[Brighton] Brazen shoplifting in Co Op Hove seafront

[maltaseagull]

I'm back with more tales of woe. As mentioned, I've shops on Brighton seafront and shoplifting is common, police are unheard of on the seafront and 999 gets you nowhere. First up a couple of videos.
Kids who we caught twice in two days, and the girl is filming the lad nick the stuff.
View attachment 164461
I've loads more but NSC doesn't accept them as they're too large. A classic is over £40 of goods. Son leaves wheelchair dad outside and dad fills a bag full of goods. He was still filling bag when son returns. Did son know, it was so obvious I'd say yes, but still they just went off. We caught both of them.
Pride weekend this weekend and Saturday is just hell. I have three staff per shop. One is serving and two are just stood outside stopping the theives. As I run off chasing someone one way a thief will pick something up and walk the other way. Take a look at the seafront Saturday evening. Every shop would normally be open until 10:00 in the evening but we all close around 8 because it doesn't pay to stay later.
And the next comment from some smartarse will be 'yeh, you charge rip off prices and make good profits'. Tomorrow I'm coming around to your house and take the milk, cheese and butter from your fridge. How do you feel now? It's only a few ££'s worth. Oh, then I'll do it again every day, now how do you feel?

Sadly there are too many people who justify theft by saying they made xxxx profit so can afford to lose it and the poor thieves are hungry and therefore it´s ok.
It´s a crime and is wrong!
I completely agree with you as an ex retailer who had shoplifting on a much lower level than you do now.

 

[The Clamp]

Do you belong to the BCRP or have contact with the BID team?

I work with a lot of the guys on another job.
I could ask them to pop in and see you.

PM me I can probably help you out here.

If you’re open after 8pm on Friday or Saturday, any weekend, I can pop in and see you.

 

[Sheebo]

Not allowed to touch them - even the security guard - police aren’t interested and don’t bother to turn up usually - mainly Eastern European gangs come down to a town and do all the shops in a day they can etc

All the above is true btw

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

You have my sympathy - so many awful people young and old around nowadays, acting with impunity. They know they will get away with it. My only query, is why have stuff so open on shop front, almost an invitation? Appreciate you have to encourage people in but perhaps "dummy" or faked up goods only out front or glued in? (perhaps a poor idea though). Going off topic, ! walked around town yesterday and Brighton just seems a city centre of foreign tourists and street bums. I've given up with the tidy up behind the wooden benches opp the theatre royal/back of pav park gardens - we've found too many needles, knives, hammers, bolt cutters and 100s of beer cans and bottles.... cleared it (me, 2 ladies of 75 and 80 and one young lad) several times ..... it all returns within couple of weeks. Given up (especially as we know we had treading in piss and probably shit aswell). Addiction in Brighton is out of hand.

Possibly a dumb question but why do people dump bolt cutters and hammers?

 

[BevBHA]

I am a store manager of a food store in Brighton city centre. That’s all I will say as it may give away my identity. But shop lifting is the least of the worries. Yesterday myself and 2 of my colleagues were punched by a customer. We are abused daily physically and verbally and the police response time is getting worse. It’s a matter of time before something serious like a knife crime happens in a retail store, either in mine or another.

 

[BevBHA]

I am a store manager of a food store in Brighton city centre. That’s all I will say as it may give away my identity. But shop lifting is the least of the worries. Yesterday myself and 2 of my colleagues were punched customers, we are abused daily physically and verbally and the police response time is getting worse. It’s a matter of time before something serious like a knife crime happens in a retail store, either in mine or another.

I will add to that, that big companies like the one I work for, we turn over £400k+ a week. At any one time I have 8-10 members of staff in the store and my footfall is over 30,000 customers a week. This is the budget we are allowed. If you are a member of the public and you witness abuse or anything untoward, please try to help us, we are severely, dangerously, outnumbered.

 

[BevBHA]

I will add to that, that big companies like the one I work for, we turn over £400k+ a week. At any one time I have 8-10 members of staff in the store and my football is over 30,000 customers a week. This is the budget we are allowed. If you are a member of the public and you witness abuse or anything untoward, please try to help us, we are severely, dangerously, outnumbered.

And one final point as most people outside of retails first response will relate to something around security guards. My store is guarded all 14 hours we are open daily, sometimes two of them. My store assistants are paid around £11 an hour. Guards are almost always subcontracted in by almost every retailer. The guarding company we use pays it’s guards £10.42 an hour. Minimum wage and less than that of a cashier. How can I expect them to be of good quality or to put themselves at risk for that money. I can’t and won’t.

 

[The Clamp]

I am a store manager of a food store in Brighton city centre. That’s all I will say as it may give away my identity. But shop lifting is the least of the worries. Yesterday myself and 2 of my colleagues were punched by a customer. We are abused daily physically and verbally and the police response time is getting worse. It’s a matter of time before something serious like a knife crime happens in a retail store, either in mine or another.

Again, get in touch with BID or the BCRP. They have officers on the ground who will attend. And can move towards getting these people excluded from town .

 

[Weststander]

I am a store manager of a food store in Brighton city centre. That’s all I will say as it may give away my identity. But shop lifting is the least of the worries. Yesterday myself and 2 of my colleagues were punched by a customer. We are abused daily physically and verbally and the police response time is getting worse. It’s a matter of time before something serious like a knife crime happens in a retail store, either in mine or another.

My daughter had a part time job at Sainsbury’s New England Street, she lasted 9 months.

Resigning due to the unbridled aggression from customers age 40 upwards at the express checkouts. “You fkn cnt” and more a daily reaction to any scanning setback, aimed at her. As a teen she wasn’t able to brush it off mentally, as not personal. She was scared.

Separately, the brave uniformed and undercover security staff and managers had a zero tolerance policy to shoplifters. It was not generally families looking to avoid famine. Instead junkies, alcoholics or aggressive 18 year olds who believed their own hype that a couple of MMA lessons had turned them into a warrior

 

[BevBHA]

Again, get in touch with BID or the BCRP. They have officers on the ground who will attend. And can move towards getting these people excluded from town .

We are part of it get a weekly visit every Thursday, they are very helpful just unfortunately are not able to get to us quickly enough to intervene

My daughter had a part time job at Sainsbury’s New England Street, she lasted 9 months.

Resigning due to the unbridled aggression from customers age 40 upwards at the express checkouts. “You fkn cnt” and more a daily reaction to any scanning setback, aimed at her. As a teen she wasn’t able to brush it off mentally, as not personal. She was scared.

Separately, the brave uniformed and undercover security staff and managers had a zero tolerance policy to shoplifters. It was not generally families looking to avoid famine. Instead junkies, alcoholics or aggressive 18 year olds who believed their own hype that a couple of MMA lessons had turned them into a warrior

exactly that, very similar here. Brave staff and managers gets taking the brunt of it and stepping in where required

 

[trueblue]

This attitude has gone for years.

My Dad witnessed folk brazenly lifting piles of clothes from Next in Brighton many years ago. He quietly mentioned it to staff, who said "it's policy to do nothing for fear of violence". This was in "the wonderfully prosperous, social safety net noughties" btw.

All he got for his trouble was "Wat ya fkn looking at?" from one of the thieves?

This still happens. We were told by a member of staff at Next in Holmbush that they have some fairly regular shoplifters who just take what they want. Company policy is not to challenge them and they don’t employ security. Cheaper to write off the losses and, I suppose, less admin/potential disruption/people claiming they’ve been assaulted by security.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

I'm back with more tales of woe. As mentioned, I've shops on Brighton seafront and shoplifting is common, police are unheard of on the seafront and 999 gets you nowhere. First up a couple of videos.
Kids who we caught twice in two days, and the girl is filming the lad nick the stuff.
View attachment 164461
I've loads more but NSC doesn't accept them as they're too large. A classic is over £40 of goods. Son leaves wheelchair dad outside and dad fills a bag full of goods. He was still filling bag when son returns. Did son know, it was so obvious I'd say yes, but still they just went off. We caught both of them.
Pride weekend this weekend and Saturday is just hell. I have three staff per shop. One is serving and two are just stood outside stopping the theives. As I run off chasing someone one way a thief will pick something up and walk the other way. Take a look at the seafront Saturday evening. Every shop would normally be open until 10:00 in the evening but we all close around 8 because it doesn't pay to stay later.
And the next comment from some smartarse will be 'yeh, you charge rip off prices and make good profits'. Tomorrow I'm coming around to your house and take the milk, cheese and butter from your fridge. How do you feel now? It's only a few ££'s worth. Oh, then I'll do it again every day, now how do you feel?

FFS I really wish I had a legal answer. Think I'd loose my shit

 

[Wardy's twin]

I think we are all culpable in this WE have let society degenerate this way i.e. we all think it is wrong but have we written to our MPs saying we want stronger action on this sort of crime and by the way that also should include MPs who dip their hands in the till.

 

[SteveU]

The Co-Op made £100 m in profit last year, I am sure they can lose a few sausage rolls to people trying to feed themselves or need a bit of booze to help with whatever pain or demons they are struggling with (in lieu of any support offered by the State).

So it’s ok to steal? You’re part of the problem with an attitude like that.

 

[carlzeiss]

So it’s ok to steal? You’re part of the problem with an attitude like that.

Not OK to steal but if you are an employee then intervening can have serious consequences

Co-op worker injured in 'sickening' knife incident

Two teenage boys have been arrested after a shop worker suffered serious head injuries while trying to prevent shoplifting.

www.theargus.co.uk

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Not OK to steal but if you are an employee then intervening can have serious consequences

Co-op worker injured in 'sickening' knife incident

Two teenage boys have been arrested after a shop worker suffered serious head injuries while trying to prevent shoplifting.

www.theargus.co.uk

Those shops should be forcibly shut down until they have demonstrated to their respective local councils that they have adequate security in place to protect their customers and employees from ferals

 

[Chicken Run]

The Co-Op made £100 m in profit last year, I am sure they can lose a few sausage rolls to people trying to feed themselves or need a bit of booze to help with whatever pain or demons they are struggling with (in lieu of any support offered by the State).

Just seen this comment, I won’t be rude to you but this really is a disappointing post!

 

[herecomesaregular]

Possibly a dumb question but why do people dump bolt cutters and hammers?

Not dumped - stored there for thieving and protection.

 

[marcos3263]

It was a VERY long time ago but I was in food retail that saw me go from Sainsburys manager to store manager of Aldi. Had shop lifters at sainsburys of course but once I became store manager and was responsible for my stock results personally then any shop lifting was effectively stealing from me and would jeopardise my job.
I had a zero tolerance to shop lifters and would always call the police regardless of what sob story they spouted. they may have no money for food but were stealing the steak and vodka... I might have been more lenient if they were nicking bread and ham. (I wouldn't)

Sadly we had a faulty door that led to the managers office and several shoplifters got hurt between the shopfloor and office. I never saw them again after the police took them away so hoped they were alright.............

 

[Live by the sea]

Co op seems to attract these people. They need proper security in place . Co op actually came last out in f the major supermarkets from a ‘which ‘ study into product quality , range , price & cleanliness of the store .

M and S came top - they shop lifters not choosing wisely !!