A Night Out at the Mall

 

I get the daily email from Morning Brew. It is a left-of-center recap of business news. While I generally ignore the jabs at the Republicans and Trump (still!!), this was such a hoot that I had to share.

The article was regarding the recent damages to businesses in California from organized looting and “smash and grab,” which suggested various causes.

Here are a few theories:

  • Facebook Marketplace and eBay have made it easier to resell stolen goods anonymously.
  • Home Depot connected the dots between the opioid crisis and an increase in thefts at its stores two years ago. Since then fentanyl, a drug that’s 50x stronger than heroin, has pervaded California.
  • Rates of unemployment and homelessness rose sharply last year, and California is home to the largest population of unsheltered persons.

Some argue that Proposition 47, which raised the felony threshold for stolen goods, has increased rates of theft, but its impact is debated.

Oh yes, Facebook Marketplace and ebay (hohoho, heeheehee) are where these thugs are going to sell their stolen goods. It’s all the fault of drugs, but only fentanyl. (Home Depot?) And of course, let’s blame the homeless. You know, those people who live in tents and poop on the sidewalk. They’re the ones organizing scores of people for a night out at the mall. The fact that there is no consequence – well, that just can’t possibly be the reason.

Is this a deliberate, disingenuous obfuscation of the facts in order to advance the agenda, or are these liberals really this stupid? Do they have no concept of criminality? What color is the sky in their world?

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  1. KCVolunteer Lincoln
    KCVolunteer
    @KCVolunteer

    Their problem is they believe something like this:

    “For if you suffer your people to be ill-educated, and their manners to be corrupted from their infancy, and then punish them for those crimes to which their first education disposed them, what else is to be concluded from this, but that you first make thieves and then punish them.”
    ― Sir Thomas More, Utopia

    Since they accept it as the explanation for criminality, and they live in a hive mentality, it is society’s fault, and their guilt can only be assuaged by eliminating the consequences of stealing for the thief.

    Their conclusion? Ah, we have made the world a better place. Because, for them, there are no unforeseen consequences, just new realities, that were always there and just hadn’t become evident, and now require additional adjustments.

    Perhaps one day it will occur to the ill-educated that the failures all around them are due to their own short sightedness and the rulers who have taken advantage of them. It’s not like there isn’t another message out there. They just don’t want to hear it yet.

    Per Adam Smith, “There is a great deal of ruin in a nation.” Unfortunately, the longer this trajectory continues, the harder it will be to dig out. Hopefully enough of the truth survives to make it possible.

    • #31
  2. I Walton Member
    I Walton
    @IWalton

    We’re likely to have to pull out to preserve an existence of the original design.  Even that will be extraordinarily difficult, but if these guys steal the next election there will be no 50 state fix. 

    • #32
  3. Miffed White Male Member
    Miffed White Male
    @MiffedWhiteMale

    About a year ago, I was walking into Home Depot (Suburban Milwaukee) and got about ten feet inside the store as a guy pushed a full shopping-cartload of Milwaukee Tools out the front door.  Two employees were walking fairly close behind him, but not interfering.  

    Home Depot now has most of the power tools locked up and you have to get an employee to unlock them for purchase.

     

     

    • #33
  4. Steven Seward Member
    Steven Seward
    @StevenSeward

    Miffed White Male (View Comment):

    About a year ago, I was walking into Home Depot (Suburban Milwaukee) and got about ten feet inside the store as a guy pushed a full shopping-cartload of Milwaukee Tools out the front door. Two employees were walking fairly close behind him, but not interfering.

    Home Depot now has most of the power tools locked up and you have to get an employee to unlock them for purchase.

    The employees did nothing??  That is bizarre.

     

     

    • #34
  5. Full Size Tabby Member
    Full Size Tabby
    @FullSizeTabby

    Steven Seward (View Comment):

    Miffed White Male (View Comment):

    About a year ago, I was walking into Home Depot (Suburban Milwaukee) and got about ten feet inside the store as a guy pushed a full shopping-cartload of Milwaukee Tools out the front door. Two employees were walking fairly close behind him, but not interfering.

    Home Depot now has most of the power tools locked up and you have to get an employee to unlock them for purchase.

    The employees did nothing?? That is bizarre.

     

     

    For many years large retail store chains have had “do not interfere” instructions to employees. Such instructions largely stem from the [lawyer-driven] fear that the thief will turn violent, and then instead of just a theft loss, the store will be dealing with liability over the death of or injury to the employee. 

    • #35
  6. Phil Turmel Inactive
    Phil Turmel
    @PhilTurmel

    Steven Seward (View Comment):

    Miffed White Male (View Comment):

    About a year ago, I was walking into Home Depot (Suburban Milwaukee) and got about ten feet inside the store as a guy pushed a full shopping-cartload of Milwaukee Tools out the front door. Two employees were walking fairly close behind him, but not interfering.

    Home Depot now has most of the power tools locked up and you have to get an employee to unlock them for purchase.

    The employees did nothing?? That is bizarre.

     

     

    Yeah, at least spike the cart’s wheels.  Or just grab the front of the cart.

    • #36
  7. Randy Webster Inactive
    Randy Webster
    @RandyWebster

    Full Size Tabby (View Comment):

    Steven Seward (View Comment):

    Miffed White Male (View Comment):

    About a year ago, I was walking into Home Depot (Suburban Milwaukee) and got about ten feet inside the store as a guy pushed a full shopping-cartload of Milwaukee Tools out the front door. Two employees were walking fairly close behind him, but not interfering.

    Home Depot now has most of the power tools locked up and you have to get an employee to unlock them for purchase.

    The employees did nothing?? That is bizarre.

     

     

    For many years large retail store chains have had “do not interfere” instructions to employees. Such instructions largely stem from the [lawyer-driven] fear that the thief will turn violent, and then instead of just a theft loss, the store will be dealing with liability over the death of or injury to the employee.

    This.

    • #37
  8. Miffed White Male Member
    Miffed White Male
    @MiffedWhiteMale

    Full Size Tabby (View Comment):

    Steven Seward (View Comment):

    Miffed White Male (View Comment):

    About a year ago, I was walking into Home Depot (Suburban Milwaukee) and got about ten feet inside the store as a guy pushed a full shopping-cartload of Milwaukee Tools out the front door. Two employees were walking fairly close behind him, but not interfering.

    Home Depot now has most of the power tools locked up and you have to get an employee to unlock them for purchase.

    The employees did nothing?? That is bizarre.

    For many years large retail store chains have had “do not interfere” instructions to employees. Such instructions largely stem from the [lawyer-driven] fear that the thief will turn violent, and then instead of just a theft loss, the store will be dealing with liability over the death of or injury to the employee.

    In High School (1979/1980) I worked at K-mart.  There was a PA code that meant “All male employees, drop whatever you’re doing and get to the front of the store now!”  I only heard it once.  Ran to the front and the woman from the service desk was just standing there saying “GO!” and pointing across the parking lot.  The security guard and several other employees were chasing a guy.  He made it out to the street and started running down the side of the highway.  We all followed.  For a while I was actually gaining on him (which surprises me, I’m pretty slow), but he eventually made it about a mile down the road and disappeared into some trees.

    • #38
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