I know I am guilty of it. Especially in airports. I know it is wrong also. My ornery sense of humor doesn't allow me to ignore these moments and normally I crack a joke to myself and then remind myself how wrong I can be. At the same time I would never act out my profiling even though I am conscious of my thoughts.

They were cloddish in their effort, no doubt. Captain Obvious for sure.

I am not pretending to understand the issues of black people in America. I could never understand them:

 

However, are we sure they weren't just profiling teens? I know when I was a teen I/we were followed and watched relentlessly at stores when we walked home after school. My guess is it was b/c those stores were missing candy and snacks that weren't paid for and it was usually when school let out and a bunch of kids were around without parents. There are a whole lot of jumping to conclusions going on from these very short clips.

I actually had an opportunity to go into stores out of my local area that didn't know me and attempt shoplift to check the stores controls. I will say from experience, you feel like everyone in the store is watching you. There was one woman that I saw so often that I was sure she saw what I was doing and that I was going to be stopped at the door. I wasn't, I continued and made several trips in and out with large amounts of merchandise.

 

I can see how someone could assume they are always being followed in a store and in reality the people were paying no attention to them.

 

I could write a book on how easy it is to shoplift at big box stores and get away with it, but no one would buy it...they'd just steal it :lol2:

I am not pretending to understand the issues of black people in America. I could never understand them:

 

However, are we sure they weren't just profiling teens? I know when I was a teen I/we were followed and watched relentlessly at stores when we walked home after school. My guess is it was b/c those stores were missing candy and snacks that weren't paid for and it was usually when school let out and a bunch of kids were around without parents. There are a whole lot of jumping to conclusions going on from these very short clips.

 

Very, very valid point.

I actually had an opportunity to go into stores out of my local area that didn't know me and attempt shoplift to check the stores controls. I will say from experience, you feel like everyone in the store is watching you. There was one woman that I saw so often that I was sure she saw what I was doing and that I was going to be stopped at the door. I wasn't, I continued and made several trips in and out with large amounts of merchandise.

 

I can see how someone could assume they are always being followed in a store and in reality the people were paying no attention to them.

 

I could write a book on how easy it is to shoplift at big box stores and get away with it, but no one would buy it...they'd just steal it :lol2:

 

Can I write the introduction? I have great stories to share from my days in retail, including when I challenged the LP guy — he was extremely full of himself, wannabe cop-type who was sure he was putting the clamps down on all theft at the store — that I could swipe something from the place every single day and he would never even know I was doing it (I'm a reformed shoplifter from my childhood days of stupid thrills).

 

He was hardcore checking me every day after that because he was so cocksure nobody could get anything past him, and he especially didn't want me to prove him wrong. I got him good when I showed up to work one day and handed him a stack of unopened CDs and other things that I ganked in a week's time after I challenged him. He needed a crank to roll his jaw back up off the floor after it dropped.

 

Once I properly humbled and embarrassed him, I felt a little sorry for him (only a little) and let him in on a few of my old tricks from back in the day. Sure opened his eyes a lot.

There has actually been at least one Walmart that I know of, that was closed due to shoplifting and internal theft. They put a lot of resources into stopping it but could barely slow it down.

 

Where?

Where?

Near Dayton, it was closed and moved several miles away. Some would call it a relocation, but the theft and crime was more than WM could handle so they just packed up and moved. The new store even had a new store number I believe which as WM looks at it would be a new store not a relocation.

Can I write the introduction? I have great stories to share from my days in retail, including when I challenged the LP guy — he was extremely full of himself, wannabe cop-type who was sure he was putting the clamps down on all theft at the store — that I could swipe something from the place every single day and he would never even know I was doing it (I'm a reformed shoplifter from my childhood days of stupid thrills).

 

He was hardcore checking me every day after that because he was so cocksure nobody could get anything past him, and he especially didn't want me to prove him wrong. I got him good when I showed up to work one day and handed him a stack of unopened CDs and other things that I ganked in a week's time after I challenged him. He needed a crank to roll his jaw back up off the floor after it dropped.

 

Once I properly humbled and embarrassed him, I felt a little sorry for him (only a little) and let him in on a few of my old tricks from back in the day. Sure opened his eyes a lot.

Dude was a fool to think he had a store with any size and volume at all on "Lock Down". WM does better than anyone else on a large scale and they still lose around 1% of sales to theft each year, it doesn't sound like much but with stores doing from $30M to $150M per year 1% is a bunch of stuff walking out the door. Your not going to lock it down ever.

This is sorta off topic, but its humorous to me how some people on BGP have no issue with a random bureaucrat or 20 something year old in the NSA having this type of power to spy and follow you through camera, email, cell phones, etc, but when its an old white business owner following a black kid its despicable.

 

Despite in both instances, the person being followed hasn't done anything wrong.

Maybe this was already covered but I haven't read all the posts.

My take on this topic, who cares if he thought he was being followed. If he didn't steal anyting then move on. If it bothers him, then go to another store and don't give this store your business.

 

I wonder what he did before filming. Did he plan on filming so before filming did he act suspicious to draw attention to himself?

Either way who really cares?

This is sorta off topic, but its humorous to me how some people on BGP have no issue with a random bureaucrat or 20 something year old in the NSA having this type of power to spy and follow you through camera, email, cell phones, etc, but when its an old white business owner following a black kid its despicable.

 

Despite in both instances, the person being followed hasn't done anything wrong.

 

 

Being overly nosy and following people in a store because of the color of their skin are two different things IMO.

IMO there is never a reason for profiling. You either have a description of the perp or you don't. You can't treat every person who is of the same skin tone as the perp as a suspect. That's despicable.

 

To be fair, profiling does happen a lot and is how some people are caught. I'm not talking generic profliling such as just looking at all Hispanics or whatever, but when a known suspect description is given then anyone fitting that description is going to be profiled.

Being overly nosy and following people in a store because of the color of their skin are two different things IMO.

 

But. . .but the black kid has nothing to hide.

But. . .but the black kid has nothing to hide.

 

Nope. Neither does the white kid they should be following around as well.

 

If NSA superhero Snowden had said the NSA was profiling and only spying on certain people I'd have an issue with that. Last I saw they were spying on everybody. I don't have a problem with anyone spying or following people around stores provided they follow and spy on everyone and not just me.

Being overly nosy and following people in a store because of the color of their skin are two different things IMO.

 

What if I'm of middle eastern descent and that's the reason I'm being followed by the NSA?