Victoria's Secret employees say they witness shoplifting almost every day, but that they'll be fired if they try to stop it
- Shoplifting is a common pursuit at Victoria's Secret, according to nine employees who spoke with Business Insider.
- However, employees are instructed not to accuse, approach, discuss, or point out shoplifters in any way. Those who do so risk losing their jobs, employees say they've been told.
- This policy is in place in part because it helps to protect employees from shoplifters who may be aggressive.
- According to the National Retail Federation, organized retail crime is on the rise, and shoplifters are becoming more aggressive.
Do a simple Google search of "Victoria's Secret shoplifting," and you'll find dozens of wild stories documenting shoplifting incidents at locations of the lingerie retailer across the United States.
"$6,514 worth of lingerie reported stolen from Victoria's Secret store in New Hampshire," the Associated Press reported on October 23.
"Men in bonnets shoplift thousands from Spartanburg Victoria's Secret store," news site Greenville News wrote on October 9.
"Over $4,400 in clothing STOLEN from Victoria's Secret in Murfreesboro," another, WGNS Radio, said on the same day.
In fact, some employees say that shoplifting has become so common at some of Victoria's Secret's stores that it's no longer surprising to them.
"It's so normal, it's ridiculous," a bra specialist who works in one of Victoria's Secret's South Florida stores told Business Insider, adding that she sees shoplifters in the store on a daily basis.
"When I first got to this mall, I was like, 'Oh my god, this is crazy,' and now I am like, 'Oh ok, it's Monday,'" she said.
Despite the frequency of shoplifting in her store, she said she's not able to do anything about it.
That is because Victoria's Secret has a strict policy in place whereby all of its employees are instructed not to accuse, approach, discuss, or point out shoplifters in any way. Those that do so risk losing their jobs, five employees told Business Insider, asking to remain anonymous for fear of retribution. In total, Business Insider spoke to nine current and former employees who have worked in various Victoria's Secret stores across the United States.
Sales assistants who chase shoplifters could end up being fired
A spokesperson for Victoria's Secret confirmed to Business Insider that sales assistants are instructed not to approach shoplifters directly. Employees are asked to be observant and alert any incidents to the asset-protection team, a security unit that works with the police to file charges.
In larger stores, a loss-prevention team member that works for Victoria's Secret's parent company, L Brands, could be present at all times, although they would not necessarily be visible to shoppers. In smaller locations, this person might drop by twice a month and be holed up in a back room, watching live video footage of the store. Some stores also have a security guard at the door, visible to shoppers.
Sales associates are told to note down the time and location of thefts and report them to their manager, who alerts the asset-protection team.
Several employees said that their managers had told them they would be fired if they did not follow this policy. A spokesperson for Victoria's Secret declined to comment on this.
"No matter how much they take or how many shoplifters there are, we will be fired if we do not follow policy," Anicya Galindo, a former employee who worked at the Pacific View Mall store in Ventura, California, told Business Insider.
She continued: "We have customers that come in every week, literally saying to our face, 'I steal from here all the time.' I have had customers look right at me after I see them stick 10 $68 fragrances in their purse, and my manager tells me, 'We gotta let 'em go and hope they put the stuff down.'"
Galindo said she was fired last month after working for the company for three years. She said she was fired for violating the store's attendance policy, turning up a few minutes late to work on several occasions. She said she was unfairly dismissed, however, as she was led to believe that there is a six-minute grace period for late arrivals and was not told about her violations when they occurred, or given any warning before being let go. She cited this as another example of the store's confusing employee policies.
Racial profiling is a concern
It turns out Victoria's Secret has a common approach to shoplifting. Walmart, for example, has a similar policy.
"Any associate not specified as an authorized associate that witnesses or is made aware of suspected criminal activity or violence within a facility should report the incident in question to a member of Walmart Asset Protection or a member of management," a spokesperson for Walmart said in a statement emailed to Business Insider.
The spokesperson would not comment on whether employees risk being fired if they do not follow this policy.
Macy's states online that it "prohibits unreasonable searches and/or the profiling of customers by any employee. Employees who violate the company's prohibition on profiling will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment."
These policies are put in place not only to protect employees' safety, but also to prevent situations where customers could be falsely accused of shoplifting.
Galindo said that shoplifters would sometimes come into her store, steal items, and then walk up to the register demanding a refund.
"Because we cannot discriminate or accuse, we are required to give the refund at the lowest selling price on a gift card," she said.
The South Florida store's bra specialist echoed that sentiment: "There have been instances when people have suspected shoplifting but the person who they suspected was not. It led to them assuming it was racial profiling. They always say: assume good intent and just customer service them."
Target has had problems with this in the past. In June, one of its loss-prevention agents was reportedly fired after a woman was falsely accused of shoplifting and paraded through the store in handcuffs.
In 2015, more than half a dozen employees told Business Insider that Target had a practice of parading workers through stores in handcuffs to discourage theft and other infractions. Target denied that it had any such policy.
But ultimately, turning a blind eye to shoplifting could create an uncomfortable working environment.
"The ease of access to stealing merchandise and even returning it for profit has caused associates to stop taking their job seriously, and also even made observing customers feel that we are a joke," Galindo said.
Organized crime is on the rise in retail
Some retailers have decided to enforce these policies more strictly as shoplifters have become more aggressive, experts say.
"We are not [talking] about the individual shoplifter who may come in and steal something for what they perceive as a personal need," Robert Moraca, vice president of Loss Prevention at the National Retail Federation, told Business Insider.
According to Moraca, who is responsible for directing the NRF's loss-prevention research and initiatives, organized retail crime is a new trend impacting the industry. This type of crime includes everything from professional shoplifting to cargo theft and returns fraud, and it costs retailers an average of $726,351 of every $1 billion of sales, according to a recent NRF report.
Moraca explained that groups of shoplifters are coming into stores and, in some cases, swiping the contents of an entire shop floor in minutes. He pointed to a well-known YouTube clip from 2015 showing a group of shoplifters robbing an Ulta store and taking almost all of the inventory on display in minutes.
"Over 18-24 months we have seen a more aggressive criminal. They used to just come in and steal, now they are pushing people to the floor, using mace guns, and punching people," Moraca said.
"Their main concern is our safety," the South Florida store's bra specialist said. "I have had shoplifters who have become violent, and others who have waited at parking lots to hurt me."
An industry-wide problem
While Victoria's Secret lends itself well to theft - its products are generally small and light, and many don't have electronic tags, which means that thieves can walk right out the door with them - it's not alone in facing these issues.
According to the NRF, shrink - a loss of inventory related to theft, shoplifting, error or fraud - costs retailers 1.33% of sales a year, on average. It cost the US retail economy $46.8 billion in 2017.
The issue has been exacerbated by the prevalence of third-party selling platforms such as Facebook's Marketplace and eBay, which have made it easier to sell stolen items.
"These platforms serve as a fence for stolen product, attracting habitual shoplifters who exploit the anonymity of online platforms to conceal their identity and operate what amounts to an illegal business from a mobile device," Jason Brewer, executive vice president of communications and state affairs at Retail Leaders Industry Association, told Business Insider.
He added: "Retailers and law enforcement work collaboratively in their fight against these criminals, but too many online platforms have turned a blind eye - or worse - resisted efforts to bring these criminals to justice by adequately monitoring their sites for fraudulent activity."
If you work at Victoria's Secret and have a story to share, email mhanbury@businessinsider.com.
