The Co-op cheese thieves were just a comedy side show compared to my previous work before retraining.
I was a manager of an outdoor retailer in a past life until 30 years old.
Our performance related bonus was also aligned to shrinkage.
We made daily stock checks on lines susceptible to theft but at times 1:3 people through the door could be shoplifters.
Stock was put out in patterns of 3 or 5, easy to count or check visually.
Often only the extreme sizes on display, harder to resell for thieves.
Especially problematic was my own day off.
I was studying the RHS certificate at Lackham so these days needed to be regular.
The thieves worked out that when I was absent my staff were inattentive and so it was open season.
I got blamed for this of course and bonus reduced.
I abandoned my studies and suffered anxiety if absent from my store that became so bad I just didn't take my day off which contributed to further anxiety and depression.
Not worth it for the miserable salary and fragile bonus conditions that the company would always find an excuse not to pay in full.
Some thieves I caught, junkies all.
Some I stopped at the door though this confrontational approach was dangerous.
Junkies easily recognised by their smell, teeth, fingers and new clothes often married to shitty shoes.
Can't easily steal a pair of shoes now can you?
Junkies that entered the store I would follow and serve myself.
Often they'd get the message and leave peacefully enough.
We got 'steamed' a few times by gangs of thieves, again usually on my day off.
Roma the police warned us not to try apprehending and certainly don't touch the woman!
If cornered they would put their hands 'between their legs' and grab the hands or worse the face of the person who cornered them.
Then once (if) arrested the Roma women would make a counter complaint of sexual assault which of course the police would be required to investigate.
Not worth the trouble.
Junkies too.
I remember attending a line up at Bath police station.
Half of those there I recognised apart from my particular junkie, the one I chased from my store into a restaurant back door by the Avon and who got caught by the kitchen staff.
I couldn't pick the guy out of the lineup!
3 more months on remand, detoxed, clean shaven, well fed, nice clothes, unrecognisable...FFS!
One particular pair of thieves were very professional. Not junkies but well dressed and spoken. It was several years before they were apprehended by chance in a store in Stratford upon Avon equipped with better cameras and store to store radios having been recognised by a staff member who was transferred and remembered serving the pair.
Stuart