Hypothetical situation: You see someone stealing...

2»

Replies

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,992 Member
    Lol, I call them out on it right there. Chances are they will put it back and leave especially if they see me approaching management or security.

    While some may not be that concerned, the cost of shop lifting is passed on to the consumer. And I'll be damned if I'm paying for that face cream and not using it.:wink:

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Sarah4fitness
    Sarah4fitness Posts: 437 Member
    I'd report it to the management. It's not your responsibility to confront someone, and it might be dangerous for you to confront someone who is in the process of shoplifting.
  • Mrsallypants
    Mrsallypants Posts: 887 Member
    Tell her I saw her and to not do it again. There are enough people with criminal records already. Yet she has probably done it before many times and will do it many more times and eventually get caught.
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    I mind my business. I'm not on Target payroll. They have a loss prevention team, that get's paid. It will all work itself out in the end anyway. One way or another, or many ways altogether. It is what it is.

    I think it IS everyone's business - shoplifting costs companies millions each year and they re-coup this by having prices dearer for everyone.

    ^This. Plus, the last stats I heard most shoplifters are not people who are down on their luck and are stealing to survive, they are people who can afford the item and just don't want to pay for it. As in, they want the fancy face cream but they think $20 is an outrageous price for face cream, so they just steal it.
  • TitanGM
    TitanGM Posts: 1,161 Member
    So, what would you do? Ask her if she needs money to pay the item she just put on her purse
    Would you just ignore her and mind your own business? I can't ignore injustice
    Would you give her a dirty look? No
    Would you confront her about it? Yes, but after I am certain she's deliberately trying to steal the item
    Would you report her to the management? Definitely! Unless she leaves the store
    Would you report her to the police? Yes if she possesses a threat. (Armed, insane, etc..)
  • dunnodunno
    dunnodunno Posts: 2,290 Member
    I tend to report crimes when I see them in progress
    That's when I was ignored...

    Many stores have been and are afraid of liability for detaining shoplifters. If their security/loss prevention doesn't witness it or they don't have it on tape then they may not stop the suspect.

    Exactly. Most times management or loss prevention has to physically see the person actually in the act of stealing. The person by the time they get around to accusing them could have chickened out & dumped the item in another department.
  • alc212
    alc212 Posts: 124 Member
    Tell a staff member. They then take whatever steps they've been told to make by the company.

    As a shopper I am not aware of the stores policy - e.g. if the handbag is under a certain size they can't search it therefore can't do anything, if no security staff are present they may not be allowed to do anything in case it turns nasty etc. Or they may do what we used to do when I worked in retail - stuff the policies & possible risks... detain her!
  • salembambi
    salembambi Posts: 5,585 Member
    big corporation getting robbed some makeup,dvds,whatever the hell

    I could care less
  • 1pandabear
    1pandabear Posts: 336 Member
    Okay say you're at Target and you're just browsing around looking at the makeup section. Then all of a sudden you see a woman quickly shove a clearly unopened face cream into her purse. Let's say it costs around $20. She thinks no one saw and that she's in the clear, but you did. Let's say that if you don't do anything, she'll be able to get away with it.

    So, what would you do?
    Would you just ignore her and mind your own business? no
    Would you give her a dirty look? no
    Would you confront her about it? maybe
    Would you report her to the management? yes
    Would you report her to the police? if dangerous, yes

    In a grocery candy aisle I saw two college girls eating from the bulk bins and dancing around, talking, and eating more, happily, and it was so brazen I just said, "I can't believe you girls are stealing". One of them said, "it's like 15 cents" But they stopped and moved out of that aisle. It actually was avg $12/pound so they ate substantially more than 15 cents. I know from buying it, it's expensive. Not the point. Probably they had shamelessly done it before. My saying that brought parents and school and public exposure to mind, no doubt.

    In a drugstore, a guy was opening electronics packages and putting the contents in his clothing. I asked him a question about the product I was seeking, just to make my presence known, but that didn't stop him. He answered me but then also he looked pretty antsy and so I didn't confront, because maybe he was on meth, he might attack. But anyway I got my product and I told a clerk about the guy, who told the management. I don't know what happened after that.

    I agree it raises our prices and lowers our standards.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    I tend to report crimes when I see them in progress
    That's when I was ignored...

    Many stores have been and are afraid of liability for detaining shoplifters. If their security/loss prevention doesn't witness it or they don't have it on tape then they may not stop the suspect.

    yep. I haven't worked in retail for a very long time but this was certainly the case in the past -- and I'm assuming little has changed...except MAYBE it's more likely now that their loss prevention dept. cameras caught it, with better technology (?). Stores run huge risks of being sued if they falsely accuse someone.

    When I worked in a small independent video store the most I would do is say very casually to someone I KNEW had stolen merchandise in their bag/jacket, "Set it on the counter and I won't call the police" and almost every time they threw the item down and RAN out...lol...but I was careful and said it casually and without any eye contact or confrontation, because if they were to confront me or deny it etc, I could always be like "oh no I wasn't talking to you". I wasn't going to fight or die for a DVD copy of Collateral starring Tom Cruise. ;-P

    In that situation described in the OP, honestly I would just walk away. If it was a smaller non-chain store I MIGHT mention something to the clerk or owner. Maybe...case by case I think, for me...

Categories