them for the back round. Of course it does say on the poster " We Prosecute Shoplifters " you would think your going to Guantanamo Bay looking at that poster in the checkout line, but I guess that is the point. Every store should have a poster like that.

Necro thread...


I worked for Best Buy in their Loss Prevention department (Before it was renamed Asset Protection).

They are not outside contractors. They do not have special training, permissions, or allowances to touch customers. If a Best Buy LP employee touches you, they will be fired. They are a deterrent. They are not plain clothed either - those dudes in the yellow shirt that greets you at the door and checks your receipt on the way out? That is Best Buy Loss Prevention. They watch security cameras and deter theft.

I tried to stop a thief from walking out with a Nintendo DS back when I worked there - I didn't touch him, I asked him to stop and empty his pockets, he said no, and went on past me. My manager came out and made absolutely sure I never laid a finger on him, otherwise my job would be on the line. It was simply the nature of the job.

Did we prevent theft? Yes. Not as well as we could if we were able to PHYSICALLY restrain thieves, but at the same time, I wouldn't really if pressed - my health is more important than the tv they are running with. Honestly, a lot of my job was preventing internal theft, since we could check purses and the like of employees as they left the store.

Originally posted by EfficacyOfTruth
Necro thread...


I worked for Best Buy in their Loss Prevention department (Before it was renamed Asset Protection).

They are not outside contractors. They do not have special training, permissions, or allowances to touch customers. If a Best Buy LP employee touches you, they will be fired. They are a deterrent. They are not plain clothed either - those dudes in the yellow shirt that greets you at the door and checks your receipt on the way out? That is Best Buy Loss Prevention. They watch security cameras and deter theft.

I tried to stop a thief from walking out with a Nintendo DS back when I worked there - I didn't touch him, I asked him to stop and empty his pockets, he said no, and went on past me. My manager came out and made absolutely sure I never laid a finger on him, otherwise my job would be on the line. It was simply the nature of the job.

Did we prevent theft? Yes. Not as well as we could if we were able to PHYSICALLY restrain thieves, but at the same time, I wouldn't really if pressed - my health is more important than the tv they are running with. Honestly, a lot of my job was preventing internal theft, since we could check purses and the like of employees as they left the store.

I tried to walk out of a best buy store. I had a GPS, and it looked like a school kid at the front door that stopped me. Myself I am 6'5" around 280-300lbs. He did the stop, empty pockets thing, and im like whatever and started to walk out. The "kid" put himself between me and the door. This basically "stunned' me because i was not expecting HIM to do that. Again I tried to walk out and again, he put himself between me and the door. By that time, another employee was there and i tried to walk out again. The other employee grab my arm and pushed me against the wall putting his arm across my chest as if to "hold' a 6'5" 300 lbs guy there. I ask him if i give him the GPS will he let me go. (thinking about HIM letting me go, not letting me walk away). I do not think either one was fired, because the manager seemed quite pleased with their actions. As for me, the last thing I wanted was to add assault to the already felony theft charge i was about to get because the GPS was more than $500.

When the police showed up, the guy that grabbed me told the cop he draws the line when someone puts their hands on HIM!!!!!!! I guess he told the cop i put my hands on them b4 they came to the office. First thing cop said when he came in was "He looks pretty calm." Anyway......... the charge i intentionally tried to avoid is what I got charged with (Theft/Robbery) but i did get the robbery dropped because well....... im 6'5" 300 lbs and if i used ANY physical force to get away, I would have stepped 1 foot outside their front door at the very LEAST!!!!

Those 2 guys were VERY VERY lucky it was ME they were stopping and not a guy that would do basically anything to get away. They both knew or should have known the item = a felony theft and not misdomenear charge. A BIG guy trying to walk away from a felony is much more likely to "do something" than a guy stealing a pack of gum.... They used physical force to "get their man" but took a VERY big risk they should not have taken. Even if I got away, they would have had me SOMEWHERE on their 10000000 cameras and they could have given the police that instead of putting themselves in danger to accomplish basically the same thing.