Archived What Happens When AP Bust People?

[Havok]

I was doing a MyFA one time and went into our holding area which is next to the AP office. I saw a customer get busted trying to steal some LEGO City stuff. 3 AP guys took her into the office with her cart and baby. So I went about my day doing more picks. I come back and the lady is escorted out with her cart minus the LEGO City toys. It looked like they had a great meeting. They were all laughing and one of the guys told her to make smarter decisions. She looked back, said "I will!" and left. So, wtf? Are there no consequences to people stealing? Just a slap on the wrist or what?

 

[BackroomAlpha]

@TallAPGuy maybe you can answer this one.

 

[qmosqueen]

It was just legos probably her first caught no record in the system. Dollar amount to low the police won't arrest or deal with it. That's why people steal.

 

[Rock Lobster]

It depends on the dollar amount. Almost all thefts will result in the cops being called by Target. I know in my area its about $20 where Target will just file charges against the person without calling 911. Over $20 the cops will come out and do it on the spot for you. A few lego sets will probably still be a misdemeanor in your area, so whether the cops came out or not wouldn't matter she would have still been charged.

 

[On6]

First of all not all jurisdictions are the same. Some have different dollar amounts that result in prosecution.

In my jurisdiction unless it's a felony amount all the police will do is id the person for us, check for possible warrants and usually let them go if there is no warrant. We have to file charges on our own at a later date for misdemeanors. In other places the police will take first time offenders to jail no matter the amount (usually small jurisdictions).

As for it looking like a great meeting. We aren't all assholes to people. A lot of people understand we have a job to do and once we finish the paperwork there are casual conversations we might have while waiting for police to arrive. Most people I stop are doing it for one reason or another. I find if I build rapport with the person I can find out why they stole the stuff, possibly who they are selling it to (that's big), and hopefully convince them not to do it again. Sometimes it works, sometimes not.

 

[Kartman]

Be nice to thieves.

That's my motto!

 

[qmosqueen]

Be nice to thieves.

That's my motto!

That way they feel welcome to come back and do it again. you already know what they look like. So that will be an easy arrest.

 

[HardlinesGuy]

It all depends, there are tons of factors.

I've been part of only two apprehensions as a TPS but they were very different. One was a serial booster with warrants that hit us for over $3,000 over a couple weeks. We were firm and semi-aggressive towards her. She refuses to cooperate, and cursed and yelled at us the whole time.

The other was a mother letting her kids drink baby formula on the sales floor and stealing two more cans. We were calm and laid back with her. She didn't resist us and knew she was caught stealing, and faced the consequences like an adult.

The way you treat AP determines how AP treats you. Be cool with us, we'll be cool with you. Act like an idiot, we'll treat you like an idiot.

 

[2Spooky4U]

Probably something like this.



Please note that in this instance, the vegan police are AP, Michael Cera is the thief, and the blonde is the thief's parents overwhelmed with disappointment.

 

[buliSBI]

It depends each case.

Some are given verbal warnings not to do it again.
Some are No Trespassing orders.
Some are held until police to arrive and be booked.

 

[callmetaylor]

A lot of people understand we have a job to do and once we finish the paperwork there are casual conversations we might have while waiting for police to arrive. Most people I stop are doing it for one reason or another. I find if I build rapport with the person I can find out why they stole the stuff, possibly who they are selling it to (that's big), and hopefully convince them not to do it again. Sometimes it works, sometimes not.

This is actually really cool. Like...you have a chance to actually make a difference on both ends- cutting losses on our end and hopefully making someone start thinking through their life decisions & whatnot. I've always thought AP would be cool- I love trying to figure things out, so I'd love tracking people/merch/numbers etc. but I hate the thought of confronting people. I'm that weird person that would actually feel guilty for confronting someone, even when all the evidence is there, but your post puts an entirely different spin on the AP position in my mind.

 

[BigEyedPhish]

This is actually really cool. Like...you have a chance to actually make a difference on both ends- cutting losses on our end and hopefully making someone start thinking through their life decisions & whatnot. I've always thought AP would be cool- I love trying to figure things out, so I'd love tracking people/merch/numbers etc. but I hate the thought of confronting people. I'm that weird person that would actually feel guilty for confronting someone, even when all the evidence is there, but your post puts an entirely different spin on the AP position in my mind.

My problem is that I assume everyone is honest, until they prove to me otherwise, while with AP I feel like you have to think the exact opposite (atleast with my new ETL-AP, who seems reallly uptight, and is hardly approachable, a direct contrast to our old AP who was a Jokester and friends with everybody).

 

[callmetaylor]

Ah I immediately assume the worst about nearly everyone. I've called our AP guy about a little old lady digging through her purse a bit too close to a cosmetics wall before. No one is off limits for me (I don't over-burdern our AP...I've probably only tipped them off to suspicious people maybe 15-20 times in the 18mos I've been at Target)

 

[carramrod]

As others have said, it depends on the case and the location. At my store it generally went like this:
Uncooperative, no identification, repeat subject, alert or over $100 in merch=automatic call to the police, and the person was usually arrested
Cooperative, merchandise under $50, no priors=recover the merchandise, trespass order and civil demand (basically like a fine that the person has to pay to Target) but no criminal charges
Then there were the people who fell into that $50-$100 category, where it could go either way. These were dictated entirely by attitude.
There are of course some special cases where we HAVE to call the police, for example if someone under 21 was caught stealing alcohol, they had drugs or something else illegal on them, or they are a minor and they didn't have parents that could be contacted.
The major takeaway here is that even the people who are released without police involvement still suffer consequences. They still are banned from the store, they obviously don't have the merchandise they tried to steal, and they receive a bill in the mail from Target. We also take down all their information and enter it into the computer so we can identify them in the future. For example, we had one subject who we apprehended and released. Then, two weeks later, a Dyson went missing. I reviewed video and saw the same guy come in and steal it. We already had his information from the previous case, so we called the police and they put out a warrant for him.

 

[anathema]

I'm in a major city, always tried to cut people loose when I could. I have your info, I kept the merch in the store, and made the apprehension. People are mostly victims of their circumstances, it's hard sometimes to fathom the type of mindframe you'd have to have to seriously consider stealing from a store just to survive.

PD taking upwards of three hours made some apps tough, having conversations with someone you'd stopped was interesting, they're people after all, but always incredibly awkward when you have to face reality again when PD enters the APO.

Boosters were fun, though. Never shed a tear for a booster.

 

[garbage]

Basically the AP office is a lot larger than it looks.
When we observe someone shoplifting, we politely ask them to come back inside and discuss the merchandise. Once inside, we offer them a drink from the bar and instruct them to take a seat on the leather sofa.
We then ask them why the decided to walk out without paying for the merchandise. About 90% of the time it's a just a simple mistake and they forgot they left the 10 headphones in their pocket earlier. Understandable. We then watch TV until PD arrives.
Once they arrive, they collect the subject's information. The subject usually asks at this point if they are going to go to jail. PD says it's up to Target. We tell them that was back in the old days, now Target just wants you trespassed for a year..BUT if you sign up for a RedCard you don't get trespassed and you get to keep the headphones.
Needless to say, Target wants to ensure its ALWAYS a pleasant experience for the shoplifter involved.

 

[HardlinesGuy]

Basically the AP office is a lot larger than it looks.
When we observe someone shoplifting, we politely ask them to come back inside and discuss the merchandise. Once inside, we offer them a drink from the bar and instruct them to take a seat on the leather sofa.
We then ask them why the decided to walk out without paying for the merchandise. About 90% of the time it's a just a simple mistake and they forgot they left the 10 headphones in their pocket earlier. Understandable. We then watch TV until PD arrives.
Once they arrive, they collect the subject's information. The subject usually asks at this point if they are going to go to jail. PD says it's up to Target. We tell them that was back in the old days, now Target just wants you trespassed for a year..BUT if you sign up for a RedCard you don't get trespassed and you get to keep the headphones.
Needless to say, Target wants to ensure its ALWAYS a pleasant experience for the shoplifter involved.

I wasn't sure if I should laugh or cry at the accuracy.

 

[Havok]

Basically the AP office is a lot larger than it looks.
When we observe someone shoplifting, we politely ask them to come back inside and discuss the merchandise. Once inside, we offer them a drink from the bar and instruct them to take a seat on the leather sofa.
We then ask them why the decided to walk out without paying for the merchandise. About 90% of the time it's a just a simple mistake and they forgot they left the 10 headphones in their pocket earlier. Understandable. We then watch TV until PD arrives.
Once they arrive, they collect the subject's information. The subject usually asks at this point if they are going to go to jail. PD says it's up to Target. We tell them that was back in the old days, now Target just wants you trespassed for a year..BUT if you sign up for a RedCard you don't get trespassed and you get to keep the headphones.
Needless to say, Target wants to ensure its ALWAYS a pleasant experience for the shoplifter involved.

Damn, there were a lot of different posts here but this one made me scratch my head and laugh a little, haha.

 

[On6]

Believe it or not. We actually used to have a couch in our office....

Well if you count those futon things we sell as a couch that is. Apparently it wasn't "brand".

 

[NPC]

I've had to sit in a few times when AP had female shoplifters. I feel stressed out for them. At the same time, it's very exciting to see shit go down. Lol.

 

[qmosqueen]

Basically the AP office is a lot larger than it looks.
When we observe someone shoplifting, we politely ask them to come back inside and discuss the merchandise. Once inside, we offer them a drink from the bar and instruct them to take a seat on the leather sofa.
We then ask them why the decided to walk out without paying for the merchandise. About 90% of the time it's a just a simple mistake and they forgot they left the 10 headphones in their pocket earlier. Understandable. We then watch TV until PD arrives.
Once they arrive, they collect the subject's information. The subject usually asks at this point if they are going to go to jail. PD says it's up to Target. We tell them that was back in the old days, now Target just wants you trespassed for a year..BUT if you sign up for a RedCard you don't get trespassed and you get to keep the headphones.
Needless to say, Target wants to ensure its ALWAYS a pleasant experience for the shoplifter involved.

Best ever thanks for the laugh.

 

[HardlinesGuy]

Best ever thanks for the laugh.

What most people also don't know about is the new BoosterCard. Basically, when you sign up you get everything in the store for free and a 1 in 10 chance of winning a pair of silver bracelets.

 

[Bullseyerc]

At my store our awesome AP team slams the motherfuckers, makes them cry when they lie and are uncooperative. Example. One guy pushed out a day before his official apprehension and his dumbass came back the next day.. well he tried to push out AGAIN and he was a small college kid nerdy and shit. He said he got to the car and "forgot to pay which is why he came back" and he was sobbing and screaming please don't call the police and AP and I were just laughing at him because he was a liar, and had the disgrace to try it again. He was arrested that day.

 

[Havok]

At my store our awesome AP team slams the motherfuckers, makes them cry when they lie and are uncooperative. Example. One guy pushed out a day before his official apprehension and his dumbass came back the next day.. well he tried to push out AGAIN and he was a small college kid nerdy and shit. He said he got to the car and "forgot to pay which is why he came back" and he was sobbing and screaming please don't call the police and AP and I were just laughing at him because he was a liar, and had the disgrace to try it again. He was arrested that day.

LMAO!

 

[Pale]

Our AP actually busted a thief a few weeks ago who had a bunch of high-ticket items like expensive headphones, games, etc. The mother fucker had a set of magkeys somehow, probably bought them offline. But it was fun watching him stalk the dude, seeing him hide behind shelving and getting in awkward positions to look through the shelving to see them.