re: #55 wrenchwench

During reorientation at the Kroger affiliate, one segment emphasized that we clerks are forbidden to chase, hold, or otherwise confront anyone suspected of shoplifting. They say it’s for our safety, and talk about weapons and hostile people. Here’s what really happened. A couple of employees are permitted to confront, follow, harass, and ‘threaten’ shoppers. The name of their department is Asset Protection, but I call them the shrinkage guys (they’ve all been men, that I know of). The ones where I work, last time I worked there, would follow shoppers of color in a cartoonish show of stealth that we observed from the deli. This included the Store Director, their supervisor, with a twisted enthusiasm. Shortly after I quit, they finally got in trouble, and got fired (or ‘put on some kind of leave’, as some ‘understood’ it.) This must have cost Kroger some money. That’s why we can’t accuse or follow shoppers. Lawsuits lurk.

Making the shoppers out to be the dangerous ones is a capitalist defense mechanism.

While I was typing that, I got a call from work. A shift closing tonight came available. I turned it down.

Yeah retail loss prevention goons are historically just awful people who want to be cops but can’t for reasons that nobody in management ever really wants to examine too closely.