Watch out for organized, highly trained teams of shoplifters in your local mall. They aren’t small-time operators—they stole $23,000 worth of bras and panties from a West Virginia Victoria’s Secret. No, really.
shoplifting
How NOT To Get Past Fry's Receipt Checkers
By 4.29.09
The last line of defense against armed robbery at Fry’s: receipt checks. Three men loaded up carts with merchandise at a San Diego store, and just headed for the door.
Bad Idea: Confessing To Your $100,000 A Year Shoplifting Habit On National TV
By 4.2.09
All the clever shoplifting tricks in the world won’t save you from yourself if you decide to reveal your secrets on Dr. Phil. Last week a fraud task force raided the home of Laura and Matthew Eaton, who appeared on an episode in November to show the audience how they did it and to say they were going straight.
Whole Foods Fires Employee For Stopping Shoplifter
By 1.16.09
It must be pretty easy to shoplift at Whole Foods because if any of their employees touch you, they’ll be fired.
Dog Shoplifts Bone From Grocery Store
By 12.29.08
What kind of world do we live in where even dogs have started shoplifting? A mildly amusing world, that’s what kind.
As The Economy Sinks, Shoplifting Arrests Soar!
By 12.23.08
The New York Times says that police departments all over the country are reporting an increase in shoplifting arrests — up to 20%.
This Walmart Guard's Loss Prevention Strategy Includes Tackling
By 11.14.08
Joseph Gregorie, a (former?) Walmart loss prevention officer, is going to make sure nobody steals on his watch, especially not in this economic climate. After seeing a 58-year-old woman stuff several items in her tote bag and head for the exit, he introduced himself. She dropped the bag but continued to leave the store, so he “grabbed [her] in a bear-hug and threw her to the ground,” giving the woman a pretty impressive looking black eye in the process. They’ve both been arrested.
Wal-Mart Tosses Student In Jail For Trying To Cash Real Money Orders, Then Sends Her A Bill
By 6.12.08
Nitra Gipson sold her car to pay for her last two semesters at Texas Southern University, where she is studying criminal justice (of all things), and was paid with Wal-Mart Money Orders. When she tried to cash these money orders at her local Wal-Mart she was arrested and charged with felony forgery — even though the money orders were real.
Wal-Mart Reports You To The Police For Not Allowing Them To Check Your Receipt
By 6.9.08
The epic conflict between shoppers and receipt checkers continues! Reader Michael was unwilling to wait in line to have his cart searched, prompting Wal-Mart to threaten to file a police report as they wrote down his license place…
Crazy Multi-million Dollar Shoplifting Ring Busted In California
By 6.6.08
The San Jose police have busted a multi-million dollar shoplifting ring that was paying gangs of shoplifters to collect razor blades, Oil of Olay, Pepcid AC and other products that they would then repackage and sell all over the US — and in some cases the products ended up being sold right back to the chains from which they were shoplifted.
Target Fires Security Guard For Stopping Shoplifter
By 4.4.08
Usually our shoplifter stories focus on being detained illegally or held at knifepoint by a rabid senior greeter who demands receipts*, but Target in Milwaukee toes the line when it comes to dealing with suspected theft. That’s why they fired a retired cop (warning: video) who stopped a teenager he saw stealing liquor for the second time in a month. He told her he’d seen her take rum a few weeks before and asked her what was in her bag this time. She showed him. He called her father. Target fired him because the store policy is that only certain managers can intercept shoplifters. We admire his attention to detail and desire to help, but we’re glad to see a Big Box retailer following its own policy.
Suspected Hat Stealer Drops Dead In Macy's
By 3.31.08
Last Thursday, a 400-pound man in his early thirties was confronted at a Macy’s in Oakland, California, and accused of shoplifting a hat from the men’s department. According to CBS News in San Francisco, “Security officers at the mall then attempted to arrest and detain Gomes, who allegedly resisted and assaulted security personnel, according to police.” The police were called, but on their way to the mall they received a follow-up report that the man had become unresponsive. He died later that evening at a hospital.
Detained And Harassed At Walmart For Not Showing A Receipt
By 3.3.08
Reader J was detained and harassed by some Walmart employees on his way out of the store the other day. J had already put his receipt inside his wallet after purchasing a $25 shower rack when a Walmart employee demanded to see his receipt. J declined and continued exiting the store. That’s when things got weird. First, he was grabbed by a Walmart employee, then another customer started pushing him back inside the store.
Home Depot, Lord & Taylor, Walmart Hire Law Firms To Harass, Bully Alleged Shoplifters
By 2.20.08
The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article about retailers who hire law firms to engage in something called “civil recovery,” in which alleged shoplifters are harassed into paying thousands of dollars… even if the case against them has been dropped, or the retailer never intended to sue at all.
When Shoplifting Videos From Target, Please Do Not Set Lingerie On Fire As A Diversion
By 1.13.08
Quick, you stuffed $195 worth of videos into your jacket and you’re rushing towards the exit when you spot Target’s menacing security force. What do you do? If you answered “set lingerie on fire as a diversion,” then you may be as bright as 19-year-old shoplifter Tabitha Bozman of Elyria, Ohio.
When Shoplifting $300 Worth Of Hunting Knives, Try Not To Impale Yourself On Them
By 1.9.08
A Michigan man was caught shoplifting $300 worth of hunting knives from Meijer after he scuffled with security guards and fell forward, impaling himself. He’d hidden the knives in the waistband of his pants.
74-Year-Old Man Jailed For Shoplifting $3 Sirloin
By 12.28.07
A North Carolina Food Lion called the cops on Joe Neal for pocketing a $3 steak. The 74-year-old didn’t have enough change to pay for the sirloin, which he intended to cook for his son’s birthday dinner. The steak was later consumed, not by Joe’s son, but by a fire that ravaged Joe’s house. The cops were summoned when Neal returned to the store to pay for the steak. Defending the arrest, Food Lion’s press-keepers explained that the store has a zero tolerance policy. Don’t miss WBTV’s expert analysis at the end.
Don't Eat Jellybeans At Albertson's Or You Will Be Arrested
By 10.28.07
A Florida man was arrested and charged with petty theft after eating $2 worth of jellybeans at a local Albertson’s. The man was caught by surveillance cameras reaching into a bin and putting “an unspecified number of jelly beans in his mouth.”
The deputy told a manager that the suspect had taken about 10 of the “raspberry-flavored” candies. The man denied taking more than two. He added that he’d been shopping at Albertson’s for 30 years and that he was just trying the candy to see if he wanted to buy it. The deputy “advised him that Albertson’s did not have free samples of candy and he should have known that if he had been shopping at Albertson’s for 30 years.”
