Many retailers have a policy that if you return something but do not have a receipt you will NOT get a cash refund, but will instead get a store credit. This is supposed to reduce the number of people that are stealing product and returning it for cash. Until recently the only option for trading the store credit card was to sell the card to a local establishment that bought the cards at a discount. The problem with selling to a local establishment is that the city of Lancaster has a rather detailed “Pawn Shop Law” listing a long list of things that a local establishment must do in order to exchange the cards for cash. Included in the list is getting a copy of the driver’s license and sending a list of property bough to the police.
Now things have been simplified for those in need of drug money. The cards can be taken to Giant Eagle and popped in a machine. The machine pops out a voucher that can be taken to service desk and the druggie can be on his way with a fist full of ill gotten drug funds.
Lancaster has become heroin infused increasing crime exponentially. Do you think companies want to locate in a city with this much of a drug problem? Think again.
I would call on our city leaders to check into this machine to insure that it complies with all of the pawn shop laws that other businesses have to comply with. Frankly, I am disgusted by Giant Eagle installing a machine that promoted the drug trade in Lancaster, reduces property values, cuts into employment in Lancaster, and increases crime. Profit over community I guess. I for one am boycotting Giant Eagle until the machine is removed.
i think this is the least of our worries. All the drug users have their systems of scam. Take one away and another pops right up. One thing I’ve noticed is the declining properties in this town. Properties are really starting to look bad. I mean real bad. Im stuck with a house that has no value anymore and the places around me look terrible. I dont see Lancaster improving anytime soon. I dont think these “New Schools” are going to do anything to attract places here. Every town in America right now is fighting to for new businesses and desperate to keep what they have from moving to China.
WOW… sounds like somebody had a bad shopping experience at Giant Eagle! No boycott here,,, I need my gas perks! I agree with Daveman- drug users are always going to find a way to get what they want. I’d rather see them have the opportunity to steal from a business than get into my house for the money.
Double edged Sword here Crabby. I can see the machine as a convenience for us honest people. I received a gift card as a discount/rebate from Cooper Tires. I used most of it for an on-line purchase that left $4.21 on the card, I can cash that at Giant Eagle along with the gasoline rebate from Hyundai. Druggies and crooks will always find a way around the system, just like Welfare professionals.
Not at all…there are still outlets for legitimately obtained gift cards. They, however, must comply with city ordinances.
I don’t want to see anyone break into your house either, but who do you think pays for property stolen from a business? YOU DO as well as the employees. Don’t forget about the loss of property value and loss of jobs because of huge problem that this city has.
Heroin is epidemic in this community. It is far worse than most realize. Wirenut, I would hope that the loss of that $4.21 would be out weighed by shutting down of this drug money machine. Thousands of dollars are stolen every day from Lancaster’s merchants that end up in the hands of drug dealers. Sorry, but I do not have that much empathy about the possibility of you losing $4.21. You guys make sound like since the druggies will always find a way then just make it easy for them.
My point about the gift card was nothing more than it is nice for honest people to have a place to cash in the small ones. The Hyundai rebate type gift card is for $119.23, why shouldn’t I be able to take it someplace and get cash for it?
I once went to a Bank and bought a bunch of $100 gift cards for Christmas and handed out most of them to the kids. After Christmas, I was left with 3 of them, took them back to the bank and they would not cask them for me. I ended up using them for a car repair, however I agreed to let the place add 3% to my bill because that was what they would be required to send the gift card company. That was also the reason the bank wouldn’t cash them, because they would lose 3%.
I also know that Law Enforcement will eventually catch up with people who pull the trick you speak of. Law Enforcement works with the stores and monitors where the gift cards are redeemed. That is where and includes photos, it isn’t perfect but it works some of the time.
Crabby: In regard to heroin, the problem is incredibly bad, and meth is destroying its share of this town, too.
As part of my job, I need to perform risk assessments of various factors in the economy and community, and one of those entails staying current with the drug situation in the county. For interesting and troubling reading, enter the following two separately into a search engine: Ohio High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Drug Market Analysis 2011 and Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Drug Market Analysis 2011.
This one is pretty troubling, too: Drug Trends in Ohio – Updated 2012 http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/Franklinton/pages/93588
give the drug users all the drugs they want… let them OD… if enough do it then the drug problem will go away…. all user’s dead equals no demand thus the market dries up……the so called controlled substance is on the streets and is more of a hazard than any loaded gun will be….War on Drugs… and gun control laws do not work.. the criminal will always get what he or she wants.
Suck it up and go back to shopping at Giant Eagle Crabby! You talk about businesses losing money to shoplifters stealing for drugs and then raising prices on customers, but then in another sentence you want to boycott a whole store just because a few drug dealers are cashing in. Does that make any sense? If you get Giant Eagle to close down and leave Lancaster then you will have to answer to my better half! LOL!
I think the drug problems we have in town today will seem like Christmas compared to when the rehab center and apartment complex for ex (and future, relapsed) junkies and their families and friends is up and running. All those people coming and going from that area thru town and the nearby neighborhoods. Can’t be good.
A side note:
Hi Crabby, glad to see you “back”- this is the first time I’ve been able to log in on my PC for over a month. Others seem to have had the same problem. Were you aware?
See various comments here:
http://lancasteroh.myfreeforum.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=21320
WOW drmark7— the LFF… now there’s a blast from the recent past ! Do people still even post on there anymore? They (orci) said they would “allow” me to come back and post but could not use “43130″.. Humf! I tried to get back on with another name but still would not allow me to sign up,, Oh welll…. no huge loss.. But,, when you talk to grandpa again– tell him that I said hey and still remember the night he wanted to take me home from the OC! LOL! Drunk old bastard!
It’s kinda funny that Orci kicked CFG off her sight but still gets on here and reads his sight!
Who’s zooming whom?
>>>It’s kinda funny that Orci kicked CFG off her sight but still gets on here and reads his sight!
Don’t recall that friction. It’s still a fairly busy site. That said… Was anyone else having trouble getting here on the Crabby site for the last month or so? I even sent the link to a relative in Indiana- and when they clicked on the site- it would not come up for them. Crabby- were you having a little trouble with the site/server?
drmark- I have had a few problems trying to get on here on occassion. I just thought it was solme bugs being worked out
drug rehab house and center:
Well kids… you ain’t seen nothing yet…. crime and drunks and using up of police resources like crazy….should be some interesting scanner listening….
I was never kicked off of the Lancaster forum. I left of my own accord. Members were being subjected to personal attack and I did not want to participate in such a forum.
43130 – I just want Giant Eagle to have to comply with the same ordinances that other businesses have to. Giant Eagle is making it profitable to steal from businesses to support their habits. It is costing employment – when businesses are losing thousands of dollars a day they cannot afford to hire as many workers. It is adding to YOUR prices to make up for the losses. Easy drugs most certainly cuts into potential employers that might otherwise locate in Lancaster.
BTW…there are other unlicensed businesses in Lancaster that buy gift cards and gold despite city, state, and federal regulations.