I was robbed in Stop & Shop and the 13 store cameras were fakes..no video

[rocnewell]

New York State: I live in Pomona and was shopping at Stop and Shop on 8/3/11 and was robbed of my wallet while attending to my 3 yr old in the potty.. someone came by cart and snatched it. I was so busy pulling up my 3yr olds pants that the guy escaped me and ran out the store. I screamed for Security and told them to pull up the video shot on the store cameras.... The store manager and security officer informed me that all 13 cameras were not working and are dummies because they could not get funding to keep them working???? So ofcourse I call the police, fill out report and they scour the area looking for my wallet and a guy. To no avail, my entire life was in the wallet and I am still trying to replace the contents and cancel cards, etc. This has cost me dearly, time and money. I am very upset that Stop and Shop did not protect me, the cameras are supposed to be used to catch theives and criminals in the act.. and the security officer commented how they are always getting robbed?? I would love to file a lawsuit or take them to Small claims court for my loss. Please advise.

[CSO286]

New York State: I live in Pomona and was shopping at Stop and Shop on 8/3/11 and was robbed of my wallet while attending to my 3 yr old in the potty.. someone came by cart and snatched it. I was so busy pulling up my 3yr olds pants that the guy escaped me and ran out the store. I screamed for Security and told them to pull up the video shot on the store cameras.... The store manager and security officer informed me that all 13 cameras were not working and are dummies because they could not get funding to keep them working???? So ofcourse I call the police, fill out report and they scour the area looking for my wallet and a guy. To no avail, my entire life was in the wallet and I am still trying to replace the contents and cancel cards, etc. This has cost me dearly, time and money. I am very upset that Stop and Shop did not protect me, the cameras are supposed to be used to catch theives and criminals in the act.. and the security officer commented how they are always getting robbed?? I would love to file a lawsuit or take them to Small claims court for my loss. Please advise.

Next, they are not required to have said camera in operational condition. The purpose of them is to deter people from shoplifting.

It is not the store's job to protect you from being robbed.

I am very sorry this happened to you.

[Antigone*]

That would have been three of us to report this.

I'd like to say that the OP is the only one at fault here. She was negligent in leaving her wallet in the cart for someone to take. The stop and shop has no responsibility here.

[FlyingRon]

And your question is? Stop and Shop did not have any duty to either safeguard your unattended belongings nor provide surveillance in the event of theft. The cameras are purely for their own benefit and if they chose not to run them, that's hardly negligence.

[tranquility]

It is more complex than what the others are saying, but on these facts, the camera would have changed nothing.

(The complexity is the reliance on the camera in certain states. Say one place has cameras and the other does not and there is a sign regarding the cameras. You park in the one with the cameras in the hope there is less crime. Some courts have said the decision to go there because of the cameras and the cameras were not operating, there could be a negligence complaint against the owner. )

[Zigner]

It is more complex than what the others are saying, but on these facts, the camera would have changed nothing.

(The complexity is the reliance on the camera in certain states. Say one place has cameras and the other does not and there is a sign regarding the cameras. You park in the one with the cameras in the hope there is less crime. Some courts have said the decision to go there because of the cameras and the cameras were not operating, there could be a negligence complaint against the owner. )

What are the odds that the presence of cameras at the establishment made one iota of difference to the OP before her purse was stolen?