? about shoplifting

[Coolguy101]

What happend is this: Walmart did not prosecute or share any information with law enforcement. They simply used a law firm doubling as a collection agency to collect restitution under the California law because the dollar amount was under the limit warranting prosecution per Walmart corporate policy.

HOWEVER, what you buddy didn't know is that Walmart belongs to a network of businesses that shares information on customers and employees that get caught stealing. There are supposedly over a thousand different businesses that can all access that information, so when your buddy applied for a job and they did a background check, it would flag not on a criminal check with the county/state/DMV, but within the network of businesses.

That sharing of information is all perfectly legal, and there is no way for him to get that removed. It may drop off on its own after a certain period of years, but I don't know and they wouldn't know at the Walmart store level either.

People don't understand how committing what they consider to be a minor crime like shoplifting can affect their life for years to come.

It's all about choices.

[Coolguy101]

May have been a empty threat but it sure did scare my friend into signing the paper and paying the fine .

It's sort of an empty threat as in they probably wouldn't file after the fact, but they would certainly put it on his credit and they would go after him that way. They also may file a civil case against him and get a judgement for the amount, which they would certainly win because he had signed the paper agreeing to pay and Walmart has the right under California law to collect restitution from him.

[chillincody]

What happend is this: Walmart did not prosecute or share any information with law enforcement. They simply used a law firm doubling as a collection agency to collect restitution under the California law because the dollar amout warranting prosecution per Walmart corporate policy.

HOWEVER, what you buddy didn't know is that Walmart belongs to a network of businesses that shares information on customers and employees that get caught stealing. There are supposedly over a thousand different businesses that can all access that information, so when your buddy applied for a job and they did a background check, it would flag not on a criminal check with the county/state/DMV, but within the network of businesses.

That isharing of information is all perfectly legal, and there is no way for him to get that removed. It may drop off on its own after a certain period of years, but I don't know and they wouldn't know at the Walmart store level either.

People don't understand how committing what they consider to be a minor crime like shoplifting can affect their life for years to come.

It's all about choices.

Oh dam I did not know that so hes pretty F****D if he applies to any business that shares that info Well looks like I need to tell him I have some good news and some bad news , good news not on his permanet record bad that it is still in a database that is shared between companies and there is no way of removing it . It sucks how one bad choice is all it takes to screw up your future I fill bad because he is really trying to get his ducks in a row . Its very true about choices and sadly he made a bad choice but who hasnt made at least one bad choice in their lives ?

[Coolguy101]

Yup, everybody makes choices in their lives, some of them bad.

The thing is companies don't want to hire thieves, as they tend to make bad employees.

People rarely (if ever) get caught stealing the very first time they try it, unless they are 6 years old. When adults get caught, its usually because they've gotten away with it so many times they get careless and security catches them.

So a more likely story is your buddy has done it more than a few times before, and finally got caught (although he will probably swear it was only that one time).

Of course I don't know this for sure, but I would suspect that is the case.

So a company looks at a potential candidate who potentially has a history of making bad decisions, and chooses to hire someone else instead.

Thats real life, where bad choices have real consequences, unlike movies.

[chillincody]

Yup, everybody makes choices in their lives, some of them bad.

The thing is companies don't want to hire thieves, as they tend to make bad employees.

People rarely (if ever) get caught stealing the very first time they try it, unless they are 6 years old. When adults get caught, its usually because they've gotten away with it so many times they get careless and security catches them.

So a more likely story is your buddy has done it more than a few times before, and finally got caught (although he will probably swear it was only that one time).

Of course I don't know this for sure, but I would suspect that is the case.

So a company looks at a potential candidate who potentially has a history of making bad decisions, and chooses to hire someone else instead.

Thats real life, where bad choices have real consequences, unlike movies.

I agree with you I would not want to hire someone with a history of stealing. and he did not try to lie and say it was his first time( only the 1st time he got caught) he admitted he did it a few times when he was homeless (which is no excuse ) but I understand that people will do what they have to do to survive and the fact that he drank as much as he did surely clouded his judgement . But I also think people should get a second chance and he has proved to me he wants to change which is why im trying to help him. He quit drinking 6_7 months ago and has been living at my house off and on for that time .

[Squid]

"or I'll call the cops" not that empty of a threat, as most of the people in question

(youthful shoplifters) will think that means their parents, spouse, work will end up finding out, and that outways any minor loss of time or fine.

They (at least at the time) will think it will keep them out of a job (very likely) or out of military(also likely) or out of college, the Country Club, etc.

Yeah, I've know people who got shoplifting conviction, and plea itself was basically probation, but it screwed up their lives for about 10 years, came up 14?years later in child custody, or was a possibility, to come up.

[Fspeed]

I've never heard of that, but it makes sense. I wasn't loss prevention, but when I helped them I never ran into someone with an ID that was belonged to them. Most of the time they had no ID and even though there were consequences they're quite minor too someone who is not interested in being a productive member of society.

Unless they were on parole or probation it was kind of a big whoop to them.

[Notorious]

I've never heard of that, but it makes sense. I wasn't loss prevention, but when I helped them I never ran into someone with an ID that was belonged to them. Most of the time they had no ID and even though there were consequences they're quite minor too someone who is not interested in being a productive member of society.

Unless they were on parole or probation it was kind of a big whoop to them.

You never heard of a field cite out?