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The way I see this going is for it to end up being a giant shoplifting subsidization scheme. If there's no profit motive, none of the employees or managers have any reason to care about shoplifting, and any politician who doesn't want to be seen as an alt-right fascist isn't going to want to crack down on it either. I expect the shelves to be emptied out by looters just brazenly and without even trying to hide it walking in, loading up bags, and walking out, leaving the store barren and useless until the next time it restocks. This is just going to be a massive welfare scheme that siphons taxes into the pockets of thieves.
None of the employees in any normal store have any reason to care about it, either, other than the threat of losing their jobs for not tackling it, which is unchanged here. Their wages aren't based on profits the store makes.
Plenty of low level employees do care, in the sense of "Fuck you, I have to do this shit to get my stuff. Why should your defectbot ass get it for free?"
The employees who don't have that attitude are usually the ones getting let go within a few months.
No minimum wage cashier is tackling a tweaking drug addict shoplifter, I guarantee you.
Plenty would do it if they were just allowed to, if for no other reason than because winning a fight is a good way to get laid.
I once got into a scuffle with a breakfast thief at my hotel, because I was having a bad day and wanted an excuse to fight someone, and he kindly volunteered.
So... did you get laid?
Well, no. But I did manage to stop the thief from stealing breakfast, and, in the end, isn't that what's really important?
Now I'm curious -- how did you, um -- identify this breakfast bandit? Like a smelly hobo was in front of you loading his bindle full of scrambled eggs? Dominating the toaster while swilling cheap wine?
Enquiring minds want to know!
It wasn't his first time doing this; my manager had confronted him previously, and he had thrown a plate of food at her and left. My co-worker recognized him.
I do not know how he originally came to the manager's attention; he looked like a random low-class black person, but those are not uncommon at my hotel (we are not exactly the Hilton). Best guess is she noticed him coming in every day from the outside door, and grew suspicious.
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