Shoplifting Poll

iamjoesgurl

I just read an article that 1 in 11 people walk out of a store with something they didn't pay for.  The number one most stolen item is filet mignon.  Really?  Who NEEDS filet mignon?  Baby formula didn't even make the top ten and I was surprised because I thought that was one of the most stolen items.  

For those of you who have worked retail, have you ever caught someone in the act?  If so, what did you do?

Quick Poll (totally anonymous);

FaithCaitlin

I've never shoplifted nor would I. Regardless of morals, I don't see how anyone could do it without being scared of getting caught. I guess that's part of the "thrill". Interesting that baby formula isn't on the list!

fpaemp2011

I have never shoplifted, and would never.  When I was in high school, I was shopping with mom at Wal-Mart.  There was a guy stuffing CDs in his pants and down his shirt.  You could hear the plastic against plastic when he moved.  Security already had an eye on him and had an officer confront him before he got out of Electronics.  His pants were barely staying up as it was...not sure how he thought he was going to get out of the store.

Filet mignon confuses me too.  I thought it would be baby items or medicine (the things you or a loved one NEED but you don't know how else to get it).  I also wonder if the availibility of WIC, food banks, etc, has helped curb some of that.

iamjoesgurl

I have caught someone shoplifting once.  I worked at Victoria's Secret and we were getting ready to close.  Shoplifting was a big problem at the store - espcially with the bras.  There was a lady standing near the perfume who was looking a bit suspicious.  She was looking around but didn't see me.  She put perfume in her bag and started toward the door.  I approached her and said, "Do you have something in your bag that you meant to pay for?"  She was stunned and reached in her bag, pulled out the perfume and handed it to me.  Then she left the store.  I thought about letting her walk out with it but knew that we'd never get security in time and she'd get away with it.

I was accused of stealing earrings one time.  It was the weirdest thing because I've never had pierced ears!  I don't even think I had been near the earrings so I don't know why they accused me.  I was only about 12.

RebeccaJac

I went through a phase when I was a kid where I would take the fake flowers off the stem at craft stores and steal them. No idea why. 

I consider downloading music illegally shoplifting/stealing as well. Even burning CD's for other people is boarderline for me. I think that's the form of stealing that is most prevalent in our society right now. 

toothpastechica

When i was younger (like 12 or 13) i did once, and felt so guilty about it that i never went back to that store and never did it again.

ravenray

I have never done it on purpose.  I have done it on accident before.  Lol But I went back and paid for it.

 

I worked at Safeway and I would catch people all the time stealing food.  During the evening people would come in and try to take whole baskets of food with them.  One time a lady went outside with a hand basket stuffed to the brim.  I went after her and said "Miss have you paid for that?"  She had this whole elaborate story made up.  Her sister was in side with the receipt.  So I waited for 2 mins.  Then I said why don't I take this inside and when your sister comes you can come back and show me.  She let me take the food but never showed up.  It was funny.  LOL  Alcohol was a big problem at our store too.

naomikb

No, not on purpose.  At Costco once I had a pack of batteries in my cart (flat package) on the top child shelf of my cart, and then dropped my purse on top at some point while I was shopping. At the checkout I didn't even think about it and unpacked my cart and paid for everything, and didn't realize until I grabbed my purse at my car that I hadn't paid for them.  I didn't go back though.

azdancer8

I voted no because I haven't since I was of an age to understand that stealing was wrong. But I *did* take some stick on earrings when I was really little that my mom punished me big time for.

sprtychick10

I was in Kohl's a couple weeks ago doing some Christmas shopping. When I got home and started looking at my gift receipts with my items, I noticed I wasn't charged for one item. I took it back and asked to be charged for it because my conscious was getting to me and I knew it was the right thing to do. The lady was shocked when I told her and thanked me for my honesty.

ochemjenn

Never worked retail, but I've told people that they have waaay overdue library books and have to return them or pay for the book.

I can't believe someone would steal filet mignon.  Once I was in the grocery store and the bagger put someone else's bag in my cart with my bags.  I realized it when I got to the car (I didn't buy shrimp!).  I took the bag back inside to that checkout line, and the people the clerk was checking out couldn't believe I'd brought the bag back. 

AllyG303

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_christian-weddings_shoplifting-poll?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural Wedding BoardsForum:464687ae-7bc1-4360-9aea-999e11f1e1adDiscussion:c4927562-e083-459a-b093-059c02b9599aPost:898b1169-360d-4e7a-8501-1b9e4cfb131b">Re: Shoplifting Poll</a>:
[QUOTE]I went through a phase when I was a kid where I would take the fake flowers off the stem at craft stores and steal them. No idea why. Posted by RebeccaJac[/QUOTE]

I used to do this, too!  When my mom told me that it was unacceptable, I just started taking the ones that had already fallen on the floor.  Weird...

sessionswedding

Never on purpose, but once on accident. I bought a bookbag during the summer for a new school year (in high school).  I didn't really open it until time for school to start, and I found a keychain inside of it with a price tag on it.

mrandmrsbrist

I've never done it, but I worked for a durable medical equipement company and we had someone try to steal a wheelchair. They didn't make it very far (obviously!) but it was still one of those, "Wow, really?" moments.

RyansBelovedBride

I shoplifted when I was a kid. I'd never do it now. But I stole some bubblegum when I was little from the dollar store, and then a stuffed cat from the thrift store.  I didn't really know why I did it, I just felt like I had to... later on, I gained perspective and realized "oh! I did it during the time period when my mom had cancer!" and I talked to my mom about it and she said yeah, they knew that then. [I had been caught, and the adults immediately put two and two together, but it tooks years for me.]  She survived, btw.

As for why people steal filet mignon, apparenlty they sell it or trade it for drugs. My dad is the manager of a grocery store, and he said that steak is stolen so much mainly by drug addicts. I guess steak is some sort of currency. That was news to me. I thought people who stole it stole it because they were hungry, but apparently you can sell it to your neighbors, or even trade with your drug dealer. Weird.

lkirby85

I used to be a manager for Victoria's Secret.  We had a HUGE problem with theft and NOTHING we sold was something people NEEDED.  Part of our company policy was to not confront shoplifters, it was dangerous and also could have significant legal repercussions.  Instead we used the strategy of providing extra customer service so that shoplifters would eventually feel uncomfortable and leave the store because they knew you were always watching.   
I had "assisted" several shoplifters while working there and even when not directly confronted, they would frequently cause a scene and yell at me for "bugging" them.  Once, someone even knocked over a temporary holiday table with perfume boxes on it.   It was sad, in general, to watch people steal and I knew (they were repeat offenders whose stories we knew) some of them were stealing the high priced items and selling them so they could buy more of the things they actually needed or others were just criminals selling for other "items".  Once, I even caught a women that had her young son helping her steal.  The worst were the internal issues where associates were stealing.  Once, while checking bags and coats after closing, I noticed a sweatshirt inside of a girl's coat.  I thought about confronting her on the spot, but instead I waited till the next day and called our loss prevention manager.  He came in and talked to her and it turned out she had been stealing ton's of merchandise and even cash from the draw.  
My Fi used to work at a grocery store when we first met in our early days of college and he often caught people shoplifting but he has told me before that it was almost always baby formula, baby food and diapers.  It may be wrong but he never tried to stop those people and I don't know I could have either.  I am shocked by the filet mignon statistic.  I guess it was just the area his store was in.  

drama1308

I have before on accident. Like this one time a pair of earrings got attached to my purse and I walked out of the store with them. I know I didn't keep them, but i don't remember taking them back... I must have though

agape1cor813

I think it makes sense that filet mingion would be close to the top ... it's a pretty small cut of meat that could easily fit in a pocket or a small compartment of a purse.

I accidentally shoplifted a magazine more than 10 years ago ... Funny thing was that I had it in my hand when I was at the grocery store line with my mom, intending to put it on the conveyor, but then I forgot, and I even got a sticker that it that said I bought it. I didn't realize that I hadn't paid for it until the next morning.

2012FutureMrsB

I'm a teacher and I recently bought a couple packs of sharpies for my classroom. When I got to school, I couldn't find them anywhere in the Walmart bags and was frustrated b/c I really needed those sharpies to label some things. So I went back to Walmart the next day with my receipt and explained to Customer Service that I left the store without the sharpies and they allowed me to replace them. Well, about a week later, I found the original sharpies buried inside a pocket in the large bag on wheels that I cart to work. I must have tossed them in to make sure they made it to school, but I never saw them when I looked!  I felt so bad and wanted to return them, but I knew it would sound really strange to the Customer Service. I told my carpool and they laughed and said I should keep them b/c Walmart donates stuff to schools all the time. So . . . I still feel kinda bad b/c I ended up keeping them, but I made sure they went to my classroom, not my personal home collection  

BMcLeodTeam

I stole when I was younger, I actually had a big problem for awhile around the time that my father was going through some serious health problems (his kidneys failed, and then he passed away when I was 15). At that time my friends and I claimed we did it 'for the thrill' and would have competitions to see who could get out with the largest item... from lawn gnomes to throw pillows... shortly after my dad passed was the first time I got caught, and it was with nail polish, I still remember that.

Now I have become one of those people that even if its an accident I go  back because I just can't forget about it and let it go lol. I was shopping the other day and they forgot to charge me for a $2 item (just a Christmas candy thing I was getting for a friend's daughter). I got REALLY weird looks when I came back to pay for it!

I worked as a retail manager for a few years before I got out of the retail world. I mainly worked in clothing stores, but also one pet store. It was so sad to see some of the people.... Its as PP said, you know their story and it just makes you sad.
I did have one employee that frustrated me the most, she would process debit returns onto her debit card, but the item was never actually sold to begin with (our system didn't need to scan a receipt or anything, you just scanned an item and pressed return). We ended up noticing she was doing it, and that she would do it in the mornings when opening the store (she had a key to open the days I didn't), so one day when I knew it was just her and she was opening I came in and talked to her about it. She didn't deny it after I pulled out the receipt and asked her to pull oru her debit card to confirm (I had reprinted one from the day before). The most disturbing part though was even after that she didn't understand why she would be in trouble for it...

LittleBigO

I voted no, because I would never shoplift on purpose, but I think when I was a little kid I stole some gum.  Pretty sure I told my mom and got in HUGE trouble - but I don't really remember it.  I think I remember going back to pay or take it back...not sure though.

I have accidently grabbed 4 black washcloths instead of 2 and only got charged for two - I took the two unpaid for ones and told Customer Service at Walmart and they threw them in the cart and were shocked I took them back too lol.

I'm just like my hubby's Mema in the sense that about a week ago she forgot she had a pack of Coke on the bottom of her cart and got to the car before she realized it.  She said it was cold and she didn't go back in but she mailed them a check yesterday. 

I used to go to a Christian school and in 2nd grade we used to get Starburst for A's on Spelling Bees and things - I used to wait for everyone to go to recess and steal handfuls.  The teacher knew, and I always felt so guilty, and my mom knew and I bawled to her how bad I felt.  I don't remember if I ever talked to the teacher about it, but I'm pretty sure I had to pay my mom enough to buy a bag.  I never stole after that that I remember.

I used to work at Claire's and was being trained how to watch people without them seeing you watch them.  The manager and I were watching this one girl and she kept sticking earrings in her pockets.  She walked out the door and my manager walked out after her and she started emptying her pockets on the sidewalk ourside of the store.  Lame.