wagoneer1019
Member
About 6 years ago we (the salvage yard I work at) were robbed. I often use this as a reference point when “thinking what would you do”. I saw the guy walk through the door and the first thought that went through my mind was “ oh, Manny (a former co worker) has a friend who is showing us his new rifle.” Then he slid the bolt on the gun and appeared to chamber a round. I assumed it was an AK type but it could have been a SKS with a 30rd mag, not important. At the time commie guns looked the same. He garbed a guy by the shirt and yelled at him, sayinng “ aguerre la pinche caja” (grab the F-ing box) and threw him over the parts counter. The guy could have been another customer or an accomplice I don’t know.
At the time we used a change box behind the sales counter on a table to make change. It was in plain view and every one could see where the cash went after each transaction. (This has changed now and things are done a little different now) the guy was in and out in less than a minuet. I don’t remember seeing him before the robbery and I don’t think I could have Id him at the time. So what is my point? 6 years later I was talking to a co-worker who was here at the time and he remembers the guy very well. He said he cased the place out for a couple of hours before the job he just stood in the back of the store watching us. He had a 3 tear drop tattoos over next to one eye, this stood out to my co-worker because he believed it meant the guy had killed 3 people. I never knew that he cased us out. But, as I have gotten older and more interested in law enforcement or criminal justice, this type of thing is normal. A criminal will often case-out a place before he is up to no good.
About 1 year later I stopped working for the salvage yard and went to work at Autozone. I came back about 3 years ago because the money was better. Wile working for the Zone I learned a few things. Their “drop 30-30” policy was not so much as for customer service but to teach the $7 an hour employees to have the appearance of being situationaly aware. The “drop 30-30” is you drop what you are doing and before the customer is 30 feet into the store or 30 seconds they are greeted with a “welcome to Autozone.” This lets the bad guy know, “ I know you are here and I am paying attention.” To the customer it says “I’m here to help”. Had we been told to greet every customer and notice when they came in we would have realized he was up to no good or at least been able to give a better description to the police. Thy guy that robbed was able to watch what we do and how we did it with out any of the counter guys noticing. They co-worker who did notice worked behind the front counter in the wholesale desks and only saw him when he went to take a leek.
Another thing I learned is to not have a lot of cash in view of the customers. The salvage yard had its cash drawer out for every one to see, at Autozone we dropped large bills and had cash pulls to keep the appearance of cash down. At Cabela’s the other day I was paying for something and the girl working the register had over $2000 in her drawer. How did I know there was over 2k in that drawer? 100 old bills in a stack is only about ¾ to 1 inch thick, new bills its only ½ inch thick. She was putting herself at risk by not dropping her cash or doing cash pulls. Seeing that much cash will get a BG thinking how great it would be to have it. Thus enacting a plan to steal it.
About a year ago I noticed a customer hovering toward the back of my showroom. He looked like any other guy who buys parts from a salvage yard but his body language was telling me something was up. We didn’t have any one in line to ask for parts but he never approached the counter. He was looking out the window and fidgeting with something in his waist. He was giving me the feeling he was up to no good and I pointed him out to the other guy on the counter. He asked got the same impression. The co-worker looked him with an I-know-what-you-are-up-to-look-of-death and asked “can I help you!” in a voice that said “get the hell out of here”. The would-be bad guy took off and nothing happed. Was it paranoia or situational awareness?
Example 2, 6 months ago I was given a set of keys to the store and assigned to be “in charge” every other Saturday. I would open and close the store. The Salvage yard is in the armpit of town and I would be opening by my self, I told the owner I have my CCW permit would like his blessing to carry at work he said no problem just to do anything stupid. Some have said that when someone refuses to be a victim begins to carry a firearm, there is a nonverbal communication of confidence that is can be intimidating to a BG. It may be true or that could just be a bunch of crap some know-it-all-anthropologist came up with in order to sound intuitive. Back to the point guy pulls up to the store gets out of his car, is dressed like your typical street thug. He looks in the window, him and I make eye contact and he gets back into the car and drives off. Maybe he saw 3 big guys standing behind me that where not really there. Or maybe he was at the wrong place or forgot his wallet. I don’t know,
Now, the event that got me thinking in the first place, yesterday I guy was hovering around the counter and I asked him if he had been helped he looked kind of like crack head or tweeker. He looked at me and I got a weird feeling. Then he said nothing, smiled sheepishly, and walked out the door. I dismissed the action and decided to go to lunch. As I was walking toward my car I saw the guy walking up the street. He crossed about 100 yards up the road and I walked into the Mexican fast-food place. I won’t ever know if something was about to go down or if he was trying to order a burrito and realized he was at the wrong place. I have always been told to trust your feelings and read people.
At the time we used a change box behind the sales counter on a table to make change. It was in plain view and every one could see where the cash went after each transaction. (This has changed now and things are done a little different now) the guy was in and out in less than a minuet. I don’t remember seeing him before the robbery and I don’t think I could have Id him at the time. So what is my point? 6 years later I was talking to a co-worker who was here at the time and he remembers the guy very well. He said he cased the place out for a couple of hours before the job he just stood in the back of the store watching us. He had a 3 tear drop tattoos over next to one eye, this stood out to my co-worker because he believed it meant the guy had killed 3 people. I never knew that he cased us out. But, as I have gotten older and more interested in law enforcement or criminal justice, this type of thing is normal. A criminal will often case-out a place before he is up to no good.
About 1 year later I stopped working for the salvage yard and went to work at Autozone. I came back about 3 years ago because the money was better. Wile working for the Zone I learned a few things. Their “drop 30-30” policy was not so much as for customer service but to teach the $7 an hour employees to have the appearance of being situationaly aware. The “drop 30-30” is you drop what you are doing and before the customer is 30 feet into the store or 30 seconds they are greeted with a “welcome to Autozone.” This lets the bad guy know, “ I know you are here and I am paying attention.” To the customer it says “I’m here to help”. Had we been told to greet every customer and notice when they came in we would have realized he was up to no good or at least been able to give a better description to the police. Thy guy that robbed was able to watch what we do and how we did it with out any of the counter guys noticing. They co-worker who did notice worked behind the front counter in the wholesale desks and only saw him when he went to take a leek.
Another thing I learned is to not have a lot of cash in view of the customers. The salvage yard had its cash drawer out for every one to see, at Autozone we dropped large bills and had cash pulls to keep the appearance of cash down. At Cabela’s the other day I was paying for something and the girl working the register had over $2000 in her drawer. How did I know there was over 2k in that drawer? 100 old bills in a stack is only about ¾ to 1 inch thick, new bills its only ½ inch thick. She was putting herself at risk by not dropping her cash or doing cash pulls. Seeing that much cash will get a BG thinking how great it would be to have it. Thus enacting a plan to steal it.
About a year ago I noticed a customer hovering toward the back of my showroom. He looked like any other guy who buys parts from a salvage yard but his body language was telling me something was up. We didn’t have any one in line to ask for parts but he never approached the counter. He was looking out the window and fidgeting with something in his waist. He was giving me the feeling he was up to no good and I pointed him out to the other guy on the counter. He asked got the same impression. The co-worker looked him with an I-know-what-you-are-up-to-look-of-death and asked “can I help you!” in a voice that said “get the hell out of here”. The would-be bad guy took off and nothing happed. Was it paranoia or situational awareness?
Example 2, 6 months ago I was given a set of keys to the store and assigned to be “in charge” every other Saturday. I would open and close the store. The Salvage yard is in the armpit of town and I would be opening by my self, I told the owner I have my CCW permit would like his blessing to carry at work he said no problem just to do anything stupid. Some have said that when someone refuses to be a victim begins to carry a firearm, there is a nonverbal communication of confidence that is can be intimidating to a BG. It may be true or that could just be a bunch of crap some know-it-all-anthropologist came up with in order to sound intuitive. Back to the point guy pulls up to the store gets out of his car, is dressed like your typical street thug. He looks in the window, him and I make eye contact and he gets back into the car and drives off. Maybe he saw 3 big guys standing behind me that where not really there. Or maybe he was at the wrong place or forgot his wallet. I don’t know,
Now, the event that got me thinking in the first place, yesterday I guy was hovering around the counter and I asked him if he had been helped he looked kind of like crack head or tweeker. He looked at me and I got a weird feeling. Then he said nothing, smiled sheepishly, and walked out the door. I dismissed the action and decided to go to lunch. As I was walking toward my car I saw the guy walking up the street. He crossed about 100 yards up the road and I walked into the Mexican fast-food place. I won’t ever know if something was about to go down or if he was trying to order a burrito and realized he was at the wrong place. I have always been told to trust your feelings and read people.
