Let’s examine the PetSmart Shoplifting Policy: What’s Covered?
PetSmart, the American pet store chain, has a strict policy against shoplifting. Their employees have keys that provide the only access to animal merchandise, and their locations are outfitted with cameras to monitor activity, all to prevent shoplifting. Finally, PetSmart employees are trained to call the police when shoplifting occurs.
In this article, we will completely examine the PetSmart Shoplifting Policy. We’ll provide an overview of what this policy covers, providing information about the pet store and its response toward crime. We’ll give you answers to the most-asked questions on the internet!
An Overview of PetSmart
PetSmart (sometimes styled as “Pet Smart”) is an American chain of superstores dealing in pet supplies and pets themselves.
The chain is privately owned. In all of the United States, it has been consistently leading as the primary pet company, though its rival Petco is consistently in pursuit of the same title.
The store was founded by Janice and Jim Dougherty in the year 1986, beginning in Pheonix, Arizona. At the time, it was only a warehouse of pet food, discounted, and sold in bulk. However, nowadays, PetSmart has more than 1,500 stores across the U.S.
These stores sell not only pet supplies and small pets like kittens, fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and rodents, but they also provide many services so that they can become the one-stop shop for those who consider pets to be family members.
Some of these services include Doggie Day Camp, grooming for pets, training, and PetsHotel.
What Counts as Shoplifting?
Now that we know something about PetSmart, their standards, and their offerings of products and services to customers, let’s go over what they might consider “shoplifting.”
According to experts in law and law enforcement, shoplifting is when a customer behaves with a product contrary to the way the shop keeper expects them to behave.
This includes taking the product out of the store without paying for it. However, it is not limited to this, alone. In fact, you can be fined, arrested, or accused of shoplifting for tampering with a product and its packaging or its price tag.
Even if you do not take a product out of the store at all, but you’ve concealed it on your person by putting it in a pocket, a fold of clothing, or a backpack or purse, you can be charged with shoplifting crimes.
You can also face shoplifting consequences if the product is hidden somewhere in a cart, in another product, or otherwise dealt with suspiciously.
Shoplifting consequences vary from state to state. However, they usually come with a fine of some kind, a ban from the place where the shoplifting occurred, or even time in jail for the shoplifter.
Typically, the more often shoplifting is found on a person’s criminal record, the worse the consequences get.
Read also >> Can Loss Prevention Handcuff You? (Here Is Why)
Read also >> What Happens If You Get Caught Shoplifting Under 18?
Read also >> How Often Are Security Cameras Checked? (Surveillance + More)
Read also >> Should I Pay A Civil Demand Letter For Shoplifting? (Penalty)
PetSmart Shoplifting Policy
We’ve covered who PetSmart is as a company. We’ve also established what counts as “shoplifting,” as a whole. However, what we have not done is gone over the two topics together when it comes to PetSmart’s specific Shoplifting Policies.
For one thing, PetSmart does protect its merchandise and the experience of other law-abiding customers by trying to prevent shoplifting or deter shoplifters where possible.
For another, PetSmart has a plan in place for handling shoplifting when it does occur. Let’s look at both of these types of policies below.
What PetSmart Does to Deter Shoplifters
- Secure Merchandise – When it comes to keeping the small animals that they sell safe from shoplifting, PetSmart is careful to house most of the animals in glass or metal-based cages that are difficult to open without damaging and attracting attention. The keys to these cages are kept on PetSmart personnel, and never left unattended.
- Camera Systems – PetSmart, like many superstores around the United States, uses a security camera system that surveys all of their store. Sometimes, these cameras can even survey parking lots. The footage is then stored for review in case of suspicious activity, and used to prosecute shoplifters. They do not use face recognition software.
- Trained Employees – PetSmart may not train their employees to chase down or attempt to get back the merchandise that is being shoplifted; however, they do train their employees to observe shoppers for signs of shoplifting. By understanding body language associated with the crime, employees can usually confront a shoplifter in the act.
What PetSmart Does When Shoplifting Happens
- Observe – The first thing a PetSmart manager or employee is likely to do when noticing shoplifting is simply gather information. They will usually follow the shoplifter around the store and even into the parking lot, from a safe distance. This is to gather information to pass on to the police.
- Call the Police – PetSmart employees are trained to immediately notify the police when they find that shoplifters are taking merchandise. Depending on state legislature, this usually leads to a fine or even jail time, as well as additions to a criminal record, for the shoplifter.
- Ban – Some shoplifters have received lifetime bans from PetSmart when they’ve been caught shoplifting, meaning they can never enter a PetSmart-owned property or benefit from the goods and services offered there again.
Frequently Asked Questions
PetSmart is one of America’s favorite grocery store chains, and odds are, you have plenty of questions about the way they do business and how they conduct themselves during a shoplifting incident. We’ve got answers below!
Does PetSmart Have a Chase Policy?
PetSmart has what is called a “No Chase” policy. For the safety of their employees, people who work for PetSmart are not allowed to chase after a shoplifter.
If they notice shoplifting behavior, or missing merchandise, they are trained to follow the suspect at a safe distance on the property while notifying the police of the crime.
Does PetSmart have surveillance?
Yes, PetSmart has surveillance systems in the form of cameras. These cameras are sometimes used to monitor animal activity and keep pets safe, but often they are used to discourage shoplifters, too.
The cameras may not use face recognition software, but they are still useful for employees to identify and prosecute shoplifters.
Is PetSmart Owned By Target?
It may make sense to examine Target’s shoplifting policy if you believe they are connected through ownership to PetSmart.
However, the truth is, PetSmart is not owned by the Target company. Actually, it is a privately held chain in America.
If you’re looking for models of how PetSmart might behave, corporately, in a shoplifting situation, you may want to look at their competitors.
Target, as a retail store that sells some pet commodities, is one of the indirect competitors of PetSmart. However, their biggest competition is another North American pet company, the similar chain, PetCo.
In Conclusion
To sum it all up, the PetSmart shoplifting policy covers the pet store’s response to the instances of shoplifting that sometimes occur in their location.
The policy covers how an employee will handle the situation, as well as what preventative measures are in place against shoplifting.
PetSmart has surveillance in the form of cameras and employees trained in monitoring merchandise to deter shoplifters. They will follow shoplifters from a safe distance and call the police if shoplifting is caught.