Store security...what is the purpose?

I remember one year while I was doing my Christmas shopping, I went into Big W for the second time and I already had stuff in another Big W bag as well as stuff in bags from other stores. The person at the door checked everything off from the Big W bag, then taped it up. I held up the others and said "What about these ones?" and she says "Oh no, we only do the Big W ones."

What? So if I were to shoplift, I'd obviously only put it in a Big W bag? Am I simply not going to bother stealing anything if I don't have the correct bag to put it in? I shook my head in bewilderment and had a good laugh with my brother over it. Why bother?

Marty,  I don't understand that myself.  Why not put a sold sticker on it and be done with it?
 

What? So if I were to shoplift, I'd obviously only put it in a Big W bag? Am I simply not going to bother stealing anything if I don't have the correct bag to put it in?

 
If they don't check the other stores' bags, can you put something in there and get away with it (not that I'd do that)?  If the Big W bag wasn't taped off, would they not be able to tell from the receipts what you hid in the stuff you already paid for.
 
I really hate that store...

It's really more about public image than actual security.

If a potential shoplifter sees someone having their reciept checked, they're likely to go elsewhere.

I quit shopping at Target for that reason.  I had just spent over $300 and got stopped at the door and every single bag gone through and checked against my receipt.  And as I'm standing there some lady walking in with her kid said "See??  That's what happens to people who try to steal from stores".  I was sooooo PO'd and when I complained to the manager I was blown off.

We shop at both Super Target and Walmart...sometimes we get stopped on the way out, sometimes not. We noticed we always get stopped when we have something not in a bag, like a big boxed item or the like. We use the self checkout a lot and I also have noticed a correlation with that.
 
I've never brought IN bags from another store...not sure that I would either outside of the obvious like at a mall.
 
Being that we also shop at Sam's Club, we're quite used to being checked prior to leaving and it really doesn't bother me at all.
 
My DH used to work for Target about 7-8 years ago so he's told me plenty about the kind of people they look for and why, asset protection, etc...as well as some really funny, crazy and even frightning stories about customers.

In my case, everything was bagged, I double checked to make sure that all the security tags had been removed before they WERE bagged and had caught a couple things...and I don't believe that I look like a typical "shoplifter"....I wasn't even wearing a coat, it was still in the cart.  Nor do I typically carry a purse.
 
I have no problem at Sams.  It's expected there and EVERYONE is subject to the same cursory check of the receipt.  But to be singled out after spending that kind of CASH and every bag gone through and checked off against the reciept right at the door in front of God and everyone was rather embarrassing.  I FELT like I'd done something wrong even tho I hadn't.

Well if it wasn't for the "Big W" I would have to drive an houre  to get to a store that sells anything close to what they sell or I would order it onlin.  Our Walmart is less then 2 years old and already has cause many of the small busnesses in my small town to close down.  The only drug store (before W came in) is closing down this week so I have no choce but to go to W to get my meds filled.
 
It really snuck into our town and changed everything.  I use to have to go to several stored to buy what I needed but now thoes stores are all closed and W is the only place that sells that kind of stuff.  We have one supermarket in town that is still alive but the prices are just too high to shop there compaired to W.  Then Family Dollar and Dolar General also came in (opened the same week!)and took over, my little town is not the same anymore.

Glenda, I don't doubt it was embarassing esp with the comment from the peanut gallery. When we get stopped I just hang out and play thumbs wars with the kiddo...lol.
 
From what DH told me it's a numbers thing.
 
Xebby is your town really small? We hardly notice our W's here because we have SO MUCH in the way of shopping, malls grocery stores etc. We've seen the impact say...on certain grocery chains that are closing locations...but that could just as likely be TOO many grocery stores...shoot we have Albertson's, Kroger, Tom Thumb, Minyard's...they all really compete with one another.

My in-laws live in a smaller town in northern Michigan and I know they were fighting against WalMart coming in for the same reason Xebby said.  I think the town won too.  It's been a couple of years, but I am pretty sure they didn't open one up.

I was stopped once coming out of the Big W and the guy was really nice and apologetic about it.  He said he actually saw me pay for the stuff so he knew it was OK, but he was being watched on the camera and if he didn't stop everyone it would be his job. It's true though, that you're more likely to be stopped with items that don't fit inside a bag.

Joyce

My town had always been a small college town with the only busnesses being ma & pa run.  The college itself was the heart of the town and really the only reason the town is there, started off as a small mining school over 100 some years ago.  Now that big W came in it has become the heat of the town, and has taken over almost every ma & pa busness.  I will see the same people who owned their own busness working as a W employee.  I was excited at first when it came in because I could finaly shop at one store for everything but once all the other busness started closing I wish it handen't appeard.

Ha ha I just rememberd that my fist year of college they would have a bus trip up to the city to take us poor college students to Wal-mart or Target to buy school suppiles at the beguining and middle of each semester.  Of corse now they don't but it's too funny to think thats was one of the most excitning things to do during the semester.

ORIGINAL: Xebby

My town had always been a small college town with the only busnesses being ma & pa run.  The college itself was the heart of the town and really the only reason the town is there, started off as a small mining school over 100 some years ago.  Now that big W came in it has become the heat of the town, and has taken over almost every ma & pa busness.  I will see the same people who owned their own busness working as a W employee.  I was excited at first when it came in because I could finaly shop at one store for everything but once all the other busness started closing I wish it handen't appeard.

unfortunately this is happening all across the country. happened in the small town i grew up in. there is very little left of what was once a thriving (yet small) downtown area.

some call it progress, but i see it as more a destruction of small town america. it used to be nice to go into a store where you knew the people and they knew us. you got personalized service, and usually a friendly encounter. you also knew that the money you were spending was directly affecting the economy of your town, and not being funneled to a corporate office some place else.

Somehow this tread reminds me of a South Park eposode where Wal-Mart becomes alive and takes over everyone's life.[]
 
It's like anouther world when you go into one of thoes stores.  All the ruls are differnt and the people are all just like robots with their baskets walking around.  It's like they just don't have any trust in people anymore.[>:]

What I find funny is that in my original post, I didn't even mention the name of the store.  Yet everyone knows exactly what it is!

My son used to be asset protection manager for Sears, and he said they have cameras all over, and someone is watching them at all times.  I'm fairly sure W has them also...that's why I don't see the need to embarrass people like that.