Yeah, I'm 16,your point being?

[Jack7957]

Funnily, I used to take my teen son to work with me and have him watch for shoplifters. Believe me- no one ever suspected that's what he was doing. I had a lot of people report him to me. "Theres this teen boy back there- he's been wandering around for a long time... I think he's, you know- up to something!" and I'd thank them and tell them I'd check into it.

Most stores I go to I can pick out the LP person. About a month ago I was out with the wife, and she wanted to get some shoes. We went to one of the large format discout shoe stores. I found a bench to sit on near the center of the store. Within 5 minutes I had the two LP people picked out. They did a couple passes by me, probably wondering what I was doing, but nothing was said.

Grocery store I used to work at, we had one LP person no one liked. We know he was determined to catch an employee, he had hiding spots all around the store. Along the back wall, we had pallets of paper towels, he "built" himself a little hidey-hole behind one. One day, one of the freezer guys was walking by it, and just jumps into the side of the stack collapsing it onto the LP guy who was hiding there. Another hiding spot was in the freezers and coolers (we had a stock area behind the racks) so he could look out as people walked by. He also wanted to tag everything in the store with those tags like you find on DVDs, right down to the individual packs of gum.

[justZu]

Honestly, I think sometimes teenagers get a very bad rap. People automatically assume they are all out for trouble, and that's not right. However, a small portion of kids ARE out for trouble and they give all teens a bad name.

When my oldest son was 19, he was a manager at a Dollar Tree in a busy mall. He hated Friday nights because the store(whole mall) was swarmed with teenagers. He said the store always ended up trashed, and he couldn't keep track of all the shoplifting. He really hated it, and he was a teen, himself, at the time.

So, while it is not fair that honest teenagers are followed and harassed, there is no way stores can tell(at first glance) who is trustworthy and who is there to make trouble.

[Tigress]

I got followed a lot as a preteen.......Baby Spice was my idol and I saw she wore those mini backpacks (they were the "in thing" in the mid to late 90s) and I always wore them out and about. I can honestly say I can't blame sales associates for following me. Although that one jackass at JCPenny who stopped me and searched my backpack in front of the whole store was just rude and disgusting because I hadn't even done anything wrong!

I love my tiger backpack thingy, affectionately named "Hobbs". I can cram so much into him and give him a fat belly. And it's fun to whip him around and make him dance for kids having a tantrum. The kid grins and stops crying and the parents are appreciative that I rescued them from embarrassment.

I retired my first one last month because the zipper was separating on it. So I removed the zipper teeth and straps, stuffed him and made a new cuddle toy.

[Lace Neil Singer]

I get followed a lot in stores; possibly due to the fact that I shove my hands into the pocket of my hoody (when the weather is inclement enough to need one) and walk with my head down, which apparently looks suspicious.

However, I'm sure it's also got to do with my weirdo gothy/mosher/glam mix of clothes that I wear; last time I went shopping, a security guard followed me all the way up this store and back down again (I didn't see anything I wanted to buy); I was wearing a Marilyn Manson t-shirt teamed with a short denim skirt, black tights and New Rock Boots in black and silver; plus, my makeup consisted of navy blue eyeshadow, black mascara and thick black eyeliner and dark pink lipstick.

All the other girls in there were dressed very preppily cuz the shop in question is aimed at teens; I still like it a lot cuz they have very reasonably priced tops in there, plus their trousers are very long in the leg and sizes go up to the big sizes.

[JustADude]

And yet, because I was loafers, slacks and a polo I was able to walk into a movie store wearing a big coat with about a dozen pockets without getting a second glance. It was ing cold out, but they were giving the skaters in hoodies the Suspicious Bastard routine the whole time I was there while ignoring me to the point I had to struggle to find someone's attention to ask about getting a box set out of the case.

I'm a good person but I've got the instinct for spotting vulnerabilities/opportunities like that and, honestly, it was such a blatant invitation to shoplift I was actually tempted to take advantage of the situation. I didn't, but I had the whole thing going on.

[traylk]

I know I have posted before about the teens that steal pop at my work....and in all honesty 95% of the time it's the preppy/jock types...usually guys. I like the goth/punk/metal type kids they pretty much always buy their drinks.

Also another issue is with said offenders above they are usually the ones that smash sauce packets all over the walls. Leave their trash all over the tables and generally are louder and more irratating to the employees and customers. This is just an observation over 8 yrs and 21 stores for TB.

[Skandranon]

I don't really meet any of the "bad person" stereotypes, so I don't usually get slack from employees. I did get "tailed" once, though. I stopped into the Gap. This girl asked me eight times in ten minutes if I needed any help, and when I said no, arranged nearby already-neat stacks while glancing sneakily in my direction.

On the eighth time she asked, I put a little attitude into my "No thanks". Scoffing, she replied "Well, I don't think we have anything that will fit you."

I stare down at my size 20 pants. "No duh," I replied. "I'm shopping for a friend's birthday present. I think I'll get it somewhere else though."

[katie kaboom]

On the eighth time she asked, I put a little attitude into my "No thanks". Scoffing, she replied "Well, I don't think we have anything that will fit you."

I stare down at my size 20 pants. "No duh," I replied. "I'm shopping for a friend's birthday present. I think I'll get it somewhere else though."

good for you! that employee was a real bitch. i probably would have said the same thing to her.

[Lil Bunny]

Oddly enough, being close to 30 still gets you followed.

Was at Walmart helping friends return their battery that they had purchased a few weeks before. We walked in and didn't see a greeter to get a sticker from so we go to the CS desk. Turns out we didn't see her due to the fact she had a jacket on and was talking to a friend.

Now here we are, one friend has jet black long hair and a leather jacket (a guy), the other has pink and black hair with facial piercings. I'm the most "normal" looking one in blonde hair and yarn dread falls. A huge arguement ensues between the greeter and us stating that she never saw the battery when we came in and she just KNOWS we're trying to scam them. *headdesk*

Heh my friend, thank goodness, held his temper and asked to see the video tape. I'm bored at this point and decide to get some shopping done while they're searching for the moment we walked in. And that was mistake number two. While I'm off getting something to drink, headphones and batteries I look back to notice I'm being tailed. I'd love to have seen their faces when I actually paid for my stuff.

On a happy note, the CS people were very nice and apologized to us when they saw that we did walk in with the battery. The greeter on the other hand just about lost it and stormed off. *shrugs*

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

He also wanted to tag everything in the store with those tags like you find on DVDs, right down to the individual packs of gum.

Talk about counterproductive. The door alarms would be going off all the time because of cashiers forgetting to de-magnetize tags.

Not to mention the amount of time needed to deactivate tags when every item in a large order is tagged.

Pretty soon nobody would take the alarms seriously because they were going off all the time, so nobody would bat an eye when a big theft was going on.

[ArenaBoy]

I know I have posted before about the teens that steal pop at my work....and in all honesty 95% of the time it's the preppy/jock types...usually guys. I like the goth/punk/metal type kids they pretty much always buy their drinks.

Us cross-country guys always got nasty looks whenever we went out. Granted we paid for everything and we were polite though, we also tipped greatly too. I will agree that it tends to be the preppy and jock types that tend to be bigger trouble makers from my experience. I loved working the heavy metal shows as all the folks there would actually make conversation and treat us like humans.

[ContraCorriente]

Is this a regional thing? I've never heard of people being followed around a store, having their backpacks checked, etc.

[kibbles]

On the eighth time she asked, I put a little attitude into my "No thanks". Scoffing, she replied "Well, I don't think we have anything that will fit you."

The true markings of a Sucky Employee! How ignorant can she be??

[Gerrinson]

I've had a similar experience. When I was in my early 20's I had long hair (waist length) and I often had my days off together so I'd have 2 or 3 days worth of beard. So, I'm in a Wally world style department store shopping for some CDs and realize I've forgotten my wallet. I still had some cash in my pocket, so no big deal, I just can't buy everything I've pulled out of the racks.

I stop, put down the CDs, pull out my money and quickly count it. In the meantime, one of their employees comes up behind pushing a broom around and making little dust piles everywhere but not actually cleaning up anything (no dustpan and he's wearing a jacket and tie...hmmm, seems odd doesn't it?).

After counting up what I had for money, I put back the CDs I can't afford and go off to find my little brother who I had brought with me. The guy with the broom follows me, staying about 4 feet behind me the whole time. I see my brother, but decide to mess with the guy so I walk down every aisle in the store, in order and then back again.

He follows me the entire time. I finally get back to where my brother was, waved him over, headed up to the registers and paid. Broom guy followed me all the way to the exit door, despite the fact that I had already paid for everything.

[Andara Bledin]

I swear I have never had my backpack checked so many times in one day, and in Target, I had a security officer following us the entire time I was there.

In the US, they can't make you let them look. Privacy issues. They can ask, and you can say "no" and they can't press it. Unless, of course, they're actually ready to press charges of shoplifting...

I don't carry a purse or anything around with(I never have enough crap to put into it). I have my wallet in my back pocket and my cell phone in my other.

Heh, that sounds like me. Wallet on one side with any cash, my bank card, ID, and house key. Cell phone on the other. I don't wear makeup or carry stuff around, so have no real use for a purse.

I'm a good person but I've got the instinct for spotting vulnerabilities/opportunities like that and, honestly, it was such a blatant invitation to shoplift I was actually tempted to take advantage of the situation. I didn't, but I had the whole thing going on.

I have a habit of pointing out stuff like that to people I'm with or people I work for. One guy hired me about half an hour after we met, handed me the keys to the office, and told me to open up at 8. My mind immediately went to all of the reasons why that was a really bad idea. But I guess I exude honesty, or something, because nobody ever puts me on any suspect list, even when I'm one of the people in prime position to have done something.

^-.-^