Wal-Mart

[Dennis1209]

While sitting here listening to the police scanner and reading / writing on my favorite gun site, a thought occured to me. I'm too busy to listen to the police scanner a whole lot, but when I do, Wal-Mart constantly is the subject of police calls in my little town. Reading many other posts and the news papers, Wal-Mart seems to be a magnet for crime.

Shop lifting, fugitives, hit and run, assults, murder, car jacking, rape, pan handlers, robbery, etc. It's all there at Wal-Mart. They have cameras galore inside and out that record everything and normally a mass of people around the facility.

So my question would be: What makes a Wal-Mart parking lot so attractive to criminals and being filmed in the process? Do you suppose it is because that's where people with money gather, no outside security, bad video film and low lighting, or a combo of everything? I know Wal-Mart is the largest retail store in America but, percentage wise, I know of no where else crime is as rampet as the parking lot of Wal-Marts. Around here it's getting to the point of being in situational awareness of orange just to go shopping there.

What say you?

[R_Bert]

target rich environment, 24/7.

simple economics, efficiency.

Do your grocery shopping, rip someone off on the way out.

Around here, the Knoxville Malls, and box stores arround Turkey Creek are big contenders as well.

Edited March 4, 2012 by R_Bert

[billyscott]

You're right.

"Shop lifting, fugitives, hit and run, assults, murder, car jacking, rape, pan handlers, robbery, etc. It's all there at Wal-Mart."

You can get everything at Wal Mart.

Same thing at the Wal Marts here in Murfreesboro.

I was nearly assaulted, or robbed at the one on South Rutherford a few months ago.

I don't know what their intentions were but I wasn't going to find out. After two gentlemen in their 20's came at me and yelled " hey you old white motherf'r"

they got to see the butt of my 38 snub coming out of my pocket and left me alone. I don't go to Wal Mart after dark.

Maybe Wal Mart needs to put one or two of the "security" people in the store that look for shoplifters out in the parking lot to guard against violent crime.

[QuietDan]

Wherever you've got people, you've got crime; more people, more or less, more crime.

I'm waiting for my first "hey, you old white m-f." I don't think they'll like my semi-automatic response.

[Mike.357]

I must be blessed or something. I read these Walmart threads and the one about being approached at gas pumps.

None of this has ever happened to me. At the Walmart people just seem to be going about their business. I pay attention, head on a swivel and I never see any shady stuff going on.

At the gas pumps the same thing. People pumping gas. I usually start the pump and go into the Weigels to pick up whatever else I need. Never have any troubles.

But too, I do not go to Walmart in sketchy parts of town, and I only buy my gas at a couple of places right near where we live.

Maybe I need to step out for some adventure

Edited March 5, 2012 by Mike.357

[Gun Smith]

That's why Wally World is the perfect place to try out your first outing with you HCP. You know, the famous Wally Walk.

Edited March 5, 2012 by Gun Smith

[Volzfan]

Majority of the issue are at night. I do my Wally World shopping around 10am and buy my gas at Sam's also during the day. Morning times also have issues and I stay alert at all times.

I'm always amazed at the people walking and talking on their phones. That makes them a prime target.

[10-Ring]

I could write you a book. I ended my lengthy loss prevention career at Walmart. My time in the feild was long but my Walmart stint was only about 6 months but that's another story. It was unbelievable the things that I saw while working there. It is common to see a police car sitting in the firelane at Walmart. That is usually just an officer responding to a shoplifting call, no big deal there. Any LP guy or girl worth their salt can catch at least one shoplifter each day they work. I got to know several of the local officers and would alert them when I saw someone in the store that I knew had a warrant on them. Also because most all Walmarts have pharmacies they become a target for all sorts of illegal activity such as prescription fraud and illict psedoepedrine purchases, which the local drug task force would run stings on from time to time. Add in to that the store that I worked in was in a methamphtamine rich area so methheads would buy or steal meth making products on a regular basis. Then there were the drug deals that would happen every few minutes in the parking lot. Sometime when you have a half an hour to kill park at the back of the parking lot and watch for two cars to pull up, someone gets out of one in to another and back in their own in the matter of a minute or so. We also had stolen cars abandond in the parking lot. Criminals, as dumb as they are still shop at or steal at Walmart, even if they have warrants on them.

[Guest RCLARK]

If you run as many people through the doors each day at pretty much any establishment as Walmart does you'd probably get the same results. Partially a numbers game. Also consider that pretty much every intelligence level shops there (see peopleofwalmart.com) and it's a recipe for "incidents".

Waiting in the car for my wife a few weeks ago and watched a dude slam back a Budweiser while sitting is his truck. Got out of his truck with another one. Opened it and shotgunned it as he walked toward the store. Tossed the empty can in the trash can at the door. I imagine the buzz hit him around the time he got back through to the checkout.

Had he been otherwise predisposed to immoral or unscrupulous activities his inhibitions were, at that point, most certainly compromised.

[daddyo]

I'm always amazed at the people walking and talking on their phones. That makes them a prime target.

That's because they think their chances are very low of being a victim. You know, that statistics thing that a lot of people stake their lives on.

Edited March 12, 2012 by DaddyO

[Dolomite_supafly]

I have shopped at most of the Walmarts in the Knoxville area after dark. The absolutely worst one is the one at East Towne mall. I have seen groups wandering around in the parking lot being loud and boisterous. It is a bit uneasy when you see one of those groups heading towards you as you exit with bags in your hands.

There are several reasons why that particular Walmart has problem with undesireables. First, it probably has something to do with East Towne/Knoxville Center mall being in close proximity. As it closes the miscreants look for a place to hang out and Walmart is just minutes away. Second, the mall and Walmart is 3-5 minutes from what is basically the slums. This makes it easier for those miscreants to find a place to hang out and conduct business.

Dolomite

[BrasilNuts]

Prey migrates to water and predators follow the prey.

[Guest peacexxl]

, bad video film and low lighting

What say you?

I say how old are you? Are you listening to a phonograph too?

I apologize, that was rude, but "bad video film"? WOW!

[Oh Shoot]

I say how old are you? Are you listening to a phonograph too?...

Hey now, vinyl is making a comeback among the audiophile elite.

- OS

[tnhawk]

....Maybe I need to step out for some adventure

Take a field trip to a memphis walmart. You may want to carry a few extra magazines.

[Guest uofmeet]

memphis walmart on winchester i bet could be fun.....

[Stegall Law Firm]

memphis walmart on winchester i bet could be fun.....

They don't sell guns at that one. Ammo, yes, but not guns.

[Guest drwright6]

I always use a shopping cart at Wal-Mart even if I'm only grabbing a few items. I park as close to a cart return as possible. The cart can always be used to keep distance between you and the bad guy. This is also a good way to prevent kidnapping/abductions. Forcing anyone into a car that has a death grip on a cart would be tough. A woman was attacked in at a Murfreesboro Wal-Mart in the middle of a Tuesday afternoon a few weeks ago. You just never know.

[TnEngineer]

I recently learned that the pharmacy of my local Wally has been verbally attacked several times by thugs demanding to have their phoney prescripts filled. They threaten to meet the employees outside to "mess them up" and such. Police are always called.

An employee of that walmart told me that the average response time for the local police has been 13 minutes! Yes, 13 minutes. Seems the cops don't want to have anything to do with it.

[Guest HCRoadie]

There is NOTHING at WalMart that I need so bad as to force me to suffer the indignities of these derelicts. I'd rather spend my money, even if it is a bit more, elsewhere.

[Oh Shoot]

There is NOTHING at WalMart that I need so bad as to force me to suffer the indignities of these derelicts. I'd rather spend my money, even if it is a bit more, elsewhere.

Don't be so mean, we always speak highly of you.

- OS

[MiddTennTaco]

Don't be so mean, we always speak highly of you.

- OS

lmao

[tnhawk]

There is NOTHING at WalMart that I need so bad as to force me to suffer the indignities of these derelicts. I'd rather spend my money, even if it is a bit more, elsewhere.

They're useful for training on situational awareness.

[Guest GT_Rat]

I go to WalMart about once every two months to buy Mobil1 Synthetic. They have the 5 quart jugs for about the same price most places sell the 4 quart jugs these days. I only go during the day and I go in the back way through the automotive section. Avoid all the drama and gridlock of the front parking lot and I'm in and out in 5-10 minutes max unless I go peruse the ammo selection.

This last time I was there I noticed someone has a tent tucked up under the trees behind the store.

[Grunt67]

True, Walmart has cameras all over the place. Question is, is anyone monitoring them. I went into the

Lebanon store a few adys ago to get a new battery for my mower, had the old core with me. There was

no one at the door to put on the sticker they normally do. Asked a clerk, she said they don't do that

anymore. Gallatin store, same way. There's no one to check at the door when you leave either.

Just makes me wonder if their security has taken a hit due to budget reasons. Not that it was all

that great to begin with. Suggest you watch you own back, which I do anyway.