Kerri (not her real name) says she was detained last week at a Walmart in Utah, after she declined to show the receipt checker her receipt on the way out. She says a police officer blocked her from leaving, told her to show the receipt checker more respect, and then had her go back inside and let Walmart examine her bags while he wrote down the info from her drivers license. [More]
shoplifting
Customer Catches Cashier Stealing From Company, Wonders What To Do
By 12.31.09
In a timely coincidence to the New York Times’ story on employee theft, the following story arrived in our tipline about a day ago. The tipster wants to know who he should report this to: the store or the police? [More]
Tackling, Stabbing, & Fake Heart Attacks: A Walmart Shoplifting Gone Awry
By 12.31.09
A Tennessee couple tried to bum-rush the exit of a Walmart with a cart packed with $2000 worth TVs and a computer. When an off-duty police officer showed his badge after the man tried to muscle past the greeter, the would-be five-finger discounter said it was fake and tried to push through. The cop tackled the man and cuffed him. Then it got even better: [More]
Stores Worried About Employees Using Gift Cards To Steal
By 12.31.09
Gift cards may encourage spending, but they also make it easy for employees to steal, writes the New York Times.
Among the variations of such crimes, cashiers often do fake refunds of merchandise and then, with the amount refunded, use their registers to electronically fill gift cards, which they take. Or sometimes when shoppers buy gift cards, cashiers give them blank cards and then divert the shoppers’ money onto cards for themselves.
Giant Supermarket Wants To See Your Receipt After You Get In Your Car
By 12.23.09
Big box retailers checking receipts is old news. How about getting the suspected shoplifter treatment at a supermarket instead? Even better, how would you like having a security guard knock on your car window, and tell you that you’re on private property when you tell him you don’t have to show anything? [More]
Walmart Accused Of Secretly Videotaping Public Restroom
By 12.22.09
Seven current and former employees of a Pennsylvania Walmart Tire and Lube Center have filed suit against the company, reports the Morning Call. The employees say they discovered that they and the general public were being monitored via video camera in a public bathroom. [More]
Here's A Walmart Perp Walk In Action
By 12.21.09
Maybe attacking, restraining, and physically marching off suspected shoplifters is the new “Stop, thief!” for Walmart employees. Here’s video footage of an actual event that happened in a New Jersey Walmart last Friday, shot by our own GitEmSteveDave. [More]
Alleged Walmart Shoplifter Dies After Being Tackled
By 12.21.09
Walmart’s loss prevention tactics took a morbid turn over the weekend at an Atlanta location, when a suspected shoplifter was tackled by two security personnel and a customer, and then died for mysterious reasons. [More]
82-Year-Old Receipt Checker Chases Thief
By 11.19.09
This security footage from a BJ’s Wholesale in Florida shows a man trying to steal two computers, and the store’s elderly greeter/receipt-checker giving chase. Almost all the good stuff happens off screen, so you’ll have to imagine the awesome karate moves that probably ensued. It’s retail crime fighting in action!
Walmart Security Guard Gets Head-butted, Sat On, Peed On
By 11.13.09
It was a rough day at the office for a Michigan Walmart security guard last week. The Muskegon News reports a guard was physically abused and humiliated as he tried to stop two female shoplifters from making off with some goods that they found priced too high.
Store Theft In The US Jumped 8.8% Last Year
By 11.13.09
Maybe this is why stores seem to be getting more and more aggressive about shoplifting: CNN says that retail theft in the US jumped 8.8% over the past year, versus only 1.5% in the prior year. But you may be surprised (only if you’ve never worked retail) to see where most of the theft occurs.
Middle Class Shoplifting To Keep Up Appearances
By 11.12.09
Shoplifting is up 20% in the UK as choice cuts of meat, fresh fish and fancy cheeses are increasingly getting stolen, mostly by middle-class women from boutique food emporiums and convenience stores
Never Follow A Security Guard Into The Back Of The Store
By 11.9.09
Here’s some advice for you, the regular customer who doesn’t shoplift: never go into the back of a store with a security guard, store manager, rent-a-cop, etc. Never. Someone posted the following story in the Janesville, Wisconsin CraigsList over the weekend. Because the poster cooperated in good faith with the security personnel at her local Menards home store, she had to pay $150 to avoid having the police called on her.
Walmart Fires Security Guard For Chasing After Shoplifter Like He's In A Cop Movie
By 10.21.09
A Florida Walmart has fired one of their security officers for giving chase to a knife-wielding shoplifter who took off running across the store’s parking lot. Josh Rutner told the Star-Banner, “I couldn’t let him get away. That’s wrong.” That second sentence may be true, but security guard != officer of the law.
Home Depot Needs To Check Your Receipt "In Case You Stole Something"
By 10.19.09
Rather than make up some line about needing to make sure customers receive everything they paid for, Home Depot is now openly treating its customers like shoplifters.
Shoplifter Shoves 3 Pounds Of Bacon In His Pants
By 9.13.09
In a case that makes a compelling argument for the use of anti-meat-shoplifting dogs, a man in Mary Esther, Florida was caught when grocery store personnel noticed that he was “looking suspicious.” He looked suspicious because of the 48 ounces of bacon he had stuffed in his pants.
Police Dog Chooses More Delicious Of Two Crimes
By 9.8.09
A police dog who had lost the scent of an armed robbery suspect located a different crime instead reports Fox News in Boston. The dog led police into a Stop & Shop chasing a masked man who had robbed a nearby Shell station. The dog lost the trail, but did find a homeless man who had shoved a bunch of meat in his pants.
Best Buy Employees Fired For Attempting To Stop Knife-Wielding Shoplifters
By 8.18.09
If you work at Best Buy, don’t tackle any knife-wielding shoplifters or you’ll be fired. That’s what happened to two Best Buy employees who chased a couple shoplifters who were fleeing with armloads of merchandise towards a waiting car.
