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Thieves Clear Out NJ Apple Store In 31 Seconds
theodp writes "An amazing surveillance tape of a burglary in progress at a New Jersey Apple Store shows five perps in masks smashing the plate-glass doors at 2:05 a.m., signaling to the security guard that they had a gun, and clearing off the display tables with the efficiency of a Indy 500 pit crew. The take: 23 MacBook Pros, 14 iPhones and 9 iPod touches in 31 seconds flat. Estimated value, based on average selling price: $46,345. No word yet on whether Microsoft's Laptop Hunters have alibis."
...Apple has received a million dollars worth of free publicity for the low cost of their insurance deductible.
I don't know whether my idea of criminality standards are just a bit higher, but when I watched that video I wasn't the slightest bit "amazed" by it. What's so amazing about filling your arms / pockets full of merchandise and getting the fok out of there? I'd like to think that all of us are smart enough to "mastermind" a crime such as that.
I record my sleeptalking
Using a gun in the commission of a felony usually gets you extra jail time... and these guys did this for $46,000 worth of gear, which probably has a value of about $3000 with a fence?
If all I'm gonna get is $3000, I might as well... oh, I dunno, WORK for the money and not have the years in jail.
I piss off bigots.
Add in their race, which looks like African American from the video, that adds quite a few more points on to their unemployment issues - for various reasons that I won't get into and which we all know.
Now, I'm by no means condoning what they did: I'm just trying to promote some understanding. When folks get desperate, they do desperate things. Just getting a job, for many, is not an option - especially in one of the worst economies in decades.
There are some doing to support substance abuse, which being an addict precludes employment. They need help.
Now, there's the crowd that does this shit because "it's cool". They're just punks they should get their asses shot off.
It's NOT me! It's the meds! I'm on 1000mg of Fukitol.
If it was a private Garda-type employee, chances are it's less "in on it" and more "fuck I'm not paid enough to risk my life for peanuts in the inventory"
Another reason to avoid Apple's ecosystem. Sure, I hope these thieves do get caught, and it would be fine if that happened. But the fact that they could have the ability to do that because they control the whole product is quite disconcerting.
Well... no, it sucks for the reseller. Or if the reseller is smart, then it sucks for the insurance company.
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
Yes, they are concerned. The stores are continual advertisements. Marketing would be horrified if they looked barricaded and unfriendly after hours.
Your post is a great illustration of why Apple Stores beat the pants off most computer stores in terms of revenue per square foot. You're all worked up about so-called "loss prevention" that you've forgotten about getting people to actually buy the stuff. Apple Stores have been operating for how many years and this is the first one that's been hit like this? Meanwhile locking the product away after hours so nobody can see it would have cost Apple far more than a piddling $45,000 in profit over that time.
The goal in retail is to make money, not to prevent theft. Theft prevention is simply one way to achieve that goal. Every security measure you take must be weighed against potential lost sales. Some of your advice would make little difference, like laminated glass, but pylons and locked-up merchandise are extremely unfriendly and are likely to backfire in terms of profitability.