Thief 1, Vons 0, Customers -1

I was shopping at a local Vons grocery store (Del Mar Heights Road, Del Mar, CA) yesterday, filling my cart after a week-long vacation in Cabo San Lucas. While near the back of the store my attention was drawn to a young man seemingly selecting grocery items almost at random.  His cart wasn’t quite half-filled, but what I noticed more than anything else was the speed at which he was shopping. He was wearing a large black backpack, though it was not a burden because it appeared to be empty.

No more than five minutes later I crossed paths with him again. This time he no longer had a shopping cart but his backpack was bulging at the seams. We were still near the back of the store, and I knew from prior visits that the men’s restroom was located well back into the storage room/freezer area.  A prominently displayed sign told shoppers not to take items with them into the restroom but there were no employees around and apparently no security cameras either.

I walked quickly to the front of the store and informed an employee that it was quite obvious the young man had filled his backpack and either was going to or had already exited the store without paying.  By then he was long gone.  The employee’s response was that it happens all the time, especially around the wine department, and there was nothing the store could do about it. I was not satisfied with that answer and asked to see the manager.

I was pointed toward the only person checking out shoppers, waited my turn and informed her of what I had observed.  I tried to speak loudly enough that those behind me in line could hear what I was saying. Her response was basically to the effect (I am paraphrasing), “Oh, I saw him but there is nothing we can do.  We can’t ask to see what’s in his bag.  It goes on all the time and we just live with it.”

I doubt if Vons ever will publish statistics on its write-offs due to this kind of behavior but at the same time I am sure my grocery bill reflects subsidies for those immoral few willing to be just a tad bold and steal their groceries rather than paying for them. How much would Vons and Vons' customers save in the long run if the stores placed security cameras in the non-public storage and freezer areas? How tough would it be to have video monitors at the check-out lines, such that anyone trying to sneak grocery items into restrooms would be observed and could be confronted by Vons’ employees or security before the thief could exit the store?

 If a thief going into the store knew he or she would be on candid camera it might encourage them to steal somewhere else, preferably at a store where I don’t shop. Cameras might at least discourage thieves from plying their trade in the Vons I frequent, even if legally store personnel cannot challenge those who clearly are leaving without paying. I understand privacy considerations, but as someone helping involuntarily to cover the costs of both brazen and sneak thieves I want it known that by capitulating to these individuals Vons is treating paying customers unfairly.

Budgeting for theft and looking the other way when it happens reflect poor management by Vons grocery stores.  Doing nothing to dissuade thieves frustrates me as a long-time customer.  Vons never asked me to subsidize—involuntarily—those who shop as I do but exit the store with their groceries-- without going through a check-out line to pay for them.  Readers, please remember this blog is labeled   Random Thoughts (for a good reason).