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Would you turn in a shoplifter?

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About the only time I wouldn't turn a shoplifter in would be if they obviously had no other choice. (e.g. steal food or starve)

With the example you gave I would have turned her in. There's no real worry of her life being ruined; as you said, she's old and maybe mentally unstable. If she needs help, well, she needs help. Catching her doing something like that could be the thing that gets her the psychiatric care she needs. And what prosecutor is going to go after an elderly woman shoplifting food? She'll get probation at the worst. I would have told the checkout person in a discreet manner.

If it was a kid I would have tried to find the parents. Every kid usually flirts with shoplifting once in their life, and that's something a parent needs to deal with ASAP. Now if the parent gets all huffy or tries to deflect ("how dare you slander my child.") then you need to talk to the staff or even call the cops. A reaction like that either indicates bad parenting or that the parent damn well knows about it; they need either a wakeup call or a talk with law enforcement about the legality of "theft by proxy".

Anyone else, hang 'em, talk to security.
 
Originally posted by: preslove
Only a d!ck would turn her in. Unless it was a mom and pop place.
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Oh I forgot about the golden rule. It's cool and hip to steal from the large corporate stores, but not from the mom & pop stores. Stealing is wrong, whether it's from the big guy or the little guy. I can't tell you how many times I've had cashiers that don't give a crap and have handed me anywhere from a penny to a hundred dollars too much in change from large and small stores, and I always give it back. I don't fall for the whole 'well, they can afford it, so who cares' bs.

As to the OP, I have turned in shoplifters, and will continue to, no matter whether it's someone with full mental capacity or mentaly ill/retarted. I know someone mentally ill may not border line know better, but if everyone let them do it, it would hurt the customers in the long run with higher costs.
 
Knowing the amount of shrink (loss) per year in a grocery story (8 yrs of Kroger), I would've done it in a heartbeat.
 
God Knows I'm Good

David Bowie - 1972 "Space Oddity"
  • I was walking through the counters of a national concern
    And a cash machine was spitting by my shoulder
    And I saw the multitude of faces, honest, rich and clean
    As the merchandise exchanged and money roared
    And a woman hot with worry slyly slipped a tin of stewing steak
    Into the paper bag at her side
    And her face was white with fear in case her actions were observed
    So she closed her eyes to keep her conscience blind

    Crying
    "God knows I'm good
    God knows I'm good
    God knows I'm good
    God may look the other way today

    God knows I'm good
    God knows I'm good
    God knows I'm good
    God may look the other way today"

    Then she moved toward the exit clutching tightly at her paper bag
    Perspiration trickled down her forehead
    And her heart it leapt inside her as the hand laid on her shoulder
    She was led away bewildered and amazed
    Through her deafened ears the cash machines were shrieking on the counter
    As her escort asked her softly for her name
    And a crowd of honest people rushed to help a tired old lady
    Who had fainted to the whirling wooden floor

    Crying
    "God knows I'm good
    God knows I'm good
    God knows I'm good
    Surely God won't look the other way

    God knows I'm good
    God knows I'm good
    God knows I'm good
    Surely God won't look the other way"
I'd have let her slide, but would have fingered a punk. Just being honest...
 
Hah, i thought the thread title read "would you turn into a shoplifter".... but anyways, no i wouldn't turn in a shoplifter cause I don't really care. I guess it depends on what they were stealing, but if people take a bit out of some fruit here and there then i don't care. I guess if they're opening packages and eating something out of them... hmm well maybe i would cause that would piss me off significantly if i bought it and found missing bon-bons.
 
I would tell them to go halves with me on their profits. If they refused, yeah, I'd turn 'em in. If they accepted, well then, I don't remember seeing a thing...
😎

/edit - Why can't :8 just be the cool smiley?

/edit - After reading your complete post I can honestly say, "No, I wouldn't have turned her in." What worries me though, is the number of older women who know people like me (and in this case, yourself) won't turn them in and subsequently take advantage of the situation. Just take the shaky lady for example.
🙂
 
Originally posted by: Homerboy
Nearly every week when my family goes to the grocery store we let my son grab a bananna and eat it while we shop. Is this "stealing"? I guess it is as we really have no way to ring it up at the register at the end of the trip. But then again we throw down $150+ a week... I think Pick-n-Save can float us 1 30cent banana cant they?
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Not only is this stealing, you are doing your son a disservice by giving him the impression that it is acceptible to act this way. When I get my kids something at the store, they know (because they have been told numerous times) that we will NOT open it until we have paid for it because "it's not ours to eat because we have not paid for it yet, it would be stealing" (and I make them wait until we exit the store because I think it's tacky to wolf down something at the register.) If my kids are likely to be hungry when we shop, I feed them before we get to the store, or keep the trip short so they can eat afterwards.

DON'T TEACH YOUR CHILD THAT STEALING IS OK JUST BECAUSE IT'S A LOW PRICED ITEM!!!!! The produce section is not a free sample table.


EDIT: You are completely wrong when you say that there is no way to ring it up at the register. Take another banana with you and have them ring it up twice.
 
Originally posted by: CPA
Originally posted by: Homerboy
I woulda likely let her go on her way. Maybe mentioned it to the cashier in passing. If it was a ma-pa joint, I guess I would have said something to the manager I guess.

Nearly every week when my family goes to the grocery store we let my son grab a bananna and eat it while we shop. Is this "stealing"? I guess it is as we really have no way to ring it up at the register at the end of the trip. But then again we throw down $150+ a week... I think Pick-n-Save can float us 1 30cent banana cant they?
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Bull$hit, that is stealing. Pick-n-Save doesn't owe you anything.

I think it needs to be a pre-requisite in life that everyone own a business once in their life. Maybe then you wouldn't think this way.
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Agreed, on all three sentiments.
 
In general, I wouldn't turn in a shoplifter b/c it's not my job to catch them. However, I would confront them myself and simply tell them they have been caught and had better not walk out of the store with whatever it is they are hiding. Especially, in the case you were put in!

Why didn't you just remind the old lady, in a friendly way, that she cannot simply take perishable items out of containers or place things in her bag without getting into a mess of trouble? 😕 Were you afraid she would hit you over the head with her bag full of canned items?😉
 
Originally posted by: Nanotech
In general, I wouldn't turn in a shoplifter b/c it's not my job to catch them. However, I would confront them myself and simply tell them they have been caught and had better not walk out of the store with whatever it is they are hiding. Especially, in the case you were put in!

Why didn't you just remind the old lady, in a friendly way, that she cannot simply take perishable items out of containers or place things in her bag without getting into a mess of trouble? 😕 Were you afraid she would hit you over the head with her bag full of canned items?😉
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Heh. Well honestly, she didn't look mentally stable, and I guess a small part of the reason why I didn't confront her directly is because I was a little worried about what she might have done.
 
Originally posted by: Dezign

In the end, I halfheartedly looked for an Albertson's employee, but couldn't find one around. I paid for my groceries and left.
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was it not an Albertson's emloyee who checked you out when you paid? You could've said something to then.
 
Originally posted by: prvteye2003
Originally posted by: Dezign

In the end, I halfheartedly looked for an Albertson's employee, but couldn't find one around. I paid for my groceries and left.
Click to expand...

was it not an Albertson's emloyee who checked you out when you paid? You could've said something to then.
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Yes, but I was looking for one around in the aisle where she was. I walked down a couple of aisles, but no workers were there. Then I finished shopping, paid and left.
 
Originally posted by: preslove
Only a d!ck would turn her in. Unless it was a mom and pop place.
Click to expand...
Oh, STFU you loser. It ultimately costs us more money in the long run you imbecile. Who cares if it's a mom and pop's store or a large chain, the final result is the same. Only a d!ck would turn her in? I guess majority of the population are d!cks then. :disgust:
 
I'd turn her in. Even if it wasn't a mom and pop type store. Obviously it hurts the chanes less than the little guys, since the price of the item stolen would have been such a lower percentage of the total that they sell that it would have made almost no difference.

Still, it's stealing, and it's wrong.

It doesn't matter if you spend $500 twice a week at a little store, picking up a banana without paying for it is STILL stealing. It doesn't matter if it only cost them a penny, they didn't say you could have it, you took it anyway, they end up paying for it, that makes you a thief. Period.
 
Originally posted by: breakit23
you can't really scan a banana
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Pick up two bananas of similar size, eat one, ask the cashier to ring the single banana up twice. Then you have paid for the one you ate. While tacky to eat it in the store in the first place, at least you wouldn't be stealing.
 
Usually I'd say no I wouldn't, but in certian situatuions I would, completly depends. I tend to not get myself into other peoples business.

As for your situation, I would not have either if I felt she was mently unstable as you stated, just wouldn't feel right seeing she already has issues.
 
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