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fucktheusa wrote

Go ahead. They aren't going to put any effort into catching you if you stole a small amount one time, but there's a good chance they noticed, and they'll probably watch you.

GoodOldWorkingClass jokes about them sending a report to the FBI for help, but it's more the other way around. Target has crime labs so advanced that they lease them out to the FBI, from what I've heard.

But the truth of the matter is that Target isn't any more difficult for the small-time or casual shoplifter than any other hands-on store. If you try to steal a piece of cheese, they may approach you and try to get you into handcuffs if you resist, but if you act violent enough, they will disengage and call the police, which also leaves the possibility open for a robbery charge, depending on what you did.

Now, they do enter every incident into a database, and if you create a pattern, even if you're driving all over the country stealing the same things (or if you're just a repeat shoplifter at your local store), they'll figure it out and sic the investigators on you. They'll even start taking fingerprints, using facial recognition with stuff they scanned from Facebook, etc. They can do far more than your local cops are capable of. But the big boys with access to that are after the guys who grab $500 worth of Blu-Rays every other day and book it for the exit. Those people don't care that you stole a dress.

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GoodOldWorkingClass wrote (edited )

In all due respect, Tar,get's LP reputation is exaggerated. I've heard it from many posters that Tar,get's central crime lab is so advanced that they lease it out to the FBI, but I strongly believe that's NOT true. Just think about that statement for a little bit and you'll see why: there is no way in hell Target's investigative technology matches that of the FBI, the most advanced law enforcement agency in the world. Please don't tell me that you really believe Tar,get's financial resources measure up to those of the US Government.

I do agree with you that for the occasional "small stuff" lifter Tar,get's no harder than any other retailer; reason being, they only have so much LP staff, which has to focus on the higher value lifts and the expensive merchandise.

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fucktheusa wrote (edited )

Please don't put words in my mouth.

Do I think that Target has DNA sequencing technology, ballistic forensics, and Pegasus-level spyware? No.

Do I believe that Target is able to afford decent cameras and machine learning algorithms, has the ability take fingerprints, and anally enter every incident into a database to search for patterns? Yes. They go much farther than any other major retailer (although I'd imagine that places like Home Depot are putting more into it these days than they were). I could see law enforcement using their stuff for low-level investigations. If you Google it (first result), they're using it for more than that: https://rare.us/rare-life/target-forensics-lab/

I don't think that they're easier than other retailers in general, because most retailers will just let you walk out with their stuff. I wouldn't do a walkout at Target. If you steal from Target, you have to be more careful not to create patterns, and you should conceal, but it's not like it's impossible, either.

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