Recently the small grocery store where I work has been overrun with midnight shoppers, such as tattooed drunk freaks with chin piercings shopping at 2 in the morning with a gaggle of toddlers. I recently surmised that this had something to do with inventory shortfalls at Wal-Mart causing that discount retailer to stop remaining open overnight. High theft might occur when one only has one cop playing video games on his smart phone and one zombie security person at the door to keep track of hundreds of employees and customers. In low pay work places employee theft can be expected to account for 60% of inventory loss.

I take the bus to work with five clerks who work overnight at the Golden Ring Wal-Mart, which is one of two Wal-Marts from which we have pulled additional afterhours customers.

I have gleaned the following information from two vendors who serve our store and the Golden Ring location, and two employees of that Wal-Mart. I recently visited the Carol Island Wal-Mart to familiarize myself with the entrance and exit scheme. These places are not easily policed due to the accessible layout, which I suppose hints at their rural origins. I could only imagine what a nightmare it would be trying to mange one of these things in Baltimore City, where 30% of the population believes it is their duty to steal, 30% believes it is their right, 30% believes in looking the other way, and only 10% understand that theft is eventually reflected in higher retail prices and lower customer service.

The Wal-Mart at Golden Ring, in the Rosedale section of Eastern Baltimore County, in 2014-15 reported the highest losses in the history of Wal-Mart, compared to stores nationally and internationally.

In 2015 losses are currently at 3 million.

In 2014 losses totaled 6 million!

I guarantee you that Wal-Mart loss prevention was working their asses off trying to stop this after 2014’s record shortfall, and still, halfway through 2015 the thieves were on track to equal last year’s theft projection.

To give you an idea of how desperate a retailer has to be to close overnight, the tiny supermarket where I work, which is about half the size of a Wal-Mart’s food section, lost 1 million dollars per year when it closed down overnight in 2009.

The weakness of an operation like Wal-Mart is that with such a low gross margin, any one theft will nullify 10 sales.

Electronics, 65%

Toys, 15 percent

Gun/ammo, 10% [This is such a good idea, to stockpile guns and ammo in a low security facility staffed, in part, by Baltimore City residents!]

Automotive, 5%

Other, 5%