Would you stop a shoplifter?

I would have reported him to the staff at the store...not so sure I'd approach him myself though. I don't trust what others carry/do to anyone these days. I have two small children to think about :thumbsup:
 
VaBusa said:
I would have reported him to the staff at the store...not so sure I'd approach him myself though. I don't trust what others carry/do to anyone these days. I have two small children to think about :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

in your case, exactly the right decision...
 
dk55belair said:
So me and the wife run to the grocery store yesterday evening and are picking out some meat for a dinner at church today and notice this guy is acting really suspicious at the end of the isle.

I worked in the grocery business for many years, meat cutter, stocker and later on a sales rep for the manufacturers, so I know a little bit about how to pick out a shoplifter. So this guy is looking down and isle and pretending to straighten the stock up on a display while the isle is full of shoppers and one stock boy. Originally I thought he was checking out this girl's :whistle:personality. Then I notice a shopping cart full of meat with a back pack in it.

When the isle clears, he grabs the cart and takes it to another isle. I notify the stocker that he should get the manager. I knew he wasnt fooling around, so I go over where this guy has proceeded to stuff the meat in his backpack, with the mgr nowhere in site, I stepped up and grabbed his cart and asked why he was doing that. He is already shaking and dumps the meat out yells "im sorry" 10x and runs for the door with me behind him. They stop him up front and he turns the backpack upside down and says "i aint got nothing" and flies out the door...lol

I guess you dont get it out of your blood, but i wasnt going to watch him steal $240 worth of ribeyes, while I looked the other way. I worked in a store in HS near the projects and we averaged catching 3 shoplifters a day.

Just curious how many folks would or wouldn't have done anything?
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I would and I have.

1) As a grocery store employee in HS. It was heartbreaking, this one, a lil' ol' lady, regular shopper, sneaking pistachios in the corner of an aisle...I stopped her, but I cut her a break and just told her nicely that she couldn't do that. lol

2) As a record store manager. Almost always scared them out of trying just by being aware, but on one occassion during the Christmas rush we had a lady in her 40's or so pack a about $275 worth into a purse and then head for the door. I tracked out right behind her and challenged her. After pretending she was unaware of me, she started freakin' out and screaming that she didn't have anything and that I needed to leave her be. Not wanting a lawsuit, I never laid hands on her, just followed her on all over the parking lot as she pretended various cars were hers until she finally had us crossing the freeway. lol It was hilarious. By that time, the cops that my employees called showed up. The opened up her bag and there it all was. I figured BAM, red-handed slam dunk! Right? NOPE. Anything under $300 was only misdemeanor...she got a ticket and a court date...just like a speeding ticket. :banghead:

3) Watched a customer in front of us at Sams Club at the "receipt checker"...they were acting suspicious with their cart load of EVERYTHING, checker seemed concerned, then a palin clothes security guy shows up just from OUTSIDE and the guy tries to bolt and steam rolls security. Without thinking (I REALLY was not smart), I yelled "SECURITY!" and dove out the door after the pair. Thankfully security guy had the thief wrapped up as they hit the ground and all I had to do was stand there as backup until more security arrived. Looked like an MMA match or a Bully Beatdown on the ground in front of me. :laugh:

Shoplifters SUCK. They're stealing from you and mean as much as from the store. They even have training camps for professional shoplifters to teach them the local laws, shoplifting techniques and to keep up security technology. IT's BS and lettin' it go is like watching you're own money get pulled right outta your wallet. That said, NEVER intervene directly unless you're trained to do so. Many of them are docile, but there are some VIOLENT criminals among them as well. Best thing to do is simply quietly report it to the store personnel and go the other way.
 
Were the steaks good quality and am I invited to the BBQ? Those would be the questions I'd have answered to know what to do. If the answer was yes to both and if the beer was free at the BBQ, I'd probably create a diversion for the guy.

Hey, just saying, ya know, A guy's gotta eat....:laugh::moon::whistle:


:beerchug:

cheers
ken
 
dk55belair said:
So me and the wife run to the grocery store yesterday evening and are picking out some meat for a dinner at church today and notice this guy is acting really suspicious at the end of the isle.

I worked in the grocery business for many years, meat cutter, stocker and later on a sales rep for the manufacturers, so I know a little bit about how to pick out a shoplifter. So this guy is looking down and isle and pretending to straighten the stock up on a display while the isle is full of shoppers and one stock boy. Originally I thought he was checking out this girl's :whistle:personality. Then I notice a shopping cart full of meat with a back pack in it.

When the isle clears, he grabs the cart and takes it to another isle. I notify the stocker that he should get the manager. I knew he wasnt fooling around, so I go over where this guy has proceeded to stuff the meat in his backpack, with the mgr nowhere in site, I stepped up and grabbed his cart and asked why he was doing that. He is already shaking and dumps the meat out yells "im sorry" 10x and runs for the door with me behind him. They stop him up front and he turns the backpack upside down and says "i aint got nothing" and flies out the door...lol

I guess you dont get it out of your blood, but i wasnt going to watch him steal $240 worth of ribeyes, while I looked the other way. I worked in a store in HS near the projects and we averaged catching 3 shoplifters a day.

Just curious how many folks would or wouldn't have done anything?
Click to expand...

BTW, Well done! :)

I'm guessing that you know this, but for others, the law, in many places, states that if they did not actually exit the premises of the store with unpaid goods in hand, then they didn't steal a thing and shoplifting cannot be charged. What this means is that they can stuff meat in a back pack, hot dogs down their pants, waffles in their shirt and carry a beer in each hand and head straight for the door...as long as they don't walk out that door, the most an store can do is demand they return product to the shelves. Again, it's BS, but re-writing the laws would be tricky.
 
dk55belair said:
Just wondering if anyone actually knows how many times you could punch someone while the're opening a knife. I've never had one pulled on me. But I think I could do enough damage in the 3 seconds it would take. :beerchug:
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Trouble with that idea is that they'd be more likely to play possum and submit, get you off your guard and then bring it out unexpectedly. And it probably wouldn't be a folding blade either. ???
 
Chemmy said:
Well since I am the guy in my store responsible for this then I guess I can throw my 2 cents down.
My store actually looks down upon civies helping let alone another employee. Our legal system is set up to allow selected people to deal with shoplifters since we are trained in how to cover our butts incase a lawsuit comes down.

I hate shoplifters with a passion and to be honest I am not to fond of my job because of the altercations I get into at work. I have been in fist fights, slammed a guy into a vending machine, even chased one dude 2 miles off store property for a cash bag from a register containing 1700 and some change. Every time I came back into the store I had praise from the store boss but my immediate supervisor was pissed and would just tell me to not do it again.

I say to you like I have told the three or four people in my store for assisting in stopping a shoplifter. dont go beyond what you think is more then safe for you. I had an older woman confront two kids stealing xbox games. She thought she got through to them and when they left she brought the scissors and packages to customer service as I was following the kids. She had a big smile on her face when I brought them to the office and she handed me the evidence.
Had another man in your situation where some guy was stuffing a box. The guy approached him and got punched in the face for it. we got the guy but now this civie had a broken nose and we arent liable for it so it was out of his own pocket.

My advice is get AP/LP or a manager, or even yell out hey what are you doing lol. But dont confront them. I have to hold a weekly meeting in my store and remind people every week to just call me on my phone and not to take matters in there own hands.
Click to expand...

Excellent advice! :thumbsup:
 
i think you did the right thing, im not one to stand idly by while someone does that either, in the end they are stealing from us the consumer.
 
so that was you dk55? I was planing to pay for those! you didn't need to chase me out of the store!
 
My biggest concern with a shoplifter is what disease they might by carrying. sure would hate to get into a confrontation with someone and catch Hep over a few bucks. I wouldn't turn my eye,but wouldn't go past a vocal part. Just not worth it these days.
 
dk55belair said:
When I worked in the stores, I never liked letting them get outside, because you were usually in a different environment. I knew if he got them in his backpack, he was gone, so I was going to make sure he knew I was on to him.

And for the record, I didnt try and detain him, I just interupted his plans.
Click to expand...

I am with you on this one. How ever I would have had my gun in my pocket. I have seen things turn around in a blink of an eye. Being prepaired you are always better off.
 
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