Vons supermarket is a familiar fixture to folks in southern California and Nevada and like any other business, shoplifting and employee theft can make a huge dent in profit margins and prices. So, what is Vons shoplifting policy for keeping their prices low and their supermarkets profitable?
Vons seems to prefer a low-key combination of surveillance cameras, electronic tagging, and loss prevention officers that patrol the store, sometimes in uniform and other times, in plain clothes. It’s modest, but it works, especially since civil remediation fins to avoid charges tend to keep shoplifters from making return visits.
In today’s article, we’ll take a look at what we know about Vons security so that you can see how it all comes together to make a friendly shopping experience that also keeps store security well in mind.
Understanding Vons Shoplifting policy and how it is enforced
A lot of folks get their groceries at Vons and looking at how their shoplifting policy is enforced, it’s obvious that they’ve gone to a lot of care to help keep the environment feeling very customer-friendly.
That doesn’t mean that shoplifters have free reign to ‘raid’ the store, however, and in the sections below we’ll tell you what they’ve got in place to help keep such activities to a minimum.
Surveillance cameras
Surveillance cameras may be found in just about any retail store you enter, these days, and Vons is definitely not an exception to this rule.
Around the store, cameras have been placed, where loss prevention officers can keep an eye out for suspicious activities and if they spot them, then they may well confront that person when they try to leave the store.
Security footage isn’t just limited to a live feed, of course, so even if they don’t catch someone in the act if a loss prevention officer is suspicious of someone then they could certainly review the footage.
If something incriminating is found, then this footage may be sent to the police, and the loss prevention officer might even look back further to see if they can develop a stronger case.
While Vons is not overly aggressive about their policy, there is still a possibility if someone is suspected or if they are actually caught shoplifting at the store that previous footage may reveal other chargeable offenses. As such, this acts as a passive, but effective deterrent for some.
Electronic tagging
While we have found no evidence that Vons employs more advanced RFID-type tagging to allow live-tracking of items through the store, we DO know that they use standard security tags on many items so that an alarm will sound if someone tries to leave with an active tag.
When they attempt to pass the security arches, an alarm will sound, at which point they will be questioned by a loss prevention officer and will likely be asked to show their receipt and what is in their bags.
If anything is found there that wasn’t paid for, then charges or costly civil remediation may be sought (more on this shortly).
Loss Prevention Officers
Loss prevention officers are present in Vons locations and typically are either dressed as a regular security guard would be, or they might be wearing plain clothing and walking around the store.
Vons will sometimes hire them from a 3rd party, and in 2017 there was an instance of two loss prevention officers that were banned from the store for using force to apprehend a customer. While loss prevention offices will typically not put their hands on a customer at most stores, with Vons there is a possibility that a 3rd party loss prevention hire might well detain you to wait for the police if they have been called.
In most cases, however, they will only confront verbally and if a suspect runs away, they will not give chase, but there is a very strong possibility that they will follow from a distance while talking with the police on the phone to help ensure that the suspect is caught.
With plain clothed loss prevention officers, they will typically observe and not take action to speak to a shoplifting suspect until they attempt to leave the store.
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Will Vons press charges if I am caught shoplifting?
If you are caught shoplifting at a Vons, then the police may be called, although in some cases they will instead choose to offer an option called ‘civil remediation’.
This is an alternative to pressing charges and what happens is your identification info, address, and other data is taken and you are asked to sign a document promising to pay a restitution fee to Vons in order to avoid criminal charges.
Typically, the information will be verified before you are allowed to leave and if it is incorrect, then the loss prevention officer may simply call the police.
If civil remediation is offered and you take it, but then do not pay, then they can forward any evidence that they have from surveillance and witnesses and formal charges will be pressed. Fines vary for this option, depending on what was stolen, but they usually fall within the neighborhood of $50-$500 in fines.
If this happens, your best option is to pay that fine. If you are instead arrested or simply do not pay the fine, then depending on the value of the items stolen, you could be looking at a misdemeanor offense that includes a fine of $1000 or more, jail time, and possibly public service or probation.
Ultimately, the exact charges will vary state to state, but they are always quite substantial.
The reason why you cannot ignore the fine is that they will not offer civil remediation if they do not have solid proof in the form of surveillance that shoplifting was attempted, so it’s best to pay the fine and avoid the police being involved – it’s not very expensive in comparison to the hefty fines and potentially losing your freedom.
You may also be banned from the store and if this happens, it is important that you do NOT try to sneak back in, as this may result in a trespassing charge, meaning more fines and potential jail time.
What if I am not offered civil remediation?
If you are not offered the option of civil remediation, but instead the police are called, then you are advised to be on your best behavior and you should retain a lawyer immediately.
Lawyers will know exactly what you are being charged with, as well as potential options such as community service, special classes, and other alternatives to jail time that you might have.
It’s expensive, but a lawyer is still your best option, but if you cannot afford one then be sure to ask your public defender if there are any alternative options that they can recommend.
Some final words
In this article, we’ve explored the Vons Shoplifting Policy and how it is enforced in their supermarket stores. With a combination of surveillance camera footage, both live and retained, along with security tags, and loss prevention officers patrolling the store, Vons has a fairly basic security profile that’s designed not to make customers too uncomfortable.
Even so, the possibility of fines or charges that could land a shoplifter in jail and saddle them with hefty fines is generally enough to deter all but the most determined shoplifters.
It’s not the most aggressive policy, but make no mistake – if you are caught, then you’ll be paying Vons directly or you’ll be dealing with the law!
Reference Sources
https://www.greghillassociates.com/lomita-client-shoplifts-189-in-items-from-vons-diversion.html