I caught a shoplifter today

[MBennettp]

I was at work this afternoon and noticed a woman come in not carrying anything except a cell phone. She was wearing a sleeveless dress and it was cold outside. That kind of made me watch her. She first took a purse and put her cell phone and car keys in it and placed it in a shopping cart, then went to a clothing rack and put on a sweater. I just kept following her and watching her and she filled the shopping cart with clothing and shoes then started shopping for perfume, lotions, bath oil, etc. She was not really acting suspicious other than the purse and the sweater.

Well, 3 hours later, I am still watching this woman on the security camera and she has picked up 2 wicker laundry hampers, the big ones that hold about 2 bushels. She proceeds to take the clothing and shoes off the hangers and out of the boxes and put them in the hampers. She tosses the hangers and boxes on a shelf behind some merchandise and continues shopping. She re-entered the children's area and loads up some more children's wear and checks to see who is watching.

The children's area is near the door so I put on my coat and went out the other door and across in front of the store to the door she was near. I could see her and she was still shopping but I was freezing my behind off so I went around the side of the building where I was out of the wind but could still see her and here is her car, parked right next to the building facing the road. I saw her start for the door and stopped her before she got outside.

It turned out that she had over $3200 worth of merchandise! That is the largest amount any shoplifter has been stopped with in the history of the company!

I get a monetary bonus and the company is buying my lunch tomorrow.

She tried to bully her way past me but I told her I would kick her a** if she didn't just wait for the police. I think she knew I was serious and I had backup with me by then.

It sure feels good to stop somebody like that, they don't think it hurts anybody but it sure makes costs go up to all of us when somebody is too lazy to work for a living.

Mary

 

[Dreamweaver]

GOOD GRIEF!!! :new_shocked: :new_shocked: :new_shocked: :new_shocked:

I can't believe the things people do! Good for you that you stopped her! That had to make you feel good even if the company can't seem to come up with a better thank you than lunch!

 

[kdtexas]

:aktion033: WAY TO GO! good for you ! you did exactly the right thing; glad you had back up too! Dishonesty is just disgusting. I mean if you aren't honest then what are you! People that steal from others are just lower than the slime on a snails belly! And that's pretty low.

 

[Sterling]

Unbelievable!!! Don't these people know that you can't even get away with stealing a pin nowadays??? With all the forensics and sophisticated camera surveillance equipment they have out there now, you just CAN'T!!! Boy I have to say tho you have a very exciting job!!! Job well done!!! :aktion033:

 

[Miniv]

Good job, Mary! And BRAVE on YOUR part! :aktion033:

MA

 

[CyndiM]

Way to go Mary! :aktion033:

My daughter worked as a loss prevention person at Wal Mart for a while and a couple of times she was sent to other stores (Wal Mart) with her boss and she had to go in and see how much she could steal :new_shocked: . She was so scared she said when she did this even with her boss there with her because seh was afraid someone would think she really was a shoplifter. She transfered out of that after a couple of months she said the stress was too much.

 

[justaboutgeese]

How admirable. I hope that your employer fully recognizes your value with more than just lunch.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Good Grief was my first thought too!!!

Yo have no security tags?? No electronic doors??

It is not possible in any of out Supermarkets to go out of the doors you have come in through- you come in through the main doors and then in again though a set of internal doors that have male security staff in uniform on them all the time. It would be possible to slip things by the checkout- ie the things in the hampers- but not just walk out of the store.

I think you should take advantage of this and suggest a few changes- strike while the iron is hot. Well done and be more careful.

Backup before you apprehend!!!

 

[Robin1]

:aktion033: Good for you. :aktion033:

I saw her start for the door and stopped her before she got outside

Here, in Arizona, you have to wait until they go outside or they will not be prosecuted. As long as they are in the store they haven't "stolen" it yet.

:

Robin

 

[MBennettp]

Thanks everybody,

Just to clear up a couple of things. There is a bonus involved as well as lunch!

Also, every item in the store has security tags and the scanner started beeping when she was 6 feet from the door.

Fortunately for me in the state of Oklahoma all they have to do is conceal it and you can arrest them. That means that if somebody has their hands full, they had best not stick something in a pocket to carry it to the register.

I found out from the police that I could have kicked her a** if she tried to leave and I wouldn't have been in any trouble. They told me that one store in town almost always roughs up the shoplifters before they call the police.

I have been in loss prevention for a long time and there is nothing I like more than busting a thief. The store where I work had a bad theft problem but now we almost never have a problem. The word got out among the theives that they will get caught and they will get prosecuted. The thieves just go next door to K-Mart for their "shopping".

I think busting the shoplifters is the best part of my job! Most of the time I am walking the store making sure the employees are all doing their jobs or sitting at the computer. At least this job has some variety.

I also get to start training the employees on what to watch for and how to safely handle a shoplifter. That will mean a raise for me.

Mary

 

[Margo_C-T]

Was gone all day yesterday; just got on and read your thread, Mary-GOOD FOR YOU! You did a great job!! It is SO refreshing to read about someone who is actually seriously interested in, and determined to, uphold the LAW and the rules!! You are well-deserving of the lunch, the bonus, AND the raise--YIPPEE!!

 

[jdomep]

Good for you!!

There is a sign in a local store that my boys think is great

Shoplifters get to go for a free ride in a police car!

 

[wildoak]

Good job. :aktion033: As you say, I think they have no idea how much theft costs everyone. And unfortunately - at least when I worked in retail a hundred years ago - the biggest problem was internal theft.

We did have a little excitement one year at Christmas, a very large man in an overcoat loaded up on expensive perfume, etc and headed for the door. Here too they had to actually leave the store, so the security guy met him as he stepped out the door. He ducked back in, wouldn't relinquish the goods, and it came down to them shouting and waving guns at each other in a crowded store! Fortunately it was resolved without any shooting, but it was a little tense in a big mall store full of Christmas shoppers.

Jan

 

[Bess Kelly]

EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT !!! :aktion033: We need more of this at every store.

Another, less noticed type of shoplifting -- helping yourself to the product and leaving the packaging. ie, candy, chewing gum, etc.

I do a lot of inventory work at grocery stores.....WOW.....some people go in there and have lunch, get a disposable diaper to change the kid in the bathroom, feed the children a snack &/or a drink, etc. I often find the empty boxes from apirin, Prep H, condoms, pregnancy tests, etc., behind other things. The rear of the paper towels, TP, etc is a popular place to throw them

:

It's disgusting what some do....and it costs ALL of us. Most of these things are not the homeless who are hungry, either.

 

[coopermini]

Good job Mary,

This week a new Lowes store opened in town and an employee we know told us about a professional ring that has been hitting Lowes and Home Depot around here. They send in people to grab power tools then stuff them inside other packages of cheap items. Cameras caught some of them. One guy tried to push a cart full of big tools right out the door past the register as they had a truck and driver parked 10' from the door. They nailed both of them. Sounds like they have cameras everywhere!