Asst Manager at Glendale Lego Store Stole $50k in Sets

[Gooker1]

Not sure if y'all have seen this yet, but the assistant manager at the Lego store at the Glendale Galleria was busted for stealing sets.http://www.glendalenewspress.com/news/tn-gnp-me-lego-worker-arrested-for-allegedly-stealing-thousands-of-dollars-in-merchandiese-20140728,0,5572581.story and this http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2014/07/30/woman-arrested-for-stealing-thousands-of-dollars-worth-of-legos-from-glendale-store/

[Only Sinner]

Looks like some people are going to prison.

Stupid CBS calling it the "Legos store" It's LEGO, get it right!

[Off the wall]

It's rough enough in the Cali prison system without having to tell your fellow inmates that you're doing time for stealing Lego.

[grum64]

She should be given the longest sentence possible. Preferably sharing a cell with a 6' bearded lady called Derek!

Edited July 31, 2014 by grum64

[AFOLguy1970]

I wonder if a Lego set would be contraband in a prison. Perhaps they should let her keep one of the police station sets in the cell

[montgocloud]

$50,000 is a LOT of LEGO. Wow. That store must have had some lousy internal control...

[Israel Hands]

"And I would have gotten away with it, if it wasn't for those pesky kids!"

[TheLegoDr]

I realize theft equals no start up cost, meaning it would be all profit when selling in the aftermarket, but was the seller just getting MSRP for these sets? Surely they weren't getting more than MSRP when the sets were still active.

And it said some sets were valued at $400...the only one I could think of at that price recently would be the Death Star. Isn't that box huge?? How do you walk out with that set, let alone possibly multiple times.

[Gatthekid]

I agree with TheLegoDr. How could he possibly steal sets that big? Most sets that cost about $20 are too big for me to even imagine anyone concealing them. He must have one bulky jacket!

[Faefrost]

I agree with TheLegoDr. How could he possibly steal sets that big? Most sets that cost about $20 are too big for me to even imagine anyone concealing them. He must have one bulky jacket!

There are some amazing tricks they can come up with to steal from retail stores. Especially if they have manager privileges. The most basic is have a partner and sell it to them, but scan it as a different item. So a $20 set rather than a $399 Deathstar. The registers and computer reflect a legit sale and you see the sale taking place on camera. (If you ever wonder why some stores check your receipt at exit? It isn't because they think you are packing the cart with freebies between the register and the door. It is to look for this.)

I've heard from what I would view as a trustworthy and knowledgable source, that the reason we no longer see grab bags at Lego stores, and the reason only some stores now have damaged box tables, is someone worked out a scam where they would "oops" or damage big expensive desirable sets, split the parts into the grab bags, and sell them to a friend. Apparently it was not a small or isolated thing. So now stores can no longer process damaged goods themselves. Anything damaged gets sent back to regional to be processed, and then pallets of the damaged stuff get discounted out through certain larger stores.

[Gatthekid]

There are some amazing tricks they can come up with to steal from retail stores. Especially if they have manager privileges. The most basic is have a partner and sell it to them, but scan it as a different item. So a $20 set rather than a $399 Deathstar. The registers and computer reflect a legit sale and you see the sale taking place on camera. (If you ever wonder why some stores check your receipt at exit? It isn't because they think you are packing the cart with freebies between the register and the door. It is to look for this.)

I've heard from what I would view as a trustworthy and knowledgable source, that the reason we no longer see grab bags at Lego stores, and the reason only some stores now have damaged box tables, is someone worked out a scam where they would "oops" or damage big expensive desirable sets, split the parts into the grab bags, and sell them to a friend. Apparently it was not a small or isolated thing. So now stores can no longer process damaged goods themselves. Anything damaged gets sent back to regional to be processed, and then pallets of the damaged stuff get discounted out through certain larger stores.

I never knew this... very interesting!

[iamwhoiam]

Looks like Lego Stores never do inventory. Also, CBS committed the real crime here... Legos......

[opn2]

Edited September 27, 2014 by opn2

[VintageLegoEra]

Shame on her.....she should be thankful to LEGO for hiring her Instead stealing. She must take her penalty.

[BrickBob Studpants]

I've heard from what I would view as a trustworthy and knowledgable source, that the reason we no longer see grab bags at Lego stores, and the reason only some stores now have damaged box tables, is someone worked out a scam where they would "oops" or damage big expensive desirable sets, split the parts into the grab bags, and sell them to a friend. Apparently it was not a small or isolated thing. So now stores can no longer process damaged goods themselves. Anything damaged gets sent back to regional to be processed, and then pallets of the damaged stuff get discounted out through certain larger stores.

Wow. That's just downright evil. Though not nearly as evil and twisted as calling it "Legos store" They just can't get it right, can they

@opn2: You're absolutely right. I'm glad TLG is getting the attention they deserve (with being the #2 toy manufacturer and all that) but of course, it has to come at a cost. This might get really ugly...

[Tariq j]

Awful crime. From both ends! CBS saying legos and the theft.

[Bob De Quatre]

So... there is an open position at the Glendale Lego Store...

[CrazyDalton777]

As for concealing the sets, maybe she didn't have to. She could have watched the rest of the staff leave and stay in the store to "catch up work" and go out the back door with the sets, put em in the car, lock up and leave.

[BirdOPrey5]

From the article "A warrant search of Chan’s home turned up 300 boxes of merchandise with a total value of $50,000, she said."

That would mean the 300 boxes averaged $166 a piece... these weren't $50 sets.

[TheLegoDr]

^How are they describing value? Is it MSRP or aftermarket value? Because a lot of $50 MSRP sets that are retired may go for more in the aftermarket. Just look at Zombies set from Monster Fighters. I think it sold for $40 and it would go for way more now.

Outside of the minifigures, I wonder if the "grab bags" would get swept into the bulk LEGO they send out to LUGs? I know a lot of Pick a Brick and store display models get put into that.

[Faefrost]

^How are they describing value? Is it MSRP or aftermarket value? Because a lot of $50 MSRP sets that are retired may go for more in the aftermarket. Just look at Zombies set from Monster Fighters. I think it sold for $40 and it would go for way more now.

Outside of the minifigures, I wonder if the "grab bags" would get swept into the bulk LEGO they send out to LUGs? I know a lot of Pick a Brick and store display models get put into that.

For purposes of a crime report it is almost always MSRP or documented value. It is the value to the person stolen from. Not the speculative price. So your UCS MF is technically only worth MSRP unless the change is formally documented. Either through a sale (what you paid for it) or if it was in some way appraised. At least for purposes of a crime. How your insurance values it may be different.

These types of retail theft are nasty for the loss prevention department as they often involve someone who essentially is the local inventory control officer. They will always catch them, it just takes more time to work through how it's happening. Which is often more valuable than the lost merchandise itself. They probably watched this one for awhile to track the merchandise all the way out to the reseller. Plus if they suspect it is any sort of manager they will watch like a hawk to see if it is more. Because in most cases it is.

A buddy of mine is a retired police detective lieutenant who works these days as an inventory loss prevention consultant. Every known and then he drags me along as a side consult to run discovery and help find the IT holes for him. The stuff I have learned about what goes on in stores you would never imagine.

As far as doing inventory. To my eye Lego stores typically have very tight inventory control. At least as it faces the public. The entire layout of all Lego stores as well as certain elements of the helpful staff are precisely for that. Next time you go into one, look at the store from a theft perspective. There are open fields of view throughout. The staff can see every customer and every piece of merchandise at all times. The staff are very warm friendly and helpful. Once you select an item they quickly bring it up to the counter for you so you don't have to carry it around. This minimizes the amount of product in motion at any time. They know where every box is all the time. Plus the staff is constantly "facing" the shelves. Going through squaring up the boxes, bring forward the next box, filling and restocking holes. Yes this keeps the store looking good and increases the customer experience. But a neat well groomed store is 1000x harder to steal from. When all the boxes are squared up it is way easier to see if any are missing or moving with just a glance.

I would hazard a guess that where the Glendale thefts happened was at the point of back end inventory. Most Lego mall stores do not have adjacent store rooms. Rather the main storage is elsewhere in the building. Through tunnels and up and down elevators. Lego stores I believe typically carry enough storage to restock the shelves at least twice with the larger stores having more. It's while the product is in motion that things can go missing. And it is harder to catch as the person doing it is the one reporting the inventory movements. So 5 boxes leave downstairs storage, only 4 make the shelves, but the computers all report 5. It doesn't get flagged until sales numbers start mismatching. Or a pallet of old or retiring product gets sent back for clearance and processing. Anything missing from there will never be noticed locally in the store and may take weeks to wind its way through the system.

Edited August 2, 2014 by Faefrost

[TheLegoDr]

I was assuming MSRP, but I wasn't for sure. In this case, the value would be much higher.

That does make sense about waiting. You don't want to just bust one person because it could happen again. You need to find the outlet to close the whole operation.

[Faefrost]

I was assuming MSRP, but I wasn't for sure. In this case, the value would be much higher.

That does make sense about waiting. You don't want to just bust one person because it could happen again. You need to find the outlet to close the whole operation.

As I edited in above. The big goal in waiting and watching is not just to find the outlet, but once you know or suspect a store employee is involved, especially a manager, to see just how widespread it is among the staff. It is rarely ever just one employee. And when it is a manager more often than not it is two or more. 2+ inside people can much more easily get around inventory control systems.

[TheLegoDr]

I just don't have a thief's brain. I wouldn't be able to comprehend how to rip someone off. I'd put my mind to use to figure how to do it legitimately. Seems easier to me that way. Maybe I'm just not creative.

[Hey Joe]

The articles said that her fence had $50,000 worth of Lego merch in his apartment. They don't say how much of that came from the Lego employee who was busted for stealing. It could be a very small percentage.

I cannot condone stealing, but it's somewhat understandable given the low wages and little or no benefits that most retail workers are given here in the States. I'll stop there before start to go off on a rant about how unfair and unequal American society has become.

Joe