The California Court Company said:
honestly if you can afford to live in affluent suburban areas like Irvine, those issues in downtown LA/SF do not affect you...yet. QoL in Orange County is that much better than Texas, no one is arguing that. But circumstances do exist, and for people who are less fortunate, moving out of CA will be a better choice.
This could happen anywhere in any state but irvine is not as crime free as you think it is.
I know for a fact that the cvs's in irvine are routinely robbed of whatever thieves can get. They hit in any time day or night but especially right after the pharmacy staff leaves, leaving only two employees in the entire store..... TWO, one of which is responsible for manning the register (trying to get people's coupons to work), helping the self checkout customers (which cvs wants open at all times) who always have issues with coupons not scanning or requiring over rides for age related cough meds or alcohol which requires a trip to the register, helping customers locate items, watching the cameras in the front of the store which means they are watching people in the aisles (stealing), unlocking items locked up (which includes toothpaste that sells for $4 and is free after extra bucks but frequently stolen), stocking and straightening up. And where is the second person? Usually counting money trying to get the store closed on time.
WHY cvs doesn't give them more than two people I do not know but it's all the stores in the area (not in AZ. We have 3-4 at closing and hardly anyone shopping).
I've seen huge bags of items that were recovered as the people fled and bags broke as they ran out. I've seen them clear make up shelves faster than u can blink. I've seen gypsies come in creating scenes with lots of kids running wildly all over the the store, leaving a five year old to watch a baby in a bassinet. So distracting and u want to say what is going on with this baby here, where are those PARENTS? and then it dawns on you the store is being robbed. CVS employees know of course but they are busy at the register with someone who can't find a coupon and then says they got the wrong size ice and the employee has to leave the register to get it. When she gets back, the person says oh, I forgot my credit card and the gypsies are gone. You don't even see the gypsies leave because they were suddenly quiet and your attention turned to another commotion and the person at the register pitching a fit with their kid and they leave too.
Quail Hill Cvs put portable display carts to block the exit at aisles (which i bet is a fire hazard) they had so many things stolen. One day I was checking out and some very nice dressed young guy knocked one over trying to get out (near the makeup). Says..... oh so sorry! Walks out calmly. I tell the employee checking me out, what is that guy doing in the makeup area? Maybe he stole something. She says oh probably. Calls the manager cuz they are the only ones there on a Saturday afternoon. He checks and yup............ an entire section was cleaned out and he is gone, no one suspecting a well dressed guy and never would have been noticed if he hadn't knocked over that display trying to get out.
CVS near the 99 Ranch store in Deerfield had a good idea someone they were watching went in the bathroom and wouldn't come out after half an hour. She finally ran out but left all her goodies in the bottom of the trash can under the liner cuz she knew she was probably caught. They think she managed to get some stuff anyway but they let her run.
Lots of times u walk in and no one even AT the register. They just expect you'll use the self checkout and plenty of people do that except they just walk in, steal and walk out skiping the self checkout.
How would I know this KEEPS happening (maybe not those exact scenarios but repeated shoplifting)? Because the employees tell me. I've shopped those stores for years and they know me from all my coupon shopping. Guess what was stolen today they say when I get to the register? And they show me the cart of recovered items. And what do they do? Take inventory of what was recovered. File a police report (tomorrow if it's late). Why not call the police right away? Thieves are gone and the police do nothing other than take a report and it's counted as a misdemeanor. CVS doesn't want people thinking there is a crime problem so they aren't all that interested in making it known anyway for fear of customers avoiding the store.
This is one reason u can't depend on finding something that cvs website is in stock there. I complain I checked the website and it says u have it, so can u please check in the back? They do and always the same answer in the end......... probably stolen. We can't update it if we don't know it was stolen, sorry.
Think it's only cvs? Nope. I've seen thieves run out with entire carts of booze and meat all in their own bags (cuz in Cali u have to pay for bags so no one thinks twice about someone dressed nicely putting booze in carry bags). I've seen women throw packages of meat in their purse at the Pavilions. By the time I got to the register, they were gone. Was pavilions employee going to run after them? Nope. Just shrugged their shoulders.
My daughter worked at Kohls on Jeffrey when she was in college. Rampant shoplifting there and this was well over a decade ago. They had two loss prevention people who were to watch the cameras who worked 40 hours a week (and one quit, leaving only one). Think Kohls is only open 80 hours a week? LOL! They were told, do not even run after them. Just get a description and we'll file a report.
One day, thieves cut the cable to the ipad for the IHUB at cvs on walnut and stole that in the daytime! Caught? Nope. They noticed when someone asked where is the checkin thingee?
Almost no one is caught so only a report is taken and it's counted as a misdemeanor folks.
Could happen anywhere but it's gone up bigly in CA after limit was raised for felonies to $950 and now no bail because that discriminates against low income people who are just trying to make a living, so come on! But who is paying for all of that? We r with higher prices and time wasted in getting an employee to unlock the case to buy a dang tube of toothpaste that is free after extra bucks.
And it doesn't stop with shoplifting. I've seen plenty of people return things without a receipt rant they have to show ID and walk out and yell at the cashier like it's their fault.
End of rant. Just don't think u r as "safe" as u think.
