We stopped a thief!

[notalwaysright]

A woman asked where certain beads were, and a few minutes later that whole area was cleared out. The woman had put them in her reusable shopping bag. Since our city banned plastic bags, nearly everyone uses the reusable ones. Anyway, the employee who had originally showed her the beads saw what had happened, but we aren't allowed to make people empty their bags. So, since she was a manager and was called away, she pulled another employee to watch her. This employee is pretty aggressive, and just stood silently about two feet from the thief. After a few minutes she put the bag down and walked out. Not very exciting, but still satisfying.

All totaled, what she would have stolen was nearly $700 of merchandise. The bag was not hers, either. We are trying to have the security footage pulled, since we know the exact time. I wonder if we did if she would be banned. Probably not.

[Tama]

What a DUMB thief. I mean, if you're going to do that, piddle around, leave, come back another day and THEN steal.

How dumb can these crooks get?

[Sapphire Silk]

Well, if this woman knew no one would search her bag, she really had little to fear.

[RealUnimportant]

You can't stop someone even if you know they've stolen? No wonder they were so brazen.

Good job they were also chicken - well done for your passive-aggressive colleague's approach

[dakhur]

I got fired from 1st Choice a few years ago because I stopped a bloke stealing a bottle of Vodka and a bottle of scotch. Still burns me.

[notalwaysright]

I got fired from 1st Choice a few years ago because I stopped a bloke stealing a bottle of Vodka and a bottle of scotch. Still burns me.

That sucks. If we suspect (or flat out witnessed) a shoplifter, we are supposed to pester them. But just asking if we can help them, and general customer service. What makes me smile is she scared off the thief almost by pure will.

If it was even slightly busier she would have succeeded easily. We keep our sewing machines and other expensive items in locked cages. The nice scissors are behind the cutting counter, and I have to drop them at the register. Before I worked here I would have never guessed the huge amount of theft in a craft store.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

You can't stop someone even if you know they've stolen? No wonder they were so brazen.

Good job they were also chicken - well done for your passive-aggressive colleague's approach

Yeah, liability issues and such.

And pestering a would-be thief/offering them Customer Service on Steroids is pretty much what every LP person would do in that situation, so they can recover the merchandise if nothing else.

[wolfie]

I got fired from 1st Choice a few years ago because I stopped a bloke stealing a bottle of Vodka and a bottle of scotch.

WTF? Why would a hair cutting place have liquor available to steal?

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

WTF? Why would a hair cutting place have liquor available to steal?

Different businesses. That particular member is from Australia.

[otakuneko]

In Australia, all businesses double as bars.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Over in my neck of the woods, thieves are collared by security and marched upstairs to await the boys in blue to arrest them. XD It's quite funny sometimes to see said thieves go to pieces when they realise... cue begging "Please don't have me arrested!" *insert creative excuse here*

Sorry, but you see that sign we have on our doors? It says that shoplifters will always be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. That means that if we catch you nicking, you will be nicked.