There's one Walmart greeter that, I guess had a moral dilemma,
when it came to whether or not stealing, as he saw it happening as people came out
of the store was something he would let slide.
His Tiktok username is Brandon Tamayo,
and explains that while he was working as a receipt checker.
When he did notice folks that were, maybe stealing baby formula, diapers for
their kids, that he would turn the other way and kind of let it move on.
Let's take a look at what he was saying and his philosophy behind this.
>> I started working at Walmart as a door greeter, and
basically a door greeter is someone who says hi and bye,
and also check your receipt before you leave the store.
And every time I saw a customer, mostly a woman when I checked the receipt and
I saw pampers or baby formula, that was not on the receipt, I just said,
have a great day.
Why, because they're expensive, and kids are expensive in general.
In my store and the company general like, we didn't really get a reward, for
the amount of stuff like we caught people stealing, I mean, that was a peace job.
And they would tell me like she's stealing, catch her,
like check her receipts and I'll check the receipt.
And I'm like, you're good, have a great day, and AP would be pissed,
but did I care, no, cuz I was making 1150 during that time.
>> There was a little bit of philosophy behind that,
which I think could be debatable whether or not.
I'm sure there's many people would think, just because you only make 1150 does that
mean you should allow, shoplifters to steal from the store.
Now, this of course comes with the rising cost of just taking care of children
specifically after the pandemic.
Childcare, schooling, all those types of things have risen because a lot of those
places that people have been able to go have also shrunk,
many teachers have also retired.
We see many aspects of this has happened, but just like as I mentioned,
the pandemic has caused this to happen.
Childcare costs have risen in all of these aspects,
look at some of this from Fortune magazine.
Throughout the past two years, childcare providers have faced
increased operating costs, razor thin profit margins,
unpredictable attendance, and staff hiring challenges and that's taken a toll.
Recent child care aware of America report,
found that nearly 16,000 providers across the United States permanently closed,
between December 19, in March of 21 in 37 states that did do that data.
Now when you look at the all of America, when it comes to this as well,
they said but when looking at all 50 states,
it's estimated that 20,000 childcare programs have ceased operations.
Or up to 10% of the pre pandemic industry,
that's according to a new report from the Century Foundation?
Also across the US parents are seeing an average, annual cost increase of 41% for
center-based child care providers, and spending an average of 14,117 annually.
That's up from 9,977 from the pre pandemic,
that's according to data from recent lending tree report.
Also, households with children younger than five were hit hardest,
by these increases, is what this report found.
Okay, now one particular state,
actually before we get to this stage cuz Colorado is trying to do something
differently when it comes to assisting parents as they come through this.
First off, some of your thoughts on this particular first started this with that
greeter, and if this is something you would do.
>> First off, I grew up in the way I think that society frames and
stuff is constantly like all the shows cops doesn't matter what it is.
Bad boys, it's like, well look at the pores, look how bad they are,
they run around and stealing and they're they're so stealing a car.
My God, when like you grow up eventually realized the majority of theft that takes
place in America, it's wage theft.
Like I don't know if either of you have had a whole bunch of like really
crappy minimum wage jobs.
Like absolute spies, and then all of a sudden it's like go work some overtime,
it's totally fine blah blah blah.
You're not in union, don't worry about it, you'll get taken care of, like,
that's the stuff that actually happens on a regular basis.
But what you see on TV or you see on Twitter and it's like,
both of you see that police seizure.
Where they had all these diapers and baby formula, and other stuff that I was like,
you are proud of this.
This is so embarrassing, what is wrong with you, like,
they need this to feed and cloth their children.
>> Yeah, it's very heinous, I'll just say if you see someone stealing diapers
from Walmart, no, you didn't, okay, you [LAUGH] didn't see that.
>> [LAUGH] >> Because, I mean,
these are people in desperate situations.
If you're literally stealing diapers,
would you rather their child go without diapers or them steal it?
I mean, cuz the government's not going to provide it to them,
we can't rely solely on charities and non for profits that provide these things.
Because there is a, I mean, if they worked, we wouldn't have these problems,
right, and in some areas, it's just not an option for some people.
But yeah, like you mentioned wage theft is a huge problem, but
also they're stealing from the consumers in the form of price gouging.
Because some of the complaints on this video in the Tiktok comments were like,
when you steal something, it makes them raise the prices.
That's why our diapers are now so expensive and it's like,
it's not because these thefts are a tiny tiny amount,
versus the massive profit margins of Walmart.
The increase in prices is they do it because they can,
cuz Walmart will come in and they'll take out all of the other stores in an area.
Until Walmart is the only store in that area and
you have to go there, to buy your products.
And then they can jack the prices up to whatever they want,
because that's the only store in your town, especially for rural areas.
That's the only place you can go to get these things, so
they can make the prices whatever they want.
And some people can't afford those prices and
desperate times call for desperate measures.
I'd rather someone steal diapers, than their baby go without diapers or
formula that they need to live.
>> I have one quick question for you Lance, because before we go to this break,
I want to ask cuz your, I forget you're in Vancouver, I know you're in Canada.
>> Yeah I don't hold it against me, but I mean the made up cartoon land of Canada.
>> [LAUGH] Yes, I've never heard of it, are there like moose everywhere and
like mountains, anyways so- >> We take showers and syrup,
it's glorious.
>> My wife is Canadian, she's from Toronto, and there was a point when I was
talking and she said her brother was going out but he had some errands to do.
And he's got two young children and he dropped them off at a drop off daycare
location, and it was just part of the routine.
He was like, I had to drop them off at the drop off location and leave there for
hours, I do this and do that.
I was like, really messy, that's crazy, just which one is that,
like how do you trust these folks and
just like they're kind of everywhere, you just go to these spots.
Now I don't know if you have children or not, or
if you're deeply rooted into how this whole process works.
Or if it's just an Ontario thing and not a, over where you are, but
is this something that seems like it's overblown.
It's not really done that, well, maybe you have abuse happening, I don't know if you
know the details of this, so if you don't understand, but I'm just curious.
>> I both do not have children and know nothing about that program, so
I couldn't speak to that, in terms of like is the theft overblown.
I would again, I would say cuz this is something, what I do know about is if you
look at the statistics of like theft and how it occurs.
And what exactly is the largest theft in both America and
Canada, it is overwhelmingly wage theft.
And I don't just say that flippantly as in like a couple of people didn't get this,
that the big reason for that and the reason that occurs.
Is because the departments that are tasked with actually trying to hold people
accountable for that are woefully underfunded in both countries.
In both America and Canada, which allows a lot of employers to get away with it
because the people who basically are working for them.
Don't have the ability to either sue them,
because it costs a lot of money to do a lawsuit, or
they'll just accept it because they don't have any power in this situation.
But I don't know about a drop off daycare system.
I would, assume in Canada if it was really resulting in a lot of bad things
happening, it probably wouldn't last long.
Because you don't really get away with like, children for long before people will
like have pitchforks at your place of business or something like that.
>> Absolutely.
>> I could actually speak to a program like that cuz I worked at one here in
America, my municipality ran those, they were called drop off playgrounds.
So I worked for the city parks department for a while and so
we would have, one of us would be stationed at the playground.
Parents could come and drop their kids off and, sign in and we would watch them for
a couple of hours or however long the parents needed.
And then they, we would also give them, we had, non for profit would donate meals,
and we would give them lunch and then the parents could come back and pick them up.
But I mean, this is, it worked and it was a great program, and,
I'm really proud of my municipality for having that, it's not widespread.
And also, I mean, it's just doesn't, it's not necessarily, it doesn't work for
all parents cuz it's a limited amount of hours.
It's not a replacement of daycare by any stretch of the imagination,
a daycare is extremely expensive, and that needs to be remedied.