5 Things You Didn't Know About Shoplifting
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The Shoplifter Has No Rules
Think of shoplifting as a game between two sets of people. The shoplifter(s), (of course) and the store security personnel, sometimes referred to as loss prevention or simply LP. The shoplifters have the advantage in the game for 3 reasons.
a.) They are unidentified players in the game until they steal.
b.) They may use any method (or a combination of methods) to get goods out of a store.
c.) The shoplifter has no rules in the game and only one objective, which is to not get caught.
Cameras are Always On, but Sometimes No One is Watching
The 5 Rules of Loss Prevention Officers
The LP employees must follow 5 basic rules when it comes to apprehending shoplifting suspects. These 5 rules vary from state to state and company to company, but are basically the same. The rules of the company usually outweigh local law, because large chains wish to avoid lawsuits and place extra restrictions on their personnel to ensure an air tight case when stopping a shoplifter.
Rule #1: Selecton: Loss Prevention MUST see the item selected from their store.
WHY? The LP person must see the shoplifter select the merchandise to make sure the merchandise belongs to the store. Suppose a woman purchased a sweater at another store a few minutes before and came into your store looking for a matching pair of pants? You happen to observe this woman holding up the sweater (with tags clearly visible) against several pair of pants in your store. All of a sudden she opens her handbag (or shopping bag) and places the sweater inside and then exits the store. Did she steal the sweater? If you did not see the woman select the sweater from a rack in your store, you MUST not stop her. (According to the rules, anyway!) Sometimes people bring their own merchandise into the stores with them
Rule #2: Concealment: LP MUST see the shoplifter conceal the merchandise.
WHY? The LP must see the shoplifter conceal the merchandise on their person, (pockets, coat, pants, etc.) inside a handbag or backpack or simply just inside the shopping cart (some shoplifters just fill a cart with merchandise and simply walk out of the store. The LP officer should be able to tell you that "the male subject has placed a Jim Carey DVD inside the front wasitband of his pants."
RULE #3: LP Must Maintain Continuous Observation of the Shoplifter.
WHY? To make sure the shoplifter does not get nervous or change his mind and dump the merchandise someplace, An LP officer simply cannot see an item concealed and then go outside and wait for the subject. Shoplifters are skittish, nervous types and typically drop merchandise they've concealed. If a Loss Prevention Officer stops a suspected shoplifter and they have no merchandise on them, there is no case for the store and the shoplifter may sue the store for wrongful detainment. This is the most crucial step for store employees and where the most mistakes happen. No matter how good your store's camera system is there is virtually no such thing as 100% continuous observation.
RULE #4: LP Must Watch The Shoplifter Pass The Point of Purchase
WHY? This proves to the police and the courts that the shoplifter had no intention of paying for the merchandise. If a security officer were to stop a suspected shoplifter before they reached the cash register, the suspect could claim they were going to go to the register and pay for it. Even a concealed item.
RULE #5: LP Must Apprehend The Shoplifter Outside of the Store
WHY? For a few reasons. Again, this step proves the shoplifter passed the cash register and walked outside with no intention of paying for the products. This step also ensures that if there is a confrontation between shoplifter and store detective, it will not happen inside near happy shoppers. No store wants to make their sholifting stops public. It's an ugly side of the shopping experience. The store also does not want their customers getting hurt in an altercation. Some shoplifters will fight and some carry weapons. Both shoplifters and store security have been killed during shoplifting stops.
Shoplifting In Progress
Here Are The Five Things You Didn't Know
1.) If I Didn't See It, It Didn't Happen
I don't know how many times in my Loss Prevention career a store employee has called my office or seen me on the sales floor and said, "I just saw someone steal You'd better go catch him." This cannot be done.
WHY? In most large chains, the store detective is the only person allowed to make an apprehension (although this is not always the way it gets played out) and the store detective MUST either see the theft occur, or wait for the suspect to take something else. If the store detective does not see the person steal, the subject MUST be allowed to leave the store freely.
2.) If You Steal In the Restroom, I am supposed To Let You Go
If you conceal your item inside the restroom or a stall in the fitting/dressing room, by store policy, you should be able to walk out of the store without fear of being stopped by Loss Prevention.
WHY? Because they didn't see concealment of the item. They may guess you have the item on your person but there is no proof. Most times if a person takes an item into the restrooms and leaves without it, the store detective wil do a scan of the stalls and wastebaskets checking for tags or empty packages. Even if the detective finds evidence of a theft, he/she MUST not act on it, Remember. If they didn't see it, it didn't happen.
3.) If the shoplifter refuses to come back inside the store with the store detective or chooses to run, the shoplifter will be allowed to leave.
WHY? Liability. In the old days, a store detective would physically take hold of and cuff a suspected shoplifter or give chase through parking lots and back yards in attempts to capture the shoplifter. In most stores, this is no longer the case. Stores are concerned that shoplifters or innocent customers could be hurt in a brawl and sue them. That's not something that shareholders need affecting their investments.Ask anyone at Home Depot or Albertsons what happens when you chase after a subject who has stolen from the store.You lose your job.No exceptions.
Now this isn't saying that the shoplifter is home free. The store detective should note how the shoplifter gets away, car description, license plate, direction, etc., and immediately call the police.
4.) If You are Under 5 or over 70 years of age, LP is Not Supposed to Stop You
WHY? This is a rule for many chains.The assumption is that at 5 years or younger, you are not responsible for knowing you've committed a crime by taking something. Why do stores want to embarrass a customer by stopping their 3 year old who has stolen a candy bar? They don't-and most won't. Customers are hard enough to come by.
Senior citizens are major shoplifters. Whether it be financial or kleptomainia or just plain outright theft, seniors are stealing each and everyday-and most of them are getting away with it.
WHY? No store wishes to detain a senior citizen who may fall ill, have a stroke, heart attack or seizure after they've been caught stealing. It's a liability. It also doesn't look good in front of customers when a store detective brings in some grandmotherly-looking woman for stealing a bottle of Advil.It's bad for business. This doesn't happen at every store, but more and more, retailers are looking away when it comes to granny helping herself.
5.) LP will break the rules to catch you
WHY? Because they can. It's your word against the shoplifters and the police and store officials are more likely to believe a store detective before they believe a shopliting suspect. If a shoplifter steals in the bathroom or the store detective loses sight of them, although the rules say they must NOT stop you, this is hardly the case. Store detectives are notorius risk takers. They are paid on their ability to fight loss in the store and must justify their paychecks by apprehending shoplifters. Since the rules are definitely not in their favor, these rules are often bent.
Check out Rockin' Joe's shoplifting blog: I Shoplifted.com
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That's pretty much the way it is Jim. The job is 50% lies on the part of the store detective. There are so many gray areas that you pretty much have to. There is an official report of what gets filed and the story of what actually occurred. At my last job, we had to call our boss everytime we had a shoplifting arrest in excess of $100. After reading him the report, he would always ask, "Ok, now what really happened?"
This was a really detailed and eye-opening article on loss prevention, rockinjoe. Loss Prevention Officers have so many rules to follow and must justify their actions and back them up with proof. But in the end, as you pointed out, they are risk takers and will break the rules if they think that the end result is worth it. This was a great hub that - if taken the time to read - might deter some shoplifters from walking off with store items.
Your fan.
Mon.
Thanks, Mon, I really appreciate your stopping in and saying hello!
I learned a lot when I worked retail. I got good at communciating with security when I saw specific repeat offenders walk in or was suspicious of someone. I'm more observant now even though I don't work retail anymore. I don't envy the security at all.
Thanks for the comment, RGraf. I've been out of the bizz for two years now, but I still "go to work" everytime I walk into the market or department store. I kinda miss it, but it's been time to move on for awhile.
over the summer, I was stoped at a warlmart for shoplifting. They lied their whole way though. They threated me, with physical threats, and said they would taze me, and showed me one they had under their blazer. They took my walet, and asked so much personal history about me, even my sexual habits. Then I was taken to jail by the real police, and their word alone. I am going for arranment next month, I have been harrased by walmart's lawyers, even though they could not contat me in anyway though out this trial. Even when my lawyer told them to knock it off. I was physicaly detained, and then when I said I was leaving the threatned to mase me!!! NEVER SHOP AT THE WHITELAKE WALLMART, IN WHITELAKE MICHIGAN! They said I Cut a spider wrap... we all know they go off it you do that! A LOAD OF B.S. SHOP target...
Hi screwed by walmart: I can't really comment on this case, as I wasn't there to witness your apprehension or processing by Walmart. Walmart has had its fair share of shoplifting detainment problems over the years, so nothing surprises me anymore. If you have a serious legitimate complaint against their Loss Prevention Department, I suggest you immediately send a registered letter to their main headquarters, outlining dates, times, threats made to you, etc. Walmart DOES NOT WANT this type of individual working for them. I am 99% certain they will investigate this. If you're serious about going through with this, I suggest sending a copy of your letter to a couple of local TV stations, requesting an interview to talk about your alleged mistreatment.
Good luck
Ello Joe I hope that you respond to this. Mhmmk well let me tell you I Was caught stealing 2 small items[will not mention which ones] but there food and small,at 14 and Im kind of pissed I heard stupid stories Where someone got caught at walmart someone paid them 200.00$ [walmart asked] and they effing got arrested after.. I am mainly concerned about stupid jail time for this shit and criminal file or something..This is my first time being caught[never really stole anything else] the items were in total .70 cents 80 cents at most with taxes,but I was physically stopped/detained for something I purchased and showed the receipt for from a different store at the same store I was caught,also They made a product error and I ate something [in my belief,and religious belief] I should not of BECAUSE OF THAT STUPID STORES MISTAKE, Now they do not seem to make that mistake Anymore[when I checked] but I doubt it they did not fix it when it happened right after as I remember my stupid mum not checking those items and one/third was the wrong shit..ham... And then I checked again..Well guess what they calculated again..the wrong shit they screw the item placement again..only once did I see it arranged after that..but I doubt that they really care..btw they stopped me for false shoplifting..I was holding the coke outside walked in with it CAN I WIN OVER THESE SOBS?btw when I got caught stealing said 2 items I ran....fast....but alot of people knew.. I was with someone who is a dumass and told some people[not sure who ratted me out] store guy says he recognized my mum and me he said and asked is this your son?{described me} and a light skinned boy[the aqquaintance/friend I was with} I was like shit wtf..They screwed up with me more than once in multiple ways mentioned and unmentioned here.. I was like omgee Im wasting my talents with this shit retarted man..retarded..physically detaining me for something I BOUGHT AT ANOTHER STORE..I studied everything..calculus..multiple vedics maths and found out things to it..stem cell research...everything medical,maths,science at 14 their wasting my time its only 70 cents there going to detain me for 20 years or give me some stupid criminal record that most likely wont be erased .. THIS IS MENTAL ASPHYXIATION WTF? So whats supposed to happen btw they never saw me conceal it I think..Only hold my hand to it and see it partially and see me run faster than them hahaha.
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ok wait, so if youre accused of shoplifting..and an LP approaches u once u walk out the store and u catch them breaking one of their rules, what kind of trouble can u get them in? and in that case, u are then allowed to leave freely right? like for ex. say i went into the fitting room and put the items in my bag there. then left. and hes saying i didnt pay for some things that i took into the fitting room. he is then breaking a rule right because he never actually saw me do it. what then would i be able to tell him?[as if i was tryin to get away though and not own up to it]
Hey not Gunna lie got caught.... And definately learned
y lesson but question. Do they ever follow you home to check your address cause when I got home, I don't knowni may be just skittish but I felt like they were watching me because a car showed up that isn't my neighbors and is unfamilar to me showed up just parked in front of my mail box whith no one in it.. Or so it seemed cause I watched the car from the inside if my house for a bit and it seemed inoccupied but then disapperead 10 mins later.
he and my friend got detained and arrested at a grocery store toms in Amherst ny for shoplifting//now the thing of it is//we never concealed anything or even left the store just the point of purchase. it was just a few bottles of water and the only reason why we left the point of purchase was because the friend i was with was going to get a gift card from his wallet in his car. we were stopped and detained in the front room right past the register and this was all caught on camera. they refused to pull the tapes in front of the cop that came and got us and said our attorney would need to subpoena them//do i have a case against the grocery store on this? or can i at least get it dropped
First let me say..I've learned my lesson. I walked out of cvs with a few cosmetics in my pocket. I had checked out and paid for my other items. As I closed the door of my car and started it I could hear someone say "Hey" calling out to someone in a casual way. I did not realize until after (which is probably good) that they were talking to me
Driving out of the parking lot I saw a police car very slowly turning around while the cop was on the phone. I turned out of the lot, made another turn....and then I see that cop with his siren on still going down the street I just turned off of. I think he was after me! I guess he just did not see me turn. The items are gone--I got rid of them right away but can he come arrest me? I'm very afraid. Serves me right. This happened at 8:30 this morning . It is now 3.
Jane
Hi Jane. It looks like you've learned your lesson. CVS (from what I hear) is very proactive when it comes to their shoplifting. I'm not sure of their camera use. (I'm assuming they are used at the Pharmacy and other high theft aisles-which may include cosmetics.)
Chances are there were no LP present in the store at the time. If CVS didn't get you on the sidewalk, chances are you are home free. If the police car was for you, it obviously missed you. I don't know if anyone got your license plate number, or not, but you are most-likely ok. As far as the cops, you are a low priority case and I wouldn't worry about any follow up.
Around 8 in tje morning i was shopping at a walmart in south texas. I was there to purchase around 40 dollars of fishing lures and a small tacklebox! I had an urge to visit restroom so i crammed the small items into the tacklebox and took off to the bathroom, leaving the box outside the restroom. Once i was finished i grabbed box and proceedec to check out. I completely forgot about items in box . After using self check out i was walkin out when i was stopped by door greater so she could check box, i handed o er box and when she opened it i panicked! I had completely forgot about items! I was asked if i wished to pay for items and being scared i panicked and said items were not mine- they removed items from box and let me go, should i be worried??
Don't be concerned. Mistakes happen. Although you did officially conceal merchandise and work your way out through a self checkout, it was the greeter's job to stop you anyway.
If you've ever purchased a pair of shoes, at a Walmart, for example, the cashier will pull the shoes out and say something like "Let me check these and see if they are the same size?"
She/He is looking for concealed merchandise. Same thing.
On the other hand, if a store detective had seen you conceal merchandise inside the tackle box, you would have a difficult time talking your way out of it.
Once you are off of the sidewalk and they haven't stopped you, consider yourself safe.
my friend and i got caught shop lifting at jc pennys. we went to the store and picked out some clothes then we went to the fitting rooms, we got into the same room because the others were full. then we placed the shirts in my purse in the sitting room. then we walked out of the store. the security or detective what ever ran after us when we were halfway to her car and asked us to come in. i thought that after you walked out of the store into the parking lot i thought that they couldnt get you. can they? also would we have been able to just keep walking and be like no. when he asked us to come bak in?? what do you think that we will get charged with for theft less than 100? n its our first time EVER being introuble with the law.
Hmmm, that's interesting. I do not know what JC Penny's policy on apprehension off of the sidewalk. It's highly unusual anywhere else.
I would call them and ask them their policy. Don't call headquarters, because they'll get defensive and won't tell you anything. They may even refer you to their legal counsel.
If it's found that the detective went off the sidewalk and then lied about it in his report, he/she will almost definitely be fired immediately. Again, I don't know their policy. I receive a lot of my news via store detectives working for the big chains. Someone will probably write in and let me know. Either way the shoplifting charge will probably stick. The law doesn't care whether the detective went off the sidewalk, or now. That's a store rule. Not a law.
I have no idea what your charges and possible sentence may be. I'm no lawyer, so I don't even guess. I'd probably be wrong anyway :) Good luck.
someone shoplifted at a Burlington and as she was leaving the security alarm went off...she was called back in and the items were seized...the LP didn't call the cops and let her go but they took her drivers license information and said they were going to give it to the cops....what does that imply?
If the EAS alarms go off, it's customary to call the customer back and ask if there is "something they forgot to pay for." At this point, the customer can choose to return, or continue to walk away. It sounds like this person got scared and returned the merchandise. The cops were not called because no one saw the theft occur. (Read Rule #2 above) Taking down her license info was just a scare tactic. If the cops were NOT called to take a report or issue a summons, there are no shoplifting charges.
I steal a large amount of cologne from Rite Aid. Even if they catch me on camera, after I leave the store, will they trace me down? Will they recognize me the next time I go into the store?
Looks like you got away with cologne. Unless ANY BUSINESS catches you in the act, you won't hear from the police. (The only exception to this rule would be if you were an employee of the establishment and were stealing. The Loss Prevention Department might let you steal and walk away a few times to build a clear cut case.)
That being said. The store may or may not have you on camera. They may be waiting for you to come back and do it again. The cannot however say anything to you about the incident the next time you walk into the store.
I wouldn't chance it again. It's not worth it.
My friend was recently followed from store to store in town. This really freaked her and she is left wandering is it possible a store detective works like this or was it some sicko?
Do store detectives go from store to store????
Hi Vicky. Was your friend stealing while going from store to store? No, it's very unlikely that she was being followed by a store detective. Most likely a weirdo and she should be cautious.
Thant being said, there are some downright sickos in Loss Prevention. Please click the following link to read an article I wrote about them.
Hi - thanks for the reply. No she wasn't stealing just looking at clothes for her kids. She said she was followed from shop to shop and thought she was imagaining it but when she was followed into the last shop, the guy went upstairs and she ran straight out and across the road. The guy was straight out of the shop after her looking around. He did not follow her anymore.
I just wondered if a whole shopping area may pay for LP to cover the whole area?
Hi Vicky,
That's not the way LP works. Different rules per store, require different detectives. No detective works for more than 1 company at a time. (With the exception of say a part-time job)
I once found a private detective in one of my stores hiding in a stockroom with a video camera. He told me he was there to follow a woman who had been collecting worker's compensation insurance and she was out shopping and lifting heavy things, which would be evidence of fraud. (She claimed a severe back injury)
As I escorted him to the door, I told him he was lucky I didn't call the cops on him.
If your friend isn't being followed by a PI, I'd tell her to be extremely careful. LOTS of weirdos out there.
Thanks for writing.
Nice one - ta for the info - she better get a can of MACE !!
I just have a question, But of course i do realize that alot of stores are different, but i'll ask anyway. I will not lie, iv been caught shoplifting a few times here and there as i have a drug addiction im trying to keep up with, as i get very sick if i don't have it. I do not at all condone shoplifting, i feel like total shit everytime i do it, and im not planting my drug addiction as some kind of pity for my actions . Stealing is stealing, no matter what.
My question for you is- is it true that alot of pharmacy type stores (Rite Aid, CVS, Flynns etc) Have very little or no security? Because i just notice where i live everytime i go in these type of stores theres only like a couple workers in the store, and i hate to say it , not sounding conceited, but there security is absurd. Do they have someone there who actually watchs Shoplifters or anything? Or have i just been lucky alot of times? Because yes i have been caught, but these places do not have camera's, if so i wouldn't have the freedom to be talking here as i am now. I have only been caught by mere coincidence of someone walking down the isle as i was concealing, one worker walked right by me while i was doing it and didn't even notice!? I almost feel bad for the store. Of course by saying this ill probably be caught next time for being such an egotistic prick about it, but really, do these small stores even HAVE security? or are they just filled with cashiers and stockers? Thanks alot. And also thank you for all of the information i have learned here.
Hi Phenomenal....
Sorry about the drug habit. I know you don't need another person telling you to get some help, so I'll skip the bs and move onto your question.
I don't condone shoplifting. That being said, it's well known that large chain pharmacy stores (depending on their location) have less than adequate shoplifting coverage. Most, however have pretty good camera systems. That way, there doesn't have to be someone watching the aisles 24/7. They can always backtrack and look back on film (or disk) if they notice a problem.
Every morning, I made a point to walk my stores and look for problem areas. For example, If I walked past a razor blade refill display and noticed several blank peghooks, I could check the previous day's sales and see how many were sold. If the figures didn't match up, I knew I had a problem and would pay extra special attention to that area until I caught them.
For all the shit one goes though, (especially with a felony shoplifting arrest) it's definitely not worth it. You will be caught again. That's pretty much a given.
Please take care of your problem. Good luck.
does a criminal record stop you from working in a shop?
I was on train going to work I forgot train pass ticket man stopped me looking though my bag trying to find it, could not find it he gave me a slip thinking I would get £20 fine 4weeks later I get a letter saying im being taken to court and given a criminal record when I got home I found the pass but the ticket was damaged coz it was out side in the rain,
I work for Asda walmart in england uk can't drive yet not passed will this mean I will lose my job I've had for over 10yrs
Hi C.E.uk Thanks for your comment. That's a toughie. I'm afraid I don't know a thing about UK employment laws. It doesn't appear to me you'll have any trouble with your job if Walmart doesn't know about it. Good luck :)
I just left lowe's with out the items I was going to walk out with. the alarm went off on one item. I went back and gave the item back saying i didnt get the item I'm sorry. hopping to leave the store. The teller checked my items to find there sales slip and called the people in side the store if they have seen me. Having kids with me I said we had to head to the bathroom and we left. I know I was stuiped to do this times are hard. Will anything happen. Only the sales clerk was working with me.
Hey, toscared. You'll be ok. Lowes is highly proactive in their fight against not just shoplifting, but shoplifting and shrink awareness. Their employees are trained to be on the lookout for theft and to attempt to deter it.
So, for example, if you stick a $12 hammer inside your coat pocket and you're seen by a loss prevention (or other employee) you will all of a sudden be surrounded with employees asking if you need assistance. This is called "burning the shoplifter" and it's an attempt to get you to return the item and leave. (At least that's the way Lowes used to be. It's been awhile since I've been in touch with anyone from their LP department.)
If you were not stopped with the merchandise outside of the store, you are in the clear. You came back on your own and no matter what excuse you gave (like the kids with the bathroom), the store did not lose any merchandise. That's all they're truly interested in.
And you are correct. Times are indeed difficult. But when times are tough and the economy is not good, most stores are even
more vigilant when it comes to shoplifters.
I'm not judging your actions, but I can personally assure you that cops aren't the nicest people to deal with when you've been caught shoplifting accompanied by your children. Please, don't chance it. Especially with the kids.
Hi rockinjoe wow great article I read every word, I have been falsely accused at times, I buy something in one shop, go shopping in another and the beeper goes off from my previous purchase. Talk about wrongly harassed.
Do you know Joe if those basic rules would apply in Australia stores?
Hi blondepoet, thanks for stopping by.
I'm not at all familiar with Australian law, but I would assume the laws are pretty much the same. Especially if they are companies headquartered in the US. (Walmart, etc.)
There's nothing worse than an EAS system going off when you've come in from another store. It's so embarrassing and frustrating. 9 times out of 10, it's the cashier's fault for improperly deactivating the device on the package,
There are US shoe manufacturers who place the antitheft strip inside the soles of their higher priced merchandise. I can't tell you how many times I've run into a situation where an innocent shopper will either leave (or enter) the store and set off the alarms, turning around clueless to why it was activated. I would always ask for the shoes and deactivate them for the customers.
You should never be harassed when you're asked to walk through a set of EAS towers. I'd find another place to shop:)
Here's the link of a hub I wrote on these security systems not being worth the electricity it takes to run them.
http://hubpages.com/hub/Department-Store-EAS-Syste
Thanks again for the visit. I'll definitely check out some of your stuff...
Thanks for the help and info your very fast getting back to people. I know yesterday I was just sick with guilt. I can't believe I even tried to do something like that. I won't be steping into lowes any time soon that's for sure. I have learn my lesson. I have never been in trouble before so it was all new.
Thanks
I was wondering if store security got my license plate number down and have a description of me.. After I shoplifted.. If they could do anything about it after I left the premises? I also left the clothing tags in the dressing room.. So it made it pretty obvious that I was stealing... I WILL NEVER AGAIN STEAL... This paranoid feeling sucks. (I live in MN if that helps...?)
If it's been 24 hours and the police haven't been ringing your doorbell, I'd say you're pretty safe. The store employees can't apprehend you when you leave the premises.
Good luck :)
Even if they took down my license plate number? And probably have my information, and I obviously stole from the store? Sorry, I'm just really stressing out! Funny how I don't think of this BEFORE. Thanks for the reply!
I still wouldn't worry about it. Taking down your plate number and then doing something it, is two different things. They could have taken down your plate number to scare you. You made it home. You're ok.
Hi,
I walked out of a drug store and was asked by a security guard while entering another store next to it if I had an unpaid item on me. I genuinely did not know I did, even opened my bag in front fo him and offered to let him search it. He explained that he'd seen me with an item (he held up the item, but it was the wrong one) and it was on top of another item I purchased, etc etc. I walked back to the store to explain where he did search my bag and found the merchandise which I must have thrown in accidentally. I would not have gone back otherwise.
Of course, explaining that is not so pretty. Especially since my friend was there. Anyway, guy autmatically took me to the back, filled an apprehension report etc. and called a cop because I did not admit that I stole it as he demanded. I explained and apologized, but it went into deaf ears I guess. Still, I was not charged, although I was banned from the store and mall and they took down my details, ID and took a picture for mall security. He said he was placing me under arrest before the cop came. The item in question was $3, the cheapest of the merchandise I did purchase.
If I had not gone back, would he still be able to arrest me (he said he did) and call the cops to search me or take me in?
I'm guessing under my circumstances, I couldn't exactly contest his findings?
Hi Charlie. I'm not at all acquainted with Canadian law, but unless the security guard was an off duty police officer, you were not arrested. You were detained. In the US, a store detective or security officer may detain you, providing he/she not only see you select and conceal the item, but observe you from that point on, until you leave the store (to make sure you didn't drop the item. It's extremely difficult to do with a top notch camera system, so it's nearly impossible to do while on the sales floor.
You didn't mention your age, but if you are a juvenile, they should have notified a parent or a guardian to come and sign for you.
Since we don't know if the security guard actually saw you accidentally place the item in your bag, we don't know what would happen if you refused to come in.
$3 is not a big deal. You may want to leave things as they are. Good luck.
I really enjoy shoplifting. I just stole a $150 rug, $30 curtains, and a $40 water filter system. I have been caught, but the only thing I learned from those are how to be a better shoplifter. There are certain stores I would never lift from, certain items I will not take from other stores. I just cannot help myself...
You're tempting fate, lala. And don't forget that karma can be an extreme beyotch.
Just better, smarter and figured out a lot over the years. I know places I would never lift from. It is not something I do everyday... but it is something I do. Like everything else in life, you just have to know your audience.
hey! my boyfriend had been shoplifting from his work which is a chain of small sporting goods store ever since he started working there in january. they ended up watching the tapes and he got caught. he mostly got in trouble because he was letting people take things. he only took things a couple of times. once, i took stuff out for him because he told me to. they probably have this on camera. will i get arrested? what is going to happen? should i be worried?
I took some food from a grocery store and was tried to be detained at door but left and they got my license number then sent me a letter demanding $ should I pay or worry that a warrent will be issued? it has been a little while and I haven"t heard from police yet?
hey i walked into a store put 5 dvds in my cart under my purse they stopped me at the register and asked if i was going to pay for them i took them out from underneath my purse and handed it to them then walked to my car do you think they will call the cops? no one chased me or anything but that doesnt mean i wont get cops called or does it?
So I've been an off and on shoplifter for the past few years and I decided today that I was going to try my luck with Kohls. I stole a few little things and got out- no words said to me. I did notice they have quite a few cameras and that I think I might have been caught on one. My question is- I'm safe, right? If they didn't stop me walking out, they obviously can't stop me next time I come in the store or come to my house or call me or anything to prosecute, right? Once I'm out, I'm home free? Just in case, What are the likelihoods they'll look at the tape in the camera? Is it 24/7 realtime or does it record? Thanks. :)
By the way, what I stole was only a pair of sunglasses. Will they have the police come out, although I kept moving and was at one point in the dressing room? So since they don't have a continuous on me for that either I doubt they'll think about it, right? Is it still safe to assume nothing will happen and I can go back there? (I am never shoplifting again after this time, I've never felt more paranoid.)
I went out of state last week and went to a conveinance store and took a 44 dollar harddrive. The fact i had went to the store the day before and made a purchase never crossed my mind until now. can they get me at least 6 states away somehow using my debit info or am i safe.
I was in a store yesterday and I took two things and put them in my bag. I guess someone saw me and the store security guard and some employees began following me throughout the store. I took one thing out of my bag and held it in my hand, the security guard came up to me and was like "Do you want me to put that back for you?" I was like "Nah im not sure if im going to buy it yet" So I put that back and quickly took the other thing I stole out of my bag and put it back in the wrong place and proceeded to ask an employee a question to make it look casual. But the security guard found the item and walked by me laughing and shaking the eyeshadow and the worker I was asking the question to was like "She put it back?". They let me out of the store with out checking bags, ID or getting my name. Can they use the footage to send the police after me?
Hey so I was recently fired from Best Buy on a accusation of theft. I had an ipod shuffle in my pocket (in which I am 100% sure they didnt see me put in my pocket). I took it out of my pocket thinking wether or not I wanted to buy it. I decided I was going to purchase it and put it back into my pocket and stood at the checkout. My GM came up to me and asked me to come to the front of the store with her and asked me to empty my pockets therefore revealing the ipod. She then pulled me into a room and threatened me with calling the authorities if I didnt admit and write a confession to stealing the ipod shuffle and if I did she would then settle it between me and her. I didnt want to go to jail so I said I did steal it and then she called the police. If I have witnesses who can testify to these things as far as me not passing the point of sale until my GM made me do so and also her threatening me to write a confession do I have a solid case?
First of all, THANK YOU SO MUCH rockinjoe for posting this article
I'm 18 years old and last night i was out shopping with my freinds in H&M.. We instantly ran out of money and so, we decided to steal clothes for "fun"(it was my first time). It was really stupid i know, and i didnt think it would be a big deal at the time.
Anyway, when we got in the fitting room, my bag was the biggest so they stashed all the clothes in MY bag.. As i left the store, i thought i had gotten away with it but then a security guard ran after me and took me back to the storage room at the back of H&M.. They emptied my bag and found the clothes there (worth 80$) i didnt want to get my friends involved to so i told him it was all me and they had nothing to do with it.
The man took my ID and got it photocopied, and then gave it back, took my fingerprint on this paper that had my name and date and time, and then he made me pay for the clothes i stole without even taking them.
He then let me go and told me he didnt want to cause me trouble because i look like a "decent" girl, but that i was banned from the store for life.. and that my ID was for the salespeople to see so i couldnt enter the store ever again..
I just wanted to know, although he didnt call the police or anything and he let me go, but will him photocopying my ID and taking my fingerprint do me any harm? as in will be put into my record even though no police was called and i wasnt harmed in any way? i freaked out when he took my fingerprint, i felt like a criminal
I have been freaking out and cant sleep ever since this incident, and i cant talk to anyone about it because im so ashamed.
please i need to know if this will do me harm or if they were just trying to scare me off so i wouldnt do it again
hi rockinjoe,
im very paranoid right about now because i went to target with a couple of my friends and we decided to shoplift. i took a dress and my friend took numerous items, using my backpack while we were in the dressing room. she put the tags under the little chair/stool and im pretty sure she stuffed about 7 tags down there. i feel very bad, and yes i am paranoid and have learned my lesson. however, i was wondering if the dressing room lady will get fired because she was on duty and did not catch us? she seemed very sweet and i feel like a complete asshole. also, will they fingerprint the price tags for our finger prints? that's how paranoid i am..
hi rockinjoe,
im very paranoid right about now because i went to target with a couple of my friends and we decided to shoplift. i took a dress and my friend took numerous items, using my backpack while we were in the dressing room. she put the tags under the little chair/stool and im pretty sure she stuffed about 7 tags down there. i feel very bad, and yes i am paranoid and have learned my lesson. however, i was wondering if the dressing room lady will get fired because she was on duty and did not catch us? she seemed very sweet and i feel like a complete asshole. also, will they fingerprint the price tags for our finger prints? that's how paranoid i am..
I was stopped at grocery store and told I had been seen on video stealing wine. I opened my bag - nothing in it. they followed me to parking lot and took down my license. A cop came to door today but my husband was home; he said to call him.
Can they identify me and prove it was me?
I do have one prior from three years ago
I went to a grocery store 7 days ago and stole some makeup. I got away with it. 2 days later, I went back and I filled my cart with more makeup and went to "the sugar aisle". However, I did NOT steal this time. I decided to just leave the cart and go home.
I went back today and did the same thing. I put a bunch of makeup in the cart and walked to the sugar aisle. I looked for cameras, decided it wasn't worth it, left the cart of makeup in the aisle, and headed for the door. On the speaker system, someone said "Security, line 1". I walked toward the exit and a manager was standing there on the phone. I walked past him and he said "Excuse me, ma'am". I walked outside and finally turned around to see what he wanted. He asked me where I placed the makeup. I told him in the sugar aisle. He asked me to come back inside to show him "because he had to put it back where it belongs". I followed him inside and he walked to the sugar aisle in front of me. I decided to just turn around and leave. I went back outside, got in my car, and quickly left. As I was leaving, I saw the manager outside looking for me.
I noticed a security camera overlooking the parking lot. Should I be concerned about finger prints on the makeup, or my license plate? I live in another state and am visiting my family a few states away. The car belongs to my dad.
i have a serious drug addiction to some over the counter drugs, ive stolen before many times and the one aisle has no cameras. Could there be hidden cameras?
and if i did get caught, would they let me go because
it was about an addiction?
Hey all:
Question...I was at Menards shopping, threw a packet in my cart of Frontline Flea/Tick, I saw out of the corner of my eye, a large guy randomly pick up a large dog bone, he was the LP I found out later. I shopped and went up and down many aisles and decided I did not want the Frontline afterall. He never saw me concele or take anything...I was going up one aisle and tossed onto a shelf and then headed to gardening section. I looked around there a bit then checked out in gardening area with no gardening items, but other pet items. I paid for....I was stopped in the parking lot and asked where the frontline was and I said I decided not to purchase and put on a random shelf. I was asked to show him where. I was a nervous wreck, freaked out and didnt have ANYTHING. He went purely on seeing me put it in the cart and then upon check out it wasnt there. I returned in the store and walked up and down a few aisles and couldnt find it at first as I really had not given it much thought where I dumped it. He then said would you mind going to a room where there is a table where we can go through your things? I said, I am not going to a room, here is my purse and here is the bag of stuff I just bought. He opened and looked in the purse, small purse and he could see he was doomed as he knew I had not purchased and it would'nt be in small bag. At this point I was pissed, nervous, freaked and said, oh we are going to find it it is up one of these aisles, unless you have it. I actually thought the jerk may have picked it up after I tossed it and was harassing me. I was about to give up going up and down one aisle totally frustrated, him trailing behind me. I then went up the next aislt and saw it on the shelf, I pointed at it and said, its sright there, he replied thank you and picked up and I smoked out of there. Then, going out of the front of menards the cashier said, I need to see your receipt for your items in bag.....I called later and complained to manager, he apologized and said that the guy did a couple things wrong...Do I have a lawsuit anyone?
ok. lp was waiting outside the store, when we stepped off the stores premises she told us to go back in the store. now can they still charge you with anything?
So, I just left a store... I did steal a few merchandise and put it into my purse. I made sure there was no LP following me around... there was not...so I walk out the store and the buzzer went off. I kept walking and a lady tells to please come back and walk back through the buzzer. I politely told her no... there were other people that walked out with me. She asked again and I proceeded to go to my car. She then says she will call the cops and take down my license number. She didn't catch me taking anything... will I get stopped by a cop later??? I'm so scared. I'll never do this again!!!
shopping at a Dillards and had purchased several items. Went into dressing room to try purchased items with other new items I was thinking of purchasing. After deciding to purchase everything I folded all previous purchases and new purchases and by mistake put an unpaid for item on top of my bag. Came out paid for everything else and on way out of store was stopped. I have a serious illness and was hurrying because I was late for medication. I did not dispute the fact I had made a mistake with the item and requested medical help as I was very ill by this time. Dillards refused to help me and it was over an hour until police came and handcuffed me and took me to jail. I was not allowed to contact family or physician and they refused to call ambulance. The charges were dismissed by the state but I am still terrified to go into stores now because even though anyone can make a mistake no one will believe you. I need to add I am over 60 and terminally ill. They had me sign all these papers admitting to shoplifting which I couldn't read because I was so ill at the time. When I got to the jail my blood pressure was so high they were unable to measure it. Don't shop at Dillards, they don't care about anything but catching you. I think at one point I confessed to almost any crime ever committed because I was so scared. When they checked my receipts they had charged me for an item that wasn't in my bag. That of course didn't matter.
So I went to Kohl's a few days ago. I tried to leave without paying for a couple of high priced items (big boxes) I went through the first doors and stopped, looked back and a female who claimed she was loss prevention told me to stop and come with her. I left the whold cart there (still within the building) and started to walk away. She said "hell no" and grabbed me as I tried to get away, she threw me against the building and on the floor. By the way my back still hurts. She grabbed me and forced me back into the store, called police and they came. They saw the video but the part where she attacked me was out of camera range. They arrested me and I was charged with theft. I never pushed the stuff out of the building, and I don't think she should have been able to attack me. She did not have a badge or anything like that. What should I do in court? I know I need an attorney but would I plead guilty or not? What should I do about the way she physically attacked me? Is she even allowed to do that?
thanks
Hi Rockinjoe
I found this article very helpful I live & work in the UK the rules are basically the same what we do is watch selection & concealment then observe watch them go past the point of purchase in the mean time I have contacted other members of security within the centre & asked them 2 assist when the person in question leaves without purchase. So there is ways of doing it with support & backup when required.
Thank u very much keep up the good work mate look forward to more helpful articles such as this 1
Regards
Mavrick
Hi Mavrick. Thanks for checking in. I appreciate the info about the UK. Please stop by the new site at http://www.caught-shoplifting.com and feel free to give me any input. I'm fascinated how other countries handle LP.
Hi there, just me. You're in a sticky situation with this one. You made it out of the first set of doors. Technically, you haven't left the store, but Kohl's (and the jurisdiction they are in) might think differently. I think it's worth checking out.
I also don't know know Kohl's policy on hands on apprehensions, but I would attempt to guess they cannot be made. If the apprehension was out of camera view (which you claim it was), it's her word against yours. LP will LIE when it is in their favor to do so. It would be stupid to do otherwise.
Another few questions you may want to ask yourself before court. Was there a pay phone in the lobby/vestibule area where you left the store? How about a gum machine, or game machine? You can always claim you had the complete intention of paying for the merchandise after your phone call. Did you have money on you? The police should have counted it. Was there enough money to pay for the merchandise? Did you have credit cards on you?
Your best bet right now is to say you were INSIDE the store the whole time. Good luck. Let me know how you make out.
Hi sophie mom. Store detectives are heartless, ruthless bastards and their only concern is the apprehension. How do I know this? In my younger days, I was one of those heartless, ruthless bastards. I have since matured and realize that people make mistakes.
Here's the best piece of advice I can give to anyone....
If you did not steal, but you made a mistake and accidentally brought store merchandise outside without making an attempt to pay for it-and a store detective is attempting to get you back inside? Stay calm, go with the detective and demand to speak with the police immediately. DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING! I don't care what bullshit the detective makes up, DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING IF YOU ARE INNOCENT!
Talk to the police and ask them to question the detective. I have been questioned many times in the past concerning shoplifter arrests when the police show up.
A good cop will do just that.
If not, I suggest (as always) speak with an attorney. I wish I was, but I'm not one of those :)
Hello there Rockinjoe! You have been mightily missed! Good to see you back, offering such useful advice.
I have a friend (no really) whose son recently stole a watermelon from the supermarket. She was kinda distracted at the time, since her mom had just died and her sister almost od'd on the mom's methadone she was supposed to remove from the house.
I suspect there is some Freudian meaning to the selection of a watermelon instead of, say, a pack of gum or bottle of Visine or something that would fit more neatly in a pocket (or even under a shirt).
Any thoughts on this?
MM
Hi Wisco Kid. Sounds to me like you've got a reason to investigate a law suit against the detective and Menards. Obviously, not being an attorney, I can't determine whether you have a case, or not, but if I was that store detective and store manager, I'd be crapping myself waiting to hear from your lawyer.
If a store detective is not 100% certain that you have the merchandise, he/she must let you leave without stopping you. This guy did NOT see concealment.
Call your lawyer and explain the situation to him or her. Most shoplifting lawsuits are settled outside of court. That's a fact.
Good luck!
Hello Learned my lesson. The EAS towers you buzzed through on the way out are not a means to catch shoplifters. They are intended to deter them. If someone does respond to the alarm going off, they are usually only allowed to ask you if you "forgot to pay for something" They cannot threaten to call the police. For what? There is no evidence. I worked for a supermarket chain where the EAS alarms would go off in the rain, during a storm or when the wind picked up. Sometimes these machines are way too sensitive. I personally think they're a huge waste of money.They cannot be used in court against you.
Hi beena. If LP stopped you outside the store, it appears they were doing their job correctly. Sorry.
Hi Cupcake. I've prosecuted more drug users than regular kleptomaniacs or light shoplifters. I cannot see a store going easy on you because of your addiction. Stores lose millions to drug addicted shoplifters. They are also the most dangerous to deal with. Every fist fight I've had in my career, (with the exception of one) was due to someone stealing large amounts of merchandise for drugs.
Good luck getting some help. I hope things work out for you.
Hi Lisa, I'm sorry I wasn't able to get to your question right away.
If you left the store with no merchandise, there is no reason to worry. You can walk into any store and fill a shopping cart with a million dollars worth of merchandise and leave it in the sugar aisle. The worst the store can ask you to do, is to leave and not return.
You didn't even have to come in with the store manager. It was nice of you, though.
Hi Rose. Sorry for the late answer. If the supermarket had no LP and a lot chains, surprisingly do not, they probably sent someone outside to get your license plate.
The store obviously thinks they have enough evidence to send the police to your home, which I find strange for a bottle of wine. (Unless it was an expensive one, of course)
By now (hopefully) you've called the police and straightened the whole thing out.
Good luck-and let me know how you made out.
Hi Paranoid. 5 weeks later, you now realize you got away with it. The lady at the fitting room will probably not lose her job over this. She may have been spoken to about being more aware. but I can't see a termination.
Target has excellent Loss Prevention. (At lease they used to.) I wouldn't steal from Target and I've been trained to steal by the very best.
Hi Mighty Mom....how the heck have you been? Thanks for stopping by and saying hello. Not on HP much these days. Been working on my comedy and shoplifting sites.
As far as your question....
Watermelon theft in the lower 48 is quite common and believe it or not, the most difficult to catch. I've apprehended my share of watermelon thieves, but one must be careful and understand the difference between a true watermelon thief and pregnant women.
It takes an expert. :)
THanks Rockinjoe....Think I should call an attorney? It was so so humiluating and so screwed up....I had NOTHING.....If I could get some cash, why not, they upset me for days..
Hi wiscokid. I would definitely call an attorney. It definitely can't hurt and it may just help. Don't take no for an answer. Keep trying until you find someone that will take your case for a piece of the settlement.
Good luck:)
Hi Rockinjoe, thanks for the answer. Unfortunately I did sign whatever they stuck in front of me. There was an intem in my bag that wasn't paid for but there was also a charge for an item not in my bag. Dillards was not interested in helping a terminally ill person, just making an arrest, which they did. The state dismissed the charges. Now I suffer from a serious case of PTSD from this episode and am afraid to shop at all. They weren't interested in the truth and I didn't mean to take anything but there was always a chance I had picked up something accidently and tried to tell them that. They lied to me and said when the police got there just tell them what happened. The police just said stand up and handcuffed me. No conversation at all. Dillards is the worse and people should not shop there at all. You are putting yourself at peril every time you go in that store. You cannot make a mistake, ever, but Dillards can and will bully you into whatever they want. They had four people calling me a thief and refusing to let me contact family or medical help. I was so confused I said whatever they wanted. Very sad.
Hi I returned a handbag at Dillards after the clerk did return I walked away looking at other items I was still in her area she said that the tag did not match the handbag I explained to her that that's what I purchased maybe there was an error the item had been returned before. She said she did not know what to do. What do you think will happen I had purchased it at a different store when I was there visiting. I don't know if I have anything to be worried about I am pretty sure it's the same item I bought I had purchased items at the factory store also. I am a little worried because I don't want to get in trouble for an honest mistake if I did make one. Please advise.
As you saw from my comments Dillards is the worse. There is no such thing as an honest mistake with them. If they took the bag back I don't think you have a problem. Dillards puts those little pop labels on things so they can tell where it was purchased and for how much. I've had alot of things at dillards where people have put the wrong tag on an item when it was returned so you probably purchased something with the wrong tag on it. Little sidenote, spent the day having medical tests, during my Dillards episode it appears I suffered a stroke. Everyone be careful at Dillards, read up on them and all the lawsuits and deaths that have occured at Dillards. Very sad.
Thank you! Sophie mom hope you are feeling better. I know everyone is human they make mistakes I have chosen a lot of items too at Dillard with the wrong price on there or something and the item I got that I returned was returned before by someone else because there was another one of those yellow labels on there so that's where the error may have happened. I am still worried because I don't know what the clerk did after I left I got my refund but who knows.
Thanks rocki joe,
I started to call an attorney due to Menards false accusations where I had nothing but have on my record 7 years prior, movable theft so dont know if they would argue that maybe I did infact conceil the frontline, decided not to do, dumped on shelf, which he did not see....Regardless, I was put through crap and did not have anything but had a forgery charge dropped to movable theft on my record. Maybe just let it go...But this jerk knew he was cooked when he looked in my purse and I pointed to the item on the shelf....WHOOPS, would love for him to lose him job anyway.....Thoughts? I still may pursue with attorney.
Hi There Sophie Mom! Hang in there...:)
Hi JJ....I wouldn't worry about your situation at all. People are forever returning the wrong items to stores. It happens all the time. Most times, the stores don't get argumentive about it, because they'd rather not lose your business.
Hey there Wisco Kid. When it comes to suing someone for a wrongful detention, your outcome depends on exactly what you're looking for. If you had unlimited resources to spend on an attorney, I would advise going all the way. In your case, however (although legal liability is still an option), why not pursue the store manager, district manager and regional manager. Tell them you want a gift card for your troubles. Start at $1000 and work your way down to where they feel comfortable.
If you take a card, make sure it's a valuable one, as you may have to sign off against taking any legal action against the store in the future. Good luck!
Good Day rockinjoe
I voted this hub up for useful, of course. Interesting connection to note, though, I think. In the comment section of your hub "Caught Shoplifting. What happens now?" toward the end of the comments, there was a blogger who explained that she works for loss prevention.
She said that they prosecute 100% of the cases, and so forth. She said that she, herself, tends not to bother with cases under $20; but that because they have "quotas," she will find herself, rather against her will to hear her tell it, dealing with a case for $18, and so on and so forth.
You, rockinjoe, expressed surprise at this idea of "quotas" and you told her to be careful, that the loss prevention office (and the store itself as well?) could be open to liable or something.
Now, this is not a criticism, but looking at the comments here -- in your very first response to the very first comment in this hub, you draw our attention to an interesting reality of your former profession.
jim10 said that it looks, to him, that a shoplifter that really knows what he's doing has a decisive edge over loss prevention personnel. You, rockinjoe, agreed with him that, indeed, the rules were stacked against LP personnel, that there are gray areas that rather require LP personnel to lie (to fill in the gaps of the gray areas) to make the cases.
So, in a way, all LP personnel, everywhere, act under a kind of quota when you think about it. That quota might be summed up as this: if you start an action against a shoplifter, you must see it through.
One of your supervisors you had, sounds like a stand-up guy. You would file a report and then, after reading it, he would say, "Okay, now what really happened?" From a practical matter one wonders why he wouldn't simply give himself the cloak of plausible deniability and simply claim to rely solely on the report. Anyway, good job.
okay so my friend was caught by a store clurk shop lifting at a store with no secutity cameras , but the clurk said nothing to my friend ... she kinda followed her out of the store but thats about it , should she be worried that they will track her down or something ?
please answeeeeer ! :(
thanks
Hi wingedcentaur. Thanks for the very well stated and kind response. You're exactly right. Or are you??? :)
Hi Scared, Thanks for checking in. I don't have much information to go on to answer you properly, but for the most part, once you make it outside of the store and you have not been stopped, you're pretty much all set. I wouldn't worry about it.
However you stated that the store does not have security cameras. How do you know? Also you mentioned that the clerk followed your friend outside. That's a tactic used to more or less scare your friend and also to perhaps get a license plate and description of a car, depending on the amount stolen.
I'm 99% sure your friend is ok at this point. Good luck.
Well she only took one thing , and I don't know for sure if they had cameras or not but she said they didint . Also do you think that she will do a police report and/or check other cameras to see if she has stolen from other stores? I'm really worried about her ad I think she has a sickness so I'm making sure she will never do it again! I think she learned her lesson. And thank you so mch for answering my questions, also do you think that the mall try to "hunt her down" for example at home or the next time se goes to the mall? Once again you don't know how greatful I am to have your answers!!!
Hi Scared, Odds of the store making a report are slim. If the store did call the police (I don't know the value of the item she stole) it would have to be for a substantial amount, as to not waste the cops time.
The mall will not hunt her down. If she made it out of the store without being stopped, she's pretty much good to go. The mall security people only have power as far as the mall itself.
That being said, they may look through tapes, to see if your friend actually had anything. They can't do anything about it though. The only thing they would do is keep a better eye on her the next time she comes into the stores.
Don't let her do it again. It seriously isn't worth the amount of the stolen item. Good luck :)
im sorry that im asking so many questions but you are really helping me :) this is my last one , do you think that she can still get in trouble with the police days after it has happened, because at that one particular store where she was caught she took something that was about $15 but she told me that she stole a lot of other things too ! Im so worried about this because i dont want her to get into trouble! and thnak you i know i already had a talk with her and she PROMISED she wouldnt also ill keep a close eye on her :)
also im asking if she can still get in trouble withthe police because on other websites it says she can be , and she can even 6 years after it has been done is that true ... the person who posted it said something about some liberity thing and how they still can
Hi Scared. I would say it's safe to assume she's safe. As you know, I'm not a cop or an attorney, but if the store wanted her bad enough, they would have had the cops waiting outside for her when you both left.
$15 is NOT a high priority theft to the police. They have bigger and (hopefully) badder crooks to go after.
Rockinjoe,
First off I am an actual kleptomania. Kicked a heroinaddiction now I'm addictedto stealing.... not making excuses lol I know I'm f××ked up.
I was at lowes and walkedin an aisle where there were no cameras and concealed a package of 54 dollar value.. walkedout of the store alarms, someone saying excuse me sir, excuse me sir,....sir?Never looked back kept walking out of the lot to another store. Waited about for a while then walked back to mycar.
Now I'm pretty sure they reviewedtapes or something cause today ihad the police at my door. I did not answer. And it was my girlfriends car. Now how how likely is it that the police will harass ustill someone opens the door? And if my girlfriend dosent give me up what kind of trouble will she be in? Obstruction of justice?
I quit one addiction time to work on another.
Thanks for your time and concideration in this matter.
Hi Actualklepto. Lowes is extremely proactive when it comes to shoplifting. $54 is definitely enough cause for concern and is considered misdemeanor shoplifting.
You made it out of the store without Lowe's or the law stopping you.
I can almost guarantee that Lowes has seen the tape. If you're sure you were in an area that contained no cameras, Lowes could only suspect you. That's why they waited for you to leave and set off the alarms. (They cannot stop you for alarms alone, as anything can set them off)
I cannot see the connection as to how the police would track you down if you were in your girlfriend's car, unless you have the same address.
As far as harassing you until you open the door, it would depend why they're visiting you all of a sudden. Do you have a lengthy past criminal record? Could you have missed a court date and there's a warrant out for you? Maybe it's a cop who wants to question you about a shoplifting. I don't know. I would need to know more and it wouldn't be useful for me to just guess at the reason, to make you feel better.
Good luck.
Yes I stay with my girlfriend (my legal address is at another residence ;) ) I do have a small record possessions and such. No warrents (sherrifs collect the people with warrents) and I just reported to my probation officer.
But by the rules you've outlined.. noone saw the concealment. No one stopped me with merchandise. So all they can do is speculate. Right? The cop probly wants to question the owner of the car to see who she loaned it to.
What exactly set off those alarms?
Thanks
Most likely the packaging of the item stolen, concealed the EAS tag which was responsible for the item sounding off. (People constantly pull those tags off, so many vendors place them inside the product, instead.) It's also possible your left shoe set off the alarms. Many shoe manufacturers place them inside the sole of your shoe-and sometimes they fail to deactivate them correctly when you purchase them.
It might have even been a key card, that you perhaps use to gain entrance to your apartment or a hotel. Somethimes it's strong wind or atmospheric disturbance. That's why a company cannot stop you for shoplifting based on the alarms alone.
A tape of you exiting the store with the alarm going off would mean nothing to me-or anyone else. They can't do anything with it. The alarm is to let you know that YOU stole something. It's nothing more than a deterrent.
More on EAS alarms here:
I have NEVER broken the law until the past two weeks.. I have been living with a shoplifter and I am totally against it... I am going through emotional problems and I was at Big Lots and thought oh wtheck I am going to try it.. I stuffed down my pants all the way around NOT knowing how obvious it was OH MY it was.... I had looked for people watching no one was but on my way out of the store an employee walked out to smoke and was looking straight at me getting in my car.. I am scared to death right now.. I feel like taking it back into the store and saying I was doing an experiment to see if I could get away with it???? Scared they will go bk on camera and look at how I looked going in thinner and all puffy going out??? PLease help me I have children and I shouldnt have done it but what do I do now??
PLEASE help me........... I am soooooo scared..... Do I take the shirts bk into the store??????? What would I say??? The employess look pretty rough so to speak like they are just there to get their hourly wage... BUT maybe they will look bk at the camera and see the difference in the way I look??????? THERE WAS NO MISTAKING the difference..... NONE........ I put the stuff bk in when I got home and it was obvious :*************(( I just want to take it back and tell them but Can I get in trouble for that??? I left the empty packages from where I ripped the cardboard type paper off on the shelf it wouldnt be hard to find it.. But what do I do know??? I live in a different county than the shoplifting does that help????
As you pointed out, the workers are just there getting their crappy $7 wage. The guy who saw you most likely 1. did not know you took something and 2. did not care. Think about it, if YOU were the employee and you had 15 minutes to smoke before you had to go back to your sucky job at Big Lots, would you take the energy and time to stop someone shoplifting if you were not the manager or security? I would not.
my friend and i took stuff from mall yesterday and didnt get caught. are we now safe?
i just got caught shoplifting from the claires in my mall a few days ago. im a minor with no record at all. im actually a really good kid. im in scouts and band, i make good grades, never get in trouble, ect. but for some dumb reason i decided to steal one earring (for my cartilage piercing)from a pack of ten. i almost got away with it but i didnt. now i have to pay a fine and have a court date. nothing is more embarrassing than you, crying your eyes out, walking through the mall behind your pissed off father whose carrying bright yellow papers. long story short, i got arrested and now have a court date and fines to pay. i DEFIANTLY learned my lesson. never again am i going to try anything like this. its not worth it at all.
ok so heres the story. Sometimes when i go to a store and they have a bunch of people in a line, i just pocket an item if its small. Yeah its wrong but I hate lines. anywho i had pocketed a small item worth like 6 bucks and then grabbed a few other things. I know the lp didnt see where i put it, or when i took it as well as the other two items. He assumed I took them cause i dumped off the small box in an aisle and the other two had no packages. So anyways i walked out and he tried to get me to stop in the parking lot and of course i denied anything when he said wheres the item for this box. I was like i dont have anything and i dont know what your talking about. So another store employee ended up coming out and chasing me but i got away. Supposedly he got the item and said i dropped it in the parking lot. Now where i was there are cameras in the lot and in the store yet they didnt see me get anything nor drop anything on camera. I know this cause after almost a year, I got a call from a detective and he told me but he questioned me about the incident. I told him I did nothing and unless theres proof, let me know when theres a warrant. I cant believe they would launch an investigation over heresay and something that is that old especially when the lp never seen me conceal anything. Its funny cause the cop tried to tell me he saw me on the camera and I just kind of laughed cause I knew when i grabbed it, it wasnt where he said i did. Obviously if im gonna go dump the package in an aisle with no camera im not gonna take something in an aisle with a camera. So technically can anything be done or they just trying to scare me. I was told that the detective was gonna send the info he had to the states attorney to see if they will issue a warrant for me. PS they found me by the car i came in just for those curious
Hi Joe, thought I would check in. My attorney has filed suit against Dillards. I still have trouble going into a store or even seeing a police car drive by me. When you really haven't shoplifted the trauma is almost unbearable. I never thought I would have to tell people I had been arrested. Not a great way at the end of my life. After the experience I am left with weakness on my left side and still wake up screaming with nightmares. Dillards lied to me the whole time. I didn't think you could refuse a person medical help when they requested it. I don't know how the suit will play out but I think the people who interrogated me should be forced to endure the same thing I did. If this could happen to me it could happen to anyone. Please everyone be careful. I have never stolen anything in my life and was handcuffed, arrested, fingerprinted, had mug shots taken. It was the worst experience of my life and the post traumatic stress doesn't go away. The person that walked into dillards has died, a new person was dragged out of that store.
Hi Joe, I was recently caught shoplifting from bergdorf goodman in nyc. The LP guy apprehended 640$ worth of merchandise from me. I was arrested and had a mug shot taken and fingerprints. I was issued a DAT and am due in court on Thursday. This is my first time being CAUGHT, but not my first time stealing from this store. My question is, could they be building a case against me using sureillance footage from the past or am I only being tried for the items I was actually caught with? I am extremely remorseful and guilty and cannot figure out what possessed me to be such an idiot. I hired a criminal lawyer but told him this was my first time being arrested for shoplifting, but i hae been doing it for months without being caught. any light you could shed on how LP could be handling this would be so helpful. I hae not shoplifted since and know I will not in the future. thank you
i got caught shopliffting at walmart, but it wasn't until a few hrs later that i found out. My sister works there and she called and said they knew i stole some items..but am not sure my name was mentioned....this is not the first time i've stolen from there, ive done it a lot, will they look back as far as 4 months or will it just be todays?
i got caught shopliffting at walmart, but it wasn't until a few hrs later that i found out. My sister works there and she called and said they knew i stole some items..but am not sure my name was mentioned....this is not the first time i've stolen from there, ive done it a lot, will they look back as far as 4 months or will it just be todays?
after reading how a lp can loose his job for trying to catch a shoplifter i suddenly dont wanna shoplift anymore, i just do it for the trhill not to hurt anyone.
My friend and I shop lifted from Sears twice but didn't get caught so we went a third and final time and got caught but they had no constant video bc we went into the dressing room. But they took our purses and emptied them...can we for a case against this or get it dismissed? Oh and they had an under cover watching us BUT they lost sight of us once in the dressing rooms so they did break rules..I'm 15 & my friend is 18; btw I've definitely learned my lesson I had never shop lifted before this inicident and definitely won't again!
A lot of things people are mistaken about with LP. Theres a lot of companies that can detain you physically. If you run they can run you down and if you fight they have the right to subdue you. Shoplifters think that if they don't want to come back in they don't have to, that is seriously wrong in most cases. Bed bath and beyond for instance uses mace in certain locations. I have worked in a couple different companies for LP and both companies allow their LPs to physically detain shoplifters, one of the companies stopped for awhile, but when all of our shoplifters would just walk away from us when we didn't grab them, we went back to physically detaining them. I have been punched, cut by a knife, kicked and pretty much anything else you can imagine. Just because you have policies to follow dosn't mean you dont have the right to defend yourself. So any of the shoplifters thinking that LPs for all companies can't touch them you are sadly mistaken. Maybe some companies would rather take huge losses, but there are others that understand that under the shop keepers privilege law you can physically detain someone unlawfully removing unpaid merchandise from their property.
Hi my friend and i got caught shop liftin at pennies she went out of the store and they got her but i was still in the store th lp came and got me and walked me out of the store and then back in and then called the cops the combined our stuff and said that we would recieve a warrant for our arrest its been 7 weeks and still no warrant but we did recieve a letter to pay pennies 400 dollars a piece should we pay this so they wont prosecute and how long will it take them to prosecute us if they do file charges i heard they were 100% prosecute policy
I changed merchandise tags on about 7 $60 items. I then proceeded to walk around the store and get other items I actually needed. I went through the checkout. While in line I noticed a manager/LP maybe standing about three cash registers away. I panicked, but went ahead with the purchase and paid cash. I was pretty sure he was going to stop me, but he didn't. I'm thinking they got my license plate number with cameras and are building a case before pressing charges. It has only been two days, but I can't sleep or eat. Should I get a lawyer and prepare for the worst?
if somebody takes some sort of merchandise (not necessarily clothing), then proceed into a bathroom stall or private dressing room, shove it in his or her pants and attempt to walk out with it, what are the chances of him or her being caught? nobody actually has seen them steal the item, and there is no security tag that would make an alarm sound. and if a security guard or LP were to try to get their attention, they would not necessarily be forced to answer. correct?
Okay so my friend was at a beauty store and pocketed some items. She left and noticed someone following her. No on called out to her but they were following and pointing at her. They may have watched her drive away. She didn't notice cameras in the store and there was no security in the store or any sensors. Should she be concerned police will come to her house?
Hi Joe, I was recently caught shoplifting from bergdorf goodman in nyc. The LP guy apprehended 640$ worth of merchandise from me. I was arrested and had a mug shot taken and fingerprints. I was issued a DAT and am due in court on Thursday. This is my first time being CAUGHT, but not my first time stealing from this store. My question is, could they be building a case against me using sureillance footage from the past or am I only being tried for the items I was actually caught with? I am extremely remorseful and guilty and cannot figure out what possessed me to be such an idiot. I hired a criminal lawyer and told him this was my first time being arrested for shoplifting, but i hae been doing it for months without getting caught. any light you could shed on how LP could be handling this would be so helpful. I hae not shoplifted since and know I will not in the future. thank you
I hope you check in soon, your responses help me a bit, but I'm still troubled:
So a friend and I decided to go to shopping. While I finished paying for things in the cashier, she told me she was heading to the famous footwear next door. About a few minutes later I walked in looking for her, she was being helped, and I began to browse around, I found some boots I wanted to try on so I set down my bags beside her and told her I'll be back since I wanted her opinion on them, when I turned to the row she was in I saw the person helping her reach into her bag grabbing a puma shoe out of it. I stared in shock and all I could hear was him telling her she was banned from there and to never come back because he'll have a look out.
She then gave me my stuff, and he told me "Since you're with her you have to leave too." I wasn't sure if I should put the box I had in my hand away so I asked him politely if he wanted it too.
He proceeded to the doors and yelled at his employee to "Call them now!" and opened the door for us. I told him thank you and she told him sorry, about 2 yards after, me slightly scolding her because I was still in shock, I heard him behind us, I was too ashamed to look back so I headed straight for her car.
She stopped to ask him if he wanted to see her license and she would give him her license plate and he just told us to keep walking, yelling at us that "attempted shoplifting is the same as shoplifting in WA STATE," and he wanted to see the car/us getting in it, farther humiliating us. I glanced back and saw that he had both our merchandise with him as he walked behind us, but by that point I couldn't even process what he was saying (can he take those out of the store? would that be against us since it passed the paying point?)
He was still standing out in the parking lot when we left, and my friend was so nervous about possibility of the police contacting her parents (since the car was under their name) that she had me look online.
It's the next day and she hasn't been contacted so I'm guessing that they layed off of it. But I was wondering, was his conduct correct? I don't know much about f.f's LP protecals but I still can't put it to rest, does being banned also apply to me? Am I also going to be watched when I go to the stores surrounding it? I really liked some of their shoes, am I also going to be watched if I go to another location? I want to call them, but since I was with her, he implied through his actions and his words that we were an unsavory type. I don't want to be talked to in that mind set so now I'm hoping that you'll check into this soon.
By the way, if it doesn't show this happened in WA state, the total merchandise (she attempted to take and the one I was holding) would be equivalent to about $155 retail, $125 sale
My stupid friend would steal things from sephora all the time as well as buy things, recently she was there and put a lipstick in her pocket I guess someone saw an followed my friend around. Before the security guard approached her she had already taken the lipstick out and he said she was gonna steal it. He took her to the bag an said he wasn't calling the cops just banning her from the store.
My question is can she be looked at for previous thefts from the store? Like can they look at old footage to see if they catch her?
I'm studying to be a lawyer and this really fascinates me!
Oh this was in ny.... Just so u know
Hi I'm super freaked out I've been stealing groceries, and just randam everyday things at dominicks. I've been doing it for6 months and am afraid im on tape. There is a camera in the parking lot. What freaked mr out was that this morning I went to the store to pick up groceries , and I noteced a man fallowing me he was just walking around and my Car was full, I then saw a diffrrnt man communication with him, and I freaked and left it all At the store I'm having panic attacks thinking that there coming after me. I've been doing it for 6 months I don't like to steal but it's hard and I need groceries as im a single parent and don't know what to do. What can happen?
i live in ny and i was accused of shoplifting lastnight. as me and my friends walked outside, there was a lp there and asked if we took anything. we said no and he pulled out candy wrappers and said we did. after that he took me to a room with another lp and we all had to sign a paper, but they let us go with just having to pay the fee. but they didnt search us and we had no merchandise on us, should i go to court and plead not guilty or should i just pay the fine? i dont want to go to court if im going to be guilty but they have no proof that we took any candy.
Earlier today, I was in Best Buy. I picked up several items, but ultimately I decided I could only afford one, so I put the others down (not back where they belonged) and paid for the one.
I then went to Target, directly next door, and was bombarded with "helpful" employees. This should have been the first warning, but it didn't occur to me at the time.
I picked up a product (worth $90! I didn't realize it at the time!) and later put it in my bag. I am not a shoplifter, but desperate financial situations make us do crazy things. I went into the bathroom, and removed the camera from its packaging, aware that it probably had some sort of tag on it. On my way out, I saw a security officer.
That was the trigger that turned my brain back on. I realized... this is crazy! What am I doing! I went to find the one item that I had actually gone into Target for, left the item I had put in my bag in that aisle, and left.
Just as I got to my car, I was stopped by someone who identified himself as being with Target security. He asked me to come inside, but then continued to hold up the empty box (from the bathroom) and said "we just want this back. Best Buy warned us that you tried to steal from them, so we were watching you. I saw you put this in your back, and I asked the female security officer to follow you to the bathroom". I explained what happened, and said that yes, I took it out of the box but then I left it on a shelf when the stupid-moment passed. I voluntarily showed him that there was nothing (not belonging to me) in my purse. I told him what aisle I left the item in.
He told me not to come back to either store (even though I did nothing wrong at Best Buy, but oh well) and he left.
Is there any chance they will follow up? In New York, I believe that merely concealing something can be considered shoplifting, however as I didn't leave with the item, is there any chance they'll still try and hit me with a civil penalty?
I should note, I did actually *pay* for the one item I went into the store for, and the machine at the door beeped on my way out. The same security officer that had been in the bathroom was waiting there, and she checked my bag and receipt and let me go.
My neice was accused of shoplifting. She is 21 and the store will not talk to me or her mother. My necie swears that she did not steal, that they did not find any merchandise on her. Even the police officers who had to take her to jail said that they did not understand why they were called but it was something about mall security that we would need to fight it in court. Can you really arrest someone when you don't find merchandise on them?
hello. my little brother told me that he was at walmart earlier today and even though he bought some things, he put 2 dvds into his jacket without paying for it. on the way out the door, the alarm went off. the door greeter stopped him and my brother showed him his bags of items he'd purchased and his receipt. the greeter looked inside the bags and let him go. he drove away out of the parking lot without getting caught. im a little worried. do they have him on camera in the parking lot or store? can he get in trouble later on... like tomorrow or in a few days when the cops might show up??
thank you.
Hope someone out there can answer this for me...I was apprehended a few days ago for theft by an LPO at a grocery store, a ten dollar item. I had purchased groceries and accidently left the item in my cart. I had paid for my groceries using my credit card. My question is do they have a computer program where they could look up my credit card number, pull up old recipts of mine and check out footage from those old recipts? I have lifted from that store intentionally once before. I have a clean record but I am worried that if they find that old footage I will be charged as a repeat offender.
i have the same problem as "worried." im 18+ and was apprehended by LP two weeks ago for theft. I was banned from the store, but no police were involved..I just had to sign a document about being submitted to ChoicePoint and possibly receiving a Civil Demand in the mail. However, I've shoplifted from that store previously but since I am a regular shopper, they also have my credit card records when I actually did pay. I would really appreciate if someone could shed light on this...I'm so worried they'll pull up old footage by tracking my past transactions/purchases.
I wanted to correct you.. The place I work will certify you to make fitting room stops. If you have a problem in that area. People seem to know all the policies and will stop in the bathroom on the way out. I will bend the rules, if the merchanise wasn't dumped I will make the stop.
i have been stealing at rite aid for years and never been caught. I went to go fill a perscription for the first time in rite aid today without stealing anything.
can they catch me?
ok i went into wal mart yesterday and bought a computer and they didnt mark my receipt so i went back today and put the same computer into my buggy with 50 bucks of other stuff then went to the register. i paid for the 50 bucks of other stuff and told them i had paid for the computer at the back so i went on to the door and gave the lady both receipts. she noticed that the receipt for the computer was yesterday. she said she had to notify managementwhen she walked toward customer service i walked out and left walmart leaving even the groceries i paid for lol what should i expect from this?
Hello rockinjoe. I worked at a small mens clothing store at the mall as temp for the holidays. The clothes were nice but to me, absurdly expensive. So with envy in mind I decided to take a blazer valued at 1500$. My method was to put the jacket in the backroom and a week later as we were closing I placed the item bunched up in a ball into a garbage bag, then into the main garbage bag where I later retrieved it. I'm feeling the guilt for doing wrong but I guess moreso fear of being caught. I no longer work there but they do have dvr cameras. There are no LP working in the store and in the two and a half weeks I worked there not one person was caught for shoplifting despite eas going off every day, nothing was done or said about it. I have found out that in about a week and a half from now, which would be almost a month from when I commited the act, they will be doing inventory. I am sure then they will discover the loss along with whatever else is missing from customers, ect. Do you think they will go back and look through the video looking for shoplifters? They dont have LP on site but perhaps they will outsource it? Another thing is when I placed the item in the bag, which happened to be semi transparent, I was not on camera. However once it was bunched up and I had it in hand to place in the main garbage, that was on camera. I imagine looking at the tape it would be hard to discern what the item is being bunched up and semi concealed in a garbage bag as to appear as garbage. Do you think enough time elapsed that I might be lucky to avoid prosecution? Do you think the facts of this case point to being caught? The stress and guilt surely wasn't worth it..
a couple days ago i was in a giant tiger shopping i went to the check out and paid for all of my items in the BOTTOM of my stroller i walked out of the store and wihin seconds a security guard was saying i was under arrest. i had forgotten about a 2 dollar pair of socks (that were on sale) ON TOP of the stroller. It was a complete accident! The security guard called the police and i was given a ticket i was also banned from the store. I said i had forgotten all about them and didn't know they were there.He told the cops they were in visible sight and i would have had to seen them every time i looked at my baby so i definitly stole them. Would i have a case in court? Please give me your advice. It was a complete accident i never tampered with them or took the tags off or anything. If they were in such visible sight why didnt the cashier ask me if i wanted to pay for them? i feel like i was set up
Joe why the hell havent you been responding back to the masses of people that have writing you. It seems you forget that you now have an obligation to respond back to all these people. Most of everyone whos ever stolen anything is not a bad person. At one point or another Im sure youve stolen or taken something that didnt belong to you. Be it merchandise from a store, a persons diginity, or any of the other million and one things you could steal in this world. I just want to make myself perfectly clear that no matter what we do as a society to deter theft......those on top will always do the most stealing.....IE politicians...cops...judges...lawyers....and your little mall security and so on are stopping petty crimes....what about the company that hired you that gets away with robbing its consumers blind with 30-80 percent mark ups on merchandise or the bogus bullshit minimum wage they pay all you store employees cuz really what other choice did you have with out a degree.....Think about it....sharks dont chase guppies on a full stomach.
I was recently "caught" stealing from a store. However, as I was leaving the store this guy stopped me, grabbed my arm, and told me to come with him. When we went into the back office that took a picture of a bunch of opened crap and said I was caught shop lifting. However, the police did not get any of the items that was "stolen" and I was arrested. Is there anyway to get my case dismissed? Please message me on facebook so I can get the message. I'm blond, and 18 and live in georgia.
If you didn't see it, it didn't happen? Seriously? Are you the policy for every big chain store?
If someone goes in with several items of clothing to a bathroom or fitting room and doesn't come out with them and there is nothing in the stalls it's pretty freakin' obvious!!!
Ugh..
okay so i have a question: can someone accused of stealing and ask to see the surveillence be refused to be able to see the footage???
I used to work in loss prevention and in reality nobody has to shoplift at all to get something for nothing. We got hit three times in five years with fake shoplifting lawsuits. A person came in the store and bought a camera and paid with his credit card. He hid the receipt in his wallet and went back in the store for about 20 minutes just browsing around. Before he left he removed the camera from the bag and pretended to exit without paying. Without proper training our floor people caught him and called the police. He never mentioned a receipt until he had been booked for shoplifting. Needless to say we were sued and settled for $64,000. Our own attorney explained that there is no law protecting stores against this type of setup. Stores lose millions every year for shoplifting charges where nothing was taken. And what's sad is that the consumer is made to pay. In our case the camera that caused this was increased by $50.00.
i was caught shoplifting a memory card from walmart.I co-operated with everything they said , but then they said something that struck me, they said i would have to pay a fine of up to 2100 dollars!! is this right??? if they make me pay that much, could i take them to court, and if so for what?
Hi Dumber than Rocks: I have an obligation? Because I wrote an article on Hubpages? That's actually pretty funny.
Big shots stealing (politicians, lawyers, etc.) doesn't make it right. You're the one who has to put his head on his pillow at night and sleep. If you can do so taking advantage of others, than so be it.
Good luck!
Hi Cameron Woods. Sorry, I don't answer questions outside of Hubpages. Without knowing enough about your situation, I can't really offer an opinion on it. Sorry.
Hello Lol: No, I'm not a spokesperson for every big chain store regarding their loss prevention policies, but THOSE are the rules imposed by the big chain stores.
Say someone walks into a fitting room (or rest room) with a television and walks out with it under their shirt, (as obvious as it may be) you are not allowed to stop them because you did not see concealment.
People are allowed a reasonable amount of privacy in the bathrooms and the changing rooms. If LP says "I saw concealment!", that means they were peeking in on someone in a changing room or in a bathroom stall.
Stupid? Absolutely. Insane policy? Yup. Do I think it's the dumbest thing ever? Sure. But it's policy.
Hi Nathan L. Yes! The store is under no obligation to show you the tape. Sometimes the cops ask to see it and they are shown video (if any exists)
If you want to see the tape, get yourself a defense lawyer. He/She may be able to gain access to it, but that's usually only if your case is going to trial.
Hi Bobmcgee, Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I hope everything worked out. Boy, when you do something, you do it right. $1500 is a felony anywhere.
Whether the store researches their dvr drive after the inventory is tallied, is probably not a huge concern. It would depend on their camera placement-and if they suspected an employee of theft. AND if they don't usually review the tape for shoplifters when the EAS goes off, they are most likely not going to research a jacket. They'll probably right it off.
Good luck
Hi Wayne. Yup, that one happens a lot. I had a friend of mine fall for that one at a Marshall's store awhile back. A woman concealed a sweater inside a Marshall's bag and left the store. She later produced the receipt to the police when apprehended by LP. I don't know what she got, but she settled out of court.
Hi Retail LPM. Let me guess. You work for Kmart? They had that dumbass certification thing when I was there and the only one who was certified in our area was the regional manager, who wouldn't know a shoplifter if it bit her in the ass and left permanent teeth marks.
So thanks, correction noticed. Let me clarify by saying that 99.9% of LP cannot make a fitting room stop.
Hi Crazy Stuff,
Sorry, I know these comments are not in order, but for some reason I'm not receiving them in order.
Nice try with the computer.
Being at the front door, they probably have you on tape. Since you didn't actually steal anything, they cannot pursue it.
I don't like the whole being stopped at the door thing and being asked for my receipt. There's no law saying you must show your receipt. It's a policy where the honest customer is made to feel like a criminal.
You can walk out in the future. No one can stop you. Unless you're in Iran.
Hi ydoit. $2100? Where the hell do you live? Wow. Sounds to me like the LP did not know what he was talking about.
Wally World should have provided you with a statement saying that you would receive a fine in the mail. There would be an 800 number on there where you could call and find out the amount.
Civil Recovery fines are a crock of shit. It's usually a 50/50 split between the lawyers handling the fine and the retailer. The money is pure profit. I wouldn't pay it. I'd force them into trying to collect from me in small claims court. But, that's just me. Call a lawyer and find out your options. Good luck!
I have a questions for you sir. I will be as brief as possible. I was shopping at a grocery store with my mother. We had a cart full of grocerys, and I was wandering the aisles getting more things. I stopped by the cosmetics aisle and picked up about 6 things. My hands were getting full, so I put them in my bag until I reached the cart. I then did some more shopping and brought everything back to the cart. I still had the cosmetics in my bag. As we were waiting in line to check out, I changed my mind about the cosmetics and put them back on the shelf. Soon after I was stopped by an LP and escorted to the back room. He told me I intended to steal, and called the cops. They issued me a retail theft ticket. When he stopped me, I had no concealed merchandise on me...I put it back, plus he stopped me while I was in line buying groceries. Should I fight this? PS I live in WI.
Hi Ladrona, I would definitely call a lawyer as soon as possible. It appears to me that the LP saw you conceal the items in your bag, but failed to follow up in the very important step of making sure you had the merchandise before he stopped you.
Talk to an attorney about this immediately and tell him exactly what you told me. Good luck.
So for the past few weeks, I've been going to c circle k once or twice a week and taking small snacks and putting them into my purse. A few days ago, I took something(but also paid for a coffee stupidly with my credit card) and saw the open door of the security office... where there were screens showing cameras I was standing in sight of when I had been doing this. However, no one seemed ot notice at the time. It's been about two days since and they didn't stop me when walking out or anything, but could they see the footage later and possibly track me down using my information? Should I expect police to show up at my house any time soon?
I'm pretty freaked out and hoping that I've gotten away with this so that I will NEVER do it again.
Ok so I know some kids who would walk into a Pathmark, load up carts with food and leave. It worked fine for about 2 weeks. On one sunday, thye got bold and wnet in at 10 pm when it was empty and stole a whole cart full of food again but were very sloppy and carless and definetly were noticed. After that they tried 2 more times but each time were stoped at the door. They were asked to leave the food and that was that. A few days ago they went to the pathmark across town and while they were loading up the carts they got a bad vibe and decided not to go throu with it. The manager stopped them outside and asked y they did not want the food and they said they changed their minds. He took down my friends plate number as they left. Are my friends in danger of facing any legal trouble? or do you think they are home free?
it's now been almost a week and I still haven't heard anything... I assume this is a good sign?
I am an employee at JcPenney and my sister a friend and I were shopping there one day we had a few items in a mesh shopping bag then went into the dressing room tried them on and what not then I get a phone call to meet my mother at my house and to hurry cause she is waiting for me I put the items i wanted in the mesh bag and brought them to a register and asked them to hold them for me until I got back now three weeks later an LP guy talks to me and says that he has statements from employees saying we stole some items from the store. When I told him I didnt steal anything he said either it was me or my sister that did and we need to return the merch or pay for it or they will call the cops. My sister and I did not steal so we are not paying for anything and now they are saying they will call the cops but im not being fired???? My question is even though they have statements from employees (which hate me by the way) can I or my sister be arrested? They have no proof we stole anything and when I asked what they think we stole they said they didnt know and do not have a list just statements saying we did steal.... can we be arrested for hear-say?
I have been stealing a few things from different shops over the past few months. I had a call from the police yesterday and had to go over there. In one of the shops I had bought something and taken a few without paying, about 4 months ago. They had traced me down from my credit card and had found me. They gave me a record and took my pictures everything. I feel really ashamed and I know this is the end of it. So sorry about what I have done. My only concern is if they will find out about the other things I have done or will this be it? I promise I will never do it again. What can I do now?
stupidmeeee, did thy catch you on video or something? why didn`t they stp you when you were leaving the store and why did they wait four months to contac you? i took that long get your info?how valuable was the stuff you took and which shop caught you?
Hey, this article was very informative, thank you for posting it.
I have a current situation going on as well, I am an employee and I worked a 4 hour shift on a Thursday at Vitamin World. Saturday afternoon my manager texted me describing a list of things were missing and went into detail about them and where they were located. He then asked me if I took it, know who did it, or left the store unattended and I replied no.
He continued to tell me that he was going to review the cameras to the mall. (Because we do not have cameras in our store.)
I then called him after this text to confess that the store was left unattended for 30 seconds but not longer then that because I had to send an email to the office.
He hung up and then proceeded to threaten me in a text by saying he wants all of the merchandise that was stolen or he will call the police so if I know who took it I better have them bring everything back in or pay for it.
Sunday morning I resigned because this is the 3rd time he has harassed me about something and I was fed up with it plus I had just gotten another job.
He calls me Monday morning to threaten me again saying he does not care if I resign because he does not want someone like me working there but he wants all of the merchandise back and I told him I didn't take anything nor do I know who did it. I also asked why did he wait to contact me if things were stolen? What about the employees that worked on Friday?
He proceeded to threaten me again by saying he was going to call loss prevention, turn in the supposed surveillance of whomever walked out of the store with the merchandise and call the police so that I better pay for it or bring everything back.
I cared about my job and I don't want to be falsely accused, because I made a purchase that same night and I am afraid he might try to frame me for whatever was missing in the store.
The things that were stolen were testosterone pills, 3 big jugs of protein powder, and some liquid bottle for working out.
Also we do not have store cameras, the store was completely dead on the day I worked and it was just me, and I do not believe the mall has cameras because when I closed the mall was dark and when I went back to resign I looked and there are no signs of cameras any where.
I'm so scared because I don't want to deal with the slander, and accusations.
Hi, so_stupid. Looks like you taught yourself a lesson. If they didn't get you when you left the store, you're in the clear.
@Mark Your friends have to be outside with the food (or at least past the registers, (depending on where this took place) Actually, the manager had no business even approaching your friends outside of the store without stolen merchandise. He can however, ask anyone to leave his store and not return. I'm assuming he took down the plate # as a scare tactic. There's really nothing he can do-except alert other Pathmarks in the area about this.
@wrongly accused This is a strange one. If JCPenney cannot prove your guilt, you are in the clear. A good LP wouldn't tell you that he had statements against you. It sounds like this guy doesn't know what he's talking about. Contact one of his upper bosses (not district, but higher, like regional LP for example), as this guy can be fired for even accusing you. It appears to me that he thinks he's such a big shot, he's playing a bluff. Call him on it.
Stupid meeee- I'm not sure. There's a lot of missing information here. Good luck.
@Irritated-No one has any right to accuse you without evidence. He obviously has none, or he would have called the police and ask that you be arrested. The guy is obviously an asshole. Change your number. There's nothing he can do.
With such rules to abide by, I wouldn't be able to work in LP. Because I'd have been fired the very first day! LOL
A tremendously well-written and informative hub.
Yesterday I stopped at a grocery store I have never been in. I took several items including organic fruit and veggies, about $20 worth, and went to my car without buying anything. I stupidly dumped the items on my passenger seat, threw my coat over them, then went back in the store. No one followed me out of the store and I do not believe I was seen taking the items but looking back I think I was seen doing the dump in the car and then going back in. I went back to my cart which had about ten items still in it. I had recyclable bags in my cart. I took my bread items and put them in a recyclable bag to separate them so they wouldn’t get smashed. The recyclable bag was in the top of the cart, not hidden. I got the feeling I was being watched so got in line to pay for the items. I then got really spooked when I saw two managers and two other employees talking and too close for comfort, it all felt wrong so I left the cart at the checkout (I did not pass the registers or go near the door) and went outside to my car. Next to my car the two managers were already standing. They immediately told me to come back in the store with them and that police had been called. I said I didn’t know what they were talking about and one of them said “I saw you put those things in the recycle bag”. The other one said “There are food items on your seat of your car you didn’t pay for” I didn’t say anything other than please let me in my car I don’t know what you are talking about. They said no I needed to come in with them. I managed to get my car door open and slowly backed up as one was in back of my car, he moved and I drove away, dumped the food in a dumpster and went home. Incidentally I live right on a state line so this all happened in the state that I DO NOT live in. I know they got my license and I know they contacted the police. I have no idea how they knew the food was in my car unless someone saw me dump it because as I said they did not approach me when I left the store the first time. I am almost positive although not 100% that there were no cameras to witness me taking the fruit, veggies and cheese so as most they saw me conceal on video if they looked back at tape, but I really don’t even think that happened as I went back last night (in cognito with stocking cap on to check where outside and inside cams were . What can I expect to happen? I fear there is a warrant for my arrest in this other state now. Total value as I say, around $20 and it was all dumped..
Hi charlemont Thank you so much for the kind words. I'm going to check out your Hubs. :)
Hi rtvgirl-I agree. I also think someone saw you take the first merchandise to the car, Your mistake was coming back inside the store again. If you get away clean the first time, don't get greedy and come back in.
Inside the store the managers have you concealing merchandise. That's a crime in some cities and states.
For the heck of it, I'd call the police station and find out if there were a warrant out for my arrest. You can call from a blocked number, or ask a friend to call. If there is a warrant, you should consider getting a lawyer and turning yourself in,
thanks for the info. i did call the county clerk yesterday to ask if there is a warrant but they won't tell me unless i physically go there. is this common practice? i didnt call the police dept, only the county clerk. obviously i do not want to go down there and ask. you are right, greedy!!! and stupid! the stuff in the car is long gone. the recycle bag was wide open and you could see right in it, it was on top of my cart in plain view and not concealed at all, and i was in line at the register with it in very plain view in top of the cart. it was bakery items i wanted on a separate tab and not to get smashed, thus put them in the bag. i did not pass ANY register or point of sale or go near an exit ever with the shopping cart or the recycle bag.
Hello rockin joe, thank you so much for your very insightful article,and comment responses. You truly seem like a very nice person. I used to be a heavy shoplifter. It becomes an addiction. The first time I stole it was an accident. I had forgotten something in my cart, and completely accidentally left the store. When I realized I could get away with it, I started thinking "oh im going to steal this and that". Thinking I was slick i kept on like this. I had such a low self esteem because of the disgusting things i was doing. It was a bandaid solution. One day I got caught(because even the best thief does). That was the most humiliating,humbling,horrifying experience of my life. I remember thinking "what would my family think", as members of my community saw me being transported to a police car in handcuffs
The stares and snickering was about all I could take. I am now a married, mother of three. I have completely changed my ways. I am happy, and honest! The pure satisfaction from knowing i'm a good person, completely outweighs the cheap bittersweet thrils I got from shoplifting. Once you focus on the inward person(because something is definitely off), you become genuinely happy. Changes like these are definitely not easy! The reward however is priceless. Things do not bring happiness. Please do not steal, im just offering advice,from one who knows. You will get caught! I am not a hypocrite, as I said I was a huge shoplifter,so I understand the addiction. When I was shoplifting all I thought about myself was, how disgusting I was,how horrible, and pathetic I was. It even made me feel suicidal. So I do empathize. I understand that people who aren't all bad, can be horribly misguided, and still capable of being a good person. I am so honest know. I take pride in it. My past mistakes have helped me become who I am today. Also with a theft on your record it is very hard to obtain employment. You can talk untill your blue in the face, some people will always have you labeled a criminal. Others though can be very forgiving, if they truly see repentance, and conversion. Good luck to all of you, and please know anything is possible if you want it bad enough. Thanks again Joe, your encouragement does not fall on deaf ears, we all appreciate it.
So I kind of took something from a store not too long ago. I know it's wrong and stupid, but I was dead broke and the item was only worth like $2. I didn't even steal the whole thing, just part of it and stuffed it in a very discreet location. I was stopped by an LP, who didn't take any of my personal info. I emptied out my pockets and he saw that I had nothing he could prove I had stolen. He told me never to come back to the store, and I left. My question is this: Can the cops come to my house after I left the store to harass me? No alarms were set off when I left, so I figured I was in the clear. This was at a Kroger's btw.
Hi im 18 and i got caught shoplifting tonight at Walmart in ny...yes im very ashamed and feel very stupid for doing it. I got through one exit and this guy stopped me and took me into the security room. He asked if i had anything that wasnt mine and i immediately said yes cooperating and apologizing. A cop was in there but said/did absolutely nothing. The guy working on the cameras said since it was my first offense and i cooperated i would just recieve a letter in the mail and be fined any amount, could be 5x the price of the item which was $6-7. Im planning on calling in the morning to ask what my penatlies are. Im so nervous! Does the letter explain what security saw on camera? They only took my license and asked for nothing else. Thanks!
Hi, yesterday I went to the grocery store and still a shampoo, during I was inside the store I was scared for a guy, I just walk out of the store and the same guy stopped me, I ran away get in my car and left.
He never saw my purse, but wrote my license plate number, it happens more than 24 ago and nobody knock on my door.
Do you think that they will?
Wow I learned so much in this hubpage!!
You are doing a great job here talking to people with shoplifting experiences. Well done!
Here is my part, I live in Montreal Quebec Canada and today for some reason, I decided to go "bigger". I shoplifted at Dollarstore for 2 bags of candies and the total was $2.28. I am 21 yrs old and been caught of shoplifting!! Okay, I was really really bored after studying and doing school work the whole day, so I kinda needed something to spark me. Quite embarrassed but oh well...
Anyway so the manager brought me all the way to the back office and I noticed that he was kinda "playing" the cop game with me. He told me to sign a paper stating that I stole candies at $2.28 and photocopied 2 of my ID cards with my residential address.
Of course, the vibe that his body language was telling me, was that "$2.28...? Are you serious?". I even asked them what was the consequences for shoplifting, and they said almost none... except that you will be banned from every Dollarstore and "Never step back in any Dollarstore.
Then I asked, no criminal record? Not for $2.28, they replied.
I guess stealing for less than $5 is considered as a wasted of time, am I right? Of course I dont think I will ever shoplift again.
Afterward, I just started talking to the manager and interviewing him just like a meet/greet conversation. He was actually quite nice.
Anyway, I discussed this with my friend and we both find this quite funny.
What would think that it might happen?
I wonder if they can actually track me down in EVERY Dollarstore... LMAO!!!
I know there is no camera in that dollarstore since I examined very well since beginning of the year.
@Lapilla
I used to work in a designer clothing store with high end brand stuff.
Writing down you car plate? I dont think that will be useful or even relevant!
It is all about a psychological game. Do you really think Mr.Security will come knock at your door with a bazooka...? Man.. if so, dont answer the door! and call the cops!
Hello, hope you can help me! I recently went into BOBs clothes stores with my friend. We went into the dressing room with merchandise, and i had a pair of shorts for about 25 dollars that i put into my bag. We did this in the actual room in the dressing room with absolutly no cameras watching us getting changed/unchanged, and taking the merchandise.
The LP guy asked to look inside our bags as we were leaving. No alarms went off what so ever. He then brought us to the office, and waited for police, which took about two hours
We were given a court apperance date. However, We were NEVER showed video of us actually doing it, and the police were never shown video as well.
We did hand over the merchandise though.
I'm 17 with absolutly no crimal record what so ever. Do you know what will happen? Much help appreciated! THank you!
I'm a volunteer in a hospital cafeteria (not an LP or security officer), and one time I caught a cheerleader girl probably 16-18 years old shoving at least 5 Monster energy drinks in her gym bag out of the cooler and leave. Seeing how I worked as a sales associate at Toys R Us (TRU has no LPs, the sales agents act as LPs there), I knew what to do: observe her taking the item, not let her out of my sight, and to observe her pass the register without paying for the item. As she was walking out of the cafeteria and into the hallway of the hospital, I calmly asked her "ma'am, would you please come with me," intending to take her back to the Food & Nutrition Director's office, but she told me to f*** off and hurried off the premises. There are no cameras in the cafeteria, but there are cameras in the hallway outside of the cafeteria. Unsure of any legal ramifications of apprehending her, I just let her go. There's no hospital policy regarding this kind of thing, and although the cafeteria is contracted to Sodexo, their policies would not apply to me because I volunteer for the hospital, not Sodexo. My question is, would it have been legal for me to have grabbed her and forced her to be detained in the director's office until the police arrived, considering if I was reasonable and did not hurt her?
My friend and I were caught shoplifting at Khols the other day. However, we walked out of the store, and they did not stop us until we were almost at our car. A lady and a man stopped us, and said "ladies did you two take anything?" and at I said no.. They said this will all be a lot easier if you just confess. So i did. We went to the back. We were arrested, and went to jail... and i have court in a few days. However, i read that they cannot stop you if they did not see you conceal the items. Me & my friend went into the dressing rooms, and put the clothes on underneath our original clothes, there was nothing on the cameras showing we took anything. Therefore they violated procedure, and arent they suppose to stop you before you get out of the doors? However, since they violated procedures, can my confession still be used in court? I know this is very wrong, ive never even done it before, and this is my first offense.. I just do not know what to do...
I was caught shoplifting at wegmans. I really didnt realize what i was doing. I went in to do shop and put the stuff in my chart. I having been taking an increase in new pain meds. and next things i was putting item's in bags and went right passed the front end. I remember stopping in the front entry of store. Then i got confused as to were i was saw my stuff in bags and walked out of store. I then was stopped by LP and asked to come back in i then realized what i did and said oh please let me pay for this i made a mistake. Well they made me go to an office and called the police. I now i am charged with PL 155.25. I was scared to tell the office i took new pain med. Because i didn't want more issues please tell me what will happen to me next. in ny
@Alexis: You seem to be confusing store policy with the law. Stores have policies that the associates have to actually see you conceal something because they are afraid the associates will make a bad stop. Even if the cameras didn't see you actually conceal anything, just seeing that you went into the fitting room with clothes from the store in your hands and you coming out wearing those clothes is enough to get you. And if you made a confession to the police, then the deal is pretty much sealed; you're going to be doing community service, paying restitution and fines to the store, and you might even get probation. As for what you should do, you can contact an attorney (as advice from random people on the internet is no substitute for professional advice), or you can just take the punishment for your crime. Hope that helps.
@Rules
Well... seems like you have been "psychologically" caught. The LP or whateva body guard.... assumed you stole their merchandise and he was right! However, did you sign any paper claiming that you stole in their building? If you didnt sign any kind of documents, you can always go against it or even ask a lawyer to help you.
25$ is not a lot but... you can have a criminal record with a small fine (not more than 100$... hopefully?
I am not a lawyer but read a lot of court articles since I work in a place that deals with humans rights and freedom.
So if I was you, ask for a lawyer help.
@Dave
Nah dont do anything too reckless especially if that person is really aggressive. Check out on youtube about security attacking shoplifters... (esp when its open public... people will tell the police officers that you are the bad guy!!!)
Guess what happened in the end? The security guard and the shoplifter were both arrested. I think the soplifter was released but not quite sure about the guard since he punched the guy several times and on camera too by lots of witnesses.
ops sorry for typos.. i am really tired after exams..
went into a chain clothing store over 6mths ago, had some items to be returned in my bag, I went into the store to find other items to exchange for the items i wanted to return, i had a phone call from a friend while shopping.. I sat on the side of the wall talking to my friend.. while talking one of the store associate ask me if i need help.. in which i replied no.. after the phone call i kept on shopping. I then went to the fitting room with my items.. There were 2 young ladies working in the fitting room. It wasn't busy, so i asked for a large fitting room one of the fitting room assistant went in the fitting room to clear it out and she came out with an alarm..i paid that no mind, went on in the fitting room to try on my clothes.. i decided there were only 2 items i was taking, so i gave the other items to the associate that originally asked me if i need help while shopping on the floor for some reason she ended up in the fitting room..anyway not thinking any thing i went upstairs where there were sale items.. in which i was approached by another sales associate he offered his help in which he was telling me about his girl friend i then asked him for a fitting room in which he walked to me one me holding all the store items in my hands. I was then let into a fitting room.. the store fitting room attendees did not take the items, never check to see how many items you have etc. I decided that i did not like any of the items they have and decided i will go to another of there stores for some thing better. On my way out of the door i was stopped by first store security then store loss prevention guy.. I refuse to stop I had no reason to. The LP guy proceeded to stop me in which I kept going..There was a tossel and fighting then he yelled out to some cops who were in the area. They handcuff me and took me back in the store. I was so surprise as how easy the cops just arrested me because some guy dress in black says that i took something in which i never did.. I was traumatized by the whole event.. I kept telling the cops the Lp guys i have my receipts he refused to look in my purse for the receipts.. He took the items i was returning claiming i stole them I couldn't believe what i was hearing.. The cops were telling me to shot up they very abusive to me. I kept telling them please look in my purse i have the receipts... please look.. after been detained for about 3 hours..one of the cops decided to look in my purse he saw the receipts, i said to him those are the receipts in which he says these are old. I said the items were purchase a few weeks before, then he left the room..in which after finding out days later he stole my receipts. I was taking to police station to be booked.. the cops that took me to the police station were very nice they believed me and told me what to do..I was given a desk ticket to appear in court. I have been to court 4 times because i refuse to pleade guilty and take there sentence of 5 community service (never) to something i did not do.. I asked for a trial. At one of my appearance the DA says they asked the store for surveillance of me stealing they sent them 2 tapes in which both were BLANKS.. it was said that cameras werent working that day.. how obvious (right). They told my lawyer had another one showing me shoplifting, Went back to court after a month..the store says there is no other tapes. Please let me know your opinion on this case. I am planning on suing the store for false arrest.
A friend of mine was at a Krogers,in Cincinnati,and took a bottle of glue.He was stopped by the LP,in between the double doors,where the carts are.So,he wasn't outside yet.He told Him to come back inside,and escorted him to his office.He asked for the bottle of glue back,while on the way,and my friend gave it to him.When he went to unlock the door,my friend took off,and he chased him.He chased him down the road a ways,past some other stores,and through the parking lot.He said it probably lasted a minute or two.My friend finally made it back to his car.He got in,and LP guy was just a little ways behind him.He slipped as my friend was getting in,and tried to look at his plates,but they were covered in mud,and he couldn't read them.He then got up and tried to open my friend's car door,as he left.My friend is 50 years old,and this guy was about 25 and in pretty good shape,and he was able to outrun him.Do you think they'll try to pursue it any further,or just let it go?Do you think they even called the police?My friend hasn't had anyone knocking on his door yet.He is scared though.I hope you'll respond to this.I have really enjoyed reading your posts.Very interesting,to say the least.
Thanks
To cincinnati kid:, your friend doesn't has to b worry the same thing happened with me, it was 6 weeks ago and anything happened. Just teller "don't go to any krogers". Cause I believe that LP are a team and they works for krogers switching different store location, so probably next month the same guy is in a different krogers
So if your careful of all the rules that LP's need to follow at wallmart. And you make it out of the store and they still get you, and call the cops. Do you have an arguement against the police? It sounds like theres a lot of things these guys are not allowed to do, but they do them anyways so it makes this whole list at the top pointless.
well heres my storey, two weeks ago my son gets arrested for stealing four candy bars from our local RITE AID. He has been detained since looking at a robbery charge and an assault with a deadly weapon charge. well this is how that all comes about, ok i guess he was being watched by loss prevention and he takes these 4 candy bars 3-4 dollar value at the most, and walks out the store, hes approached by two loss prevention people and they advise him to go back into the store so they can take care of the situation, well like a dummy my 14 year old son pretends like hes going back in and decides to run. As hes running through the parking lot he supposedly drops the candy bars and continues to run with loss prevention still chasing him, he had his skateboard in his hand as well and apparently he throws his skateboard back as hes running and it hits one of the loss prevention in the head, but it wasnt intentional, he just through it so he could run faster. well he was eventually caught in the same parking lot and tackled to the ground by loss prevention. at which at that time the police was called. i think that was a little excessive for 4 candy bars but i also realize that my son shouldnt have stole in the first place. i just dont want him stuck with 2 felonies for an assault he didnt intentionally do. i thought that loss prevention was not suppose to chase anyone especially for as little value as 4 cany bars. All in all im worried and i have not read the police report yet but according to the DA it could be ugly depending on when the candy was dropped and when the skateboard was thrown> he also said depending on that we may also have a lawsuit against rite aid. one of the lost prevention guys that was physical was a new hire i believe just that same week. i know all this drama could have been prevented if my son didnt steal :(
I shoplifted in a big store and didn't get caught what are the chances they will catch me. I am also depressed and feeling guilty about that.. I know i should not do such a cheap job.. but i accidently done that.. once a time i shopped in that store and used my card. are there chances they will get my details through my card..
@roly
You got away?? Good job lol.. dont be depress because of that... what are you 13? Grow up! Just dont do it again thats all. Its all part of life experience right? You do something bad and you learn. So in this case, dont do it again since it can be very bad for your profile. They are not allowed to check your informations through your credit card. It is illegal due to personal violation and rights. Anyway, learn your basic rights before feeling depress lol.!!!
I wonder if one can be detained/arrested if one does not conceal at all.
Let's say I walk out of Best Buy with a laptop in my hand, is it a case of 'no concealment, no crime, no stop'?
By the way, thanks for being so patient with all of us curious folks.
Hello I have a question. I use to work at a place with a friend of mine. This was about 5yrs ago. I know from time to time she'd steal $20 or so from the cashier box. She still works there and I'm pretty sure she has stopped stealing but I'm not for certain. Since it's been 5yrs from stealing at the work place, is there any way they would know she did that back then? If she has stopped stealing from 5 yrs ago and hasn't since, is there anyway the company could find out she did. I don't even think they could prove it anymore?
i stole a couple of rings while wroking at my job i believe i did it well enough no to be seen by cameras.
we have a huge shrink rate at my store that lp is interviewing everyone
im so scared what do i do !
when they say they have you on vido do the police present it in court
So I Went to walmart and bought air fresheners. Then put another item in the bag ($17) the alarm went off, I panicked, threw the unpaid item and ran. Saw a cop car parked on my way out. No word yet and I see no warrants on the sheriff website. Should I be worried?
Ok so earlier today I was at walmart in VA if that matters and this was the first time I have stolen something but I bought other iems as I was walking out the unpaid for ites didn't ring and I was almost completely out of the store when ome girl that said sheworkd for security asked me where I put the make up I had earlier, I told her I put it bck and she asked me where and when I put it back. I said that I put it back in he makeup aisle where it belonged after I had found the mirror I was looking for and then left. So what I want to know is if she or anyone would bother looking at any tapes to see if I told the truth ? I'm pretty sure they'll keep an eye on me next time but I don't plan on doing it again
Ok so earlier today I was at walmart in VA if that matters and this was the first time I have stolen something but I bought other iems as I was walking out the unpaid for ites didn't ring and I was almost completely out of the store when ome girl that said sheworkd for security asked me where I put the make up I had earlier, I told her I put it bck and she asked me where and when I put it back. I said that I put it back in he makeup aisle where it belonged after I had found the mirror I was looking for and then left. So what I want to know is if she or anyone would bother looking at any tapes to see if I told the truth ? I'm pretty sure they'll keep an eye on me next time but I don't plan on doing it again
I stole from Dillard's and got away. Store security stopped me outside the door, but i told him i didnt take anything and left. The police called me and told me to bring in the stuff i took. There was no concealment caught. I stached the stuff on me in the dressing room. Can the police do anything without proof? They found clothing tags that i left in the dressing room.
Hello, So me and my friend walked into a Dollar store but we didnt know that it was closed until we walked out. The door was not locked, it opened easily as if the store was open. We walked in and we called out to see if anyone was there but noone answered.. I took a birthday candle but concealed and left the wrapping inside the store with the sku number.. so i just took the plain candle.. probably aboy $1.08 at the most..
My question is, can they actually prosecute me for that? can they find me and arrest me? what can i do? can the store press charges on me for that?
Thank you!
im doing some research for a friend cause he doesnt have a computer, he was caught shoplifting from zellers the other day. he has to go to this pre-charge course and pay a fine of however much this other company decides he has to pay... so with that being said, he has stolen LOTS from other zellers, can they do anything about those times if they have it just on camera? or do they have to actually 'catch' you with the items?
he would go into the change room with items, and come out with less items. can he be charged or arrested or can anything else come about the previous times.
thank you!
You all make me sick. I hope you all get caught for shoplifting. Shoplifting is a crime and you all should pay for your crimes. No matter if its small or big. And eventually if you don't get caught now you will later. So keep stealing and you will steal your way to jail. You people are what keeps me employed so thank you and keep up the good work.
I read one of the posts and want to try that. So all I have to do is buy an item, pay with a credit card, hide my receipt and act like I shoplifted? My question is can the store retaliate in any way after being sued? Since nothing was stolen I would think it's cut and dry. Thanks.
Well, I want to put up my stories, since everyone else is. I too was caught at walmart. But, the story goes as this:
My husband, 2 kids, myself, my brother in law and his wife all went to walmart one night before going home. (my father in law was in intensive care almost 2 hours away, so we wanted to check out what all this different walmart had, and, being close to christmas, my husband and i were getting christmas ideas) ALL MY HUSBAND AND MYSELF DID WAS WALK AROUND THE TOYS, TAKE OUR 2 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER TO THE BATHROOM, LOOK AT SOME CLOTHES, AND LEAVE THE STORE. We lost my brother in law and his wife. We finally saw them at the front of the store and my brother in laws wife had a walmart bag in her hand (knowing very well that she had stollen whatever was in her hand). We left, and a security car followed us out of the parking lot. The next day, our father in law had surgery, and I had to take my 1 month old son with us. I ran out of formula halfway through the surgery, so I went to the same walmart to get a can. My brother in laws wife said she wanted to go. I was like what the hell, im going in, coming back out. Well, we got there and she started picking up a SHIT LOAD of the reusable bags. Im like what the hell. So I went back to find and outfit for my son because he had soaked through his outfit at the hospital. I then went and got a can of formula, a bag of beef jerky, and a box of slim jims, because we were going to be at the hospital for awhile. She calls me and says that she is ready to go, so I got up front to the self check out. As im checking out, I get another phone call from her but dont answer it, as I am checking out. I go into the bathroom to use it, and call her back. She simply says "I got caught" and hangs up. Im like what the hell. She had my car keys because she drove because I was tired. I walk out of the bathroom and an associate asks me to follow her. She says "you already know what this is for". We go into the security room, with this HUGE guy, threatening us like we were bad dogs. My brother in laws wife was sitting there crying, and they had her cart sitting next to her. I'm like oh my GOD!. He has pictures of her on his computer doing the crime, and kept saying "you guys". I didnt do anything. Then the cops got there and he tells the cop "They failed to comply with my requests" and I got mouthy. I said "how didnt I comply, I followed the bitch in this little claustrophobic room, sat down when you said, and have listened to you run your mouth like you are all big and bad" well, they just looked at me with their mouths wide open. They had to wait for a female officer to get there to detain us. She proceeded to rip my hair tie out of my hair, my brother in laws wife's surgicly inplanted nose ring out of her nose, almost break my wrist, then drags us out of the building. I spend the night in jail for not even doing anything. Thankfully, I didnt get charged with anything, and got out the next morning. She still steals on a daily basis, walking out of other walmarts with cartfulls of stuff, and cvs also. I dont ever go anywhere with her anymore.
Thanks for the reply Sweettooth! The person was more nervous and rude than agressive, it was this really whimpy looking girl wearing a cheerleading uniform (and before someone jumps on me for stereotyping, I dated a cheerleader in high school and I know they're not all like that, not all are rude and not all are whimpy). I don't get paid to volunteer, so there's no way I'm doing anything particularly dangerous, but that's not to say she didn't have a knife on her or something. I was thinking more along the lines as to whether it'd be within the law to grab her wrists and drag her back to the director of food & nutrition's office, not tackle her or kick the shit out of her like you see some of the LP people on Youtube do (I looked up "cheerleader caught shoplifting" on Youtube and there was this girl in Target that set off the alarms and like six guys pulled her into an office and threw her on the floor, that would have broke every bone in the body of the one that stole from our cafeteria. That video seems to have been deleted). In the hospital, I doubt highly that the bystanders would have said I was the bad guy; most of the people around would be nurses and other hospital employees that would know me, along with some patients and visitors, most of which are old.
I know a better way to get them than to grab them though, and that is to get their license tag number. No risk of them fighting back or having a weapon, and no risk of hurting them and them suing.
i took a canopy from publix and did not get seen my mother in-law took it back the next day to return it and say she lost her receipt so she could get the money they told her that they had to get it approved and said they would call her if they could return it well they called her back and said they could so she went back and they had her arrested for possision of stolen goods and told her they were going to get a warrent for me my wife and my father in-law because we were all in the store when i stole it can they do this
i took a canopy from publix and did not get seen my mother in-law took it back the next day to return it and say she lost her receipt so she could get the money they told her that they had to get it approved and said they would call her if they could return it well they called her back and said they could so she went back and they had her arrested for possision of stolen goods and told her they were going to get a warrent for me my wife and my father in-law because we were all in the store when i stole it can they do this
oh and it was the next day when she ntried to return it
soo...if walmart does inventory at the end of the month and see a bunch of stuff missing... can they still look at the camera's and charge you?
Ok so I went to a store and stole 8$ of merchandise and got caught. They got all my information and took a picture of me. My question is, is best buy going to recognize me , because I stole from them a Bluetooth.
Srry for my english, i am french
@LP Rules.... I am LP and we obviously have different views. I don't judge, I love my job, but not because I feel I am better than anyone else.
I tend to treat them all the same.... By the way the accidental thing I don't buy it is used in over 90% of stops..... and at least the company I work for allows me to go out into the parking lot and chase people.... however, weather it is $5 or $100.... my purpose is the same, get the merchandise, get the shoplifter, and process every one that I catch. And by the way.... we don't all lie. I put the report very truthfully. And thankfully most people cooperate with me.
I'm going to be open and honest here. Recently, I went in a Publix grocery store and took a few items (less than $30) on an aisle with no cameras. I bought a few other items with my debit card, walked out, and an LP and manager came out and started yelling at me to return the items. I played dumb and said I didn't have anything (because I obviously did not want to go to jail), and kept walking to my car. The LP said the camera caught me taking something; however, I know for a fact that there were NO cameras anywhere on or near the aisle I was on (the only aisle in the store without cameras). The LP speculated that I stole these items. The manager knocked the groceries out of my hands (the ones I purchased) and told me to open my purse. I told the manager to move out of my way and let me get in my car. I managed to get in my car and the LP told me that they would get my license plate number. I said "fine." (My license plate is NM, and this happened in FL. Also, my address for insurance and registration for the car is in NM. My debit card that I used to purchase the few items has a billing address in NM.) I sped off and left the scene, throwing the items out the window in the process because I was so freaked out. This happened around 3 P.M. and it is now after midnight.
So, my question is: will they try to track me down in NM, even though this happened in FL and it was only about $30 worth of items? I'm also wondering if they will attempt to put a warrant out for my arrest? I am a resident of NM but I am temporarily living in FL.
Thanks for any advice or input.
About 1 month ago I went to Best Buy and purchased a digital camera. I paid for it and left. I stopped at Wal Mart on the way home and while there I noticed they had the same camera I just bought at Best Buy. I should I would try something out. I went out to my car and put the camera in my purse and went back in Wal Mart. I went to the cameras and took mine out like I was comparing. My package has all the store stickers from Best Buy. I took one off the rack and then put it back. I then put mine back in my purse and acted like I stole it. I was nervous about this but realized I was not guilty of anything. Well they stopped me as I was leaving and asked me if I was going to pay for what I put in my purse. I said I had nothing and started to walk out. Security got in front of me and told me to stop. I decided at this point to play along and acted dumb. I opened my purse and stated the camera was mine. They asked for my receipt and I said I could not find it. Anyway, the police were called and after all that bull, just before they arrested me I pulled my receipt out from Best Buy and all info from the tags on the camera was on the receipt. The manager of Wal Mart said he smelled something very wrong with this. My question is since I was charged and then let go can I sue? I read somewhere that once a store makes a false charge you can win big. Thanks.
I went to kohls this morning with my son. Pick up few things and tried them in the dressing room. Nothing fit right but 1 shirt so I left rest of them in and took that 1 shirt out with menecause I was going to buy it. I changed my mind last minute so I put that back and start walking out ,but as I approached door alarm went off. There was another employe walking in with cart and a lot of boxes on it, so I just kept walking as she didn't said anything to me...I got in my car and I relized that they migration think that I took something. Can they do anything if alarm went off and I walked out with out stomping?
Please respond to this quickly, there is a hearing early in the morning 6/29/2011. Thanks.
If a shopper has a cart with over $1000.00 in merchandise and he asked a service counter manager if she would send someone out with him to check whether or not they had propane and to get a canister if available and then return to buy it.
The service counter manager agreed and while waiting for the assistant that she called to get the keys to the propane area, the shopper placed the cart in the foyer just past the EAS but still in the store. The shopper then immediately returned to the service counter looking for the person who was to come with the keys.
At that point a store LP man came up and grabbed the shopper's elbow as the shopper was inside of the store in front of the service counter, accused him of stealing and took him to the office where he was subsequently arrested.
The store was extremely busy and the lines at each register were in excess of 15 minutes. Later, they said that they destroyed the video so it's not available for evidence.
This is in Ohio and I need to know if the shopper is likely to be found "guilty" regardless.
Hey a friend of mine is freaking out. He went into a sears store was looking at earrings that were $20. He lost one of the earrings but still had one of them so he only put one of the stores earrings in his pocket. He started walking around and over the speakers he heard, security to jewelry. He started walking out and put the earring on a stand holding cologne and drove away. Obviously he got caught on camera. He's scared he's gonna get caught though...can he?
My lawyer just contacted me about a possible settlement from Wal Mart. I'm thinking I should ask for a jury trial as I have heard they hate stores and will award more. Is this true? By the way LP, I made sure they did not see me take the camera out of my purse but made sure they saw me put it in.
Great Blog. My question is, if a person has stolen from a store, is it possible that the police can come after them a day (or a few days) afterwards? My friend made the bad decision of taking some things from Home Depot garden section today. Plants were in the parking lot area and he took some without paying. He is feeling guilty about it and wants to take some back, but he says he noticed a police car drive by his house shortly after he stole the plants. Is it possible the cameras caught him and police are waiting for a few days to apprehend?
I was told that a small store had my pic up and my tag on my vehicle pic up for shoplifting..its a big store with alot of little stores in it.. the only time Ive ever been in that store i was trying to match some earrings up with a necklace... I pulled the necklace out of my purse and bag to match it up and put my necklace back inmy bag apparantly the camera saw me do that this was 6 months ago I never took anything but that pic they have up of me putting my necklace back in my bag is ruining my rep.... they never stopped me or charged me Is it legal for this store to keep my pic up like that
Long story short, stole 2 pairs of shorts in fitting room but left tags by accident. About $20.00 worth of merchandise. There was no manager on the floor, only one kid. Cameras, some. To me they seemed suspicious of me but I left without being stopped or anything. Is it possible someone got my license plate and will call and alert the police? I don't know for sure if they were positive if I stole, but no one saw me conceal, watch until I left, etc. It's been 36+ hours, am I okay? Or are the police going to come to my home and arrest me? Maybe it is all in my head, but I am paranoid. Why didn't they detain me if they thought I shoplifted? Thanks!
hi, i'm fourteen years old. i've stolen before, and since my family has a history of addiction, i was afraidthat i might be addicted to shoplifting. anyways, i'm trying to quit (even though its sooo easy to get away) and havent stolen ANYTHING for three and a half/four weeks. but lately i feel like i might get caught.. it seems everywhere i turn the police are right there, and ive been having trouble sleeping at night. everytime i have gotten out of the store without even a glance, but since it WAS a habit; could the police be looking for me? the paranoia has gotten so bad, i'm having anxiety attacks. i will never steal ever again, but could the police have found me? please help!
this page really deters me from shoplifting again....
i was arrested last week at sears for shoplifting and i stayed in jail 6 days, then the day after i got out a police officer called and said that hehad me on camera earlier that day that i went to jail at a different store and that some items had gone missing. he said that if i would come in and give them back that he would gve me a ticket to court if not he would get a warrant. can he do this? they didn't even try to stop me at the store he was talking about
I NEVER YET got caught stealing... There is a technique to it.. It has never failed me yet... I have probably stolen over 5000.00 worth of stuff over the past 3 years. I do it because shit is expensive and I am on a limited budget. I do it because prices are going up and my wages are staying the same.. I do it because big business fucks the little man and the customer. I do it becuase the big boys are getting richer and the small guy is getting smaller and the big business screws you without giving medical insurance or full time fair pay work..
I got caught stealing a pair of earrings at a family-owned business. The lady didn't call the cops, but she told me never to come back. It scared the life out of me for like a week! I want to know if it's safe to go back to the store since the incident was about 5 months ago. I also look different and she has no idea who I am. Of course I'm not going to steal from there again, but I want to go back and shop there.
you shouldn't steal shoplifta. it is bad
a week ago i stole lobsters from publix i got away and had no problems, i went back yesterday and bought a package of water and as i was leaving a manager came up and asked me if i came in here last week and bought lobsters and left without and paying, she even knew my first name because i know an employe who works there and i think she asked him for it, she didnt say anything to me excpet that she saw me on camera not going towards the register...do i have anything to worry about? would they send the cops to my house for anything like this? i dont think they can find out where i live but im just nervous
Hey I stole from Target today. I went to the fitting room & I ripped off the tags from the things I was gonna steal & put them under the seats. It's been 4 hours & no one has contacted me about it. Would they get my finger prints on the tag or am I safe?
friend and i were caught at wegmans, i didnt take anything but they argue that i was the lookout, but they didnt see me take anything as i didnt. i have yet to pay the civil fine, and i have no idea what to do. a kid who i know that works at that very store told me not to pay it, but they keep sending my mom letters at my old address. should i pay it? dispute it or what?
I was at walmart I noticed in the restroom that I didn't have my wallet and I was on the phone not thinking I got threw one set of doors and got stopped they called the ploice the police arrested me but they wouldn;t listen to me. But I was still in the store how can they arrested me.
what if you just walk out of the store with something in your cart.. visible.. and paid for the other items just not the one. No one followed you, stopped you, or was in the parking lot. If they got you on camera can they find you?
First of all Thanx rockinjoe for this article. Although it seems like it helps shoplifters know what not to do, many people have been scared straight by these stories. I found this page so interesting I've read every single comment. It seems like people normally caught for doing something stupid(or just plain unlucky) were in stores including mainly target, walmart, jc penny's and kohls.
To all theives that read this it sounds like shoplifting has had a pretty bad affect on u. Although I have stolen my share of stuff with no regret whatsoever I would like to say you should stop for your own emotional health.
I was lucky enough to not have been caught the first time a stole something I was wearing a backpack and was witha couple friends at target we all kinda go our different ways. I ended up stealing a 100$ pair of headphones by simply taking them and stuffing them in my backpack a couple aisles over for sum reason they didn't have the spider tags on them( I believe that's what they're called) like they usually did. I walk out the door several minutes later not having done anything else to the package and the sensors did not go off. I now steal things every once in awhile when I'm with friends ive learned a lot so far and now know how to steal something with ease( not saying its a good thing at all)
I've also stolen at least $50 worth of condoms with my friend as a joke from walgreens although they were on to us the 3rd timex) they didn't do much of a job in trying to catch us in the act as we heard them announce something the minute we walked in( "code 227" specifically) but all the employees were going up and down the aisles which was completely obvious and since one of the employees didn't no i was one of the kids I was looking for he said to the cashier "i don't no if they stole anything" when I was behind him wlaljing out the door. This just made me chuckle tok myself at their poor system
Im actually a top track runner so I would think if a security guard attempted to chase me he wouldnt catch me:) I'm also aware enough now to no when a person is acting suspicious as I've seen LPs follow friends or even me. When this happens I'd advise to probably leave immediately (of course with nothing) and not go back to that store. Mostly because they kniow you've stolen there before and will most likely catch u next time.
Also it seems like as long aas your a minor ull be able to get off with only a ticket and never jail time(as long as u don't get caught multiple times)
Well it's been good reading this for the past 3 hours:P thank you rockinjoe again although I. Prob will steal again every once in awhile you've really helped me
Hi,
I recently went into a JcPenny's and concealed a few pair of shorts in my handbag. I did so in the dressing rooms, however, I made the extra mistake of leaving price tags behind. Being nervous I immediately walked out of the dressing rooms area and left the building. No alarms went off, and no one seemed to be following me.
I'm worried that an employee with find the tags and search for me on video. Is that a possibility?
I stole from best buy a few times before, but this time im kinda getting nervous. They haven't caughten me yet and they have been spaced out by about 1 month each. Could they catch me in camera and get me in trouble? Should i return the things i took? HELP
Hello, The detectives came to my house today. Over 5 months ago I took some formula for my baby from target. They said they just wanted to clear some things up and they needed to ask a few questions. They started with you took some formula from target, I said no I paid for it. They said were not here to argue if you did or didn't we have pictures. I did pay for the formula the day they had me on film. but I have taken formula a few times before that.I don't know if they have any evidence of the other times. I was nervous and said yes Ive taken some before, then they asked do you know approximitly when, I said no last year maybe. Then they wanted to know how much. I said maybe a total of 200. They wanted to know why I took it and I told them for my baby who is diagnosed with failure to thrive. She is on the expensive stuff. I let them see the baby. Now they left saying they are going to submit this and I may get a court date.
I FEEL so DUMB right now. I fell for there trick didn't I?If they had any thing on me they would have got me much sooner right? I don't still anymore and I do give back to my community. Am I screwed? is there any way out of this. Please help with any advise.
Hello Az Mommy,
I do not think that you are dumb. You said the truth and it is always good to say the truth because from all the stories above the companies knows now the tricks and they know that the shoplifters may have been doing that for long time. So they will track that.
What's up with this whole "I stole 5 months ago, will they catch me? what happens when they do inventory and find out stuff is missing?"
Think about it. Lets say the average store was open 10 hours a day. thats 7 days a week. 70 hours a week, and that would be about 300 hours a month. Do you really think someone will go over 300 hours worth of footage just to see who stole a 50$ item? They use the cameras if they know something was stolen that day or just recently. or if they seriously suspect a certain person. Not "oh this months inventory doesn't match up with last months"
And secondly, as a student studying law to be a defence attorney, NEVER admit to anything. As soon as you confess to stealing, you pretty much ruined any chance you got to fight it. If you have to, practice your right to remain silent. It is your right. And you cannot be proven guilty just because "acting silent is suspicious." If anyone asks you anything about did you steal this, just DENY DENY DENY! There is the odd time where you will be getting off easy for being honest. But most times you won't. And just remember, you have to be proven guilty, without a doubt in the court of law. If they can't absolutely prove that you have stolen something, and exactly what it is that you stole, it will not hold up in court.
They asked me if i knew the dates i took the items. I said No. wouldnt they have to have that in court?
I should probably clarify. DENY it to the LP. Do not sign anything. If the police get involved, reamain silent. Do not deny or admit to anything. Providing false information to a police officer is a criminal offence. Just practice your right to remain silent. The only thing you have to do is show your identification to the police.
Yeah. They wouldn't get very far in court if they didn't know what you took or when. They need to prove you guilty without a doubt. They probably asked so they could look back at the tapes without having to go through them. Because you said NO, they probably just gave up and moved on.
Hi rockinjoe,
This is a question relating to UK, hope you can advise, even slightly. My daughter and her friend went to a central London store a couple if days ago. Apparently her friend changed a price tag in the dressing room and my daughter did the same, reducing cost by about 70 pounds. On the way to the cashier the friend selected a pair of jeans and changed the tag again, this time in the shop, saving around 20 pounds. The friend was questioned by the cashier but left the jeans, paid for the other item at the lower price then left. My daughter also paid for her's then left. As they left they saw the cashier who questioned the friend on the phone while looking in their direction but they got in their car and left. Will they be on camera and traced at home. I'm considering sending them back to the store to apologise, is this wise?
However, there is still nothing a store can do when sued for false accusation of shoplifting. As another poster on another site wrote, "you do not have to shoplift anything to get it free. Just pretend and then sue".
So As ashamed as I am I was caught stealing at walmart, the circumstances don't really matter but ne way. the lady stopped me as i was leaving and asked me to go into the office and was one rude person...she clearly took her job seriously. Hey I was in the wrong so I took the punches. She told me she was going to call the police so on and so forth. So then she called another lady in the watch me why she went to c if I chucked anything while I was walking to the office. So within the next few seconds I made a crazy decision.I walked slowly toward the door... heart pounding palms sweating flung open the door and darted for the hills...so to speak. I jumped in my car and took off like a bat outta hell. The major bummer is: the one chick got started with some of mypaper work.They did n't get a chance to c my license but wrote down my name and address. Shitty... : ( Boy I learned my lesson, I know I only did it to c if I could get away with it...as dumb as it sounds its the truth. What should I expect.. I hope not a knock at my front door!!!
@Robin
That's why, if at all possible, I have a secondary witness either on the floor or in the monitor room watching everything on camera, and I personally carry a hidden camera on my person at all times to verify, via video, exactly what I had seen that caused me to make the stop. Granted, not all Loss Prevention personnel go above and beyond to both follow their guidelines or to cover their butts if something were to go wrong, but at least some of us out there provide proof of why we made the stop, and don't make stops unless we're absolutely sure.
I will say this, having a quota (some companies do) is a pain, and counter-intuitive to our job. But to each their own.
@ LP Guy
I'm also an LP Agent. I just want to point out that most of these "rules" are just that, rules. They aren't laws. I sometimes take shoplifters right off the floor as long as I can prove to the District Attorney that the shoplifter had the intent to steal. Contrary to popular belief, you do NOT have to exit the store to commit theft. If you open package of batteries, hide the empty package in the shoe aisle, put the batteries in your pocket and then walk toward the bathroom, I will apprehend you on the floor. I also am completely allow to pursue and tackle. All legal.
@LP Veteran
I am well aware that they are not laws, and simply rules, and are entirely dependent on both jurisdiction and company policy. I felt I pointed out fairly regularly that "I am allowed to this", pointing to me personally and the policies of the company I work for. We too are able to apprehend on the floor, if we feel it necessary. My main objection to doing that is you don't know what they're next move might be. You may apprehend them for pocketing batteries, getting a case value or less than $10.00, or they may have been getting ready to steal a cart load of blu-rays when you did apprehend them. I've just always found it to make sense to make the best case possible, which in my eyes means letting them do as they wish in the store and stopping them when they exit, which also reduces liability as you are more likely to have video of the stop.
I am also opposed to making stops on the floor if at all possible because of the risks it poses to other customers in the store, and the number of options it gives the subject you are apprehending. When we make a stop, it's ideally in the vestibule between the exit doors. The options the person has are thus: stop and comply, fight, or run forward out of the store or back into the store. If they fight, we're taking them to the ground, if they run, 911 is called, if they comply, great. Whereas on your stops in the the store, you're either cornering them, forcing them into "fight or flight" mode, or giving them many more options on what they can do, including pushing their way through other customers, causing both safety and liability issues.
I'm not saying my way is right, nor that your way is wrong. It's just two different ways of ultimately arriving at the same goal. My guess is that your company's policies produce a lot of apprehensions, but that most of them are rather small in value. We used to be much the same way at this company, but have since made a change to focus more on not only stopping theft, but preventing additional loss to the company. By this, I mean that our goal is to recover the merchandise, get the Civil Demand money, and all while doing our best to prevent any liability that may occur due to the way a person is stopped.
I would like to point out one final concept: you are much more likely to get taken to court for excessive force than you are for excessive negotiating. I'd rather miss out on a few apprehensions here and there and not have to worry about being taken to court, but maybe that's just me.
I was in walmart and took the DVD out of package and put it in my jacket walked around and continued shopping paid for stuff and went to walk out, I got out the first set of doors and got stopped by two men I freaked and ran and hid til I got a ride then went back and had someone pick up my car it's been 2 years but a few months after the incident I went in and was being followed and they even switched out cashiers then let me pay and leave I haven't been back since. I DO NOT an will not steal anything again I was immature and irresponsible. My question is Why they did that to me and if when I go back can I be charged with the old theft and fleeing I have a really heavy conscience on my shoulders about this
I was caught shoplifting in Walmart a few years ago and was banned from the store for a year, if i go to apply for a job there now after 3 years will they still have the incident on record? how long does walmart keep these things? Thanks
Hi, my girlfriend and I walked into a Homeland Grocery Store in Oklahoma. We both were pushing the cart around in the makeup aisles as she loaded almost one of every kind of makeup in the makeup aisles which was about 20 different items averaging at about $15.00 a piece and one conair hair heating thing or whatever it is for $$69.99. While we loaded the cart no employee was seeing what we were putting in the cart because we also had a 24 roll of toilet paper and 12 rolls of paper towels and concealed most of the items by wedging them underneath the rolls and in between them. All of these items had the little thin white EAS bands stuck on to them and i knew it but I didnt think that this homeland had the sensors at the door. I was wrong and and as i walked through the door it went off however no employee called me to come back as I made the 40 yard extremely long walk to my car in the parking lot. My question is since no employee called me back in am in the clear? Or is my paranoia getting the best of me and did a manager hear the alarm go off and simply not waste time bothering to call me back in but rolled back the tape and got my license plate and vehicle description and called the police once my girlfriend and I had left. Thanks
hey,
say a customer makes a ligit purchase of an item, then returns it the next day and the item inside the package has been swapped out for another item. the reutrns person or customer service does not notice and accepts the return with out question. can they come after you later on?
hello,
yesterday i went to the supermarket and was there maybe 10 15 min, got my things, and went to checkout, as im leaving the store and go through the sliding doors some guy (i assumed the manager), a security guy, and another manager stop me and say i stole some printer ink and assumed manager has the empty package in his hand. They are adamant on it saying they saw me, security saw me and the cameras caught me and all i can do is deny deny deny because i really DID NOT steal anything! i didn't even look at the ink or even touch an ink package while on that shopping trip. i offered to let them check my purse, me , and my groceries but they refuse and say "you probably got rid of it already" and i even tell them to check their cameras, now the thing is that they don't take me back in the store or take me into the office or anything like that they just send me off with a "just know WE SAW you do it" (he emphasized on the we saw each time he said it). Now i'm only 19 and i had no idea what to do so i called my mom on the way back to my car and she came back to the store to talk to him 5 mins later and all of a sudden the guy who accused me is "gone for the day" and the other manager and security say we cant see the tapes and to call for the guy tomorrow. My mom and i want to press charges because this was completely uncalled for and absolutely upsetting, what should we do? is this grounds for a civil suit?
I was showing a couple of items to my friend at Kmart but I didn't know he put the items in my small carry bag until I was stopped by the lp guys. I was accused because I was carrying the bag but they treated my friend like a king. Am I still responsible even though I didn't take the items. My friend feels badly - prankster - but the police were called and I was coerced into signing else the nasty cop said he will handcuff me, drag me out of the store and put me in jail.
Ok so a friend of mine stole a pocketknife from walmart. He doesn't know if it was on camera but an lp followed him out. Said nothing to him, but may have gotten the license plate number. Can he still get in trouble even if he.didn't get stopped and no one may have seen him do it? He is also under 18
Ok so a friend of mine stole a pocketknife from walmart. He doesn't know if it was on camera but an lp followed him out. Said nothing to him, but may have gotten the license plate number. Can he still get in trouble even if he.didn't get stopped and no one may have seen him do it? He is also under 18
Put clothes on rack at target they gave me 50% off for an outfit that shouldn't have been. I heard the lady ask someone to check the videos since all 3 outfits were on the rack. However I did return the outfit later that day. Nothing was said to me. Should I
be worried?
I pUt 3 outfits on a 50% off rack at target and purchased one. I told the lady they were on the rack and they checked and gave me 50% off. As I was leaving I heard the lady ask someone to check the video. However the outfit was returned later that day. Nothing was said to me, should I be worried? They did give a rain check to be used for a different size, is this a way for them to see if you use it to catch you? However I'm not using it and feel horrible. Should I be worried since it was returned and nothing was said in the store. It was a $8 discount on the outfit.
Target
Yesterday at jc I got a bow just one and put it on my hair than the security guy stoped me when I was abt to walk out (I was already out by one door at jc) than he called the cops and now I have to go to court btw am 13
I know stores are allowed to take your pictures and record you in the store. But are they allowed to give the pictures they took to other stores? Not the same chain( for example Walmart sending it to another Walmart)..but sending it to a JCPenney from a Kohl's etc.. Unfortunately I was a bad kid...i feel terrible abaout it and i suffer anxiety attacks because I can't go anywhere without being paranoid (I don't steal anymore). When I used to steal it wasn't caught on camera more like fitting room job and my friend swears that she has seen a flash go off above us in a store where there was a relfective square jutting out of the wall...Whenever I go into that store certain associates treat me like a criminal although I make it clear I am hear to purchase something. Today I went in and I had a 5 dollar shirt which I paid for and wanted to exchange. Right as I walked in the door I told this to an associate and she rudely told me I needed to leave it at the reigsters. This is the first time this has happened to me...I know I've ruined my image at the mall and I will no be going back just in fear of them trying to get me with something old.. ..
Thanks for the help..
Any thoughts?
Okay so I stole a pair of pants by changing into them in a dressing room (the new pair) and leaving the old pair hanging in the dressing room. I then took several other items to the check out line and paid for them using a store credit card in my name with my current address. I left the store and got away without any trouble. But, I realized that I might have been videotaped by store security stealing the pants in the dressing room and then paying for the other items in line. I was worried that they might track me down using my credit card information. I also felt terrible about stealing the pants in general. So, I returned to the store about an hour later. I retrieved my old pants (the ones that I left in the dressing room) from the dressing room. I went to the cash register and paid for the pants. I retrieved another pair with tags so the cash register could ring them up. The end result is that I scared myself half to death, but I did return and pay for the pants that I had originally stolen. Does store security ever view security tapes, see shoplifters and then try to ID them by the credit cards they used at checkout? I am scared. I do have a receipt showing that I went back afterward and paid for the pants...but I didn't pay for them originally. I will never do this again. Geez.
Well I got two shirts same but.diff size, and went into dressing room where I put one in my bad. I went back out and put the other back on the rack. And left the store with no evidence showing. Well the cops came to my house and said that the employees caught me on camera stealing and that they had to take me in but I was at work and my father was getting all this from the cop.. can I get in trouble? They never saw itand I happen..
You have a lot of knowledge with this stuff. I used to work at marshalls but left due to another job. Today I woke up to a police officer saying they wanted to question me about an incident involving me and another employee supposity stealing. What happend is the girl didnt not ring me up for everything i put on the counter ( which i was not aware of till today). Was is legal for them to give the police my files/ contact information 2 weeks after my leave. And if they didnt say anything to me when it was happening or when i was leaving, why is it okay for them to send the police to my home without discussing it with me first?
Ok so I went to a store and stole 8$ of merchandise and got caught. They got all my information and took a picture of me. My question is, is best buy going to recognize me , because I stole from them a Bluetooth.
Srry for my english, i am french
hi, a couple of months ago i was shopping in a large grocery store, i had my 3 children with me who all wanted doughnuts. i picked up 4 doughnuts and put them in the paper bags and continued shopping, i then put the doughnuts into plastic bags for my daughter!! anyway once finished i used the self serve checkout, paid for my items and went to leave the store when the security guard stopped me and asked me to go upstairs into the office along with another staff member, apparently i didnt pay for the doughnuts correctly, i tapped in the wrong kind and owed them £4 wich i paid, said i was sorry and it was a mistake, i had just spent £80 in the store, they checked all my items against my receipt, all paid for, they took my details and said i was bannned for a month!! i left and went home, now i am recieving letters off a company acting on behalf of the store called RLP civil recovery specialists asking me to pay £87.50 to settle the claim!! can they do this, im really worried, have never been in trouble before and the police were not called. i also gave a false name and dob as i was quite scared and intimidated. im from the u.k.
Why the would you give them the correct adress if you were gonna give them a fake name :\ ^
Seriously, some of you people need to chill. Security has something better to do then watch every camera every day. They check them if something goes wrong, like the store got broken into, or they already saw you steal. They aren't just going to randomly look and see "what all happened yesterday". they have better things to do then watch 12 hours of footage on the 50 different cameras they have everyday. If a store was going to go after you for stealing, they would do it before you leave the store, if you run away, then they get your license plate. You have an almost 0% chance of cops coming to your door about it. It is way to hard you even stole anything, they have the right address, it was you driving the car, etc. If you made it out of the store and no one has approached you, you're pretty much good to go.
k so basically I was in a department store not a very big one n a friend of mine decided to change a price on her items while Bagging the guy noticed there was a different in prices should I be worried he didn't stop us or even attempt to he just quickly walked to the department the item was in n we payer n walked out before dude could even get back to register in time we cearly payer for item n paid cash didn't really steal in a way only one person there knew my name n where I worked should I be worried?
k so basically I was in a department store not a very big one n a friend of mine decided to change a price on her items while Bagging the guy noticed there was a different in prices should I be worried he didn't stop us or even attempt to he just quickly walked to the department the item was in n we payer n walked out before dude could even get back to register in time we cearly payer for item n paid cash didn't really steal in a way only one person there knew my name n where I worked should I be worried?
so my sisters was cought at a Walmart for stealing,
one of them is 14 and the other is older then 18 but lied about her age and name.... (stupid i know) anyways our mother had to go pick them up but my mom was so upset she didnt even realize that her daughter was lying about her age and name. to make a long story short walmart gave them a break and let them off by just paying $100 each and they would drop it. Well we have so much going on that my mom forgot and they sent a letter saying that now they have to report to a officer and do community service and pay like $1,000 each so i guess what im asking whats the worst thats going to happen or whats going to happen to my sister that gave false info going to happen if she doesnt show or respond? and or what could our mom do as far as sending in the money ($100) and getting off with that?
hi so i was with my friend at walmart and i saw he randomly started putting beef jerky in his shirt while i was about 100 feet away from him on the phone. i walked away from him and tryed washing my hands of the situation. i made sure not to go near him for the rest of the 10 minutes i was at the store. i walked out separate from him and and a undercover security officer took me aside and asked me where my friend was. he made me call my friend over to the door which he hadnt even left the store yet and grabbed my friend put his hands behind his back and brought us into a back room. he searched us which obviously i didnt have anything on me cuz i wasnt stealing and wanted no part of it. after he searched me he took my license recorded all my info an asked me a bunch of questions like my weight phone number and address etc. then he told me i was being charged money(the same amount as the other kid) and that i was in the same amount of trouble as my friend because i knew that he was doing something illegal and i didnt stop him. even though i was clearly seen not wanting any part of it which i had told him. then when i asked to speak to my mom and lawyer he said that wasn't necessary. i dont think i did anything wrong and i dont know why im in trouble. i didnt even walk into the store with this kid.
p.s they where very unprofessional and made many jokes between each other about me and my friend.
Okay so heres the thing, a while ago I just got this urge to steal, so I did at a store I frequent,I don't know the exact amount I stole, but quite a bit. Say I was going to this store 2-4 times a month and stole 11 movies each time. As well as a handful of magazines and makeup. I recently got caught at JCpennys for stealing 2 wallets and some jewelery and realized that stealing isnt worth jail, but since it was my first offense (I've never been in trouble with the cops) they didnt call the cops I just had to sign something and told to look for something in the mail, now I am worried about the statute of limitations, could this other store pursue me????
Please help.About a year or so me and my sister started shoplifting at a target store. After a couple of times we got caught and and the LP prohibited my sister to go back to the store at all but told me(since I was 16 at the time) that I could only go with my mom. However now I work at the same shopping center as that target and sometimes my manager sends people to that target to buy little things and I'm afraid she will ask me to go. Will they recognize me and call the cops?
i was at kohls and had picked up a item then opened the box without messing the box up set the item down in store. when i left the store heard someone say hey i kept going. I went to the next plaza over and called a ride. Then noticed my car being towed. then called the police station and went to give my statement and was arrested for petty theft after telling them what i did by opening the item and setting it down. Can they do that and will it hold up?
Our 5 elements at KOHLS are
1)approach display
2)selection (so we know item belongs to kohls)
3)Continuous observation (so we know where selected item is at all times
4) intent upon exit ( they pass all registers and pass first set of doors which shows intent to deprive company of merchandise without paying)
5) apprehend
WE DO TAKE FITTING ROOM AND RESTROOM CASES AND IT IS ALLOWED BY KOHLS!!!
WHY???
When a suspected shoplifter enters a department in the store, we have the fitting rooms in that department cleaned out. Either by the attending associate or ourselves. We try to make it so that is they shoplifter goes into the fitting room, we dont confuse the items they selected with merchandise left in there by a previous customer. FOR EXAMPLE
SCENARIO
A suspicious person enters a department
We have those fitting rooms cleared
We write down EVERYTHING that person selects
We CONTINUOUSLY watch the selected items and scratch them off the list if they set them back down.
WE MUST KNOW AT ALL TIMES WHAT MERCHANDISE IS IN THE PERSONS HANDS.
They go into a fitting room and we know EXACTLY what they go in with.
Once they exit the fitting room, we take a look at what they come out with
We check the fitting room stall once they exit it to see what was left behind (merchandise or tags)
WE KNOW WHAT THEY WENT IN WITH, SO IF THEY DON'T COME OUT WITH IT, AND ITS NOT IN THE STALL..THEN THE PERSON MUSTT STILL BE IN POSSESION OF IT (CONCEALED)
We continously watch the person to make sure they dont dump the merchandise.
If they dont go to a register, never dump merchandise, and exit the doors, WE STOP THEM...
EVERYTHING A PERSON SELECTS IS EITHER SET BACK DOWN, OR PAID FOR..IF NEITHER HAPPENS...THEN THE PERSON IS STILL IN POSESSION OF THAT MERCHANDISE.....
All companies have different policies. Some are hands off(no physical force to detain subject) and some are HANDS ON (do whatever is physically possible to deTAIN THEM AND THE COMPANY BACKS YOU UP %100
NEVER BELIEVE WHAT PPL SAY ABOUT WHAT LP CAN AND CAN'T DO...NEVER THINK U CAN DEFEAT THEM UNLESS YOU KNOW THE POLICY AND APPREHENSION GUIDELINES OF THAT COMPANY...
Hi there. I've worked for Kohl's for a short time and a few months ago I started taking extra $10 coupons that the store had, and I used some and gave some away too.
I also took some expired kohl's cash and current kohl's cash and used it too. I guess I didn't really see it as theft, it was mindless. Just thought of it as a discount and I was using my card or cash, etc to pay above the discount.
Today they questioned me at length and I told them everything honestly. They said I'm suspended and tomorrow they will give me a call.
Any idea what's about to happen?
Thanks!
Ok, let's say I buy something small in Sears and pay for it. I then go in walmart and pretend to shoplift my own paid for item. Can I sue once they accuse me?
That scam has actually been pulled hundreds of times. It worked better before security cameras. If the store detective is good, he/she will wait for you to pull the item off of the shelf instead of from inside of your pocket. If you get a bad store detective, you could probably get away with it, provided the incident isn't on camera for the police and attorneys to see. You could get a fraud charge.
Hi Kohl's Question,
They have questioned you at length and sent you home to wait for a phone call? My guess is you've lost your job, but I've been wrong before.
I definitely have to be more vigilant when it comes to checking Hubpages. Thanks for all your comments and stories.
I've been shoplifting for just about a year now. I live in a small city with roughly 30,000 people. We only have one mall, one Wal-mart, a grocery-center and a few department stores. I have hit just about every single store that isn't part of the mall, and many, many times. I have never been caught and am starting to finally feel weary about it.
I have stolen upwards of $3,000 in merchandise from the Wal-mart alone, and have only once ever even been stopped from the sensors going off. I was in a group of 3, and I was the only one who had stolen anything, my friends were completely oblivious and I even had them fooled. I know every blindspot in that store and walked back to the Home/Vacuum department with a bunch of small things and dumped it in a Wal-mart plastic bag as I sometimes do when I need several things at once. Upon exit, when the woman asked me if I had a receipt after the sensor went off, I just said no, and that I had bought them electronics. I was a little bit surprised to hear the sensor because I hadn't thought any of my items would have strips, and it ended up being a bundle pack of deodorant of all things. She let me go. Could Wal-mart potentially be building a case against me unknowing? I am most certainly taking a break from that store as I have plenty of stuff I need to last me probably through the winter, but every time I enter the store now, even when I know I am not stealing anything, I feel uneasy. Thoughts? Similar stories? Anything helps.
Hi Repeat "Customer"
My guess is, it's only a matter of time before you get caught. There could be a number of reasons why you haven't been caught yet.
1.) Dumb LP
2.) Lack of LP
3.) Poor LP execution in that store
4.) No one has seen you yet.
Remember, just because you haven't been caught, doesn't mean they don't know (or even suspect) what you're up to.
There are many times when I've had to let someone walk out the door with merchandise because I didn't have enough evidence, or I missed something crucial. We usually got them next time, or the time after, or the time after that.
Be careful. It's not worth messing your life up to steal merchandise from Walmart. (or any other place, for that matter)
You deleted my posts I made earlier. Fix your posts. Don't lie to douchebags so they'll steal more. Put a disclaimer or something in saying these basic rules don't apply to every big retail chain store, because some of these don't apply to JCPenney.
Dear "A LP",
I deleted my posts because you jacked my thread with your misinformed replies.
No one cares that you work for JC Penney. I was writing about companies I had worked for in the past and thankfully JC Penney wasn't one of them. I don't care what the apprehension rules are there. If you'd like to write your own hub, you can sign up for an author account here on Hubpages and write your own article.
If you were bright, you wouldn't post your company name in a smart ass comment on a national website, because someone might see it and trace your ip address and find it out it goes back to Kaufman, Texas. So I'm assuming you work for JC Penney in Dallas or Mesquite someplace. A smart LP wouldn't let that happen to them.
Oh and if it weren't for the douchebags (as you call them) stealing your merchandise, you wouldn't have a job.
I have stolen an item worth around 25 euro from the pharmacy shop. The alarm went off, but nobody stopped me. I know they have cameras in the store - are they going to send the police to my door now? I have already record for shoplifting (small items). Please help me! I am really going to stop doing this, it is not worth. I am going to go mad. Please can you tell me what do you think, are they going to report to the police and they find me by my picture?
Well rockinjoe my best guess would be, both Dumb LP and Lack of LP because, the instant the plain clothes security started watching me I spotted him, it was blatantly obvious as he caroused around the store, empty handed and trying to stealthily peer down aisles at me. They also use employees who work in different departments as plain clothes on separate shifts. Just absolute terrible stealth and ignorance on their part. However my gut tells me not to underestimate or discount any possibility and I never do want the time to come where I get caught and find that they are not only prosecuting me for that, but every single offense that I have ever committed that they have simply been building up to this time to prosecute under felony retail theft.
While possible, I would like to ask you what the probability is that they're building a case?
Hey rockinjoe...
Thanks for the reply! I actually called back in that night and resigned. I told the HR lady (that had been inside the room when LP spoke to me) that even if they did call me tomorrow and I was just being suspended that because of the awkward situation that I couldn't see it being a good environment to continue working within.
I didn't get any sort of call the next day regarding anything. Do you think they are going to take me to court? I'm just wondering if I need to get a lawyer, or just wait. I literally did not do anything out of malice, etc. I thought my actions were taking and using coupons and didn't really think anything more about it.
Is there a certain time frame that they have to do something within? Would police be knocking on my door? Hell the most "wrong" I've ever done in my life is getting a speeding ticket once and library fines. I don't know what to expect. I really appreciate your reply. Thank you!
Hi In Panic,
You're definitely asking the wrong guy, here. I'm not an attorney and can't give out legal advice.....just my opinion!
It sounds to me like you got away with it. Learn from being scared and don't chance it again.
Hi Kohl's Question,
I'm assuming that your resignation ended their case. You didn't mention to admitting (or signing) anything when you were questioned and the police were not called to arrest you. Breathe easy. Call a lawyer if it makes you feel better.
Thank you for your reply. It is now 2 days, but it is weekend. Maybe they are going to come. I am not going to do that again, but I am not able to sleep properly for a while. It is not worth. I don't know why I am doing it as I can buy it. Thank you!
Hey, thanks again for responding.
...actually they did have me sign something. It was all Q&A's and I said the same thing about how they were coupons, etc. They told me I was suspended and I'd hear from them the next day about the status of my employment. They didn't mention anything about police, etc but I guess that doesn't mean that they aren't doing an investigation, right?
@ Kohl's Question I can tell you from my past experience that they're done with you. If you resigned, you won't be collecting unemployment (which they'd probably fight), so I would guess that they're probably just happy you're gone.
I don't believe Kohl's would continue an investigation into a ex employee. They're not cops. If they had enough evidence, they probably would have had you arrested during questioning.
Let me know what happens.
I'll definitely let you know. Thanks for being so helpful!
I lifted an item worth $50 from a pharmacy store in Colorado (not an actual pharmaceutical or Over-T-Counter) a few days ago. I didn't want my pocket to be bulging out like a square so I crumpled the small box and left it in a random shelf. Far in the back. I also bought a bunch of other stuff (that was reasonably priced). As I was checking out the Clerk, he called up LP/security. I payed w/ a card. LP stood behind me for the remainder of my interaction w/ the clerk.I thought about doing some backpedaling before I walked out... But I just reasoned that even if they strongly suspected, they couldn't do anything. So I walked out and drove home. But now I'm wondering: If they have me on camera and find the crumpled box, plus the card, could they track me down? Would it be worth it for me to send in an agent to remove the box from the store, or to see if it is still there? What are the chances I will get zinged?
OH Yeah! The funniest part is the only reason that I was lifting in the first place was because I was rejected from checking out a Vector Calculus book and was a bit vexed. For the first time in my life I realized that I wanted adrenaline. So this was 1. the last in a series of sketchy things, and 2. a byproduct of being deprived of Math studies.. haha
Hi price_of_adrenaline,
I think the odds of them coming after you are slim. You left the store and no one came to get you. Even if they did strongly suspect. they can't stop you without evidence and a crumpled box isn't evidence.
Next time you want some adrenaline, try a bungee jump. You might get killed, but at least you won't end up in jail.
Im interested in hearing paranoidkid123's answer. Could you look back at it. I have a friend with a similar situation
HI curiousman, I haven't been able to get back to as many people as I'd like to. In paranoidkid123's case, I think the LP was just trying to "burn him" by following him outside. He probably thought the kid had the knife but wasn't 100% sure and was attempting to get him to dump it on his way out. That's my take, anyway!
And maybe it's because the kid had a knife on him. I'd think twice about stopping a kid I knew had a knife.
Joe, I was at the mall with my friend we were looking around I stepped out of the store to make a call. When my friend stepped out of the store and we left the mall she told me she stole something, I'm nervous that I can somehow get in trouble.
Hi Innocent,
I had that happen to me when I was a teenager. A friend and I were at the mall and when we left, he pulled a brand new wallet out of his jacket. I was pretty mad.
No, you're in the clear. Being with someone when they shoplift is not a crime, unless you take an active part in the shoplifting. (As a lookout, or helping to conceal the merchandise) Some stores (like Kmart for example) will not take an accomplice, unless they physically touch the merchandise. Still, it's no place that you want to be when your friend gets busted.
I was at hollseter at my local mall with my three friends and i was looking for a body spray so i spray some dont like any of them and as i was about to leave Igot a sample colgne and it was almost empty so i figurednsince its a sample it wont be a big deal i put it in my back pocket thinking its not really shoplifting since its a tester one as i walk out of the store i go like a couple of stores down to (pacsun) another store in the mall i stayed there for like five minutes looking at stuff with my frinds ass a white male with blue jeans blue base ball hat and white shoes comes up to me and tells me "empty out your pocket you stole from me" i reply" what the fuc* "dude you're trippin" and i tell my frineds hey lets got this guy is crazy as i walk back to where i came from passing holseter because i see a security there i pass by him and the guy with the white tee shirt tells the security some thing the security looks shocked soo i keep walking and the guy with the white tee tells me to stop and i stop he puts his hands around my neck as in trying to hold me so i think its a random thug so i defend myself buy taking him down with a single leg take down and then after that i star to wrestle with him so out of no where 7 security maybe more come running to me and him and hand cuff me and they grab him but then they let him go and the security takes me into a hall where i meet up with the guy with the white tee shirt and thats when he tells me hes from hollester loss prevention and then a cop comes and then they take me into another room wich is the security room for hollester and they tell me im getting banned for one year from the mall and two years from holeester so then they tell me i wont be getting a ticket because im 17 but holester will send me a notice within 12 weeks aying if they are pressing charges or not for steeling the tester cologne which was almost emty the cologne cost $38 is there any way of getting out of it if they press charges because the loss prevention guy didnt sidentify who he was and i have my frind as a witness because he came up to us in pacsun sayingto empty our pockets soo yea i plann on being a police officer and this better not stay on my record!
Contact an attorney immediately. This sounds like a case of LPs Gone Wild.
If something is offered as a sample in a store, there is no way to put a value on it, because the store is offering you the use of it, in the hopes you'll buy one. How they can say their sample spray is worth $38 when they're giving it away for free is ridiculous.
Concealing something that the store gives away as a sample doesn't meet the requirements for shoplifting, imo, anyway.
thanks Joe. I wasn't trying to be rude simply curious. But that was my hypothesis to why he didn't get in trouble. Just wanted to see what a professional thought of it. You uave a great hub here. Ever since I found it I visit it to read up on the scenarios and see your response. Keep it up!
Thanks, curiousman. I appreciate the kind words. In fact, I'm opening a shoplifting bulletin board soon at http://www.ishoplifted.com
It should be up in a few days.
Thanks again!
Joe
I shoplift at least 2-3 times per weeks at my local Organic Market. I take merchandise even when LP is present. There is only one on duty at all times and I know his face. They some times chage LP detectives but is very easy to figure out who they are. Just don't be greedy and you can shoplift for ever.
I heard that our local WM store has over 60 pending prosecutions with the DA. That they don't even stop the person at the store, just turn in footage/proof over to the DA's office and then a warrant is issued for their arrest. Trouble is, that my husband and I have been shopping/lifting there for a long time and now I'm so worried that they've been watching us and accumulating video surveillance to get a huge grand theft case brought against us. And reading the above commenters about cops going to their homes after 5 months for something as minor as cans of formula and cops having proof from multiple stores I'm scared to death!!! I will never ever as long as I live shoplift again, but I'm worried that may not be enough. We frequent this store often, buy hundreds of dollars of food and other stuff per week (in addition to what we don't buy), fill our children's prescriptions there, etc so I know they have all of our information on file if they decide to prosecute. What should I do? I'm so scared. Wouldn't they use an opportunity that we are in the store to stop us and ban us from returning? We've been to the store a couple of times to purchase groceries and other household goods since our last "incident" and nothing appeared out of the ordinary. Should I be worried that the cops will be coming to take me away on thousands of dollars of theft charges that date over the course of 4 years or more? Or do you think this stuff is hearsay and not too much to be worried about? I've learned my lesson but afraid that may not be enough :(
And I'm more scared for my hubby, bc he's had some recent run-ins with the law and he was never one to shoplift. I was a bad influence in that regard and I'd never forgive myself if my irresponsibility and bad habits scores him some real jail time :( please tell me what you think, I can't do anything but worry about this.
I accompanied two females into walmart in the town next to mine i was dropping them off for a coworker i had seen them before but didn't really know them. anyway they text their ride and left out the store before me i did not know they were stealing. When i came out the store and got in my car the police followed me and pulled me over. They said that the girls put stolen merchandise n my car but that was not true my car doors was locked. i allowed the police to search and they found nothing. i gave them the information i had on the two but since then they have changed their number so the detective keeps calling me and now he wants to see pictures of my kids. Although i know my kids were not involved i just don't feel like i should have to go through all that. It has been three weeks and they said the stuff was under $50 what can i do to get them to stop calling me and finally be done with this mess.
I got caught shoplifting condoms.... They sent me to the backroom, took a picture of me, and made me sign some papers.... I was banned for life! Will i get a letter or something?
Rockinjoe, I had the exact same thing happen to me at Kohls as the previous Kohls Question commentor. I was a supervisor there and I too took the old kohls cash coupons and $10 coupons and merchandise credits. The day I was quitting to look into other jobs(nothing to do with the coupons) they had the district LP officer there and the district manager there to question me about the usage of the coupons. They had seen the transactions were I had used them and asked me why I would do that. I explained that I didn't think anything was wrong since we give them out to customers all the time. They too had me fill out a Q&A paper about what I did and put the amount on the form or how much the transactions were. They had told me I should pay it back. I gave them a small portion then and then completely forgot about sending anything else to them. I suppressed the memory of that day because it is the only time I have ever been in trouble in my life (not even a speeding ticket like the other girl). Should I send them the rest of the money out of the blue? Or just leave it alone completely? I just thought of this again today. This happened last December. Is there any way that they would still charge me for this in court for any reason? They haven't contacted me all year but I am very concerned that they have a statute of limitations and will come back on me again. Do you think they would? I would lose my job and probably my marriage too if that were to happen. Please give me some advice.
hi, so ok i shoplift i want to know if they dont see me doing it and i go thourgh the alarm thing can they stop me and ask to search my bags or person and if they cant, what can i say to make them go away?
I stumbled across this page completely by accident and read the entire thing. Joe this was a great article, your comments and answers make for interesting and entertaining reading.
About a month ago I was caught shoplifting hair products at the local Walmart. I'm not the kind of person who does this EVER but I know someone who does it all the time and makes it look easy so I tried it. WORST DECISION EVER. I feel terrible about it and now I have community service and fines to pay. I was stopped on my way out and asked to search my bag. Going through all this legal stuff is stressful-- and a learning lesson, trust me-- but I can't help but wonder if I simply said "no, you can't search my bag" would I have been able to leave? If they did have footage of me stealing could they used that and say "we have proof so you have to come with us"? I was already feeling guilty about what I did and resolved never to do it again even before I caught.
Just need to put my mind at rest, thanks!
who ever posted this shame on you,obviosly you worked as an lp and are now spilling company secrets which isnt right,and teaching these criminals how to steal
Yesterday I went to Walmart and bought an item later on in the day I returned the item but it was switched with an older version of the item. The refund clerk opened the box and looked at the item not taking it out of the box and did the refund. When she was done she went to tape the box back up and I saw her take a look again. She did not say anything to me or call me back. As far as I know no one came after me or followed me out the store. I don't know what I was thinking I have been so stressed lately and am normally a very honest person. I guess lapse in judgement. Do I have anything to be worried about will the cops come to my door? I am soo worried I have my kids to worry about. Please advise.
A dear friend of mine has a shoplifting problem. He has suffered a tramatic brain injury and does not care about his life (which he claims is the reason for doing this daring act) He asked me if I knew of what could happen to him for doing this. I am not a shop lifter so I researched this on line and found your page. He asked me about cameras. That if he got caught today shop lifting would the store he was in go back and look thru their tapes to see what else he has done in the past year, and if they saw something that the previously missed, could they go to his home and search for these items and would he be charged for the previous shoplifting making his situation bigger or worse. From what I have read, I don't think this can take place. But I wanted to toss it out there and hear your opinion. His thought process since the injury is obviously not always clear, and he does not see that this is wrong. Before the injury he was a decent and intellegent person and would have never done this. He is very clever even with this brain injury thing and he is getting VERY good at shop lifting now. He could be a wonderful resource for a LP department on the "how to's" of what a shop lifter can do! Could you please post a comment regarding the past shop lifting situations he has done coming into play if he were to be caught today? Thank you for your time and your knowledge.
hi a friend got caught stealing from H&M last year in june, the lp person was very mean and after she wrote us up she said that she had let others go, but because we werent nice to her she got us arrested, i just want to know are there any chances of me ever working for this company if i write them a letter asking or explaning the case or even asking if i can return to the store, what i stole cost 15 dollars and it was my first time. i sucks for me because i love fashion and that store and i feel like im missing out on a great job.
help me out here
I was in Dollar General shopping and went to the greeting card aisle selected a card then went down another aisle still shopping picked up other items i slide the card into my purse so it wouldnt get bent. I walked up and down several more aisles when the manager approached me and said that she caught me on camera concealing an item in me purse...I said that I do have the card in my purse but wasnt done shopping she called the police right there and took me to the back took the other items from me that i was carrying and asked to search my purse i said no and she said the police will when they come...I said fine. The officer got there searched thru my purse didnt find anything else arrested me took me to jail...booked and released me. He said that they have an intent to steal law in missouri what kinda bs is that and can i file a law suit against the store?
Hi today I stole from a drug store that I I've stolen from a couple times before and never got caught. They were never suspicious of me or anything. Today I stole from there again and bought something to cover it up and used my debit card, which I always do. When I left the security alarm went of, there was a tab on one of the items I concealed. All the lady did was let me put down my stuff and walk through again, she never checked my purse and just let me go. Do you think they will check the cameras? I know the alarms always go off for no reason but I'm paranoid.
Ok, the only thing they saw was putting an item in the cart. I walked out and the alarm rings, but it also rang when i walked in the store from the start. So the man stops me, checked my cart as i was extremely calm. I also told him it rang when i came in and i can show him. He said no its ok and he let me leave. As i pulled out, i think some1 was recording my license plate. can they do anything?
Hi RockinJoe,
I walked into Wallgreens with a food store bag in hand and took several items. I know I am seen on camera having the items in hand, but I believe when I placed the items in my brown bag, that I was off camera... I hope...
The sensor went off upon leaving Wallgreens. Two men followed me outside the store. I refused to come back inside, playing it cool. He asked "So then its ok if I take your license plate number then, right?" to which I confidently replied, "Go ahead, take my license plate, I'm late for work, etc..."
Here is my question(s): If I was seen ON CAMERA with the items I took, but NOT SEEN ON CAMERA actually physically placing the items into my bag, can I be prosecuted? Will they call the cops if the cost of the items totaled $200? How long does it take before the police are going to arrest me.
I made the dumbest mistake of my life. I will never shoplift again. The sad part is these items are not even for me. They are gifts for my ill mother. They were too expensive, I am out of work and couldn't afford to pay for them, but could not leave my mother in pain at the same time.
Please be 100% honest in your response. (Whatever happens to me, I know its for the best. Either I'll feel guilty for the rest of my life, or be found guilty in a court of law and lose everything I have. Whatever happens, I know I deserve the mental anguish and punishment. I can't believe I did what I did. How stupid could I possibly be?)
My brother was tackled last night in Walmart and arrested are they allowed to tackle a customer who is walking out the door and the buzzer didn't go off
Wow this is crazy! I work at a department store and have been there 10 yrs. Why do a lot of you think it's fine to steal?!?! There's reasons why prices go up (and not just inflation) for the innocent people! You all need to be caught. I don't even know how I got to this page. I was researching consumer complaints for a grocery store!
Fictional story: Okay so, me and 2 friends went to a mall and took some clothes , we than went to another mall and my friends got caught trying to take something from a Macy's store I was still at the top level and I saw an lp holding them while riding up. So I quickly left ( I didn't take anything from that store) my friend than called me saying to return everything and that I wouldn't get in trouble. So I just left re mall and went home. Later one of my friends said they called the police and the security guard asked them "where's ur friend" they said they gave him a fake last name. Unfortunately they called a police officer that works at our school. They showed him te clothes I was wearing to describe me and they have a video of me walking around with them and they think I stole stuff but have no evidence whatsoever of me taking anything. I'm afraid the cop is going to identify me and interrogate me at school. Guys please give me advice on what I should do.
HI rockinjoe. Two days ago i wentinto a department store with my friend. We were lookimg at some jackets when an employee approched us and asked if we needed help. I asked her for a different size, and whike she was getting it i took the jacket and left. there was a camera at the entrance, and the javket was worth 800. Im svcared that the helper came back to notice the jacket missing and whether police will track me down. Also, the eas system rang as i left but nobody called me back. Am isafe? Thid wad my last time and it was to get someone a gift i promised but couldnt afford. I know i shouldnt have promised please answer
I got caught stealing from wal mart and it was a total accident and I'm so scared that I'm going to go to jail and lose my job
Hey rockinjoe
I would like to know,, is it legal for walmart to bribe you if you threaten to sue them for falsely detaining you?? like say, im with a bunch of friends and we have a bunch of stuff like headphones and whatnot, head over to get some clothes, go to the changing rooms, come out with the clothes, forget to bring the headphones out, as we leave LP stops us and takes us back to their shitty room, searches us, we tell him to check the changing rooms, they find it in the changing rooms, and we threaten to sue them for false detainment,, is it legal for him to bribe us with stuff like ipods and itunes cards?!
there was a post about 2 girls at jcpenney who stole, and put the merchandise in their purse in the dressing room. you said if its concealed and noone see's it, you can't stop them. so can they deny the charges and get them dropped?
Sorry everyone. I've had major internet problems at the house and it's (I hope) finally fixed. Let me see if I can answer some of these questions. If you don't see your answer, you can also go check out http://www.ishoplifted.com as I'll be answering some of them over there, as well.
Adam Smith-Unfortunately, you may be right. But, no one is lucky forever. You will get caught someday.
Ahhhh, terrified-It's been 4 weeks since you asked this question, so if you haven't been arrested, I would assume you're safe. I can't imagine any Walmart acting this way in regards to Loss Prevention. Walmart would have to be able to prove all the elements of your theft and then try to figure out who you are. The police (or LP) wouldn't be able to access your pharmacy information due to federal and state laws to try and figure out who you were. The store is not supposed to use your credit card info to identify you by name and even if they did, it's a pain in the ass to match it to video. Add that to the fact that Walmart doesn't have the LP manpower to work like this. I think this rumor you heard may have been just bull.
Hi texas sweetheart. That's a weird one. The cops want to see photos of your kids? Very strange. I have no advice except for you to contact a lawyer.
Hi Kmart shoplifting. I'm assuming by the name, this incident took place at Kmart? You should be receiving a letter (if you haven't gotten it already and you live in a state with a civil demand recovery law in effect)anytime now. Kmart took your photo? Like a Polaroid photo? That was a big "no no" when I was with them. Good luck!
Hi another kohls employee: It's been a year and you haven't been contacted? Were you supposed to make payments directly to Kohl's or through an agency (like a law or collection firm?) If it's directly to Kohl's my guess is that someone lost your paperwork, there was an LP or management change, or they don't have the staff to follow up (which is more than likely) If it were me, I'd wait until they contacted me. Same with an agency. If they don't follow up, it's their loss.
wildchild1316-I was never involved with a company who would be able to search your bags for setting off the EAS alarms at the exit of the store. Sometimes we'd ask people to walk through again, (blaming the cashier for not deactivating a tag) but no one was allowed to stop you for going through with a beep. Those alarms are sensitive to everything and sometimes go off when there aren't even people around.
Hi Blake-Very nice of you to say so. Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate your comment.
MW-I don't know anyone at Walmart, anymore. I'm not sure exactly what their apprehension policy currently is. You do not have to let anyone into your bag, but I'm not sure if they can physically restrain you anymore. Walmart has had their share of troublesome apprehensions in the past. If anyone works for Walmart and wants to chime in, I'd appreciate it. Good question MW and good lesson learned.
Hi LP. Thanks for the comment. Just like a lot of LP you are making assumptions without investigating the whole situation.Where am I spilling company secrets? How am I telling others how to steal? What I am letting people know, is, most LP (not all) is no better than the shoplifter. The shoplifter breaks the rules by stealing and LP bends the rules to catch them. It's a game. Haven't you figured that out by now? You wouldn't have a job if you didn't have people stealing in your store. Grow up.
J-If you walked out with a refund you're safe. This is a dangerous game to play. Refund fraud is serious business. Getting a refund to a credit card can easily make this credit card fraud. Simple shoplifting is one thing, but returning merchandise that you didn't buy (or returning old merchandise in its place is very risky.
Hi hisflightlessbird-Great question. I don't have an answer for you. Let me say, if I were the LP, I would apprehend and (depending on the circumstances and amount of the theft) would either prosecute or release your friend. His mental health status is not my concern. My job is to protect the store's merchandise. It would up to the police at this point on whether they wanted to arrest-and a judge to decide the outcome. Sorry I wasn't much help.
Hello fatmah-Better late, than never for your question. Were you arrested on a felony shoplifting charge, or was the dollar amount low? The reason I ask, is that you'll most-likely be asked to declare a felony record on your employment application. If it was a misdemeanor arrest, I wouldn't worry about it. I would also suggest you do not write to the company. No one I know in retail would give you an "ok" response and writing them may flag your name.
Good luck!
Hi Diadah-Dollar General had you arrested over a greeting card? Must have been a slow day. I would talk to an attorney immediately. Even though some states have a concealment law where you can be stopped for concealment inside the store, I would find out what Dollar General's shoplifting policy is. I bet it differs from the state law. Usually, stores go out of their way to avoid these kinds of apprehensions because of situations like yours. Also find out the minimum dollar amount that DG can stop a suspected shoplifter for. If the greeting card was under that amount, I'd make a bitch about it. You may have a lawsuit.
Hi Never Again. Those pedestals at the door are the store's EAS (Electronic Article Surveillance) and are intended to be a deterrent to theft. In my opinion, they are absolutely useless. They're buggy and can go off for virtually any reason. There could be a tag in the area, or the cashier didn't deactivate the item before bagging it, or the sensitivity is set too low. I was told once by an EAS tech that sometimes nearby fire alarms could set them off. Also thunder and rain. Keyless entry cards have also been known to set them off. I think you're pretty safe. The store employee who stops you for shoplifting MUST have all the elements in place before doing so. It doesn't appear that anyone knew what you did.
Hi Lam Cao. If they had anything on you, they would have apprehended you at the door. They may have been writing down your license plate, or perhaps they were letting you think they were writing down your plate to throw a scare into you. Either way, I'm pretty sure you're ok.
Hi StupidMe. Sorry it took me so long to get a response out of me. That's a tough call. Not knowing Walgreen's LP policy, they could be doing anything. $200 is a decent shoplift. Whether or not you were seen putting items inside your bag doesn't matter in this case. Why? The police would be investigating, not the LP. If the police view a tape and discover sufficient evidence, they may question you.
Have a lawyer on hand just in case.
Hi Brooklyn. What did your brother do to deserve getting tackled by Walmart LP? Tell me more.
Hi Disgusted! Thanks for stopping by. Don't leave angry......
HelpFast- You've GOT to talk with one (or both) of your parents about this one. You don't want this blowing up bigger than it already is. Good luck!
Hi Mistakes happen, What happened at Walmart?
Last Time, $800? That's felony shoplifting and a very serious crime. Let me put it this way. If I owned (or ran) a store that sold $800 jackets, you can bet that I'd have cameras all over the place. You don't want to end up as one of those people they show on the local news in those "Have You Seen This Criminal?" segment where they show a video tape and provide a phone number for the police. I don't know if you'll get away with this one, but if you do, consider yourself fortunate.
I know.. i wish i could put it back... But it has been a week since ive donw it and nothing has happened so far. Also, I live in canada where theft over 5000 is considered a felony.
Hi Shayen-I don't know about illegal, but It's most-likely against Walmart policy. Did the detective try and bribe you directly? The reason I ask, is that I worked for a major chain store where, if someone was stopped and didn't have merchandise, the manager would be able to settle immediately with the customer with a $100 gift card. The customer would have to sign a form that he/she would not sue the store, afterward. I never ended up seeing it happen, though. You may have a case. Call an attorney.
Hi taylor-That would depend on the company. Some companies are allowed to make fitting room stops and others are not. For example, Kmart allows them, but you have to be certified. In my area (in 2009) only the regional manager was allowed to make fitting room stops and she couldn't catch a shoplifter if her life were on the line.
Hi lasttime-$5000 is probably grand theft. Check the retail felony amount in Ontario. I bet you find that it's much lower. It's been a week, now? I'd feel a lot better about the police, but the store definitely knows who you are. I'd stay away.
Do barcodes on items make the sensors go off?
Not the ones printed on the package.Sometimes you'll find a glued on sticker with a UPC code (or bar code) printed on it that contains a sensor designed to beep when you walk through the EAS pedestals at the door.
Friend stole beer from a gas station, and got in my car. I didn't know he had stolen it until another car started chasing us. I pulled into a side road because I was scared and didn't know what was going on. They got my plate numbers, and then I'm assuming went back to the store. It's been a few hours, and I'm really scared. Will I be charged with this?
kk-How much beer did your friend steal? Was it someone from the gas station who followed you, or perhaps an undercover police officer?
I wouldn't have stopped for anyone I didn't know, so you did the right thing by not pulling over.
You didn't do anything, so I wouldn't worry. If for some reason the cops pull you over (if the gas station reported it) tell them what happened. Be straight with them.
He stole 2 cases. The person who followed us was apparently the guy who was in line before him, and had already went to his car. Last minute my friend decided to just book it out with the cases. The guy saw him get in my car, and came flying toward us and at that point I didn't know what was going on.
Hi Joe do you just answer questions about shoplifting, or
Could you also give tips on how to get better at it.
Hi kk, Two cases is a decent amount. I still think you did the right thing. I wouldn't have stopped a car with someone chasing me. If you had been in a accident because of this, the other driver would have been responsible. I have no way of knowing if the police are looking for your car, or are even considering you an accessory at this point. I assume you've had a serious talk with your friend. I don't see any other option but to spill the beans to the cops if you get stopped for it.
Hi Sawyer-This hub is for shoplifting questions only. I don't provide info on how to steal. I have absolutely 0 sympathy for shoplifters. There are a lot easier, safer and legal ways to make a living. That being said, without shoplifters, thousands of LP personnel would be out of work, so shoplifting is vital to the business of preventing it. As you already know, there are internet forums available that dedicate themselves to "the art of shoplifting", but this isn't one of them.
Would they be able to get a search warrant for my house over this? I'm just scared lol
My son shoplifted at walmart a $58 video game and walked rt past register and the store stopped him and got him for shoplifting. Now we are getting letteers from there law offices demanding $550 or they are filing a civil suit. Can they do that. He has not even went to court yet. They stopped him before he even got to the front doors. Wal-Mart so bites Butt!!
kk-Highly unlikely. I'm not a lawyer or a police officer, but I don't think they're gonna send in the troops to raid your house for 2 cases of beer they know are long gone by now.
Hi, Concerned Mom, Unfortunately, you'll probably have to pay the money. Civil demand is legal in most US states. This law firm will go after you relentlessly if you don't pay it. This is how Walmart's LP makes money. Walmart and the law office divide the money. (The usual cut is 50/50)This is pure profit for Walmart.
What I am more concerned about is your child being apprehended at the end of the cash register, instead of outside of the store. Unless he was apprehended by a police officer, they should have stopped him outside on the sidewalk. I highly doubt Walmart has changed its apprehension policy. Good luck.
So I work for Wetseal Inc. and Ardgen B. and our policy on shoplifting is that we can't stop the customer at all if they decide to shoplift and we have shrink awareness where twice a year we just tally up how much items we lost and record it and send it to HQ. that's it. For example, if someone really decided to show up and stuff two pairs of boots in their shoes, we would have to use customer service to try and retrieve them, however we cannot physically call the customer out on shoplifting. Is this common and what other stores have this kind of policy?
Hi Nance, More and more chains, both small and large are attempting this method of shoplifting deterrence. It works in theory, because excellent customer service has been proven to increase sales and reduce loss. The reason this method rarely works in practice, is that it's difficult finding quality people for retail pay. With this current horrible, economy, stores can't afford to have a full staff of workers at their disposal, making shoplifting easier and fairly unnoticed.
Lowes is big on this no apprehension, customer service approach.
I stumbled on this page and i gotta say you rockinjoe are a good guy. I can honestly say me and my wife shoplift and will continue doing it. We have our reasons but wont go into detail since i am not seeking sympathy. I work at wal mart in the electronics department and over the past year have taken enough merchandise that if i tallied the numbers i could buy a used car, lol. Right now we shoplift food and clothes. After taking my cbl's at walmart on the loss prevention portion, i realized how the entire system works. I have two major rules i go by, NEVER steal from the register and never tell your coworkers no matter how much you trust them. I have already instructed my wife if the LP ever attempts to stop her in any store keep walking and dont stop. If he attempts to the take down rule (which most stores dont have) let him take you down but youre getting up with an "injury" or were groped in places. We dont do this to get a rush nor do we EVER steal at mom n pop stores, we do this because we are tired of working hard and still be two steps behind. And these LPs that take their job seriously is honestly a joke. They think they are in a "police force" when they need to realize this is just another regular JOB. I would not stick my neck for this company, my good friend who is the LP at my store had a gun pulled on him. At $10 hour its not worth it. Good job with this web page rockinjoe and i hope i didnt jinx myself with this post, lol.
Hi Bane-Thanks for stopping by and commenting. It's very much appreciated. Once of my first LP jobs was for a chain of stores called Zayre (Northeast US) and I apprehended an employee for a $6 item. She had worked at the service desk for 25 years and saw her pocket a package of fix-a-dent. This woman was 71 years old and everyone loved her. No one suspected her, ever. In fact, it was just dumb luck on my part that I saw her conceal.
My district manager at the time did not want to proceed further with the case (she probably stole thousands and thousands of dollars in cash and merchandise over the years) as he didn't want to prosecute someone who was old enough to be his mother.
There are a lot of people who have learned how to beat the system and I blame the stores for lack of LP training.
Thanks again. Your post was definitely eye opening!
Times have changed, in our store there is so much corruption within the store its not even funny. High ticket items like ipods and ipads have to be in the managers office then we pick them up the next day. In the beginning when we first got ipads our gemini, inventory gun, would say we had 5 but i only got two. My shift manager who is one level below the store manager told me they kept them to "store use". The shipping and recieving crew misstreats the merchandise as they unload it so bad that i wouldnt doubt thats the reason we have so many returns. Closing associates will come and tell me to unlock headphones or open up batteries then we just send the open package to claims. Not all walmarts are like this but we are one of the worst in our area.
We also have some 20 year associates who love to shoplift. None of us have ever said anything and my buddy who is the LP told me he has her on video taking items, but like you, the managers wont do anything so he leaves her alone.
I hope your readers realize this is a high risk thing to do, if you get cought, the penalty will be severe. But if you know how to do it right and have inside information, then you can get away with.......... for some time lol. I wont give any advice or tips to your readers since i know this page is not for that but i will say this, those who get cought are people who get careless, greedy or are alone and dont buy anything.
Bane, you brought back a lot of memories (mostly bad) about my time in the big box stores. I remember laptops, ipads and xboxes in the manager's or the cash office. I also remember times (like now in the Christmas season) where we were supposed to get 5 xboxes delivered and we'd only get three, Then we'd have to figure out if they got "lost" in the distribution center, or whether the driver got them, or (worse) the receiving associates. It was always 50/50 whether they turned up or not. This was not at Walmart, but at Kmart-Same animal, except with ancient retail technology. I'm surprised they've stayed in business this long.
I can sympathize with your friend in LP. I've had my hands tied many times when it came to apprehending employees. lol, maybe i'll write a book someday!
Thanks for warning my readers about the risks one takes when stealing from work. This is not something the store or the police with deal with lightly. It's embezzlement, Nasty charge. Hang in there-and be sure to stop by once in awhile and let me know how you guys are doing.
Does CVS have a customer service policy where they are not allowed to apprehend? I've been constantly stealing from CVS, yet I have found that as long as no employee sees me, I've been able to get away with it?
I work as a shift supervisor for CVS. Only LP can apprehend. Some bosses and supervisor are encouraged to apprehend even though it is against store policy.
Hi jay, thanks for writing. i'm glad john stopped by with your answer.
Hi john, thanks for the answer.
Hi, Soo a couple of days ago I stole some uggs from nordstrom rack. I lift frequently but I did something stupid this time because nerves got the best of me. In the isle where the shoes where, right in front of a camera, I just stuffed them in my bag. I left the box there and the tags. I left the store with no problems. I really like that store and I want to go back. Would it be stupid of me to return there again? If they have me on camera is that bad? Even if I don't steal anything, or if I attempt it again. No one ever assumes I shoplift..I'm 14, but look like a mature woman.
Hi Shoplifted, You don't write like any 14 year old I've ever met. That being said, if I worked LP at Nordstrom and I found an empty Uggs box and tags, you'd better believe I would be reviewing any video I had to see who took them.
Lots of teens have expensive tastes these days, but shoplifting high dollar items is a guarantee that you will eventually get caught.
Nordstrom is very conscious of its high ticket (price tag) items and watches them closely. You may have gotten lucky that day, but that doesn't mean they don't know who you are.
Personally, I wouldn't go back. I wouldn't be worried about getting arrested for a previous shoplifting, (which LP cannot do), but I wouldn't be comfortable with a small roomful of coffee-breathed, LP checking out my every move.
I can virtually guarantee you won't be that lucky with such an expensive item again. Nordstrom will prosecute and the police will cuff you and put you in a cell.
Don't screw up your life. You're too young for this crap.
Good one joe, i forget already how mny times my buddy will be walking the floor and when hes talking with us will see a customer and say "oh i remember that lady". He will follow them in the store because he remembered them from reviewing his tapes. Walmart has awesome security systems especially new ones.
hey i stole beat by dre headphones from meijer 179 dollar i cut it out the spider wrap it immediately start beeping i still left the store with the head set lp did ask me to stop n come back but i didn't what do you think will happen next i feel dumb and at the moment i really just wanted to drop the head phone there when lp confronted me but i know i wasn't caught at the scene but im wondering were procedures will the take if any to catch me if they want to
Hey, dumbmove12 You have expensive taste. I'm assuming you just cut the spider wrap and walked out? Your instincts were correct. You should have dropped them inside the store. Once you're outside, you're a shoplifter.
Coming after you is doubtful. It's unknown if the store made a complaint with the police, but even if they did, I doubt the police will get the SWAT team after you.
I got caught pretending to shoplift by bringing an item I paid for at another store into Walmart. I acted like I stole it but when I pulled out my receipt showing I bought it somewhere else they still detained me and told me I was committing a felony theft. Is this true? I was let go but nobody has contacted me yet. What can I expect?
I wouldn't say you were committing felony theft, but I would say you were attempting to commit fraud against Walmart.
This is a tough one for me to make a call on, because I don't have much info to go on.
Are you an adult or juvenile? What was the item? Was it in your pocket when you came in, or was it in your hands? Did they take your personal info? Did they cuff you? Did they lay their hands on you?
LP is supposed to watch you select the item you are stealing. Without selection, the store doesn't know if you walked in with the item, or not.
A few years ago, I worked for a New England supermarket chain. They were big on selection of the item. I recall a store detective who was switching views on his camera when he saw a guy stop in the middle of an empty aisle, reach into his shopping cart and place several steaks, roasts and other expensive meats inside of a winter coat. The detective did not see the shoplifter select the merchandise from the meat case, but he obviously saw him conceal it. Still, he made the decision to apprehend the shoplifter. He went out the door after the thief, but the guy got away in a car that was waiting for him. The store detective had to call this into the boss-and guess what? He was fired immediately. Makes no sense, but it goes to show you how much these stores are trying to stay away from a lawsuit.
The WM detectives should have known better than to apprehend you, but if you tried to sue them for false detention, I bet a judge would see it differently.
Hi rockinjoe,
I was in Barnes and Noble recently and I took something that was like $30. I took it into the bathroom and out of the box it was in and put the box in the trash under paper towels and stuff... there weren't security cameras right outside the bathrooms, but there were by the hallway leading that way. I went like I was going to set the item on the table outside the bathroom and then took it in with me. When I went to open the door to come out, I realized I'd left my phone in the stall so I let go of the door really quickly, but before I did a store associate saw me. He went into the door to the back and I grabbed my phone and went to leave. Right after I came out of the hallway, I heard him saying "excuse me, can I ask you a question?" I didn't stop, I just walked very quickly out of the door. The alarm didn't go off and no one followed me out. I was parked far back in the parking garage so I know no one saw my license plate. Should I be worried?
P.S. I'm at home now, and the doorbell just rang as I was typing this and it freaked me out, lol.
Thank you!
Hi txsap-I wouldn't be too concerned about getting caught for this one. The employee had no right to question you about an alleged theft while inside of the store. (We don't know if he was going to ask about your item. We can only assume.) You can best believe that if the employee found the package in the trash, they know what you stole and may review footage,(If that's what they do at B & N) and will be watching you with all eyes should you return.
And if I knew where you lived, I'd come over and ring your doorbell-just for fun.
Lol! Doesn't help that I scare easily. It gave me a good scare though. Just the UPS man though. I'd never taken anything before and don't think I'll be doing that again and probably not going back to that Barnes and Noble for a good while. Thanks for your quick response!
I shoplifted today a baby blanket for my newborn as i got to the car i noticed my keys were missing and security was looking for me with the manager so as they turned there heads i slammed the door got my baby n ran across the street light was green they didn't see what car i got out of my friend was still in the store and she was lifting as well but she was not stopped my question is should i be concerend about the cops knocking on my door? I just got the car it is not registered in my name?
People need to stop being scared that cops will show up at your door. Lol.
@Txsap-You're welcome!
@magycal1-Check out Bane's comment below your post. For most shoplifting, you've got to quit worrying about the cops showing up at your house. Misdemeanor shoplifting is usually dealt with on the premises. I say usually, because there are those occasions where the cops will go to your house after a shoplifting. Usually those are restricted to felony shoplifting, where a store has been hit several times by the same person (or group) and has been investigated by the police. I've also seen the police go to the door of dishonest employees who have been embezzling from their employer in huge amounts.
Sounds like you're safe....
Yesterday I stole a toy from target because I didn't have money and I wanted to get my little brother a Christmas present, I know I was wrong. I am 15 years old. They stopped me and asked for the toy. $7.50 I gave it to the LP and he was not acting harshly upon me but told not to go back to that store. The problem is, my family goes to that target a lot. They did not take a picture of me or anything but a was wearing a blue baseball cap. But since my family goes there a lot and I usually go with them, what should I do? The whole objective is to never steal again because of the guilt I feel from what I did, and to not let my parents find out. I am a good kid and I have good grades and am a great basketball player, but I really need some help. Since the LP was with me for barely 2 minutes, should I be able to return to the store if I maybe wait for a little while? Any advice helps.
Hi Learnedalesson1....You got lucky. I'm surprised they didn't take you back in.
You'll be allright in going back. They have no information on you and won't bother you inside the store. They may watch you, but you haven't been officially trespassed from the store. I used to tell kids to stay out of the store all the time and a few months later they would find their way back in.
Glad you learned your lesson.
Thank you rockinjoe! You really helped me. I was really scared I even called the LP and he told me a cannot return for life.. He's a liar. And yeah I'm never gonna steal anything again! My first and last time!
And I have one more question.. What if the PA does see me and tries to press charges??
Caught and scred to death..I learnt my lesson as it was just for fun and test myself.. Its my first time. They found out the stealing of worth £80, called police and charged the same bill to me.
They took my photo at store just to stop me entering again.
I didnt have any ID proof or resident adress with me.
I told them my correct name but the address and phone number was wrong as I was scared to recieve any letter or phone calls.
I am leaving UK in 4 days and unfortunatly dont have sufficient funds to pay against the charges.
I am scared if I dont pay this then they can track me down in my own native country by my credit card infor as I paid a bill also there or I'll have a problem entering in UK again.
So today I went to Fred meyers and had about 250$ worth of items in my cart. I made it to. my car with out paying and i was getting ready to put the items in my car a lp was behind me and was like don't even think about it. So I just jumped in my car and drove off. I left Km the items in the cart and the lp grabbed the cart when i was driving off. So I actually didnt get away with anything but I tried. Do you think he got my licence plate # and i might be get charges pressed against me from Fred meyers? I don't knkw why i tried to steal even I just needed some stuff for my house I live in Oregon.
Please answer my question I've been such a nervous wreck all day. I most defiantly learned my lesson and will never do this again. It's not worth the consequences of shoplifting!! I just need some answers on what I should do ? should I get a lawyer and if the cops haven't game to my door should I be fine ?
So I am so ashamed I got caught stealing 50 dollar item .. They took down my address school and phone number made me sign papers and told me I will have to pay a fee in the mail.
After I left I received a call saying I stole something else and placed it in my pocket. They said they saw me on camera and asked me to go back to return it. Except I did not take anything else! I almost placed it inside but then decided to put it back and told them I don't have anything and cannot give anything back because I didn't take anything out of the store! of course they didn't believe me so they threatened that if I didn't go back and return the other item that they will send the videos to the cops and they will come to me at my house or school...
Will this really happen? What else will happen to me? I'm 20 yr old ... I will pay the fee for the item I took but what if the cops really do show up an charge me for something I didn't steal (the second item)?
Also what if I gave fake info to them like fake address phone number school etc. ?
Additional Details
I'm not saying they have wrong information but what if they didn't have the correct info and what will happen if they have real info?
Oh and this was at Loehmann's
I just wanted to cut in here and thank the good people at The Huffington Post for linking to my shoplifting articles on Hubpages.com. You rock!
Hi Learnedalesson1, I'm still pretty comfortable in the fact that you're off the hook. Since you're a juvenile, you cannot be trespassed officially, without your parents being aware at the time of the shoplifting. Target did not follow protocol, by taking the merchandise you stole and then telling you to never come back again. That was intended to scare you, which it apparently did. There was no paperwork, no charges and no official banning from the store. No one is going to approach you with your parents in the store and throw you out. It just doesn't happen like that.
Hi dont know what to do, You're leaving the UK? Don't be too concerned about Interpol going after you for such a small amount. These people go after gig time fugitives, not minor shoplifters. Hope you learned a lesson.
Hi straightscared1, You may have gotten the merchandise out of the store, but you obviously got away with the attempted shoplifting. When it comes to shoplifting, Loss Prevention are to attempt to recover the merchandise. If they're able to get the shoplifter back at the same time, good for them. If not, at least they got the merchandise. Even if they did call the police with your plate number, it's highly doubtful the cops will spend their time looking for you when you didn't end up taking anything.
Hi Sara, So Loehmann's called you at home and said you had another item? They have no proof you took it and I think what happened here, is, some over-zealous LP (who flunked out of the police academy) wants to mess with you. If they call back, (which I highly doubt)tell them off. The store has absolutely NO POWER over you. None. That's it.
Did you provide the store with fake info? How did they contact you?
I have them correct info n stuff like my phone number address school... But I was just wondering if I had given them a fake number, address, and school and they tell me I will get something in the mail but obviously I wouldn't get anything in the mail, then I wouldn't be able to pay the restitution fee and then what would happen?
And they phoned right after I left the store, like I walked outside on my way back to school after they finished detaining me, and after like 10 min they called me claiming I took something else out of the store. Should I be worried that I will receive a call/visit someone?? Would they say that the video they have of me is proof or no? Because I figure in the video it may have seemed like I took it but I actually put it back on the shelf -_-
So I believe I did a refund fraud.I had my wild children with me and was really irritated with the store and kids.(no excuse)I grabbed a comforter in one size and said i needed to exchange it for the correct size. They did it and I left.Since there was no reciept I gave them my i.d.I am now so paranoid.Can they come arrest me from my home?
Sarah, Once again, there is no merchandise. They don't have a case. They have to see you select the merchandise, conceal it, pass the point of purchase and go outside of the store before they can even begin to think about it. Sounds to me like they reviewed the vid afterward and tried to scare you into returning the "missing" item. They won't call back or be searching your home. These people have to play by store rules-not police rules.Breathe easy!
Hi ladyc, Depending on where this was, this could be construed as both shoplifting and fraud. But for the sake of argument, you are correct. It's fraud.
The store took your ID in lieu of a receipt, because they want to start keeping track of your returns. (Or at least give you the appearance that they are) That way, if you start to return items on a regular basis, (without a receipt) they will shut you off.
They won't come to your house.
Thanks!I feel soo bad.I almost want to go back and tell them..should I or will that just make matters worse.If I go back in future will they arrest me?I was just so upset at the store..acting on impulse.
They're not going to arrest you if you come back. With what merchandise? They lost their shot at apprehending you. If it were me, I wouldn't call them, or let them know about the fraud. If you feel guilty, give away the comforter to someone who could use it, like a homeless person. Good luck!
I was in my local Rite-Aid yesterday (Tuesday), I just went in to check the prices on some foundations and some other cosmetic items. I went in with my 5 year old son, wrote down the names of the items I was checking the price on, wrote down the price, and then told my son it was time to go. He had a bit of a fit, so I had a time getting him to put the toy he wanted down and leave. Finally, I put the toy down on the shelf, grabbed his hand and said "You can't get it, we're leaving. The end." and we left.
I sent my list with my Husband to Wal-Mart today so that he could see if the prices were better there. They weren't, so when he returned home he and I took our two children back to the Rite-Aid to purchase the items I wanted.
I had picked out two items that I wanted in the correct colors when one of our local police officers walked up to me and asked me if my name was Ashlee. I responded that it was. He then asked me if I would like to tell him what happened yesterday. I was trying to think of what he meant when it dawned on me that someone must have called him about the fit my 5 year old son had and the argument we had in the store. So I told him about it, thinking how bad it is that your kid throws a fit and you get onto them and people call the police on you now-a-days. When I finished he asked "So you didn't take anything out of the store yesterday" or something of the like. I was so taken aback, I believe I managed to reply "Well Lord, no!"
After speaking to him for a few moments I had a better grasp of what was going on.
Apparently someone that was shopping in the store yesterday told one of the Rite-Aid employees that they had witnessed me shop lift a maybelline cosmetic item. The Rite-Aid employee then called the police.
The police officer told me this afternoon that they would be watching any survelience video footage from my previous visit that they had to see if I shop lifted any items.
How can a Rite-Aid employee call the police and accuse someone of shoplifting when another customer claims to have seen it? Shouldn't they at least check the video first? I was so embarrassed by having this happen in the middle of my visit in the middle of the day in the middle of the store where anyone could have seen or heard this that I cried. I didn't know what to do, because this has never happened to me before.
Everytime my Husband & I enter that particular Rite-Aid store with our children we're followed around by the same two or three employees and watched, like they think we're going to steal something. I had an incident with one of them when a little girl I was watching for a friend spilled her drink and the older employee snatched the drink out of the girls hand and proceeded to lecture and chastise us about this behavior, and told us that we were never allowed to bring any kind of drink into the store again. So I just have a feeling that they don't like us, or suspect us of being 'bad' people anyway from our previous treatment in the shop. But we live in a small town, and there is no other shop around where I can purchase makeup or cosmetic items.
Anyway, the officer said that usually in these cases the person that has shoplifted or is suspected of shoplifting is served with a paper saying they're bared from the store, and the officer who responded to the first call on Tuesday has one of the papers for me. How can they bar me from a store I did not shoplift from? Without having seen the alleged shoplifting or even watching the video to check up on the accusation the other customer made against me? I'm really upset by this whole incident, as I'm not the kind of person who would do that. I have never stolen anything from this store, nor would I ever steal anything from there. So I just don't understand how all of this can be set into motion because of what another customer claims to have seen. I suppose she must have seen me put my note pad back into my bad as I finished writing the prices down? IDK, but I didn't take anything, so I don't see how this can be happening?
I've also read that Rite-Aid doesn't issue apologies in these cases, and if you call headquarters are quite rude and basically dare you to get a lawyer. I don't want to sue them or anything, I just want an apology and want them to not jump to conclusions and just readily accept the word of another customer as face without at least checking the tapes first or something.
Wow that was super long, I'm so sorry for the length of it. I tend to get more and more verbose the more upset I am. It's a flaw of mine. Anyway thank you in advance for any insight and any information or advice you may be able to provide me for my issue or questions, and again, sorry for the length. (=
rockinjoe feel free to respond to the comment above me first, but when you get the time I would love your opinion. I had just started a job at my local kmart. It is a horrible place. Has been going under since the walmart across the street was built a few years ago, but anyway. I work in electronics and I found out how to remove all the security tags that make the alarms go off. Ever since then, I have been "cleaning" video games of their security tags, and taking them home. I wasnt worried at all because they have tons of games and I know they wouldnt notice one being gone. Plus there is no accurate way if telling if something has been stolen because when things get put on layaway, they are still read as "on the floor". So even if we have no games out in the case, and 10 back in layaway, The computers will still tell us that we have 10 games out. Those reasons led me to believe that stealing from the poor little store would be easy. But the past couple days I have had a sick feeling for some reason. Like people are looking at me funny. Like they know that I stole. I haven't done it in 3 days, but I need to know if I can still be in danger of getting caught. Or if its likely that I will get caught. Im never going to do it again. I cant deal with this feeling.
Michael I work at the electronics dep at Walmart. To this day I have taken more than...... Well a lot, lol. Lets just say I got some iPads to give away for Christmas. Anyways, unless you told someone your secret or are messing with the register you got nothing to worry about. You're feeling that way because you are feeling guilty. Only you know what you are doing. I'd take a good month off. Also you need to know how your LP works. Is he a steroid like, adrenaline junkie who flunked out of police academy? Or a regular dude. Oh and not to sound sexist but the lesbian dike LPs are the worst so watch out for them. Hope this helps, I'll let the Pro Rockinjoe chime in with his expertise.
Well thanks Bane. That makes me feel so much better. But my LP is only one dude. And since all the kmarts in clarksville are going down the drain, he works at about 3 or 4 of them. He is only at the store about once or twice a week. But I have heard stories of people being caught from doing the same thing I do. I just cant get any details on how they were caught so I dont know what to watch out for. I have stolen about 13 xbox games,xbox accessories, some computer accessories , and LOTS of food. But I dont wanna push my luck. So i quit. I have only been working there a month, but stealing just seems to easy to be true.
Ashlee, I've always been of the opinion that it's more painful to be accused of shoplifting than being caught in the act. A store SHOULD NEVER rely on the word of an employee-or customer, for that matter, when it comes to shoplifting. Apparently they lack LP training in that store (or within the company), because that is not how something like this is handled. Try not to blame the cops on this one. They're just taking the complaint and doing their job. So, to sum up, you were never questioned by anyone in the store about stealing and no one prohibited you from leaving, but you were still interviewed by the police officer and you awaiting to get a no trespass notice from the other policeman? That's messed up.
Retail establishments are open to the public, but they are on private property. They do not have to serve you and they can prohibit you from entering the store for a number of reasons.
I would write a letter to Rite Aid corporate (or an email) detailing what you just wrote to me (or send them the link to this article) and ask them to make it right. When you call, you are probably be outsourced someplace and speaking to no one even related to Rite Aid.
I would state how embarrassed I was, how humiliating it was when being interviewed by the the police officer. Ask for the No Trespass to be revoked. Chances are they'll do it. They might even throw in a gift card. Sorry this happened to you. Good luck!
Rockin Joe can you tell me what would happen to a person from the Uk caught shoplifting in the NYC??? Would I be deported and not able to re-enter the US.
Hi Michael, Sorry for the wait in getting back to you. I'm going to disagree with my friend Bane and tell you that at this time of year, Kmart is on a witch hunt for employees. LP is being called daily and badgered about catching employees that will be let go 2 days after Christmas. Since you've quit, (and LP appears to be lacking in your store), you probably don't have to be concerned. Temporary (or seasonal employees) are usually easy pickings for LP in places such as Kmart, as they usually receive minimal or no training and it takes tome to learn how the processes of the store works. Sounds to me like you got away!
Hi UKLifter....That's a great question and I wish I could answer it for you, but I cannot. Not only am I not an attorney (or immigration official) I don't know if you committed felony or misdemeanor shoplifting, whether you were arrested or the circumstances of the crime.
I would call a US lawyer and ask. Sorry I couldn't help you out.
Yesterday I took two of the same tanktops from JCPenney and put one on under my shirt and put the other back on the shelf. Can cameras determine how many items you are carrying?
Hi Peyton,
It depends on the camera. Some are fixed and only see things from a distance, while others are able to pan, tilt and zoom (also known as PTZ cameras)
PTZ cameras are most effective when being operated by an LP or camera operator.
If there were someone operating a PTZ and it was in a good spot, they most-likely would have seen your theft.
And remember: Just because there is a camera in the area, does not mean that anyone is watching.
Hi,
For about the last 6 months or so I have been shoplifting from my Target in a fairly small town and have never been caught or stopped. There were some times when I would go in once a week or every other week to the same Target and take a few small things in my purse that I needed each time. Finally I have realized how stupid and selfish I was being and have stopped stealing for good. I feel terrible. I know I will never shoplift again, or even enter that store, but I would like to know how likely it is that Target can identify me through my credit card info, or my license plate #, and contact the police for what I have taken in the past?
In your experience, would you say this is likely or am I just being paranoid? It has been about a week or two since I last took anything from there and I am worried that they will catch me after the fact for any number of the previous situations.
On exiting a Walgreen I tripped the alarm. No one pursued me and the item was $12. The store camers probably got my liscense plate number. Should I now take it back or see a lawyer to take it back? I really feel bad! AND anxous!
Hi A bit worried-I wouldn't be concerned. Target missed its chance to get you (obviously, several times)as you left the store. If LP is not present in the store, in the bathroom, eating lunch or flirting with the girl at the customer service desk, they won't be able to go after you.
The only exception to this would be, if you're a big time booster (one who shoplifts large quantities of goods at a time), or an employee they've been watching.
Read the above 5 rules that LP must follow when apprehending a shoplifter. Remember....they're not cops and they can't act like cops. They have to follow the rules of the store. Not the rules the police follow.
i got caught for shoplifting there they have people who actually watch the cameras dont show there
Thanks so much for your help. I'm going to try and stop worrying about it, and certainly never do it again. You mentioned that the exception would be 'big time boosters'-I hope this doesn't include me! I would usually take several items at once, whatever personal items I needed that would fit in my purse. But of course not many quantities of the same item. So it's not likely that Target is building a case on things I have taken in the past and will contact the police? Thanks again for your information.
Hi rockinjoe if u stole something and got away with it what happens after that? (It's been two days)
Hi there. First of all, your responses are very comforting, so I thank you for that. I am 20 years old, and I made a huge mistake last year (when I was 19) when I decided to shoplift at Wal-Mart. I am actually from Michigan, but go to school in Illinois on a sports scholarship. I was stealing about $30 worth of merchandise, and was stopped at the second set of doors and asked to come back into the store.
The man took me into a room and told me how he was part of the "floor walkers" and he saw everything I took. i was on every camera, and it was very humiliating. I begged and begged him to let me just pay for what I had taken, and assured him that I had learned my lesson. However, he was not having it, and was a pretty big jerk about it all--he had every right to be.
While I was in the room, he had me empty my purse, took a picture of me, and I remember signing a few papers. I was so hysterical and embarrassed that I do not remember exactly what I signed. I know for certain he told me the cops were not going to be involved, and that I would be getting a Civil Demand paper in the mail (which I did about 3 days later), and a letter telling me when my court date was. Also, I'm almost positive he told me I was banned from any Wal-Mart store, and Sams Club for 2 years. However, I cannot remember if 2 years was the allotted time, or if you have any knowledge on if that seems about right?
Now here is the kicker of the story. I went into that same Wal-Mart for 3 days straight, trying to get them to drop the charges because of my sports scholarship and my future career as an educator. I eventually talked to the most understanding and helpful man, that I am so thankful for. He told me they would drop the charges, and just to pay my civil demand. However, I did not see him drop the charges, but I did have a follow-up email with him just making sure he did what he said he would do. He said everything was taken care of.
My parents have no idea about this horrible incident that happened to me. I am so ashamed of myself, and I wake up with guilt hanging over my head every single day. I am so afraid of going into any Wal-Mart, even in different states. My question to you is, since that guy did drop "charges" do you think I'm still in the "system" for not being allowed to go into a Wal-Mart? I'd certainly NEVER return to that Wal-Mart I stole from, but I was just wondering if you knew how that all worked out...
Please get back to me! Thank you very much!
Hey, I got caught shoplifting and got really scared so I gave the security people incorrect information about my address and stuff. They said I would get something in the mail to pay a fee. I'm 20 yrs old btw.
What happens if the fee isn't paid for, will they be able to track me down even though they don't have my real address? they only have my phone number.
Hi I had a question- I heard that if you shoplift at target or Walmart and you make it out of the store with the stolen merchandise that it is basically yours and that the security guards can't do anything.
Is this true?
Hi Sacred. (or did you mean to write Scared? :) That depends on what you stole. If you took a million dollars from the nearest bank, there's a really good chance you'll be spending some serious time in prison. On the other hand, if you stole Hangover 2 on DVD and think the police are surrounding your house, I think you'll be ok.
Hi Guilt, I'm a bit confused. If there were no police involved, what charges are you speaking about? If the store were to press criminal charges against you, the police or courts would have to be involved.
Now, if you're telling me that the person you spoke with at Walmart said he is "dropping the charges" meaning that he is going to let you off the hook for shoplifting, I find that hard to believe-especially since he insisted you pay the civil demand. No one at store level would be able to dismiss your shoplifting or they would have to answer to their corporate office.
Going on the information on hand, if there were no police or court date involved, don't worry about it screwing up college or your scholarship. Did you pay the civil demand? If not, I would pay it, as it will screw up your credit in the future.
Let me know if I missed anything.
I'm sorry--when I said charges, I meant the charges that WOULD have been filed against me, had the guy not "dropped" them. The man I spoke with said he was the assistant manager for the "floor workers" and told me he would make sure there was no court date, and to just pay the civil demand. Yes, i paid that as soon as I got it.
With that being said, I never did receive a court date (thank God) and I'm pretty sure I got let off the hook with just a civil demand fee. I know it sounds crazy, but the cops or court were never involved.
That's what makes me the most nervous--since I did not go to court, or get arrested or any of that...if I were to walk into a Wal-Mart in a different state...how would they ever know? I am so tempted to go back to that Wal-Mart and find the asnwers I need, but I'm too scared they will charge me with trespassing. Do you think that would be doing too much--going back to see exactly what ever happened to my incident?
Hi ackkk, Where were you caught shoplifting? Usually they require an ID. In any store I've worked, if someone did not have proper ID, we had 2 options.
1.) Call someone to come to the store with their proper ID.
2.) Call the police.
It's necessary to ID the shoplifter, so the civil demand letter can be sent to the correct address.
If you provided the store with incorrect info, (except for your correct phone number) all they can do is call your phone and ask for whatever fake name you gave them. You can always tell them they have the wrong number.
The people handling your civil demand fee will be a law firm and they will be relentless in trying to contact you. The only other thing I can think of, is they do a reverse lookup of your phone number and discover your name and address. This is a pay service easily available on the internet.I've heard of law firms and credit card companies using these methods to contact deadbeats. Good luck.
Hi caligirl...The answer to your question is, yes and no. If you go outside the store with merchandise and the LP does not have the authority to touch you or follow you off of the sidewalk, If you walk off with the merchandise, it's yours.....
Unless.....
The LP pulls out his cell phone and calls the police. He'll be able to get your license plate and the make and model of your car, or he/she can tell the police what direction you walked away. If they call the cops, it's almost certain you'll be caught-and it's not worth it.
Hi Guilt, Ok, the Asst. Manager of the Floorwalkers for Walmart (a position I didn't even know existed) has about as much authority to dump your shoplifting file with Walmart as I do. Since you paid your civil fee, I'm certain there are shoplifting papers filed with Walmart LP. They may even have the information entered into a national database. The good news is, this information will stay private and confidential. It won't affect school, or future work, so breathe easy.
As far as your trespass...
Were you verbally told not to return or did you sign a form saying you would not return? Both are valid reasons not to return to the store you stole from. I'm not sure what method WM uses, but someone will probably email me and let me know.
As far as going to other WM's? There's no way to tell shoppers who have been trespassed and who has not. It would be an impossible task. (Stores basically use that as a scare tactic, so you don't come back and steal again. If you're caught a second time, the police will usually charge you with no trespass in addition to shoplifting.
I wouldn't return to the store to discuss your case. I can guarantee you that you will get nowhere. No one at store level has the power to do anything to help you. Even the store manager.
If you're still concerned, feel free to call an attorney, or try a legal website with a forum.
Best of luck!
Hey everyone, please feel free to check out my latest shoplifting articles.
http://rockinjoe.hubpages.com/hub/10-Most-Asked-Qu
http://rockinjoe.hubpages.com/hub/Supermarket-Peep
And of course, the website:
Ok, so.. I was dared by someone to steal a bottle from a liq store. I was kinda buzzed and I NEVER steal. The next day I felt terrible! I wasnt approached or anything they had no clue. I was actually comtimplating taking it back to the store, but then thought that would be stupid. There are cameras there. My question is; You think they review the footage fairly often? Also, what are my chances of being prosecuted? Im frequent the liqour store somewhat regularly
It takes guts to steal from a liquor store. Those guys and girls don't mess around when it comes to robbery or even shoplifters. Most I know carry guns and aren't afraid to pull them out for any reason.
It's difficult to give you an answer. Was it a small neighborhood store, or a chain store? Was it an expensive bottle of champagne or a cheap bottle of vodka?
Occasionally, you'll see one of those "Do You know This Person?" segments on the news where they show a video of a shoplifting from a local store. It would be pretty embarrassing to end up on one of those.
It all depends on the store and how much merchandise they lose due to theft. Any liquor store (even the big ones) I've visited may have a security guard or cop at the door during busy seasons like Christmas, New Year's and Superbowl times, but I've never been aware of any using loss prevention personnel.
If you're feeling guilty, you have a couple of options. How about sending the store an anonymous note with cash or a money order for the amount of the bottle to the store along with a note telling them what you did. You could also make a donation to a charity for the amount of the bottle.
I suppose you could go back and tell them what you did and return the bottle or the cash. I don't know what kind of a reaction you'll get, though.
Good luck.
"They may even have the information entered into a national database." What exactly does that mean, and does that ever go away?
Also, just so you know, that is definitely a position, or someone along those lines. I have his card somewhere in my wallet. Obviously he pulled some sort of strings because he said he would drop the criminal charges, and considering I never got a court date, I'd have to say he followed through with that.
I just need answers. I feel like a wreck every day. My understanding of the whole situation is that I really made out okay, and just had to pay a civil demand and am not welcome back into that store. But I'm not 100%...and I guess I'll never know..
Hi Guilt, I'm sorry you don't like my answer. It's just my take on it. Let me see if I can clear this up. When you shoplift, the store has two options.
1.) Prosecute. (For example, If you shoplift $20 or above at Kmart, the LP must prosecute.) His or her mind is already made up by policy. The police are called. Depending on the circumstances (and laws in your city or town), they will either arrest you, or issue you a summons to appear in court. You will also receive a civil demand notice in the mail. (The civil demand is non negotiable. It's how stores fund their LP and it's all profit to the bottom line.)
2.) Release you. If you do not fit the criteria for arrest, the store will let you go, upon completion of documentation of the theft. You will not be prosecuted criminally, but you will also receive a letter demanding you pay the civil fine. WM can not issue you a court date. They're not cops. They're department store employees.
Your case was an example of the second scenario.
You were not criminally charged. No police. There are NO charges to drop. I don't care what the "Asst.Mngr. of Floorwalkers" told you. If you're paying (or have paid) the civil demand, there is paperwork on you with Walmart and it is most likely in their shoplifter database-and most likely available to other stores in the chain. It's confidential and only WM LP can access it. (I don't know how long the information stays in the system)
Now, why believe me, a random guy on the internet?
There is absolutely no reason to believe me.
If you want to pursue the situation, I recommend that you call Walmart (Call the local store and ask for a corporate number, or maybe they have one on the internet) and ask for the regional (or territory) LP manager for your area. Talk with him or her. My guess is they won't tell you anything, but you can tell them what this floorwalker guy told you and maybe you can go from there.
I'm sorry it's not what you want to hear, but the good news is. You did make out fine. You could have gone to jail.
A friend was shopping at a store in Long Beach Ca a few days ago. Something to note about Long Beach is they passed a bill to ban stores from giving out plastic bags to customers. My friend was walking around the store and was offered a sample of cheese. Since he is a pre diabetic he told the women he would buy his items then return since he had just had a cup of coffee and didn't want his blood sugar to spike. So he paid for his items, which were not put into a bag, then returned to the back of the store to get his sample of cheese. He then left the store and heard someone yelling at him to stop, he didn't think it was for him and continued. A store employee got in front of him and told him to stop because someone told him he had stolen those items. My friend tried to continue walking but the store employee refused to let him leave. He told him, while out of the store, he needed to produce a receipt. My friend knowing he wasn't required said no and again tried to keep walking. The employee reached inside of his cart and took the items and began to run away, thus making him the thief. My friend, who is an older man in his 60s, didn't want to chase the man back to the store so he yelled at him to come back and produced his receipt. The store employee returned the items and left.
Some back ground on my friend, like I said earlier he is in his early 60s and is disabled. He is a retired teacher and government employee, but he is an artist and cares little about his personal appearance. Not to the point where he is dirty, just not up to the social standards of So Cal. I believe someone saw him as homeless and figured he was stealing since he was walking out of the store and the items were not in a bag. My complaint, is it store policy for an employee to detain someone outside of a store based on information given to them from a customer? Then to not let the man leave and require him to produce a receipt for the items. I know I usually throw my receipt away, what if he had done the same thing? I really doubt if it was a family dressed nice that anyone would have even given them a second look, but because of his appearance he was profiled.
Hi Jason,
This is so wrong on many different levels. You MUST see a shoplifting occur to accuse someone of doing it. One of the main rules stores go by is, "If you didn't see it, It didn't happen." This employee stopping your friend and pulling the bag out of his hand is unforgivable. The embarrassment alone is humiliating, not to mention your friend is ill and could have had a seizure (or worse)
NO ONE should take the word of a customer, or employee when it comes to another person suspected of shoplifting.
I would immediately contact an attorney. In the meantime, document everything. The store, dates, times, employee names (if possible) and everything else he can recall about the incident. Don't speak to any store employees. Just get an attorney. Right away. It doesn't matter what kind of appearance your friend has. It sounds like he was profiled. That's a shame.
The store is at fault here. Anyone can see that.
You answered my question completely. I understand it fully now, thank you very much for all of your help!!
Thanks for the quick reply. I asked the question on yahoo and was told my friend was an idiot and told other rude things. I spoke to the store on his request yesterday and ask what their policy was on shop lifting. They did tell me that they don't want an employee chasing after someone, but only offered an apology. They called back today and said they would only discuss this with him even though I told them he asked me to handle this. I will speak to him tonight and recommend an attorney. Thanks again.
Hi Guilt, Best of luck to you!
Hi Jason, Glad I was able to help. I'm surprised the store apologized. That's admitting guilt. They are correct about the employee chasing anyone. It's not only very dangerous, it can lead to innocent people being accused, as was the case with your friend.
I'm not surprised they won't discuss the situation with you. They probably know this is headed to a legal outcome.
Best of luck to you and your friend.
hey rockinjoe,
i took a large stack of clothes into a dressing room, put some of the items in my purse, and then returned a few of them. i then proceeded to go purchase one shirt, which i stupidly enough payed for with my debit card. i left the discarded tags in the dressing room. so, i was wondering--if store employees find discarded tags in the dressing room, do they automatically think someone has been stealing and check surveillance cameras for who enters the dressing room? and do you think, if they notice me walk in and then walk out with less things, they will watch me go and pay with my card for the one shirt and then look up my information and call the police? i took probably around 150 dollars worth of things, and it's been about 12 hours, and i can't decide if i'm safe or not.
thanks!
Hey Rockinjoe, just to help out on guilts topic, we do have assistant managers for LPs. Every department has the same basic chain of command at Walmart. Let me put it in simple terms for your readers. It's hourly worker (LP aka floor walker), department manager (LP in charge of the other hourly dudes) and assistant manager( boss of all dudes also one in charge of hiring). The database is just all within Walmart. Hell, a friend of ours got cought stealing money from the cash office and is currently working as a teller for a local bank, lol. It's basically stuff that stays within Walmart, in case you want to work here. Hope this kinda helped. Hope your having an awesome Christmas Joe, I got a couple of stories I need to share concerning our new LP. Let's just say he thinks of himself as a commando of LPs lol.
Hello sosorry. Nope you're safe. You didn't steal anything. Moving an item from one part of the store to another (although suspicious) is not a crime.
Hi Bane! Merry Christmas to you, as well! Thanks for stopping by. My point with "Guilt" was that no one at store level could drop charges no matter who they were. Once that civil demand gets entered, the world could blow up before anyone would be able to delete paperwork. Thanks for the education on the chain of command. I think I'll pass on employment...lol.
I would love to hear more about your commando LP. I used to love working with those Rambo style store detectives. What a bunch of jerks. They never seemed to last very long.
In fact, if you're interested, I'd love to publish some of your stories on my main website. I know it wouldn't be the brightest idea for you to divulge your identity,but if you want to send me an email from a dummy account or something, you can find me at
submissions(AT)ishoplifted.com (I had to write it that way, so Hubpages doesn't turn the email address into a link and I get automated spam.)
Either way, have an awesome holiday week and I am not jealous about you guys having to deal with Christmas returns from Kmart (that people swear up and down were bought at Walmart!) I used to hate return week.
Hey joe, been following ur hub for quite some time. I love it. I dont know if Ive just been really slick over the past couple years or what but WM is really easy man. It started out when i got hurt on a 4wheeler riding accident and had to figure out some way to pay my bills. I lived off walmart for 3 1/2 months. I would go in and buy whatever i wanted to get free. lets say a computer or flatscreen big things preferably because its not stuff people would suspect u stealing. I would bring it to my truck then go back with the same receipt and duplicate plus passing thru the register with it to buy a couple small things then out the door i go. Worked every single time. We talkin microwaves, computers, tvs, comforter sets, u name it...anything big! Then ofcourse i would bring the stuff i paid for back later to a different WM.I call it my 2 for 1 trick. I had my neighbor say ok I will buy EVERYTHING u get for half of price on shelf so i had it going on. And also, the thing with walking in with a walmart bag. Put whatever u want in it, go thru the register with the rest of ur stuff and add the bags to it, simple. I just cant imagine why it seems all these people are getting caught. it just seems too easy. U want to offer me an explanation maybe?? This started about a year and half ago and although i work, i still pull a stunt every now and then just cause i can.
Hi slightlyparanoid, When fitting room attendants see tags and hangers on the floor in the stalls, they immediately assume theft. But, since you are supposed to have a certain amount of privacy in the fitting rooms, no one is supposed to be able to watch you steal.
Sounds like the store missed out on apprehending you for theft. They can't go after you now. People leave clothes inside the fitting room all the time. There's no way to prove you were the one who stole them.
If retailers don't care enough about their products to dedicate full time employees at the fitting room, who count every item going in (like they did back in the day), they deserve anything they get.
Still, it's not a good idea. I am completely against shoplifting in any way, shape or form. Keep up with this method and I can all but guarantee you'll get caught.
Thank you rockinjoe! You really helped me out. I still feel really guilty for what I did but I know time will tell when I'll be fine again, I am never stealing ANYTHNG again!
Hi Too Easy! Thanks for the compliment. I appreciate it. I don't know how to explain your recent "lucky streak" with Walmart. There could be a lot of reasons they're not on the ball. It usually boils down to poor training and associates and managers who just don't care.
Retail is a hellish job and is far from appreciated. Usually the people are NOT to blame. The people are great, but the processes in the company are broken. Cutting hours, health care, other benefits, crappy pay and treating people like dirt are just a few reasons good people give up.
Thanks for checking in....
Hi Learnedalesson1, Glad I could help! Happy New Year!
i have a interesting one i was at best buy and i put a macbook pro in my cart i walked around the store i bought a x box game and talked to the salman about games for a bit i really had no intention of stealing the store was closed and the security guard was at the exit the salesman that helped me walked me towards the exit and we talked about his job i gave him one of my business cards and proceeded to the exit the only thing in my cart was the laptop and the game i gave the security guard my recepit and he said is that laptop yours i said yes and he handed me my recepit and said have a good night i was shocked and i feel horrible i had no intention of stealing but i made a poor decision claiming that the item was mine What do i do they have all my information from my purchase but i didnt hide anything from them they let me leave witout a recepit what do i do?
I stole a 10 dollar item from food lion tonight. When I eas leaving one of the ladies who work there walked out of the store at the same time. She stood by the door until I pulled out then went back in. I don't know if they saw me hide the item. Car is in my moms name but we don't live together. Is there anything they can do?
Hi mclovin, You knew you weren't going to pay for the MacBook when you left the cash register. It sounds like you're blaming Best Buy for your crime.
If you plan on keeping it, keep it. If you want to do the right thing, get it back to Best Buy.
Recently, my cousin went to a chain-store out of his home state. He wasn't planning to, but for some reason he took a box worth about $10, opened it and put the contents in his pocket. He then put the box in a random aisle. He walked out without anybody stopping him and got home. He started feeling terrible and threw the item away, and was freaking out that they store will find the box and look at the surveillance footage to track him down. A day after the incident, he drove back to his home state. Again, he safely got home without anybody stopping him. He donated twice the value of the item to charity to feel less guilty, but now he's worried that the someone will knock on his door. He's also worried that when he goes to that same chain-store, they will know that it's him. The two states were about 1100 miles apart. Can you ensure safety for him, I hate to see him freaking out like this. He said he would never do it again, and will always feel terrible inside that he did.
Also, since we live far apart, he keeps trying to contact me with e-mails and by phone. I just tell him he's going to be safe, but he won't accept an answer from me. So I think this will really help him. ( Sorry if you have already gotten a question like this. )
Hi helpforcousin, Once again, I'm not a lawyer, so take my advice for what it's worth.
Your cousin took a $10 item and discarded the box in an aisle. That box, after being discovered by a store employee, will probably be added to a shrink database within the store. This keeps track of the amount of loss within the store, so they can get an accurate inventory at the end of the year.
Tell your cousin to rest easy. He didn't rob a bank at gunpoint and take hostages. He stole a $10 item and got away with it. The store missed their chance at apprehending him outside the store and will NOT be looking for him. Even if we went to the original store carrying a sign that said "I STOLE HERE LAST WEEK", there's nothing anyone could (or would) do.
Sounds like his conscious is doing a good job of beating him up over it.
Good luck.
Hi scared,
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I accidentally skipped your comment.
Food Lion may have suspected you of stealing, but unless they followed they followed the above rules,they would not have been able to apprehend you. For $10, it isn't worth coming after you, but had they called the police and you were caught in the parking lot, it wouldn't have been worth going to jail for $10, either.
Thanks! It really helped ease his mind. This happened 4 days ago, I know this question has an obvious answer, but he wants to see hear someone with lots of credibility. Is it safe to go to that chain store in his home state?
Hi helpforcousin. You're welcome. Glad I could help. I wouldn't worry about going to the store in any state. There was officially no crime committed and your cousin wasn't even stopped. He's good to go. There's nothing they can do.
I'm sorry, I have one last question. He just now told me that he additionally bought an item using his credit card. Will that change anything? Again, sorry for asking so many questions.
Hi helpforcousin, It doesn't change a thing. The store had the opportunity to see your cousin steal and then apprehend him. They obviously either did not see him shoplift, or they didn't have enough evidence to stop him.
There were many times when I was 99% sure that someone had shoplifted, but if there was a step (or more) missing, I had to let them walk away.
They can't stop him next time he comes in to any of the store's locations-unless, of course he tries to steal again.
Wow! I never realized it was that hard to stop a shoplifter. They don't even check the surveillance footage?
It depends on the size of the store and if they are having a problem in a certain area.
For example, If I knew I had a theft problem in the DVD section, I would make sure that every camera in the area was pointed at my DVDs when I went home. The next day I would review footage and look for my thief. If I saw someone on tape who scooped a bunch of my DVDs, I'd make sure I was in the store around the same time as he/she was coming in. Then I'd just wait to get them.
Everyone seems to think that there are people operating these camera systems 24/7, which just isn't true.
Well, my cousin's incident was in a target. Again, would this make any difference?
nope. he's good to go.
Thank you so much! He's all straightened out. You've been a really good help. He's feeling normal now and is truly thankful.
hey i steal little shit fairly often like a tube of lipstick ect when i cant afford it but need it.. ohkay want but im pretty vain. not shallow but i care a lot about hwo i look anyways, in iowa do you know how much if i were to get caught id need to have stolen before i could be charged? cause i really doubt you can get charged for something thats like 2 bucks.
Wait, since he bought an item using his credit card wouldn't they have his information? Would they at all try to contact him or any local chain store near him? Or would they leave it be and forget about it?
I am an employee at a retail store and one day I was texting with my cousin and all of a sudden she shows up in the store, she looking around and grabs a few things and then goes to the dressing room, while in the dressing room she calls out to me and tells me to bring her some more items. So I did and she tries on a few items and says she has to meet someone and leaves the store. She left with 6 items and I didnt report it because I was afraid of the connection( our last names ). Nobody has mentioned it but our inventory is coming up and we will be missing some items. Do you think the store will investigate and find out we are related and think that I planned this? Should I be worried because I am super freaked out?
One week ago from tomorrow my friend and i went to the mall. She picked out a bunch of make up (about $150) and handed it to me. We went to a fitting room with some things i wanted to try on and with the make up. While i was trying things on she took all the make up out of the packages and put them in her purse. I was shocked and i promised myself i would never go shopping with her again. After i was done she left all of the packages in the fitting room and hid them under some clothes. Well tomorrow i am going to that store in the mall and im worried that (this may sound crazy but) when the store went to close they saw the empty cases and went to security and from there security looked on the cameras saw us walk in with the same products and walk out with nothing but there was empty cases so now they have pictures of us and if i go tomorrow there gonna think i stole it and i will get in trouble. Can they do this or no?
Hi stephanie. You can charged for a couple of dollars. It all depends on whether the merchant wants to file charges.
Suppose the store had suspicions that you had been stealing for awhile, but have never caught you red handed until now?
They can prosecute if they wish.
I don't know how old you are, but if you're under 18 and get caught for shoplifting, you MUST be signed out by a parent or guardian. If LP can't get a hold of one, guess what? You're going to the police station where a pissed off cop has to babysit you until they can get ahold of your mommy.
Don't ever think you can get out of being charged or brought to the police station for shoplifting.
helpforcousin YOU'RE KILLING ME! HE'S FINE! If you keep asking about your cousin, I'm gonna turn him in myself:)
Hi Moxie,
I don't know what to tell you. Anything's possible here. She shoplifted, but if you're on video handing her the items, it's going to be difficult to prove you were not an accessory. You also probably violated company policy by not reporting a shoplifting.
I would ask a lawyer. If you don't have one, look up some legal forums online and ask them.
Good luck
Thank you!
Hi Hermione...
You would probably be considered an accessory to shoplifting, if you had been caught. I say that because at certain stores, handling the merchandise can involve you in the crime. Other stores do not involve the accomplice and only go after the one with the merchandise. You seem to have avoided that. It's illegal for stores to have cameras inside the fitting rooms.
Since you were not stopped, there was no crime committed. I'm sure that they found the empty makeup packages, but this is a daily occurrence for most stores. If they were interested enough (and had cameras in the area), they may be able to see who went in to the fitting room with it. This way they could keep a better eye on the makeup and fitting room areas and wait for you or your friend to come back and do it again. But, they can't take you for a past crime. They're not cops. They're retail employees and have to follow the rules (as messed up as they may be) Read those 5 rules again, above.
Shoplifting in any capacity is a stupid crime and can seriously screw up your future. If your friend keeps up this behavior, she's eventually going to get caught. The more someone gets away with it, the more confident they become doing it in the future. Don't get involved. You got lucky.
Thank you:)
You're welcome....Hermione. Happy New Year!
Hi I got caught shoplifting but there were no cops involved. I received a civil demand letter that I have not paid yet. As of now, is there anything on my record or anything that will come up in a background check when I apply for jobs? If I do not pay, what will happen? If I do pay, what will happen?
I am just mainly worried about getting a career in the future as I am only 20. Thanks for your help in advance.
Hey I had a friend who got caught shoplifting and hes 19 well the LP said she seen him making a return (wrong i was the one making a return and i explained that but she still put it in her report) well she said she was ON LUNCH WHEN SHE SEEN IT and she said she quickly went and clocked in and came back (she lost sight of my friend and just followed me around not my friend at all) well she stopped us BEFORE WE LEFT THE STORE (not even out the security ringer things at the first door) Can my friend do anything about this? She didnt know where he had hidden his items, she was wrong in her report AFTER I TOLD HER I WAS THE ONE WHO MADE THE RETURN and all that, anyway can my friend do anything about that even if he did take the items? Since she was wrong so much in her report and didnt really follow any guidelines?
Hi Michelle...
There were no police involved, so the issue remains between the store and you. Nothing will appear as a criminal record and won't affect your future.
The civil demand is like any other bill. You can either pay it, or not pay it. BUT, if you do not pay it, the collection agency/law office who is attempting to collect from you will be ruthless in hunting you down and getting it paid. Failure to pay may get you sued in small claims court or be reported to the credit bureau-where it could affect your employment someday if companies request a credit check. It wouldn't show up as a shoplifting. Just a failure to pay. Save yourself a major headache in the future and pay the bill.
Hi Kala, Was this in a chain store, like a Target, Walmart or Kmart? If a stolen item goes directly to the service desk, she didn't have to wait until you got outside to stop you. As soon as you (or your friend) received money, a gift card, store credit, etc., for the return, you've committed fraud and can be stopped.
Thank you for the response on my previous comment rockinjoe. I wish I would have read it earlier, and taken your advice. Yesterday, I got caught shoplifting at target. My friend and I went in and took a cart while proceeding to put many items in it. We were under the impression that we could seem like we were shopping, but just put the items in our bag. Then just leave the cart somewhere, and walk out. Though, we didn't put items in little by little. We were in the intimate department and stayed there for a while ripping tags and putting the items in our bags. We moved the cart slowly around as we did this. There are cameras in target, so we were suspicious looking I'm assuming if there was people in the back looking at them. Anyways, we left the cart in the back of the store and started towards the exit. We thought we were solid, walked past the first exit door with no problems. As we opened the second door to officially leave the store, targets security rushed in on us from outside and behind. They grabbed us and made us walk very quickly towards their holding cells. My friend, who is 16, took a target bag and had about 250$ worth of items. I only had 2 belts and 1 bra amounting to about 57$. We both had no criminal past and had never been arrested. I had an ID, but she didn't. We both go to different schools, and I go to a school where you have to test to get in. My friend goes to a local school. The security poked fun at the fact that I was the smart one based on this. Maybe this is another reason why they called the police to arrest her and not me. The police came and brought her to jail, even though her parents showed up. I don't know if they wanted to prosecute her or not. I overheard the police saying are you sure you want us to take her, shes a minor, this won't count on her record or anything. Nothing will happen to her. I think the target security gal just wanted to be an ass. I don't know.. My main questions are, what could we have done better once they caught us to lessen the blow? Would playing dumb have worked? Where did we mess up? Is my friend in big trouble? Why didn't they arrest me too? I'm just banned from that target, can never work at target, and if I'm caught shoplifting at another target I will be arrested by the police. Note again I'm 14
Hi Shoplifted, I remember you. It's apparent that you attend a good school. It shows in your writing.
Two teenagers walking around a Target with a shopping cart will attract LP instantly, but two teenagers in the intimates section, taking their time, pulling tags and pocketing merchandise will command their complete and undivided attention.
I'm not familiar with Target's policy on juvenile shoplifters, but for $57 worth of merchandise, you got off very easy. In any other store, you would have taken a ride with your friend to the police station.
I'm assuming a parent or guardian picked you up at the store and signed you out? If you live in a state with a civil demand statute, your parents can expect a fairly large fine to appear in the mail in a couple of weeks.
As far as your friend is concerned, $250 is BIG TIME shoplifting. Target didn't have any choice but to prosecute her. I'm kind of surprised the cop questioned taking her in, but I'm sure he made the next couple of hours she spent in his company as miserable as possible. I only hope you both learned a lesson out of this. Ok, I'll stop playing Dad now. Here's the answer to your question.
There's absolutely nothing you could have done (with the exception of dumping all the merchandise in a cart before you left) to change the outcome. You can't play dumb or make something up when you're walking out the door with $300 worth of unpaid for merchandise.
Anyways, I appreciate your stopping by and sharing your story. I certainly hope this was your last time.
Good luck!
Hi Joe,
I'm going to admit that I've shoplifted in the past from stores and I'm not exactly proud of it. I was wondering why is it that big-company stores, such as Wal-Mart, have so many dead areas? Also: How would YOU Improve some of these stores?
In a fair example, I've taken a videogame from the electronics department, stuck it in my pants, and grabbed a pack of magic cards or something stupid and small and bought it. When the alarm goes off, I show a receipt for the simple pack of cards, and I'm off the hook for nothing.
Why is it so simple to do something that costs the store hundreds of dollars?
Hi Confused. Every store is different. When a store installs their camera systems, they place their best cams (the PTZs or moveable cameras) in the highest shrink areas of the store, such as electronics, dvds, cds, health and beauty, jewelry, softlines (clothing) and the service desk and entrance/exit areas. The secondary (or still cams) are placed in aisles that may be a problem due to their low traffic. These aisles may exist in domestics and fabrics, paint aisles, auto, etc.
Once the cameras are in place, they stay in place, but sometimes the store doesn't. Aisles move, departments change from one side of the store to another, sometimes huge displays or sales signs hanging from the ceiling block lenses and you're right....not enough people are watching the dead spots.
Not every store (in fact, very very few) has cameras in every aisle.They should, but they don't. You're limited to a number of cameras for your store. Sometimes getting an additional camera installed to watch an employee is possible, but when it comes to Loss Prevention I can honestly say you're at the very bottom of the list when it comes to getting any money for cameras, monitors or other equipment. I've worked in full sized chain stores with as little as 0 cameras and as many as 62. Sometimes when a store has a bad inventory, they'll equip it with a better system, but that completely depends on the company.
I don't know what I'd do to improve the situation. I guess I'd see how much of a budget the store had to buy supplies and I'd go from there. I know I would go as overboard as possible with color moveable cams.
I like your trick of pocketing an item and then paying for it. That's an oldie but a goodie and unfortunately it works all too well. The person at the door is supposed to take your item (the cards in your case) and deactivate them and then ask you to walk through again. That's the way it's supposed to happen, but I think we both know better.
I know that a lot of the big shots in chain store LP visit this hub on a daily basis. I know this because I'll get emails from LP who like what I do, saying things such as, "My boss hates your guts. You were the subject of a 2 hour conference call." and I got one recently from a young woman starting her career in loss prevention who during her training, was told by her boss, "Don't ever post on this website. You'll be fired immediately."
As you may well imagine, I'm STILL not the most popular guy as far as loss prevention is concerned.
I'd love to have one of those big shots answer your question, but you'd never see any of them post here.
Hey rockinjoe,
I work at a best buy and recently our department was missing like 15 iPhones. The manager of the store is blaming everyone in the department for the issue when it was clearly no ones fault. Whats going to happen next? I overheard them talking about AP coming to the store sometime in the next week. What can they do? And what can we do to cover our asses for something we didn't do? He said it was considered theft. The problem was that our cabinet containing the iPhones was unlocked for like two weeks. Wouldn't it be the managers fault for not getting the key for the cabinet?? I don't understand why we would be to blame. If we got fired is there any legal action that can be taken with the matter?
ive stole from walmart before many times and i havent got caught or trailed by lp ever. nothing huge biggest item maybe 28 bucks but the rest under ten bucks. the last time i attemepted a lift i had air freshners on me and was opiing a package to check for security bars, inoticed a person trailing me hid the wrapper kind of and the slid the item unintacted into a lower shelf. i then had a freind in the store who told me i was being watched i ditch the fresheners and made it out okay. but while in my car i notcied two people come out to look around they must have seen me or something and started walking towards me i then truned on mt truck pulled out and left before they got with in fifty feet. heres my questions. A. could they get me for lifitng on camras before even tho i didnt get causght? b. did they take down my liscnese plate , even so should i be worried. and c. do you think i made it away and should give up lifting and fig my self lucky. i havent had any calls or attention and its been about 16 hours i knwo its to early to tell but when the lps were folowing me they didnt catch up to me becuas i lost them and didnt get me with stuff on me.? really worried cops are going to get involved learned my lesson wont do it again looking for advice from you since ur good at it
sincerly worried
Hi Basturdchild, AP coming into the store is not a big deal when you didn't do anything. There may have been some company violation among employees for not making sure the cases were locked, but the overall responsibility lies with the manager. It's HIS iphones that are missing and I'm sure he's more worried about his job than everyone who works for him, so he's probably just threatening to see if there is any reaction among his employees (like the 15 iphones magically re-appearing back into the case)
No one can accuse you of theft without proof. In fact, in some stores I have worked in, the LP big shots want more than one occurrence of theft from an employee on tape before they will even sit them down to chat. I think your manager might just be nervous.
When AP comes in (and if they chat with you) just tell them what you know. (They may ask for a written statement.) Before they talk to anyone, they will reviewed any video (if available) and will pretty much know what happened to the iphones. If you didn't do anything, don't worry about it.
There should be no reason to cover your ass if you or the other employees didn't take them.
Could it be an overnight crew responsible for taking the items? Perhaps a janitorial service? Maybe a single customer got lucky when no one was in the department.
Please let me know what happens. I'm very interested in this case.
So it didn't help LP when the F&R Lazarus store published photos of all their store detectives on the front page of the newspaper here, did it? Unless they were decoys...
Hi Worried, I get asked this question a lot and once again, once you've left the store (especially with an item under the $10 amount), you're pretty much good to go. If they had enough evidence against you, they'd stop you. The reason you haven't been stopped yet may be due to:
1.) They haven't seen you shoplift, or just think they did.
2.) They haven't got enough evidence to stop you.
3.) They're not allowed to stop someone for merchandise under $5 or $10. (This happens more than you may think)
The odds are against you in shoplifting. If you steal something and the store detective is NOT allowed to stop you because they don't have enough evidence you walk away.
BUT....
There are some LP's who don't play by the rules and may take the chance and stop you. Loss Prevention detectives can be fantastic liars when they want to be.
Seriously, it's not worth taking $5 or $10 items and then end up getting a record over it.
Good luck!
Hey rockinjoe,
Thanks for the response. The problem with that is the fact there's a blindspot where the iPhones were at so a customer or employee could have easily taken the iPhones without the cameras catching them. Hopefully they keep all of their camera feed from the previous days or months but either way it's gonna be a tough one. We believe it's a merchandise issue where someone who works in the merchandise area might have jacked them. But I think it was one of the seasonals that they hired but decided not to keep.
Hi Patty,
Thanks for stopping by. Are you serious? They put their LP in the paper? That's laughable.
It isn't too hard to figure out who is working LP inside a store. Shoplifters would call Kmart when I worked there and ask something like:
Shoplifter: "Hi, Can I speak with Steve in Loss Prevention?"
Kmart: "There's no Steve, here. Joe works here now."
Shoplifter: "Joe, ok, let me write that down. Is he available?"
Kmart: "He's off today. Would you like to speak to one of the other managers?"
Shoplifter: "No, I'll try back again, tomorrow! Goodbye!"
That's the day I would lose TV's, DVD players, you name it.
Nothing really surprises me in retail, anymore :)
Hi Basturdchild,
iPhones in a blind spot? Wow. Someone screwed up there. You bring up a good point with the seasonal workers. Someone should have been keeping an eye on the Christmas help. Can't get them for it, now.
Good luck with this thing. I'm dying to know how it turns out.
What does Old Navy use RFID tags that are sewn into the clothes for? Inventory tracking or lp? I don't think they deactivate them in the store bc they set off alarms at other stores (target, barnes and noble, etc), yet they don't set off their own alarm when you leave the store. Just curious if anyone was familiar with old navy and the purpose of the tags. Also, they only have them in some items. My older children's clothing always have them but my toddler and my infant's clothing have none. It's odd.
Hello,
It's been 6 months since I got busted for shoplifting at Wal-Mart. I had taken $35 worth of merch. I feel terrible about it now and have done a total 180 since. The cops were called and I was arrested and taken in for finger printing and the whole nine yards. The charges were eventually dropped and i got into a diversion program and did my community service. I'm embarrassed to say that I had shoplifted from that's Wal-Mart before, always little items. I know this sounds paranoid but I think they suspected that it was not the first time I had done that. I was only ever charged with the time I was apprehended for, but part of me is worried they will come after me for the other times. It's been a long time now but I can't quit looking over my shoulder. Would they send me something in the mail or send cops to my home. I feel so bad and scared all the time, probably just my guilt manifesting itself. Could really use your advice, thanks Joe.
Hi Mom, I'm not familiar with the Old Navy tag, so I'm afraid I can't comment on it. I would assume they're for theft and probably only in their higher priced merchandise.
If someone knows, please feel free to post.
Hi Joe,
About six months ago I got busted for shoplifting at Wal-Mart. I am so ashamed of what I did and have done a complete 180 since. I was caught with $35 worth of merch, the cops were called and I was arrested. They took me in for finger printing and the while nine yards. I got a lawyer the he got me into a diversion program I did my community service and the charges were dropped. I'll be getting my record expunged soon. I am ashamed to say it was not the first time I had shoplifted from that Wal-Mart, always little things, and I feel they may have suspected it, though they never mentioned or asked me about it if they did. I was only charged with the time I was apprehended for. I know this is going to sound paranoid, but everyday I am worried I am going to get a letter in the mail, or a cop will show up at my door because they want to charge me for the other times. As I said earlier it's been six months but I can't quit looking over my shoulder, it's probably just my guilt manifesting itself. So I guess my question is this; would they wait six months to charge me with the other times if they know about them? Like they waited until I had the other charges dropped to file new ones? I know it sounds crazy but I've been so worried and could really use your advice. Thanks Joe.
So sorry for the repost, didn't see the original! Didn't know how hub pages worked, first time commenting.
Hi Luna,
I guess they shook you up pretty good.
Walmart appears to be all said and done with you. They have to catch you at the time of the theft to have you charged. Remember, they're not cops. Talk to your lawyer of it makes you feel better, but my money says you're ok.
Glad you made the 180. I'm sure you've left an impact with those reading this right now.
Thanks for sharing your story.
Thank you Joe,
I really appreciate you getting back to me. I feel much better, my lawyer also assured me I should be fine. I guess every now and then it's good to have a little extra reassurance. To anyone out there who shoplifts or thinking of doing so, DON'T. I started going to a therapist and found out I have generalized anxiety disorder. Apparently this is not uncommon among shoplifters. If this is the case with you, if you think your anxiety it bad now, let me tell you, you ain't seen nothing yet! Sorry to sound all preachy but the rush you get from shoplifting doesn't last and the anxiety and loss of self respect unfortunately do. Thanks for getting back to me Joe, it's a great thing you're doing here, keep up the good work.
Hi Luna, Thanks for the nice compliment. Best of luck to you in your future :)
Happy New Year rockinjoe!! I'm addicted to this hub now!
Happy New Year!
Thanks, Learnedalesson1, That's nice to hear. I appreciate that. Happy New Year to you as well!
Do you know whats Walmarts policy on employee theft like lets say I work in customer service and at the end of the day we take claims merchendise to the back and in the back I take an Ipod touch whats the posibility i would get caought. There was a camera right above by the emergency exit but that was all and at the end of my shift no one stopped me. Would they approach me the next day or would they wait for me to steal more stuff what about if i only have 2 weeks left before i leave the company.
Hi Employee, Stealing from claims/returned merchandise is probably the easiest way to get caught in a retail store.
In any department store I've worked, I made sure (if it wasn't done already) I would have cameras all over the place in returns. You may be able to see the camera above the emergency exit, but you would not see miniature or pinhole cameras placed just about anywhere. I used to hide them inside shoe boxes that I'd poked a hole through.
Stores are very secretive when it comes to their employee theft policies for obvious reasons. In some chains, they want LP to get 3 different instances of employee theft on tape, before they'll approach you. In other stores, it's right away. So, you'll never really know if (and when) they'll be approaching you.
If for some reason, they only suspect you of stealing, but can't prove it for some reason, you may just see your hours cut to nothing. That's another way of getting rid of a thief.
Does Walmart know you only have two weeks before you leave the company? If so, they could be watching your every move. I know I would.
So I am ashamed to admit that about a month ago I stole a small item from cosmetics store. The item was under $10 in value. I'd never done that before and apparently I don't have an aptitude for it b/c the store clerk was immediately suspicious. She verbally interrogated me about it and I of course swore up and down that I did no such thing, bought my items and left the store. Worried that she would call the shopping malls security I immediately dropped the item and continued on with my shopping. I never saw any security roving about. I recently went back to the same store where I had the luck of encountering the same cashier and she of course hovered around me the whole time and treated me with rude, disrespectful suspicion, understandably. I have no plans on ever doing this again b/c I disagree with it morally. Plus, it scared the sh** out of me. My question to you is-do you think it's "safe" for me to continue to shop at that store location? Or do you think it's possible that they might have possibly incriminating video footage from that day on record and might try to bust me with it now, going on 2 months later?
Hi I was at walmart and was gonna lift some stuff but I got nervous and put it all back. And when I was going to leave to manager runs up to me and asks to see my recepit I told her I didn't get anything and she looking in my reusable shooping bags that I take whenever I go into a store and she also looked in my purse. And she asked what happened to the merchandise you had and I told her I put it back. She asked if I had ID on me and I told her yes but I'm not giving it to her. She then follows me out the door and she must've gotten my plate number. Because 3 weeks later I get a phone call from the police. Asking me why I was there and I freaked out because I wasnt expecting that and I lied and told him I wasn't there probably not the best thing to but I panicked. But my question is why would the police be calling me if no merchandise was stolen and could I get in trouble for anything even though I didn't steal anything?
Thank you
So I work at this clothing store in a mall. and a few weeks ago (before the new year) I took a piece of clothing by taking the sensor off at the cash register but pretending like I was fixing it along with a few other items I was holding. In the back, I tore off the tags and threw them away and I placed it at the bottom of one of my other shopping bags and went home after work. no one had approached me about it at all.
These past couple of weeks, however, I have not been put on the schedule to work, and I am getting worried. I worked many hours during the holiday season, and now I am not scheduled to work at all. Do you think they are not having me work because they are investigating something? Is it possible that they can look at past videos to around christmas time and see me on camera (at the register)?
Hi, One day I went into CVS to but a pregnancy test but looked in my wallet and did have enough money. So I attempted to take it. I put it in my purse and opened the package up inside my purse and took the test out and put the box elsewhere. But my conscience caught up to me so i decided to take the test out of my purse and put it somewhere else. I ended up purchasing something else And left the store. I'm worried i'll still get introuble. I'm home now and its been about an hour. A lady asked me if she could help me find anything, i told her no thanks im good. So, if i left with nothing will i still get introuble? IM SO WORRIED! I'm never thinking about doing that again. Thanks.
Heyyyy, this hub is filled with activity lol. Took a while to read recent stuff. I liked the post about LP's using you as a threat to their little LP's lol. I guess it's because when you put on google search "what happens when I get cought shoplifting", your page comes out first. Congrats my friend, hope you find a way to make some money with this fame you have gained.
As far as on my end things have been pretty interesting here at Walmat. The commando LP'S got fired for pushing a cart back on a shoplifter and she immediately made a big scene. She was walking out and the idiot stood in front of her and said "that's mine", pointing at $9.00 headphones. She brushed him off and kept walking and the idiot stopped her cart and pushed her back. We were all taking our break out in the front and saw the whole thing. Turns out that lady put a lawsuit on Walmart saying she messed up her wrists.
Funny little story that happened today. We were shopping at the Walmart close to my apt and my wife was doing her usual shoplifting on food items we need and can't afford. My wife spotted the LP when we were looking for the blind spot and I see him peeking on the endcap (front of the isle) our way. So I go up to him and he quickly grabs his phone and pretends to make be on a call. I tell him "dude you are making it too obvious". He replies "excuse me?". I told him I work at the other Walmart and he is doing a horrible job on the floor. He then asks, "oh are you the new asset protection there?, I heard they needed someone". In my head I'm thinking, "hahaha you just gave yourself up". We talked for a bit and my wife even stashed the food in the same isle that we were talking in.
Well that's it for now, I will make sure to stop by more often. Hope your having a good year so far, I know I am.
Please reply urgently! I stole a $30 book from Barnes and Noble which doesn't have a loss prevention employee. I had my Beats by Dre on my head and I just walked right out with the book in my purse. The machine beeped. When I got in my car, I saw an employee chase me out and write down my license plate number.
I quickly hid the book in my car without him seeing and I came out to ask is there a problem? He told me the beeper went off, I ran off, and so he wrote down my license place number. I said this is ridiculous and told him I'd show him the contents of my purse. He told me to come inside and I opened up my purse up to show that there was nothing there but my personal belongings.
He didn't look convinced, walked away, and I pretended to be angry and made a fuss about being embarrassed by the "false" accusation. When I got home, I got paranoid and called the store up. I wanted to know if they still thought I was a thief and were going to investigate but I disguised the question by asking: I'm requesting an apology from the employee who unfairly accused me in front of some customers, leaving me embarrassed.
The employee who picked up the phone told me THAT employee refuses to pick up the phone and that she can't force him to come to the phone. And she didn't reveal any information regarding what could happen with me. Like: are they still investigating, are they convinced, do they still have my plate number?
I'm mainly worried that the store has my license plate number. The employee who checked my purse didn't look convinced that I was "innocent" so I'm afraid that they will look through the tapes and see if there is evidence enough to convict me.
I'm a teenager so I don't want this to go on my record. Should I just go visit the store tomorrow, ask to talk to the store manager quietly, bring back the book and confess in the most sincere manner? What will happen? I'm scared!! Please help. What is my best course of action?
I don't want my parents to find out--or worse, for this to go on my record.
Hi Rbom ,
Sorry for the late reply, but for some reason your question didn't show up in my inbox.
There was no crime committed, so you're in the clear. It doesn't matter if video exists of you concealing the item. You didn't go through with the shoplifting. The clerk even asking you about it probably violated her own company's policy. No employee is supposed to accuse a customer of shoplifting. It's not only wrong, it's discriminatory and bad for business.
Don't worry about it. Shop away. Glad you couldn't go through with it.
Alicia1987,
No one is supposed to stop you when you didn't take anything. Walmart knows better. Their corporate office is a regular reader of this website, (they don't like me too much) so I'm sure they will read this and see that their company policy is being violated by their managers.
Read the above article about getting stopped for shoplifting. None of that seems to apply in your case. No one can search your purse or your bags, or accuse you of a crime when they don't have the facts. Especially a WM manager.
As far as the police calling you weeks later, don't blame them. They're just following up on a complaint that WM obviously made. Calling you three weeks after the fact, shows you how important this complaint was to them. I know you panicked, but you shouldn't have lied. You had nothing to lie about, as there was no crime committed.
If you wanted to make a big deal out of it, you could contact an attorney and sue them (or at least threaten to sue) for what is known as a "bad stop.". WM messed up. Read this article first and then decide if it's something you want to pursue.
Hi Uh Oh,
It's possible that they know you are shoplifting. If they have video evidence, or just suspect you and want to get rid of you, an easy way to do so, is to cut your hours until they disappear completely.
BUT-
Remember that after Christmas is the slowest time in retail and everyone is getting their hours cut. Not just you. It's possible that there is just not enough customers to justify more hours. Good luck.
Hello
I went into a walmart and I was gonna take a whole bunch of stuff but I chickened out and ditched the stuff and when I went to leave the manager ran up to me and demanded for my receipt I told her I didn't buy anything and I went to leave and she grabbed my reusable shooping bag that I take in to any store I go in to and starts looking in it and there was nothing in it because I put everything back and she also looked in to my purse once again nothing was in there. She then asked me I'd I had ID on me I told her yes I do but I'm not giving it to you. I then left the store with her following me to the sidewalk and I got in my car and left. This happened 3 weeks ago and yesterday I get a call from the police asking why I was at walmart and why I put the stuff I had back they even said that they saw he person put back the merchandise but I panicked and said I wasn't there that nite. Could I be charged with anything even though I didn't steal anything at all? The cop even said nothing was taken them why are they calling me now when I didn't even take anything
Please help I'm freaking out any advice would be much appreciated
Hi SaraBethxoxo,
You don't have anything to worry about. You didn't officially steal anything. Taking an item out of its package and moving it to somewhere else in the store is not a crime and definitely not shoplifting.
In any store I've worked, pregnancy tests were major shoplifted items. I always made sure I had a camera on them. It's not a bright idea to steal them-or anything else for that matter.
Good luck!
Don't worry about anything.
Thank you so much you made me feel so much better. O and I sent the same thing twice I wasn't sure you got it. I probably couldn't sue them although I'd like to but 8 years ago when I was 16 I got caught stealing a 2 dollar lip gloss and they didnt call the police or anything but they made me sign a piece of paper saying that I wouldn't go in walmart anymore but they just took my name and signature and nothing else no picture no license no description no social security number or anything. With all that being said would I be able to possibly sue them?
Sorry bout another long question
Thanks again
Bane,
How's my favorite shoplifter? LOL, I'm glad you guys are having a great year, so far. Messing with LP's in other Walmarts, I see. That's too funny. Great story and thanks for sharing.
Personally, I hate to shop. Fortunately for me, my wife doesn't mind it. I'll only go when absolutely necessary.
A year or so before I got married, I was in Walmart to pick up a bunch of stuff for the house. I am ALL OVER the store when I shop. I go quickly, too. I must look suspicious, as I'll go from say HBC to Men's and then back to HBC (because I forgot something), then to Auto, etc.
So WM sent out one of the kids to follow me around that day and this kid was so obvious I wanted to call him out immediately, but I was having fun sending him all over the store. If I was in Men's at a rounder, he'd be on the other side of it looking at shirts with me. If I went to HBC, he was in the same aisle checking out razor blades. (I don't think he was old enough to shave) and then just for kicks, I'd take him over to feminine protection.
Finally, when he's looking at a rack of ladies jeans with me, I looked over at him and said. "Let's go back to the men's department. I should get some socks." I think I ruined that guy for life. The red faced little dude just walked away with his tail between his legs. I guess you had to be there, but it was pretty funny.
And thanks again for the compliment and your well wishes. This hub appears to be doing pretty well and my shoplifting site is getting lots of traffic also. I'm hoping it turns into something soon. Who knows, maybe someday, you'll see me on Fox news as a shoplifting expert or something.
Thanks for stopping by again, Bane. I really appreciate it. Don't get caught in 2012! :)
Hi Justine,
I don't know how these stores continue to place themselves in liability's way by taking chances with suspected shoplifters. The B&N employee had no right to ask you to come inside. Writing down your license plate is an old LP trick. It's pretty much done to scare you and is usually only used if they suspect you of stealing.
It looks like you got away, but you also got lucky. The store is not going to invest hours into investigating a shoplifting case for $30.
The employee wouldn't come to the phone because he had already (most-likely) been chewed out for what he did and almost causing an incident for his company.
Any other time, I would say call a lawyer (or B&N corporate) and bitch about it, but since you got away with a crime, you're pretty much even.
You're a teenager. Don't mess up your life for a $30 book.
Good luck.
Thanks for your answer rockinjoe! You rock! Lol. So I should just avoid going to Barnes and noble for a while and I won't get a note in the mail in a couple weeks to go to court or etc?
Im not going to do anything like this again. I'm in the top 2% of my class and my parents spent 3 grand on an intense prep class for the SAT (which I scored in the top 99th percentile). It would be such a disappointment to lose all this progress for a stupid book. (it was more for the thrill)
Im 14. I put a board game in my back pack from barnes and walked out. I didn't expect the machine to beep. I froze for a second, and just walked out. The lady followed me out and wrote my cousins license plate down. So I went back and showed her my backpack and there was nothing there because I swapped it with my cousins backpack. Its identical.
The crazy lady just said ok. So I walked out. Will they look through the cameras on the ceiling to get me arrested? Am I or my cousin gonna go to jail??! (he's 17) they have his license plate number man! Im trippin out. What's gonna happen?! Please help me out
Thaaaankk youui
Hi Justine, You're welcome! Glad I could help. (and glad I rock, too!)
No, you're fine. The store is not going to track you down and you won't receive a fine in the mail. It doesn't work like that. If they were going to pursue you for shoplifting, they would have had to stop you outside on the sidewalk (or in the lobby) of the store.
I'm glad you've seen the light on shoplifting. That thrill disappears pretty quickly and turn to fear. Try hang gliding or a bungee jump, or something. (And good luck in school!)
Hi Craig,
Looks like you got away with it. Don't be proud of it, but take it as a lesson. If you get that freaked out after shoplifting you've found out something important about yourself. It's not for you.
Had you been caught, B&N would have called the police and had you taken to the station. I can tell you first hand that cops have no tolerance for juvenile shoplifters. Why?
1.) Most of them have kids of their own, or at least nephews and nieces and don't want to see kids get mixed up in shoplifting.
2.) When a cop arrests a juvenile for something like shoplifting, he/she automatically becomes a babysitter and has to track down your parents to come and get you at the police station. If you get a busy cop (and they're all busy) you could easily spend a couple of hellish hours at the police station-and that cop isn't going to make it easy on you. Trust me. I've seen at least 200 juvenile arrests and cops are never in a good mood when they find out it's a kid.
You also have to be aware that you could have a cop who's off duty and just shopping at the same store. They don't follow store rules when it comes to suspected shoplifters. They just grab you right, then and there.
I'm not trying to lecture you, because you probably learned your lesson, but next time you're thinking about doing something like this, just take a couple of minutes to think about what could happen.
Good luck!
Well, I'm not really worried about the store tracking me down. But I heard that the store could write a report to the police or give them my license plate number and potentially incriminating surveillance footage. The cops would then put me on trial or something. Is this right or am I 100% in the clear? I live in California by the way.
Sorry I'm spending so much of your time! Im just really paranoid and scared.
Thanks
Xoxoxo
I just panicked and hold the cops that I had no idea what they were talking about mainly because the stuff I was gonna take was worth a lot of money and I was worried that they could charge me with intent to shoplift or something, but in the end I chickened out and put everything back. Do you think I could have a right to sue walmart
And thanks so much for the first answer
I had a friend do a uh oh that she is not sure about, it was late night and she had over $100 worth of groceries. There was a miss hap with paying (check?) and she was sure she didn't pay for items. However since no one took her already sacked items she left! Now she's worried to death ~ what can I tell her to ease her worries!
Hi Justine, Shoplifting is a low level crime and unless you live in a really small town where everyone knows everyone else's business and there are 3 cops on the whole force, I wouldn't worry about it.
As a store detective, I'd be waiting for you to come back and steal again, so I could catch you next time. Even if I did catch you, I wouldn't be able to charge you with the first shoplifting, but I would definitely call the cops on you, no matter what you got the second time.
The only way you'd really have to be concerned about them making a complaint to the cops if you were hitting them a lot and they couldn't catch you. I've had cases in the past where I just couldn't catch someone after repeated thefts and the cops would just say, "Call us as soon as you see them."
I don't see that happening in your case. And don't worry about asking too many questions. That's why I'm here.
Hi Alicia1987, There's no such thing as intent to shoplift. You either do it or you don't. For example. You could walk into a store and fill it with expensive DVD's and walk it around the store for hours. You would be watched as if you were going to steal them, but if you parked the cart inside the store and walked out, you didn't shoplift.
I suppose you could call a lawyer and talk about a possible case against Walmart, but these things rarely get to court. WM would probably try for an out of court settlement and offer you a gift card for your "inconvenience"....
Let me know what happens. I'm very interested.
Hi uh oh, Crimes such as what you described are known as opportunity theft. Meaning, the theft wasn't planned, but the conditions were right to steal, so some people take advantage of it. This happens a lot. The cashier bags the groceries before payment is accepted and if there is a problem with a credit card or check that doesn't go through the system, the customer may ask the cashier to hold the purchase until he/she returns with proper payment. Then when the cashier has moved onto another customer, (or isn't paying attention) the customer walks out with the cart full of merchandise.
What the cashier is supposed to do, is to alert a front end manager to take the cart and put it in a safe place (such as behind the service desk, or in a small office) and wait for the customer's return. Sometimes they screw up.
Now, should your friend be concerned? That depends.
You say there was a problem with the check. Does the store have her name and address? Sometimes in this situation, the store will call the customer and ask them to return to the store and pay for the merchandise. They could also track her down from the store card that one swipes before purchasing.
Can they call the police?
They can. This is an incident (where if there are good cameras up front) will have all the elements of theft (most-likely on one camera) They'll have your friend placing the items on the belt, the problem with payment and her leaving the counter with the groceries. If they had her name, they could press charges if they wanted.
If the store calls, that means they've reviewed tape and know your friend took the items without paying. They would give her the option of returning to the store to pay for the merchandise. They don't want trouble. They want their money.
Hello all. Ive just finished reading every single post here, and now I felt as though I would share my own experiences with shoplifting. I have been stealing from big name retail chains (Such as walmart, kmart, and the like) For a little over 10 years now fairly constantly. When i say constantly, i mean everytime I enter one of these stores which is usually multiple times a week. I have never been caught, never been followed out, or anything of the like. Now dont take that as me saying i steal EVERYWHERE i go, just the large chain stores. And if I had to guess the amount that i have taken from these stores, I wouldnt even be able to come to a number that i think is high enough to be accurate. One thing I have come to understand is that shoplifting is (if done correctly and cautiously) the perfect crime. The reason I do it? Because I have witnessed first hand the effect these large companies are having on smaller buisnesses. I have never stolen from a small independent store in my life, and will never do so either. These companies run small local stores out of town as soon as they are built. Stores that have been around for generations. I offer a little advice to all those out there who feel guily stealing from these large stores; Don't. They make more money than you can imagine. Even with the thefts they rake in so much that they could care less. Also, I would like to offer a tip. If you are planning on steaing from one of these large chain stores, DO NOT get greedy. That is how you get caught. Im talking about electronics and the such. Stay away from them and move on smaller items, after awhile they really do add up. And the most important factor in not getting caught is your body languange. If you feel like you are doing someting wrong, you will get caught trust me. It will happen. The only way to avoid this is to train yourself to know you are doing nothing wrong, act as if the thing you are stealing is already yours and you are just retrieving it from the store. Your guilt and nervousness will almost ensure you will be caught, its just a matter of time. Get what you came for, then get the hell out. The biggest mistake people make is taking something then having second thoughts. If you stick around you will be caught. Buy nothing, take what you want, and go. Simple as that. That is my advice to you all. Good luck and be careful please.
Hey Joe,
So nine months ago I got caught shoplifting from Wal-Mart. It wasn't the only time I had shoplifted there just the only time I got caught. Eventually I got into a diversion program and charges were dropped. I was very lucky. I feel just awful about the things I have done and will never steal again EVER!! My concern is this, since it was not the first time I had shoplifted from them will they eventually charge me with the other times? Would they wait this long to do so or do you think that even if they did suspect the other times they are done with me? I've been caught and trespassed, would they spend more time on me? Its been so long now but I still can't get over this, please help!
P.S. I never took anything big just small things no electronics or anything like that. Just want to put this behind me. No one said anything to me about suspected prior times and the LP were actually vey kind to me considering the circumstances. I was taken to the station and now it's been expunged from my record. Still just worried.
Hi Lilly, Have no concerns about this at all. Walmart can only charge you with what they catch you with at the time. They're not cops. They can't (and won't) backtrack. It doesn't work like that.
Glad you got everything straightened out.
Goodness gracious people why the hell shoplift?
Just shop the sales using coupons and you can get anything you want next to free without committing a crime!
Someone I know stole something and LP followed us into the parking lot. She didnt arrest him, she didnt even say anything actually. She did however write something down behind our vehicle, I'm not sure what.i guess my question is, can the police do anything now that we're gone?
Thanks Joe! I figured that was the case but I tend to be a worry wart. It's been so long anyway but it's good to just to hear that from someone in the know. I love your hubpages btw! Keep doin what you're doin. I'm going to keep out of trouble!
Hi again
I just want to make absolutely sure I can't get into any trouble. The police called me again and I don't know what to do. Any ideas?
Your sure that the police can't charge me with anything? Because I didn't take anything the manager even checked. Why would they even make a complaint to the police if I didn't take anything. I have lifted stuff from the same walmart a couple of times before and it was a pretty high dollar amount is it possible that they are gonna build a case on me from the previous times? The other times I've never even been looked at or try to be stopped they had no idea I'm pretty sure please help in so scared
Hi Joe,
After I accidentally walked out of Kroger with a pack of candy without paying for it a couple months back, something got over me, and I would occasionally take a few packs of candy (from the checkout counter displays) when I went back to Kroger, all the while paying for all the rest of my groceries. It happened again late last night. I went in and got a good amount of groceries, but had grabbed a few packs of candy by the cashier while walking into the store. One of the attendants (I think there were only two working) saw me take it and after I had paid using the self-checkout (it was late, so only those were open), both approached me. One asked me if I had checked out everything I had, I said yes. Then the one who saw me said something along the lines of, I saw you take this candy, it's on the camera with the police upstairs. I panicked, lied and said I put it back on another aisle. I was asked to show him where, and as I followed him over, I discreetly put the stuff back on random shelves, so they don't know I put it back. Of course, the stuff wasn't where I said it was, and I just said I didn't know what happened and why it wasn't there, which I'm sure he didn't believe. We went back to the checkout, and the other attendant asked me several times if I was certain I did not accidentally put it away and forgot to pay for it. I said, yes, and offered to show him all the contents of my bag and pockets, as well as wait for the police. He said he didn't want to see it, or call the police, and let me leave.
I'm not sure if either attendants were LP's. I'm surprised they didn't take any information down, but I realized as soon as I left that I used my kroger plus card to pay for the groceries and they can easily track my information. I'm really worried that they will pass the information and tape to the police and file a case against me. They don't know I put the stuff (less than $10 worth) back last night and didn't actually take it out of the store. Also, I'm worried they will trace past tapes (if they have been suspecting for a while) and build a case against me to take to the polices.
I have never, ever done anything wrong before in my life. I don't know what came over me. I have been so worried that I have not been able to sleep a wink, eat, or focus on school at all. I keep waiting for that call/visit/arrest by the police.
Please help! What are the chances of them doing that?
Hi,
Sorry that was so long. I do hope you get a chance to read over it and let me know what you think soon and put me out of this misery of not knowing. I have already driven past the store today several times meaning to go in to confess and apologize, but chickened out each time. Would that be wise?
Thanks in advance!!
Hi Joe,
I submitted a question about 12 hours ago asking for your advice. It isn't showing up here, so I'm just wondering what happened. Please get back to me soon, I'm so worried!
Thanks
I was shopping at a CVS and noticed a product opened that was valued at around $7. I justified taking the opened product by saying the store is merely going to write it off anyway. After leaving the store I noticed I had a piece of uniform from my job that could be used to track me down if the store really wanted to, so I figured do the right thing and come back to the store an place the product right back where I found it, maybe unwise since it probably appeared suspicious in itself and could have prompted their LP to go back and review an earlier tape showing me walking outside with unpaid merchandise.....any consequences I should be worried about? I'm 50 and have never been charged with anything!....but am now very worried.
Walt
Hi Jacob,
You didn't give me much to go on. What was stolen? There's a big difference between stealing a CD and walking out with a big screen television. LP's are limited as to what they can do. The person was either writing down your plate, attempting to frighten you, or to call the cops, depending on what your friend took.
Hi Lilly. You're awesome. Thanks again for reading my hub!
Hi Alicia1987,
You didn't tell me before that you lifted from the store in high dollar amounts, previously. That makes this is a completely different story. Just because you weren't stopped before, doesn't mean they don't know about you. There could have been a million reasons why you didn't get stopped-or perhaps you weren't watched, but after merchandise was found missing, they reviewed any tape they may have had. That could explain the manager jumping the gun and questioning you.
At this point, I highly recommend your not writing about this on the internet any further. Get in touch with a good lawyer and tell him/her EVERYTHING. Do this before the police contact you again.
Hi worriedtodeath,
Thanks for your question. Sorry for the delay. I administer 6 websites and I get a bunch of mail. Here's my take.
Candy is not a big deal. It's a minor crime. Kroger had no right asking you about an alleged shoplifting in that manner. Where are we living? Iran? To tell you that the cops are upstairs watching is ludicrous. If the cops were watching you shoplift, they would have arrested you.
I think you've probably learned your lesson from this experience. Sometimes it's effective to get a good scare in you, but someone accusing you of a crime when they have no training in that area (or evidence) is not the way Kroger should conduct its business.
I'd bet the farm that you'll be ok on this. Good luck.
Hi Walt,
If CVS wanted you, they would have gotten you when you walked outside. No one is going to review tape (if there was any, that is) of a $7 item and even if they did, there's nothing they could do about it, except to wait for you to come in and do it again.
Good luck!
Hello RockinJoe ~ Very informative and eye-opening. I'm not particularly interested in this topic and try to stay out of stores, unless I must go food shopping or a necessity. I'm surprised to read so many stories from your readers dealing with shop lifting. I watched the video demonstration and it was truly hard to make out what these two men were doing. I suppose store owners raise the product prices to compensate for all the stolen goods. Really sad commentary about human nature. Blessings, Debby
Thank you Joe! Haha I live in NC. So I really don't need to worry about them going back over the tapes, and looking up my personal information through my customer rewards card, and sending the police after me? If they have me on tape on a few instances, wouldn't they file a case and pursue it? I'm so paranoid and feel like every policeman I'm passing these days (even campus police and my building security card) is looking for me!
I've definitely learnt my lesson. It's not something I have ever done before, as I've always been the person who said "i've never even taken a pack of gum before" when my friends talked about shoplifting stories. Like I said, the first time was completely accidental and for some reason that I can't even fathom right now, I went back and did it a couple more times. Never, ever again.
Also, would you recommend I avoid the store from now on, or would that be suspicious?
Thanks again!!
Hi Joe,
I thought I'd share my story with all of you guys and see what I can do with this horrible experiance. I live in Texas. This happened about a month ago on Dec 2011. Me and my family decided to go out of town for Grocery's at a Walmart 30 mins away from where I live. Anywho, when we got there me and my two little sisters decided to go to the toy section as we always do. I walked around for abit and picked up the following items: skateboard, spider man mask, and a toy glove (that was laying there as if a little kid dropped it or forgot about it.) I had the glove on my hand and the spider man mask on my face fooling around with my sisters as i was leaving the toy section. Heading to the Electronics section now, me and my two sisters stopped to see some movies on the side of the rack. (At this time i had removed the spiderman mask) Soon, I was approched by a man (who dressed like a bum) told me he wanted to ask me a question. I refused, not knowing who he was and knowing not to talk to strangers. He repeatably continued to tell me, "Come here!" I was very confused and terrified of this stranger calling me in such rude manner and disrespectful way. He then said, "I need to ask you a question about the toy you're wearing on your hand." I told him, What was it he wanted to ask me? He then told me that he had saw me wearing that item for a short period of time which was consider stealing! I was shocked! I told him no that I had picked up the item along with a spiderman mask with no intentions of stealing it. I also told thim that I had been wearing a spiderman mask aswell was I stealing that too? He didn't say anything about that, he pretended to ignore me. But then, he began to call me a thief and a lier! I was so embarressed as people passed by looking at us. I told him, "Sir, did you see me walk out of the store with the item in my hand? I'm inside the store with it on! What if I'm planning to purchase it?" This really pissed him off! Because he bagan to tell me that he hated smart a**es like me, and started to threat me that he was going to call the cop that was watching the secerity cameras to arrest me for being a theif. And that I was gonna be in jail for being a thief! My sisters who suffer from health problems (Asma and panic attacks) where very scared and crying. I was very worried about them and asked the guy to please leave me alone I had not stolen anything and wasn't planning to ever! He then tried to make me confess to the crime by repeatably saying "Tell me the truth.. Where you planning to walk off with the item? I wont arrest you." I said, No! I told him "Confess to what? I have not done anything?!?" To this point he was really mad, because I didn't want to confess to his stupid misunderstanding. So he told me to hand over the toy to him and that he better not see me stealing again! And he told me to continue on shopping, but that he was going to follow me everytime I walk in the store. When I walked away he began to follow me and my sisters threw out the whole store with a smile on his face. Basically making fun of us. We ignored him and I went to go tell my parents. They speak no english so I decided the best thing to do was leave and never return to that Walmart again. I felt so violated, scared, confused, disgusted, and mostly humiliated for something I had not done! And it took place inside the store infront of the Electronic section with alot of people passing by which really embarrassed me. I know nothing about rights or policys considering that I'm 19 yrs old. But after reading threw afew comments I know now that I was treated worser than dirt that day. Please what can i do to seak justice or aleast have this man fired? I never called the store nor got his name. Tho I still remember how he looks and all. I'm not a criminal! If he had proof that I had stollen the item, then I would have been put in jail and tooken full responcsibility for my own actions. Nor would I be taking the time to write all of this. Please Joe tell me what I can I do. I hope it isn't to late to seek justice..
Thank you for taking the time to read this!
Sincerly,
Norbit
Hi Debby Bruck, Thanks so much for the comment/ I appreciate your stopping by. Yeah, it's pretty crazy. I compare shoplifters with those who constantly drive 10 miles over the speed limit, as it's just as common.
And yes, the merchants do raise their prices to reflect loss. It's a problem that will never be eliminated. I call it the world's second oldest profession.
Hi worriedtodeath, I know you're from NC, but no one is going to investigate this small theft, unless you live in Mayberry. It doesn't make sense financially. For example: If I'm paying a guy $15 hour to investigate your candy caper, I'm losing money all ready. No one is going to go through the trouble of putting tape together and then get your customer information for this amount and then do what? Loss Prevention is worried about their high ticket merchandise. Electronics, razor blades, sheet sets, DVD's, video games, etc.
NOW....if you were coming into my store and walking out with a flat screen everyday, I'd have every person at my disposal waiting for you to return.
I wouldn't even be concerned about going back and doing some shopping when you have to. If they're suspicious of you, let them watch. As long as you're not stealing, you won't get caught.
Hey rockinjoe,
First of all great blog!Here's the deal, I stole a few books from a store and bought a third at the register using a credit card. It may have been paranoia but I thought it was strange that the guy at the checkout counter asked for my I.D. with the card and then double checked my signiture on the receipt.
Now I'm 99% sure that I was out of camera view but does any of this sound strange to you? Even though they let me walk out of the store with a bookbag, will they review the tapes and then find me through my card?
Thanks for your help its much appreciated.
Thanks a lot
Hi Norbit,
That's the worse case of customer service I've read about Walmart in a long while. If that were me, I'd end up going to jail, because I would have punched that guy in the face.
You said this guy dressed like a bum, but was he wearing a blue vest, or maybe just a name tag? It's possible he was LP, or perhaps a manager of some sort. Either way, that guy isn't winning any corporate awards this year.
I've kicked more than my fair share of kids out of the store, besides stealing for many reasons, such as riding on the skateboards in the aisles or messing up the aisles and ripping things out of packages, etc. Even if you and your sisters were involved in this kind of activity (and I'm not saying you were), you should not have been accused of stealing and treated that way. That guy should be fired for what he said to you.
I would write to Walmart Corporate Offices by clicking this link.
http://walmartstores.com/contactus/feedback.aspx
Tell them everything that happened to you (like you did above) and try to provide as much information as possible. If you have the guy's name, that's even better.
Include these in your email:
1.) The town or city where the store is located.
3.) The date (or approximate date)
4.) The time of day.
I don't know what Walmart will do, if anything. They should at least send you a gift card or other compensation.
Your other option is to hire an attorney and see if a suit for false accusation is in order.
I don't blame you for being upset. Good luck.
Hi Ricky,
Thanks for the compliment. I appreciate it. This thing is blowing up.
If there were LP in the store (or if there were LP, but they were not watching the cameras) they would have apprehended you upon exiting. They're not going to use their resources to investigate this. (Unless, of course you took extremely high priced books $100+.)
They're not going to give you any trouble if you return, so even if they do suspect you, they can't do anything until you steal again. They need evidence AND several steps in order to stop you. A past incident is not good enough. Good luck.
Hi Joe
I was shopping at a walmart in PA and it was around Xmas time and I was doing some last minute shopping I hate pushing around carts and those baskets things r akward to carry so I always use my reusable shopping bags when I shop it's so much easier well I was shopping for DVDs and box sets and putting them in my reusable shopping bags and a woman walked by and gave me a funny look but I didn't think anything of it when I was getting ready to leave I noticed I forgot my wallet and unfortunately had to put my merchandise back so I was leaving the store since I had no reason to be in there without a wallet and as I'm leaving the woman that gave me the funny look when I was putting the items in my reusable bags comes out of no where and asks for my recepit I told her that I forgot my wallet and had to put my stuff back she looked in my bags and asked if she could look in my purse I let her because I just thought she was doing her job and then she looks at me and demands to know why I was concealing her merchandise I was shocked as I usually always do my shopping that way and I explained that to her and how I forgot my wallet she was just such a (pardon the language) bitch about it I left a little upset about being accused of such a thing but got in my car and drove home and a few days later the police called me and asked y I was at walmart and I explained the whole situation to him and I thought that was it but today in the mail I got a criminal complaint court case that I have to go to for retail theft!!! I couldn't believe it and since I had quite a few DVDs the price of the items it says in the form was like 500 dollars which I dnt believe it was that much so I called the police officer back and he said I am being charged with shoplifting but I wasn't and nothing was even taken he even said that nothing was taken and I said that and he said it doesn't matter because I concealed them in my shopping bags! I'm so nervous because I'm a criminal justice major about to graduate in 4 months and I don't shoplift I have a squeaky clean record with only one traffic ticket like 8 years ago I'm so scared because I didn't steal anything and I wasn't going to steal anything now im facing a felony retail theft charge when I'm about to graduate with my criminal justice degree!!! I have an appoint with a public defender because I can't afford a good lawer!! Can they do this I have never been in any kind of trouble before I don't understand how they can charge me with felony retail theft when I didn't even take anything even if I did put it inmy bag that's just how I shop but I guess j won't be doing that anymore plz help. Sorry for such a long post
Hi Scared,
Sorry for the late reply. This is crazy. Get yourself an attorney right away. He/she will be able to subpoena tape of you leaving the store with no merchandise. They can also go after the employee who asked to look in your pocketbook. Unless you shop at a Walmart in Iran, no store employee has the right to look in your pocketbook or even ASK to look inside.
If you live in a state where concealing merchandise is a crime (and there are states where that applies) the police can charge you. But, what the cops can do and what Walmart can do are two different things.
Walmart has to wait for you to leave before apprehending you. The police do not. If the police have tape of you concealing merchandise in your bags, they could probably charge you.
That's why you should get a lawyer immediately.
This is really messed up. I hope you straighten it out quickly and in your favor.
I was recently caught shoplifting at Kmart in Martinsuburg, WV under 7.00 I am a senior citizin 60 yrs. and on a lot of meds. I was stopped I handed back the merchandise and ran to my car they did put their hands on me and I fell I pushed the LP out of my way to get in my car and when the manager grabbed me he got my coat. I left and of course they called the sheriff. The sheriff called me and said he would be right over and never showed up. Can a warrant be issued? Also Kmart wants me to come in and sign a Civil Demand Notice, I asked my lawyer and he said not to. He tried to Kmart to send to him and they wouldn't do it.
Hi jeanette gilbert, At 60, you are FAR from being a senior citizen. Unless they've changed it, Kmart doesn't stop shoplifters over the age of 75. The liability that could come from a heart attack, seizure,(or worse) is too great. PLUS, it's bad for business to have 2 big LP guys bring grandma into the store in front of a hundred customers for stealing a box of Gas-X.
Kmart is NOT supposed to apprehend you anywhere OFF of the sidewalk in front of the store. I've seen many LP fired for violating that policy.
Once Kmart had the merchandise back, they were supposed to let you walk away. Not touch you, chase you, grab your coat, etc. I can't for the life of me figure out why they made such a giant deal out of a $7 theft. Have you been stealing from the same store for a long time? If so, It's possible they just wanted to put you out of business, but their method of doing so (though not illegal) is definitely against store policy. They could be and will most likely be terminated for this behavior as they've opened up their store to potential liability. Kmart big shots regularly check this website and I'm certain they will be looking into your complaint(and any past incidents) involving the LP and management staff at their store in Martinsuburg, WV.
Can a warrant be issued was your question to me. I'm not a cop or a lawyer, (but since you already have an attorney), he/she will be able to determine that. You just have to know that there are two different sets of rules in this case. Kmart's and the rules the police follow. Sometimes they get caught up with each other making the case more difficult.
A cop can question you on suspicion and search you on suspicion. A Kmart employee cannot.
A cop can chase you off of the sidewalk. A Kmart empoyee cannot.
A cop can search your person. A Kmart employee cannot.
A cop can place his/her hands on you to prevent you from hurting them, others or yourself. A Kmart employee cannot.
A cop can arrest you after the fact for a crime. A Kmart employee has no arrest powers 20 ft. outside of their store.
The cops are not concerned with Kmart's rules. They operate under town/city/state law and will do whatever they feel is necessary to uphold that law. Kmart LP are supposed to abide by their rules. They're not cops, they work in a department store.
Tell your lawyer everything that happened and refer them to this article. If everything you told me is accurate, you have a possible lawsuit against the Big K.
I once was trying to return merchandise for a friend to Home Depot. He said he didn't have a receipts so I just agreed to give the stuff it was about 150 dollars worth of paint. I was hounded by questions as I left the store by a security guard. I gave my ID, I did not really care if they took the stuff back or not cause it was not mine. My question is could I have been in trouble for returning the merchandise? and why did he question me so much?
Hi Redone,
I don't see how you could be in trouble for making a legitimate return. There's no way I would have put up with being questioned and harassed by a security guard, though. What did he question you about? As far as showing your ID, that's standard when making a return without a receipt. They enter your ID info in the register. If you make multiple returns without a receipt, they suspect theft and shut you down.
Home Depot gets its orange panties in a bunch about paint on a regular basis. Just like other stores who mix custom colors for customers, some people don't like the color once it's mixed. They return it and HD has to sell it at a reduced price. Not only does it leave the store with countless cans of Puke Green paint no one wants, but it leads to high dollar theft.
Someone got the bright idea one day to have a bunch of gallons of paint mixed, paid for it and returned it the same evening, claiming they didn't like the color. He went back to the store the next day and saw that his $30 per can paint had been marked down to $10 a can and bought it all back, saving two hundred dollars in the process. I can understand HD's frustration with this situation, as they're caught in the middle. They have to satisfy their customers and they also have to deal with theft. Why they don't just premix their colors, I'll never know.
Here's one for you. I work for a chain that gets mentioned a lot here. Two weeks ago we made a bad stop on a customer. He had paid for a tv the day before but could not take it at that time so he came back the next day. Anyway, after we saw what happened and tried to apologize, he said that he does not accept apologies and took his fist and broke the jaw of the LP that had accused him. Here's the clincher. The store manager told the customer to leave immediately and would not allow the employees to press any charges for fear of a big lawsuit. He stated that any retaliation would bring termination. The store took cafe of all of the medical bills but I'm shocked the store would do nothing. Have you ever heard of anything like this?
Hi Lonnie,
If this is true, I rank it about #4 on my list of Top 10 Retail Horror Stories. It's completely crazy!
The LP with the broken jaw made a major mistake stopping the customer with the TV (without fully knowing the situation), but the customer, the manager and any employees who witnessed this should be terminated by the company and charged by the police. A little parking lot scuffle with a suspected shoplifter is one thing, but breaking a guy's jaw is a serious felony.
Nothing in retail surprises me anymore, but if I was the store detective with the broken jaw, I'd have a couple of lawsuits going and be planning my retirement about now on a nice island in the Pacific.
so I return stolen goods to walmart with out reciept 3 time on the 4 time they said I couldnt I had to wait 6 months. anyway I wnet into walmart today and the lasy asked my name which was my name. are they investigating me how did they know my name, whats going to happen
So I stole an item from a store and as i was leaving they tried to confront me but I just ran away and drove, Am I home free?
ok Im a shame to say this but yes I have stolen 4 electronic iteams from walmart all at different times. and this is where i go food shopping and I have also returned stolen clothing. Two weeks later i go back into the walmart and the manger folloewd me in the bathroom and asked me if my name was such and such. she was right but I told her no it wasnt. Are they investigating me?
Hi OMG,
You're returning 3 out of 4 times without a receipt and wondering if they are investigating you? I would answer yes and no to that one.
They know you're getting the merchandise somewhere. It could be that store, another store, or maybe you're returning goods for a friend. It's just better to shut you down, than to bother with you at all.
Hi harassarah37,
That depends on the item. Was it a $20 DVD or a $50,000 diamond ring.
You didn't mention the store, but in most cases, when you're aggressive and decide to run, they are NOT supposed to confront you. That's why no one ran after you.
If I were the LP, I would wait for you to come back and then call the police. If you decided to steal you'd find a cruiser waiting for you outside.
Good luck
Hi OMG! It sounds like you're doing a great deal of shoplifting and returning, lately. It sounds like they are on to you, but for one reason or another have been unable to apprehend you. (Most likely due too WM's policy regarding apprehension)
It's only a matter of time before you see a police cruiser.
I was recently stopped by a walmart lp member and blocked from leaving the store. I had just purchased a back pack. She asked me to come with her and I asked why. She said i knew why. So I knew I had done nothing wrong so I went with her. Once in the office she told me to empty my pockets of all the unpaid fro merchandise. And specifically said the knife i use to open packages. I did and she found nothing. She then asked for my ID I asked why she said she reconised me from video a few days earlier. So i gave her my ID she said I was free to go after she obtained my information. Next thing I know the police are there. They too search me and find nothing. I know that she was in the wrong and have talked with a lawyer about that day. My question would be first of all is her Id'ing me just based on my jacket a positive ID? Then my next question would be what would the video have to show to get a conviction seeing that I wasn't stopped nor was I found in possesion of the accused items? I was arrested for petit larceny. I could be wrong but my understanding is that the video would have to clearly show me removing the items from the shelves then clearly show me consealing them on my person or in another form. Then it would have to follow me without losing sight of me all the way out of the store beyound the point of sale. Is this correct? And do they have to prove beyond reasonable doubt that's me in the video just because it looks like me doesn't mean it's me. I've been the product of mistaken identity in the past and a tattoo in the video proved it wasn't me. So they have to have something that can prove it's me like a tattoo or a scar right and not just a jacket or hey that looks like you. I haven't seen the video. Please help me the best you can. I believe I have nothing to worry about but I'm unsure. And thank you in advance. I live in New York btw.
i was returning a tv at menards and the guy gave me the money and said wait i gave you too much let me see the money, did i have to pull the money back out of my purse? i did and he took 100 bucks said he over paid me i had other money in there so i don't know if he did or not so what if i'd said no i'm not giving the money back to you. what could he have done he messed up not me
hello,
I live in Chicago. I am very professional shoplifter. I have stole clothes last year from Sacks, Neiman Marcus and Gucci stores for more than $40.000.00 just in 2011.
I do not have Kleptomania, because I do not fit into that category. I wear all of the clothes I steal. I can not stop my self. PLEASE help me. I do not need to steal any cloths, because I do have money. the sad thing is that I am a lawyer. please help me before I get in trouble.
my message does not go through
Hi mikejohnson72, Haven't you got anything better to do than to ask a bunch of fake questions to a legitimate website? A lawyer? What lawyer would ask me for advice? And as for being in Chicago? That's also a lie. When you tried to tell me you were a lawyer, I traced your IP address to Harvard University in Cambridge, MA. Shouldn't you be doing something with all the money mommy and daddy are spending on you at Harvard, instead of screwing around the internet? Like maybe study? Thank you, Mike Johnson for revealing what a d****bag you are. By the way, How did you get into Harvard writing like you do?
Hey buddy, ummmmm you aren't by any chance giving our ip addresses to Wal-Mart personnel, are you?. I'm sure they have asked for it through email since they frequently troll you. Just asking because you just owned this kid from Harvard through the ip address.
wow. thank you rockinjoe
Hey Bane, This jerk's been trolling me for a few days now. I had no choice but to call him out. Had the same thing happen last year from some LP at Filenes. I traced the IP and it just happened to be coming from inside the store's network. Owned that kid too. This thing didn't start off as a question and answer thing, but it turned into one, somewhere along the way.
I do what I can to answer people's questions based on my experience in the field, but I also receive a ton of comments and emails daily and some of them are LP, other retail employees, trolls, etc. I have to weed out the serious questions from the junk.
I use my real name. I have nothing to hide and I very rarely even look at an IP unless I suspect that someone is seriously messing with me.
Like the jerkoff from Harvard.
Lol, on the IP's to Walmart. That's all they need is a scandal like that on their hands.
Sounds as though she messed up pretty badly, a30scrip. The steps you listed to apprehend a shoplifter are correct. If you were found on tape opening and concealing items, were stopped outside and have no merchandise on you, that is what as known is as a bad stop. BUT since the police do not follow Walmart rules (as they follow the local law) that may have been enough evidence to get you arrested. You may live in a jurisdiction where concealment is enough to get you busted. Walmart made the mistake, but the cops did what they had to do on their end.
I'm glad you got an attorney on this. You have two separate issues to deal with now. The police charge AND the Walmart LP screwup. Good luck with this.
Hi lorigitscrewed. I would never have let a cashier take money from me when I wasn't certain a mistake had been made. What stores usually do in this situation is to shut down the register and audit the cash drawer. They'll match up the amount of cash, credit card charges, etc., against the transactions and see if there is a discrepancy. I hope you didn't get ripped off.
You're welcome, Mike. Good luck.
Hi rockinjoe,
I stole some makeup inside a fitting room store worth around $80-$100. As I was walking out to my car, I got stopped by the store's LP. She asked to look in my bag and I replied no and took off. She was then looking at my license plate and speaking through a walkie talkie. Am I going to get arrested in the future by the cops? Was she reporting it to the police as I sped off? And will they put a clip of this on the news or anything to warn the public about me? I'm scared. I would never ever do this again. My first and last time.
Hi Ashamed, I suspect if you were going to be arrested, or questioned, it would have happened by now. But, that depends on the area, how big the police department is, how busy they are, etc. I wouldn't rule it out just yet. There's a possibility you may get a call from a detective.
Keep in mind also that it's an old LP trick to pretend you're calling the cops or (in this case), being all CSI Miami and saying something official into a walkie-talkie.
For the cops to investigate this, they would need some good video (or a very detailed written statement) of the theft. It all depends on how important this theft is to the store and to the police investigating it.
As far as the news? Your guess is as good as mine. These shoplifting news clips are an excellent deterrent to shoplifting and pop up here and there. I saw one yesterday of a woman stealing several cans of baby formula.
If it makes you feel any better,your almost $100 theft is not a huge amount of money. Usually these news clips are reserved for boosters or felony shoplifters.
Thanks for getting back to me so quickly!
Would it change the issue if this was a large chain retailer? Is $100 worth their investigation? How can they send a detective? Would that cost extra out of their expense to do so?
Sorry, I am just so scared and I don't know what to do.
Hi Ashamed, Your answer depends on many factors. If the store filed a report with the police hoping they would catch you on the road when you left, they may or may not follow up. That depends on the police force, their case log and how persistent the retailer is being.
Try searching a legal or law forum. You'll get a better answer than what I can give you.
Sorry I can't help you out.
Ringing a customer up for a return without a receipt allows them to get a return voucher.(store credit).
You put the money on the card and inform the customer the amount on there. You hand the customer the gift card and she walks off. You keep the gift card. You didn't know that it would be considered stealing if the customer walks away from the gift card and you keep it. How is that stealing it intentionally? You had no idea that she was going to walk away. The gift card had 76 dollars on it. Keep in mind when a customer comes in for a return they are expecting something in return. Whether it's a card,money or credit back to their account. Is this really stealing and cause for you to be charged with a misdemeanour of theft under 500? I was asked that if i seen money on the ground would i keep it or give it to a manager? If I seen it that means I found it if no one is around to claim it. Which means it's now my money. He told me that you are to treat the gift card as money. So then I said if i returned the item and gave the lady 76 dollars and she handed it to me would that be stealing? Of course he said yes because i'm inside of the store.To me that's bull. Also i was told that he wasn't sure of what condition i'm in to steal but that's a crime. They accused me of being a thief.They also asked me questions of what school I attend,my age and major.I called the store manager and all he had to say about the situation was he was sorry that I felt as if they were being rude to me. They were just doing their job.(in a rude voice) He told my mother he vaguely knew about the incident.Then spoke with my mother and told her he will not be speaking with her about the situation again. I've never been in trouble before or had anything on my record. They terminated me from my job and i felt pressured and discriminated against. No manager or supervisor was present. Only 2 members from loss prevention and then a mall security guard plus a cop. I was escorted by them all to get my belongings from my locker and also escorted to my car. I was told i was banned from the 3 malls in my area.Plus the surroundings of them. With the exception. I am allowed to go to Walmart.I'm an African American.I just turned 18 in Sept of 2011. Attend college and pursuing nursing. Should I really have went through all this? Should I have gotten charged? Shouldn't this have been a write up or warning? Shouldn't there have been a manager present in the room with me? Who gave loss prevention the right to terminate me? Isn't that a managers job/supervisor? Should I really be banned from the mall for this and I didn't do it on purpose? I could see if i stole a shirt or merchandise from the store or any other stores.I could see if i stole a credit card and used it. I could see if I tried to hide a item to steal it. This is a gift card.If my intentions were on stealing then I would have stolen when I first got the job. I would have stolen a gift card when I first got the job if it were my intentions.I was told to give money I seen or a gift card that no one claims to a manager. My answer was if i gave it to them they would have used it but of course it wouldn't have been stealing because they have the upper authority and they are managers.I've never stolen a day in my life. I'll never shop at this location again and make sure that I tell everyone not to as well. Could anyone give feedback.
2 hours ago - 1 week left to answer.
Additional Details
I understand that it was wrong to keep the giftcard. I admitted to that and to them. The fact that they integrifgated me and I felt pressured was the problem. Not to mention they were saying if i found money in jcpenny and picked it up it's stealing. Technically it's not. The fact that it incident happened in november and I used the gift card in december and they terminated me on january 26th was the problem. Why did they wait so late. Why didn't they give me a warning? I felt like I was targeted because I'm black. Think about the time where a young black guy was banned from the mall because he had just gotten off from work and had on a bandana.Automatically accused by a white security guard that he was in a gang. Also the black woman who was talking with someone and was being loud was banned from the mall for 10 years? Becuase she was black. I was accused of intentionally stealing on purpose. Is it because im black?
Hi alienia 123, You're probably not going to like my answer, but I've got to go with the store on this one. Any money (whether it was on a gift card or cash) that you took for your own personal use is theft. It's exactly the same thing as taking money out of the register, or stealing an item.
As far as your interview with Loss Prevention, I'm sorry they were rude to you. Unfortunately, some people let this job go to their head and think they're in the CIA instead of staying grounded and realizing that they only work for a department store.
As far as your being targeted because of your heritage? Once again, I wasn't there, so I don't know what was said or implied. Only you and they know that, so I wouldn't be able to comment on it.
As far as not giving you a warning? Once a theft has occurred, it's not an HR issue where you could be given a corrective action. It's just a theft. There's nothing to warn anyone about.
The reason they took so long to interview you, was they were watching you to see if you did it again. It's Loss Prevention's job to build a case. These things take time. And being as busy as it is in December, they also weren't going to fire you and leave themselves without someone to run the service desk. Any operations or LP manager will tell you that the needs of the business come first. I've been in situations myself where I've had to delay interviewing an employee for theft because they were needed in their jobs.
If anyone in the LP business would like to comment on this with another opinion, I'll leave this option open. Thanks for writing.
So about a month ago I was arrested at kohls department store for shoplifting. They say they found out because of a ripped off tag left in the bathroom garbage. I thought they couldn't pursue that? Also the lp came running after me when I was about a foot away from my car in the parking lot and grabbed my arm telling me to come with him. I went, because he already had his hands on me. I had to sign a piece of paper saying I stole and would not come back. They totaled the items to 200 dollars. They called for a police officer and I had to wait about two hours before one showed up to issue me and apperance ticket. The entire time the male lp was making sexual innuendos about other customers shopping, using cameras to zoom in on females, ass's tits and ect. He also was telling me about prior cases, even showing me two girls photo's who I knew that had been caught shoplifting there prior. He even made a racist comment about "Asians always shoplift." I have obtained a lawyer, as I know what I did was dumb and will never do it again, and would really like it off my record. Is any of the things he did techincally illegal? Should I contact kohls about his inappropriate behavior?
Hi Idiot300616,
There's a huge difference between what is legal as far as the law is concerned and what Kohl's authorizes their LP to do while apprehending a shoplifter.
From what you told me, it doesn't appear that the LP broke the law.
As far as violating Kohl's rules? That may be another story.
Ask your lawyer to look into the following:
Can Kohl's make a stop if the concealment was done in the men's room?
Can Kohl's LP go off the sidewalk and into the parking lot?
Can Kohl's LP place their hands on a suspected shoplifter?
Can Kohl's LP hold you over 60 minutes while waiting for a police officer?
The answers to these questions are important to determine your final outcome. It may not get you off the hook for the shoplifting, but you may have a lawsuit against the store if LP violated policies when they stopped you.
As far as the LP going into the wastebasket after the tag, that's ok. He had to collect evidence.
The LP zooming in on girls and making racist comments, simply means he's an unprofessional a-hole. You could probably make a complaint and may even get him fired, but I think you're better off just getting your legal problems taken care of first and worrying about the LP later.
Read more about LP who exhibit the behavior you were talking about by clicking the link below. Good luck.
i work in a retail business, a couple yeats ago i was questioned by lp for giving a discount to a coustomer with my own company discount card, i told them i was not aware that i could not do this....my supervisor was fired because she okayed the transaction, i was told thatif i was found inocent i could return to work...which i did 2 weeks later after i was suspended...but they refused to give me a raise for almost 2 years..if i was found inocent why was i punished, i know this is a different kind of question, but lp for goodwill made this decision, they call it decision day
i never thought i was doing wrong, i thought i was promoting a great sale for the store...it was a purchase of 500 dollars and with my discount it was 400, they mark things down all the time so maybe the next week it could have been still sitting there...so much for being a good guy, no good deeds go un-punished, so much for my raise but still holding on to my job...would love to hear your input...was i screwed
Hey joe, I'm quite interested in your knowledge and I hope u can provide me with some insight-I work at a retail store and am good friends with one of my ex coworkers. She is a good girl, however, I once caught her stealing dollars from the register for a bus fare. Recently I discovered she owns clothing that idont believe she purchased. Now she has not worked there for a few months, and I don't really have any evidence to go to my employer. How can she be caught? Can I guilt her into admitting? What will the company do if I bring this up? I'm wondering if I get her in too much trouble if it's worth it. I want to know the worst that can happen and what is most likely. For all I know I might be mistaken, I don't know what to do??
Hi phoenix,
That is definitely a different kind of question and I don't think I'm going to be able to give you an answer. I can only guess.
LP can't make a determination on your pay. Only the operations side can. Is someone from Operations telling you that it's LP's fault that you are not getting a raise? If so, they've lied.
The discount card has been getting employees in trouble since its creation. You promised not to use it for unauthorized purposes,(friends, neighbors, other employees, etc.) when you signed all your documents at your orientation. No one remembers all the crap they sign on their first day and misinformation from other employees is the #1 reason so many people get into trouble over it. (Like your supervisor, for example)
If it were me and I didn't receive a raise in two years, I would be out of there if I thought my job performance merited a raise.
Get the answers to these questions:
Is everyone receiving raises?
Is the company in some type of economic hardship (as many are) and have suspended raises for a certain period of time?
If you don't get the answers you like, it may be time to look someplace else.
Good luck!
jim10 3 years ago
With all of these rules it looks like the Loss Prevention Officer has no way of catching a shoplifter that knows what they are doing. Seems like they have no choice but to lie. Of course I wouldn't want them to unless they were sure.