I must say, in all my years, I've never heard a conference call where the ceo blames a large percentage of their earnings shortfall on theft. I've heard them use the weather, shortened holiday shopping hours, the calendar day a holiday falls on, but I have never heard theft being used by a multi-national retailer for an earnings shortfall.
Brian Cornell from last week's Target conference call:
"In addition, like the rest of the industry, we're facing a growing financial headwind from shortage, which is running hundreds of millions of dollars higher than a year ago. Along with other retailers, we've seen a significant increase in theft and organized retail crime across our business."
As someone who has worked in big-box retail, I can tell you that there is no rage like working in a store and seeing theft going on and there is nothing you can do about it. Just blatantly walking out the door with your stuff, and you have to sit on your hands and let them go.
New rule. When I am POTUS, I will sign an executive order...
ON#1. If you see someone walking out of your place of employment with a handful of goods they clearly did not pay for and you say to them, "Stop, drop the merchandise and just leave...And they respond with hostility like "fuck you" and keep on walking?...
Then that is a forcible felony and you are authorized by the new constitution to shoot them in the fucking eyeball with a firearm, or stab them in the head with a Bowie knife. You are authorized to kill that fucker in what ever manner you see fit.
Let me tell you, my fellow Americans, that will drop shrinkage in this country by 99%. None of this jail bullshit.
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