Some of you guys are like, Be Gay Do Crime, but are also like, Shoplifting makes you evil and you’re personally stabbing into people’s paychecks if you steal
Because you are. Workers especially at smaller stores will get docked pay/hours for thefts. The crimes gays should do is like. Graffiti. Loitering. Violiating bullshit like rainwater collection laws and also political assassinations. Not fucking over Carl at Boxlunch because you wanted the sombra funko pop or whatever
Please stop spreading this lie. It was literally created to pit poor people against poor people. It is illegal for your employer to dock your pay for theft. They are responsible for loss prevention and almost every company has a shrinkage account specifically to cover miscounts, theft, and other inconsistencies in stock. Anyone who has studied accounting or business management knows this.
If your employer EVER docks you for theft that you did not commit, they are in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
It is theft for them to dock or deduct your pay, unless you stole AND they can prove you committed the crime. Go to HR, your union, the police, etc. immediately. Checking out free legal help is also beneficial.
Be gay, do crimes, know your rights.
Okay, bisexual retail worker here. Just because it’s illegal to dock pay for theft, doesn’t mean they can’t make your life miserable in a 1000 other ways. You can be written up for theft on your shift, because you failed to prevent it. Get written up enough, and guess what, you can get fired! Completely legally! They can chew you out, dock your hours, give you shitty shifts, and generally make a terrible work environment for you if they feel that you haven’t been doing your best to prevent theft. But lets assume that you have a great work environment, that your boss is reasonable, and your company is understanding, and everything is hunky dory. Theft still hurts people on the bottom. Yes, every company makes fiscal allowances for theft, but do you think that money is carved out of CEO salaries? That the president shells it out from their pockets? No, it’s money that could have been better spent giving pay raises or benefits to workers, but has to be sequestered to cover theft instead. Also, if theft is exceptionally high, it can start to outweigh the bottom line in small stores. If your margins are already tight, and suddenly you’re not only not making money, but losing it? Well, then your store becomes a liability, and when corporate starts looking to close stores in a crunch, which ones do you think will disappear first, along with all the people who relied on it for jobs? The ones with the highest theft. Also, as someone who’s worked retail for 10+ years, we fucking hate you. If i worked in a grocery store, and people were stealing bread to feed their kids, I’d probably feel differently. Instead, at my store, people stole slime, and pens, and popsockets. Nobody needs those to live. If you steal that shit, you’re saying that your temporary enjoyment is more important than my job security. You’re treating me like I’m stupid, and gullible, and disposable. You are not a hero for the working class, sticking it to the man. You’re an immature fuck getting kicks at my expense. I am the fucking working class, and I’ve never felt vindicated finding a shredded wrapper in my store. Be gay! But don’t do dumb fucking crimes because it makes you feel edgy. Want to help the working class? Protest, advocate, support strikes, support unions, vote, or fuck, just buy us a coffee or tip your waitresses well. Don’t do shitty, self indulgent crimes.
Be Gay, Do Crime is about civil disobedience in the face of unjust laws, not actively breaking just laws because you feel like being ~edgy~.
Also like, don’t steal from small independent business that directly hurts people
I work at a Beauty Supply store. Just made assistant manager. People steal from us all the time. We have a literal CRIMINAL RING that has a system built around stealing from us and other busy stores and then taking advantage of the new workers elsewhere who will let them return it. Workers who are now at risk of losing their jobs because the “petty” theft amounts I’ve seen have hit around $600 sometimes. If it was a starving mom stealing baby food, I would look the other way. But it’s not. It’s a grown woman walking her teenage daughter through how to best steal a flat iron like I’m not in the next row. Be gay. Do crimes. Don’t be a dick.
