Walmart in Atlanta creates “jobs” for police in store

An Atlanta Walmart that was closed after it was set on fire by suspected arsonists is deploying police
“In-store workplace” – the latest drastic measure to curb the shoplifting epidemic that has hit major retail chains, grocery stores, pharmacies and other retailers.

The Walmart grocery store and pharmacy in Vine City, a low-income neighborhood on Atlanta’s west side, will have a work area for police officers when it reopens in May, the retailer said.

In addition to charging their phones and body cameras, police officers can also fill out paperwork and hold meetings in the room.

“You think about going into that Walmart to shoplift or rob or whatever — you see the APD logo and you say, ‘Ah, not today,'” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said said RoughDraft Atlantaa local newspaper.

“After talking to the Merchants Association about MLK and Clark University and other people in the neighborhood, people said they wanted more police presence,” Dickens added.

The mayor said the goal of the “workspace” is to ensure the safety of shoppers and retail employees while ensuring Walmart minimizes “shrinkage” – or the loss of inventory through theft or damage – so that the company doesn’t decide to ” They don’t” “I don’t want to stay here anymore.”

Last December, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon warned that the company may be forced to close locations in areas where governments are taking a soft approach to crime.

According to the National Retail Foundation, major retail chains, grocery stores and pharmacies lost an estimated $94.5 billion in 2022 due to shrinkage.

Major retail chains such as Target, Nordstrom, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Foot Locker and Macy’s have reported a decline in sales – a significant portion of which could be due to shrinkage.

The 60,000 square meter location in Atlanta will employ around 130 people.

The starting salary for positions at Walmart is $14.

“Walmart has a long history of supporting local law enforcement and we remain committed to helping them thrive in the communities we serve,” a Walmart spokesperson told The Post.

“Providing local police with a workplace in stores is not a new feature, and we see measures like the ones we are considering for our future Vine City store as a way to better work with law enforcement and the community to support.”

The news comes as retail workers say a rise in organized theft and increasingly unruly customers have made their jobs a nightmare.

Heinrich Demetrius said Bloomberg News that he was 17 years old when he was hired as a customer service representative at a Walgreens location in Brooklyn.

However, according to the report, he had to perform many tasks, including janitor, cashier, shelf setter and passport photo taker.

Demetrius told Bloomberg News his bosses “expected so much,” but one day he was helpless when a man entered the store and demanded all the electronic items behind the counter.

As Bloomberg News reported, the man mysteriously had his hands in his pockets, making it appear as if he had a weapon.

Not wanting to tempt fate, Demetrius handed the man the items, and the man left without paying.

“I thought, ‘Wait, did I just get robbed?'” Demetrius told Bloomberg News.

The Post has reached out to Walgreens for comment.

Artavia Milliam, who works at an H&M store in Times Square in Manhattan, told Bloomberg News that she saw a shoplifter push one of her colleagues who was trying to stop the thief from stealing items from the store .

Milliam told Bloomberg News she also saw a man pull a knife on her manager after he also tried to stop him from shoplifting.

When Milliam asked a customer to throw away a drink she was carrying near a clothing display, the woman swore at her, according to Bloomberg News.

Milliam also said she once saw customers go into the store’s fitting room and urinate.

“This is pretty much post-pandemic,” Milliam told Bloomberg News.

“It wasn’t a big problem before.”

The Post has reached out to H&M for comment.

The anecdotes correspond to the results of a current survey conducted by the National Retail Federation.

When asked if they were more concerned about guest-on-partner violence compared to five years ago, 77.6% said yes.

A staggering 70.7% of respondents said they were more worried about organized retail theft, while 57.9% said they were worried about mass violence and active attackers.