A major point of facial recognition is to generate those consequences.
You don't have to try to physically stop them the moment they walk out, when there isn't time to call the police and you don't want a cashier getting physically involved and there's no security officer at the moment.
You have the evidence, and can call the cops the next time they enter the store.
How many stores did you see prosecute theft before that "long time" ?
~ from Examining Court Processing of Shoplifting Before and After the Passage of Mississippi House Bill 585 https://ccjls.scholasticahq.com/article/9910.pdf
See also Myth vs. Reality: Trends in Retail Theft (2024) https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/myth...
They arrest, but then don't prosecute. It's been catch and release for a while.
To be fair to OP I didn't see people come in and blatantly steal items and walk out as if there were no consequiences.
In NYC before Covid, I never saw it. After, many many times.
A major point of facial recognition is to generate those consequences.
You don't have to try to physically stop them the moment they walk out, when there isn't time to call the police and you don't want a cashier getting physically involved and there's no security officer at the moment.
You have the evidence, and can call the cops the next time they enter the store.