[x0x0]

Beyond even the cops and DA absolutely refusing to do their jobs in any way, it also severely degrades the shopping experience.

You can either go to costco which is always mobbed, or if you make the mistake of going to Target, you will have to repeatedly get someone to unlock cabinets which hold laundry detergent, deodorant, toothpaste, etc.

[mindslight]

That's Target degrading the shopping experience. It's understandable how they make a cost-benefit analysis and decide to, but let's not absolve them of responsibility for that choice.

[x0x0]

Given the shoplifting levels, comprehensive lack of enforcement, etc they don't practically have a choice. See also SF whining a couple years ago because a Target actually reported all the thefts and it made Breed look incompetent. And the open retail-theft marketplace operated at 16th st bart.

[mindslight]

They have many choices. Off the top of my head: accept the higher loss, raise prices on in-store purchases of those items to account for the higher shrink, authorize their security guards to forcibly stop and detain people, put vending machines that unlock with a payment card (deposit) rather than employee-operated locks.

I don't know why you're continuing to absolve the well-capitalized corporation of responsibility for their choice of dumping externalities on legitimate customers, except as part of some gish gallop of reactionary talking points that lash out with blame for everyone but those directly responsible for the frustrating conditions.

[x0x0]

> gish gallop of reactionary talking points

Yes, indeed. I don't understand why you're not blaming the criminals and the incompetent government enabling them, rather than merchants with thin margins. Or us, for not being enthused about paying for the thieves.

[mindslight]

We can condemn each individual criminal for their personal choice to steal, but this does not have much bearing on the overall situation. There is no "government enabling them", rather there is a government that is necessarily choosing how to optimize its limited resources.

Meanwhile, a large store full of goods manned by a skeleton crew, which doesn't even hire a single person to chase down thieves, seems like quite the attractive nuisance. Why is it governments job to subsidize the security of this store's stuff through the threat of expensive post-facto enforcement against a bunch of judgement-proof perpetrators? Why do you keep absolving the well-capitalized corporation of responsibility and even agency ?

[antonkochubey]

>Why is it governments job

Because it’s literally the excuse for taxation?