Have you ever wondered why Wal-Mart has greeters ready
to hand you a grocery cart as soon you walk in the door?

Besides the public relations value, security experts say that
the easiest way to discourage shoplifting is to make sure
staffers acknowledge the presence of every shopper with a
simple hello. Sam Walton observed that if you hire a sweet
old lady just to say hello to incoming customers, none of them
will dare steal.