Dollar General is a chain of stores with headquarters in Tennessee, United States. They have around 18,000 stores in the United States. They are popular for being affordable, and their goods are relatively low priced. They are a big competitor of corporations like Walmart, Dollar Tree, Aldi, and other such stores. Buying your groceries at Dollar General is like reassurance that your grocery bill will be cheaper than usual. If you’re curious about their shoplifting policy, here it is for your perusal. Let’s know about Dollar General shoplifting policy.
Dollar General’s Shoplifting Policy
Due to their low prices, they gain the attention of shoplifters.
First of all, all Dollar General stores have cameras or some surveillance system in place. The cameras are extremely effective security systems. There might be no one around, but the cameras are constantly being monitored by employees who sit elsewhere.
They can contact an in-store employee if they notice anyone suspicious, and they will be caught immediately. They will be monitoring each aisle carefully at all times, so shoplifting is not very easy in the first place.
If an employee does catch a shoplifter, they will be punished as per the law of the state. Shoplifting laws differ from state to state, so there is no standard policy for all stores across the country.
As per Dollar General’s policy, no employee can put their hands on a shoplifter. They cannot even leave their store and chase the shoplifter. In this case, it is difficult to get hold of a shoplifter who has gone out of the store, because the cameras do not have face recognition software.
This way, customers do not have to worry about privacy either, because your identity will not be made public easily. This is Dollar General shoplifting policy.
Why can’t employees chase shoplifters?
It might seem a bit lax on the part of Dollar General, but their official policy makes practical sense. They do not allow employees to chase shoplifters out of the store for safety reasons. The person in question might be armed or cause harm to the employee who chases them. To avoid this, employees will not follow shoplifters out.
Dollar General does not have cameras outside their store, so Dollar General has no way of knowing where the shoplifter went. Usually, the mode of transport that a shoplifter takes can help track them down. But even then, knowing their location won’t help because unless the police get involved, Dollar General employees cannot do anything about the shoplifter.
What about loss prevention?
At this point, Dollar General may seem relaxed about shoplifting, but this is the best a chain store can do within the system. They do have loss prevention managers, however. Their role within the organization is to minimize and manage the loss of goods due to various reasons.
As shoplifting causes loss of inventory, their role includes managing shoplifting as well. So, after shoplifting has taken place and been caught, authorities in charge of loss prevention will take care of the situation, they will also coordinate with required government agencies and make sure the whole process is completed legally.
What about security?
As with any other store, Dollar General also employs security guards to man the entrances and exits just in case something out of hand happens. They will also keep an eye out for shoplifters and will notice anyone acting suspiciously or carrying something they did not pay for.
They are prevented from carrying firearms or weapons of any kind. So even if there is a situation in the store, the guards cannot use dangerous weapons to manage the situation or even for self-defense. If the guards are caught with anything of this sort, they will be fired as it goes against Dollar General’s policy.
How does dollar general punish shoplifters?
There is no standard way or policy that is used to punish or prosecute shoplifters at Dollar General. When shoplifting is caught, it will be dealt with in compliance with the laws of the state they are in.
But on a general scale, the punishment will be proportional to the cost of the item that was being stolen. The higher the price of the item is, the more severe charges the person will face. But as Dollar General is a relatively cheaper store, the items are not likely to cost enough to initiate felony theft charges against the shoplifter.
These charges are initiated when the cost of the theft is $500 to $1000. The evidence will be there in the surveillance system, so once caught, the shoplifter will have to pay for their crime.
Conclusion
Dollar General shoplifting policy is that the shoplifter will be punished according to the law of their state. The employees cannot chase after them, but the cameras will provide evidence of their theft. The employees could call the police and alert all other employees and shoppers, so the situation could get real bad. The shoplifter might then face serious consequences, including police custody. Though the policy may look ineffective, things could get worse if a shoplifter is caught at Dollar general.
