syrup theif

[amasonry]

hey traders,
well, I made a roadside stand this year. sales are great!! but I got robbed. only took two weeks to find a loser. so installed a game camera. so I,m looking for some ideas. maybe I put out to much and the prize was too big. what do you guys do, and how do you handle theft.

[SeanD]

Game camera and limiting the amount you have out are good steps. All of my pickup business is email or text in advance. They write what they want and I let them know when they can pick it up - usually within a day depending on when I see the email. I leave it on a table on my porch for them with their name on it, so we both still have flexibility with our time. They leave the money under a brick or use Venmo.

[christopherh]

I’ve used game cameras in the past, but they are very limited on how long they can record a video. I now have a Lorex camera system that records 24/7. I will only put small quantities of Half pint, pints and quarts in the stand. Half gallons and gallons they must come to the house. The time I did have a problem with theft, it came down to one individual. Good luck!

[amasonry]

well, thanks for the replies. went with two game cameras. one for their face and one for their license plate. my driveway is 800 feet long so a Lorax camera would not work for me, but they do look nice! we will see how it goes.

[maple flats]

I don't use a stand. My local customers either call, I tell them the price, and I put it on a chair on my porch, they pick it up and put the money or check in my mailbox. Alternatively they pick it up at the one local retail outlet I have. The only other way I sell is thru my webside and I ship it to them, they pay both syrup and shipping total.
Before Covid, I had several who would call and we'd set a time for them to pick it up at my hose or the sugarhouse.

[amasonry]

had a guy stop and leave me 7$ for two pints. four hours later he stopped again and dropped 12$ more.pints are 10$? thought about starting a wall of shame on the side of the roadside stand. thoughts?

[SeanD]

Ha, ha. At least he came back to try to settle up. I thought you were going to say he returned and took the $7 back!

People have been really good here. I've only been shorted one time in many years and it was a genuine mistake. More often than not, people round up and I credit their next purchase. It was getting confusing to figure out how the amount of money from a few customers didn't match what it should, so I've started leaving old envelopes and pens for people to note their names.

My only nuisance has been when people pay with coins. They are not scraping by. They just want to clean out the change in their car. I get it. I hate having a lot of change, too. Now I have even more! Quarters are one thing, but the nickels and dimes are nuts. It's not like I make night deposits. It's just going from their change bucket to mine. Maybe I should put my kids' piggy banks out there just to same me the effort!:lol:

[68bird]

Built a stand myself this year. Made it look look like a sugar house! Before I got the cameras up(took two weeks to get) had two small thefts. One *** took a half gallon, and left a buck!! I only put 2 of each product up there. I get an alert on my phone now, and have two way talk. Works pretty well even when I'm at work 15 miles away!

[amasonry]

Hey 68 bird, what kind of camera you use? does it use wi-fi? I have none at the stand and it is hard to find a security video camera that will send alerts to my phone.

[bmead]

I use a game camera currently however i am thinking of switching to ring door bell app for the notification and two way conversation ability.

[amasonry]

well bmead brought this old thread back up so I thought I would give an update. sales stayed strong to the end of the last fall. in all the stolen products totaled about 10% of sales. even with three cameras one hidden, two in plain sight, and a sign saying (cameras in use). they keep on stealing. which got me thinking. if Walmart has 400 cameras in/out on-site and people steal from them every day. might not spend so much on security next year? 24 aa's every two weeks adds up!

bmead it would be nice to talk to some customers thou.

[bill m]

What cameras are you using that eat up batteries every 2 weeks?

[amasonry]

it's not so much the cameras as the number of pictures they take being so close to the road. trying to get plate numbers and faces.

[berkshires]

the stolen products totaled about 10% of sales. even with three cameras one hidden, two in plain sight, and a sign saying (cameras in use). they keep on stealing.



Wow that sucks! With all those cameras you must have some idea who is stealing it? Tourists I imagine? Not locals?

I'm a climber and I hate to think the climbing community could be so $****y.

Gabe

[amasonry]

we have a lot of climbers around, but I don't think so.

oh, I got pictures. of people with brand new cars and gold chains, tourists, locals old and young. even had a lady Halloween night during trick or treat help her self. you would be amazed. had one guy walk up and cover one camera with one hand , steal with the other and drive off. the sign says (cameras in use) cameras plural. I guess thieves don't read that much? Anyway, I still made more than wholesale.

[Sugar Bear]

we have a lot of climbers around, but I don't think so.

oh, I got pictures. of people with brand new cars and gold chains, tourists, locals old and young. even had a lady Halloween night during trick or treat help her self. you would be amazed. had one guy walk up and cover one camera with one hand , steal with the other and drive off. the sign says (cameras in use) cameras plural. I guess thieves don't read that much? Anyway, I still made more than wholesale.

Stealing will be legal in another 5 years.

I guarantee it.

[berkshires]

we have a lot of climbers around, but I don't think so.

oh, I got pictures. of people with brand new cars and gold chains, tourists, locals old and young. even had a lady Halloween night during trick or treat help her self. you would be amazed. had one guy walk up and cover one camera with one hand , steal with the other and drive off. the sign says (cameras in use) cameras plural. I guess thieves don't read that much? Anyway, I still made more than wholesale.
I'm glad to hear it's not the climbers, but that is amazing and depressing anyway, that so many people feel okay about brazenly breaking a common sense of trust and decency. Even on camera.

Do you forward the videos to the police? Or is there any other repercussions for the perps?

GO

[amasonry]

no , no cops. 10-15 dollars once a week. probably not worth their time and a lot of pictures are not good enough anyway. my prices might go up a little next year to cover the loss.

[blissville maples]

Is it f
Out of sight of your house. I have one in my driveway I usually only keep a gallon of court and a half gallon just in case. So far nothing major although it seems like every now and then probably wants a year a jug comes up missing with no money. How did figured out if somebody's being a funny guy the money got blown away or something. Seems like if it was a thief they would take all 3 containers not just one. Anyways hopefully they dont find the game camera and you get a quality photo. Of course what goodwill it do anyway with a failed judicial system it's easier for a thief to steal than it is for you to stop them legally, crazy!!

Really makes one wonder what is wrong with people, every and any .50 they can get is wonderful to them. Must really feel like a POS if they ever stop to think.

[amasonry]

I put out 1/2 gallons twice and both times they were stolen. the stand is 1000ft down the drive can't see it and no wi-fi. now I put out two pints and two quarts, both one light, one dark. only once did the thief take it all. I made a locked drop box . so no funny business. most of the time they think they are being slick by slipping a couple of dallars in and taking more than they pay for!

[68bird]

Zumimall is the brand , gives us a notification on the phone, and we have two way communication. Sorry for the late response! Caught one guy steeling $8 and we have a June court date!