In which we post yet another ten thousand plus interesting or amusing - or neither - tweets

National Retail Federation report last spring: “‘organized retail crime’ was responsible for half the $94.5B in store merchandise” stolen. I fell for it. In fact: about 5%. And “in most major cities, shoplifting incidents have fallen 7% since 2019.”

Hugely important retraction. pic.twitter.com/QofSUq4EZY

— Kurt Andersen (@KBAndersen) December 8, 2023

 

Sen. Roger Marshall on Fox Business says Biden is the ringleader of a "crime operation" in the White House, but he doesn't want him impeached and removed because "we want him to be the candidate" next year. It's almost like the whole thing is just politics! pic.twitter.com/qHVUBu9AsG

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 8, 2023

 

Me Three heh heh heh

Congratulations to Bridget Ziegler for launching the Me Three movement. https://t.co/Y3avGiJr3d

— Hil.i.am (@hilaryluros) December 9, 2023

 

Trump’s speech for the New York Young Republican Club in New York City was a total train wreck. He praised President Xi and Al Capone, he said he wanted to be dictator for a day again, he said it’s an honor to be indicted more than most criminals, he claimed a general praised him…

— Ben Meiselas (@meiselasb) December 10, 2023

 

A preview of America in 2028 if Trump has a second term. https://t.co/L5st7OrgXZ

— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) December 10, 2023

 

This is @DougJBalloon level quality https://t.co/CSPWlVe3YD

— Sandy Garossino 🇨🇦🌻 (@Garossino) December 8, 2023

 

Jean-Claude Van Damme dancing the greatest dance mankind has ever and will ever see rep.

 

I want to give my interpretation of the shoplifting issue as someone close to the front lines. First, there is a lot of shoplifting. A lot lot. It's everyone - every age, every race, every gender. It isn't about people stealing to live, which I could respect somewhat. I don't just live in Marin, I live in a suburb area of Marin. There's not a lot of hungry here. If someone is hungry, there is are multiple oversupplied food banks. The homeless around the store have EBT cards (what used to be food stamps). It's almost always about people who think they deserve to have something but aren't willing to pay the full or any price for it. The (I think smaller percent, mostly kids) who think they are skillful cat-thieves are morons. They could literally walk up to me and say "I'm going to steal this" and all I could do is say "have a nice day". We had a great, dedicated, hard worker in the store once who chased after someone stealing thousands in expensive alcohol and she was fired for it.

What I do know is that when shoplifting gets bad, management has a solution. They cut the hours of the workers. That's the one solution they have to any profitability problem. And it works, which is why the do it and don't care to find any other way. They could do more if they wanted. Lots of stores (not ours) track customers by biometrics on cameras to see what they do in a store. Lots of stores (including ours) track cell phones. They just don't want to do more.

So people that steal don't steal from a inhuman corporation. They steal from people like me.

 

Truck i saw yesterday had written on the back "NOT GOING ELECTRIC NO WAY NO HOW"

Eel's Tonka Truck starts at $60K and goes up to $100K for the rocket version.

 

[melon]Note to self, get rid of community notes[/melon]

“Community notes is an amazing feature” lol ok 👍🏻 https://t.co/t1XGdw21sk pic.twitter.com/da8jMi51cf

— amanda 🐢🥥🌴 (@noturtlesoup17) December 10, 2023

 

I’ve seen a number of recent studies about how shoplifting is down. I wonder if that is related to how much is locked up these days. A few years ago you could still go into a store and buy things in the Bay Area but now everything from liquor to toothpaste is locked up in many stores.

 

Thr organized rampaging makes the news but its the everyday stuff that adds up. When I worked retail in college I would sit with the loss prevention guys at Filene's and watch the fun from the back. They nailed all kinds - doctors, lawyers, priests, rabbis, little old ladies. One time the dad of a kid I played bball with in HS got nailed and begged them not to call the cops. They were unmoved. All for a $55 pair of shoes.

Not to mention all the employee theft.

 

Brokeback Mountain 2 Looks Weird. pic.twitter.com/dkEzg7fkZt

— M-A.Stay’Legit™️🇨🇦 (@BagdMilkSoWhat) December 10, 2023

 

Cue Pee Wee Herman saying I meant to do that

 

Bingo. "Elections in my democratic country are pointless" is a self-fulfilling prophecy that baffles those of us from authoritarian regimes where our votes, when they existed at all, really were worthless. https://t.co/C1ulAYhTZl

— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) December 5, 2023

 

He's on to the next mystery pic.twitter.com/GdldMBi8FJ

— Academician Prokhor Zakharov (@Shake1n1bake) December 11, 2023

 

Murmuration of starlings in Italy pic.twitter.com/vtHkCEtqRf

— Nature is Amazing ☘️ (@AMAZlNGNATURE) December 11, 2023

 

When DC decriminalized stealing rides on Metro, I felt like I was the only person paying to ride. Entering the Metro was like watching the hurdles at a track meet so many people were jumping over them.

When you remove consequences for criminal behavior, guess what? People do criming.

 

You can always donate them to the refugee camp in South Sudan or East Timor. All of those "New England Revolution MLS Cup Champions" T-shirts are getting a little worn, so they can use some reinforcements.

 

Don't make them wait as long as they had to wait to get the Buffalo Bills Super Bowl Champs shirts replaced.

 

A friend of mine, who is a big NY Giants fan, was in Honduras for the Peace Corps after the Giants lost the Super Bowl to the Ravens and bought one of those Giants Super Bowl champions shirts of a guys back.

 

The American companies are going to take a huge hit on EVs, [Exempt TESLA and maybe other startups] the Chinese are going to sell their vehicles all over the world and leave no market share to US companies, only Tariffs in the USA will protect them from having to compete in the local market.

They have to learn that they can't just build expensive shitty EVs and expect people to buy them.

 

Or they can count on the inexhaustible appetite for expensive shitty trucks and SUVs