Urban Outfitters: Judge, Jury, Jerkoffs

Image courtesy of

A manager at a Washington-area Urban Outfitters duped a mother and daughter into signing an admission of shoplifting by saying the form was to report 'damaged goods.' When the girl signed the papers, she was under the impression she was being banned from shopping in the stores, but soon received a "civil penalty" of $150 from Urban Outfitter's law firm.

A manager at a Washington-area Urban Outfitters duped a mother and daughter into signing an admission of shoplifting by saying the form was to report ‘damaged goods.’ When the girl signed the papers, she was under the impression she was being banned from shopping in the stores, but soon received a “civil penalty” of $150 from Urban Outfitter’s law firm.

That means that even if the daughter had been shoplifting, Urban Outfitters would rather extort her for money down the line than report her to the police. It also means that there is more to this story than just a single, centipede-filled manager. How many others have Urban Outfitters employees duped into signing up for a $150, out-of-process fine?

This is the paragraph where we are supposed to insult Urban Outfitters’ clothing selection, but we actually don’t mind their selection, even if it does look like a bus full of hobos exploded inside the Gap. (Thanks, Jay!)

Rip Unravels Family’s Shopping Trip [WaPo]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.