tagged w/ Shoplifting
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Last Friday in Houston, Texas, a woman was shot at a Wal-Mart for allegedly shop lifting. Shelly Frey was shot and killed by a security guard on duty at the store and this isn’t the first time Wal-Mart security has murdered an allegedly shoplifter. The retail giant has received its fair share of bad publicity, but what does this latest incident mean for Wal-Mart? Rachel Kurzius joins RT with how Wal-Mart has been able to overcome scandal after scandal.
http://bit.ly/RsqMjGLast Friday in Houston, Texas, a woman was shot at a Wal-Mart for allegedly shop... more
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By Dino Grandoni, The Atlantic
Hope you had a Merry Christmas, America, because you've been extremely naughty at the mall this year. After surveying retailers in the U.S., the Global Retail Theft Barometer says that shoppers pinched $1.8 billion worth of merchandise during the four weeks leading up to Christmas, reports the AP. $1.8 billion! For context, $1.8 billion is a 6 percent increase from 2010 -- a total of approximately 62 million Tickle Me Elmos at retail. And this is a year when there aren't even any good toys to buy. When stores are offering big markdowns because people aren't spending as much. But that's exactly the point: while there will always be some built-in kleptomania to society, the sour economy drives some people to buy less and steal more. Or at least gives them a good excuse for doing so.
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2011/12/americans-shoplifted-18-billion-worth-stuff-christmas/46634/By Dino Grandoni, The Atlantic
Hope you had a Merry Christmas, America, because... more
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PORTLAND -- Safeway officials say they have proof that a local couple stole more than $5 million in merchandise from stores in the Portland Metro area over the past several years.
Police arrested Richard Lavern Remington, 52, and Angela Rose Evans, 32, on Tuesday and the couple was arraigned in Multnomah County Circuit Court Wednesday.
The probable cause affidavit showed that Safeway began formally tracking the pair last November after suspicions surfaced they had been shoplifting.
Evans told police that the couple stole mostly common items like shampoos, razors, Rogaine, teeth whiteners, conditioners to batteries, DVDs and CDs, according to the affidavit, which also said that Remington stole DVDs on 22 different dates since November.
The court documents said that store surveillance cameras showed Remington involved in 103 thefts between Nov. 19 and Jan. 14, and that Evans was present in more than half of those incidents.
Investigators said the couple would go to several Safeway stores a day and shoplift. They actually used a shopping list for the thefts provided by a a suspect still being sought.
Safeway security officer Trent Drucker estimates that Remington stole $400,000 a year in merchandise over several years, totaling $5 million over the span of thefts.
On Nov. 19, Safeway security officials placed a tracking device on a van driven by the couple. Whenever the van was driven to a Safeway, surveillance videos were carefully scrutinized.
In the weeks following, Safeway officials created a spreadsheet of locations and thefts, which they presented to Portland police. The couple was arrested outside a Safeway store in Portland's Woodstock neighborhood.
Both suspects remained in jail after their arraignment. Their next court appearance was scheduled for Feb. 25.
Remington had an outstanding felony parole violation. He was accused of organized retail theft and multiple first-degree theft charges.
Evans was also accused of organized retail theft and multiple counts of first-degree theft.
http://www.nwcn.com/home/Couple-shoplifted-5-million-from-Portland-Safeway-stores-police-say.htmlPORTLAND -- Safeway officials say they have proof that a local couple stole more than... more
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An Australian comic retailer was in costume for a promotion when he caught a would-be shoplifter. Customers thought it was all part of the act until he called for police.An Australian comic retailer was in costume for a promotion when he caught a would-be... more
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Spider-Man Catches Real Thief In Comic Book Store Robbery…
CALLIE WATSON
The Advertiser
May 03, 2010
IT sounds like a comic book plot – Spiderman foils a would-be thief as Star Wars Jedi Knights block the escape route and superhero The Flash looks on.
But this was the scene played out in a city shop on Saturday, when a business owner dressed as Spiderman stopped a man shoplifting an X-Men book worth $160.
Click for VIDEO...Spider-Man Catches Real Thief In Comic Book Store Robbery…http://ctpatriot1970.wordpress.com/2010/05/04/spider-man-catches-real-thief-in-comic-book-store-robbery-video/Spider-Man Catches Real Thief In Comic Book Store Robbery…
CALLIE WATSON... more
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Two retail employees say they were fired last week after they chased down a suspected shoplifter.
Wait: The tale gets even loopier. The men – Paul Shoemaker and Mike McGee – apparently were on their break and chasing an alleged store shoplifter not in their store, but in an adjacent Apple Store.
The pair were heading out of the Sprint store where they used to work in Denver's Cherry Creek Mall when they came upon a frantic security guard in the hall. "[He] came right basically in front of us, and was like, 'Help me, Help me.' Out of breath. You could totally hear he was distraught," Shoemaker told Denver's 7News.
The pair pitched in to help capture the alleged shoplifter.
"It's the way I was raised as a kid," McGee said. "You see something that's going on wrong you step in and try to help whatever way you can."
The trouble started after the suspect was carted off. Sprint's corporate policy states that employees should not chase shoplifters, though the men argue they were on break and it wasn't even Sprint's merchandise they were seeking to retrieve. Sprint declined to comment, citing privacy concerns.
The firing isn't without precedent. In October Walmart fired an Ocala branch's loss prevention officer for chasing a man allegedly trying to steal golf balls. And in August 2009, two college-age Best Buy employees were fired from a Broomfield, Colorado Best Buy after tackling an alleged shoplifter. A Best Buy spokeswoman said all employees "are aware, and trained, on the standard operating procedures for dealing with shoplifting or theft – which includes ceasing pursuit of a suspected shoplifter once they exit the store." This, she said, was for the safety of employees.
So should you fire an employee for pursuing a thief? Only you can decide the "should," but legally you are able to do so.
Employment lawyer Frank Steinberg blogged about the Walmart case that the chain "was clearly within its rights to set a policy on how shoplifting incidents were to be handled and to decide that the guard's violation of that policy warranted termination."
In fact, having a policy about how employees should handle shoplifting or any crime they witness on the job is seen as a smart move legally, because it can protect you from liability in the event someone is hurt. Judgments in these cases are rare, but can reach into the hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars.
In Texas, for example, a shoplifter – his lawyer says he admits to the crime – is suing Walmart for $100,000 over the dislocated shoulder he claims employees inflicted on him.
Separately, the Houston Chronicle reported the company paid nearly $750,000 as part of a settlement to the family of a 30-year-old alleged shoplifter who died of a heart attack as employees tried to stop him. (The items he was accused of stealing: a package of diapers, a pair of sunglasses, a BB gun, and a package of BBs.)
Whether the good Samaritans in Denver deserved to be terminated is another question; how you train your staff to handle loss prevention is one of those tricky matters you probably never considered when you first started your business.Two retail employees say they were fired last week after they chased down a suspected... more
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A Roman Catholic priest was accused of shoplifting butter and a sofa cover at a Wal-Mart in southern Illinois. Police arrested 41-year-old the Rev. Steven Poole on Friday. He's charged with two felony theft counts. Investigators said Poole failed to scan a $3.22 container of butter and a $60 sofa cover at a self-checkout. Poole then allegedly went to the store's bedding section, picked up a memory foam mattress and switched the pricing bar code. That caused the $145 item to be scanned for $31.
Allegedly, Poole also possessed a stolen laptop computer power pack.
He's the priest for St. Andrew's Catholic Church in Christopher and St. Mary's Catholic Church in Sesser.
Poole does not have a listed home telephone number, and messages left for him at the churches were not returned.
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/WaterCooler/wireStory?id=9658907A Roman Catholic priest was accused of shoplifting butter and a sofa cover at a... more
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A Roman Catholic priest was accused of shoplifting butter and a sofa cover at a Wal-Mart in southern Illinois. Police arrested 41-year-old the Rev. Steven Poole on Friday. He's charged with two felony theft counts. Investigators said Poole failed to scan a $3.22 container of butter and a $60 sofa cover at a self-checkout. Poole then allegedly went to the store's bedding section, picked up a memory foam mattress and switched the pricing bar code. That caused the $145 item to be scanned for $31.
Allegedly, Poole also possessed a stolen laptop computer power pack.
He's the priest for St. Andrew's Catholic Church in Christopher and St. Mary's Catholic Church in Sesser.
Poole does not have a listed home telephone number, and messages left for him at the churches were not returned.A Roman Catholic priest was accused of shoplifting butter and a sofa cover at a... more
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At the Saks flagship store in Manhattan, a 23-year-old sales clerk was caught recently ringing up $130,000 in false merchandise returns and siphoning the money onto a gift card. “Gift card fraud is spiking,” said Joshua Bamfield, author of the Global Retail Theft Barometer, an annual international survey of retailers. “To employees, this is like currency. It’s almost as good as the U.S. dollar.”
(para. 1-2)
A 20-year-old cashier at a Best Buy on Staten Island was arrested two weeks ago and accused of fraudulently ringing up gifts cards for $600. A Kmart employee, 22, was arrested the same week in Hazlet, N.J., and accused of stealing more than $1,500, partly by diverting false refunds and layaway plans onto gift cards. Other schemes are slightly more complex: early this year, a 20-year-old worker at a Sears in Milford, Conn., was charged with manipulating the store’s computers to divert more than $35,000 onto gift cards that were fraudulently activated.
(para. 7-8)
More details at the link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/30/business/30theft.htmlAt the Saks flagship store in Manhattan, a 23-year-old sales clerk was caught recently... more
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Chattanooga police said a couple they believe tried to steal a cart full of TVs and a computer caused chaos at a Walmart. According to a news release, Officer Josh Wright was off duty when he saw a man trying to force his way past a greeter with about $2,000 worth of stolen goods Sunday night. Wright displayed his badge, but the man said it was fake and tried to force his way past him. Wright then tackled the suspect and arrested him.
Then the suspect's wife, feigned a heart attack and said she did not know her husband.
After a witness told Wright the couple had been together in the store, the wife followed the witness into the parking lot and attacked her. The witness stabbed her in the arm with a pocket knife, and the wife had to be treated at a local hospital.
The male suspect was charged with theft over $1,000 and assault on a police officer. Charges against the wife were pending.Chattanooga police said a couple they believe tried to steal a cart full of TVs and a... more
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An Ohio woman who asked that police be called after she caught her 6-year-old daughter shoplifting a package of stickers said Wednesday that she was just trying to teach the girl a lesson early in life.An Ohio woman who asked that police be called after she caught her 6-year-old daughter... more
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" WORSHIPPERS at one York church got a shock when their parish priest used the last Sunday before Christmas to advocate shoplifting.
Father Tim Jones, parish priest of St Lawrence and St Hilda, broke off from the traditional Nativity story yesterday, and said stealing from large national chains was sometimes the best option many vulnerable people had.
He told the congregation: "My advice, as a Christian priest, is to shoplift. I do not offer such advice because I think that stealing is a good thing, or because I think it is harmless, for it is neither.
"I would ask that they do not steal from small, family businesses, but from large national businesses, knowing that the costs are ultimately passed on to the rest of us in the form of higher prices. I would ask them not to take any more than they need, for any longer than they need."
He said he offered the advice "with a heavy heart", and wished society would recognise that bureaucratic ineptitude and systemic delay had created an "invitation and incentive to crime for people struggling to cope".
Father Jones said society had failed many needy people, and said it was far better that they shoplift than turn to more degrading or violent options such as prostitution, mugging or burglary. He cited an example of an ex-prisoner who had received less than £100, including a crisis loan, in the six weeks since his release.
He said his advice did not contradict the Bible's eighth commandment, not to steal, saying God's love for the poor and despised outweighed the property rights of the rich.
He added: "Let my words not be misrepresented as a simplistic call for people to shoplift. The observation that shoplifting is the best option that some people are left with is a grim indictment of who we are. "Rather, this is a call for our society no longer to treat its most vulnerable people with indifference and contempt." "" WORSHIPPERS at one York church got a shock when their parish priest used the... more
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Poor people who are desperate for cash have been advised to go forth and shoplift from major stores - by an Anglican priest.
The Rev Tim Jones said in his Sunday sermon that stealing from successful shops was preferable to burglary, robbery or prostitution.
He told parishioners it would not break the eighth commandment 'thou shalt not steal' because it 'is permissible for those who are in desperate situations to take food that they might not starve'.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1237470/Priest-advises-congregation-shoplift.htmlPoor people who are desperate for cash have been advised to go forth and shoplift from... more
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A mother teaches children that stealing is ok, but department store security shows them differently.A mother teaches children that stealing is ok, but department store security shows... more
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Police in Germany say a man they were due to question over a shoplifting offence is in even more trouble after allegedly robbing a supermarket on his way to see them.
They say the 41-year-old fitted the description for the additional theft, and that his accomplice was discovered sitting in the police station car park, trunk full of the stolen goods from that very morning.Police in Germany say a man they were due to question over a shoplifting offence is in... more
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Tesco is putting metal strip security tags - usually reserved for pricier items like alcohol, razor bladed and CDs - on cheese.
Apparently, since the recession hit, there has been an increase in shoplifting at the stores and cheese is one of the top stolen items.
The Tesco in Brockworth, Gloucester, is one store implementing the change.
Godfrey Browning, a parish councillor in Brockworth, said: "Anything to discourage shoplifters is a good thing, and this is something I would certainly encourage. Meat and cheese is getting very expensive now, so this could be seen as necessary."Tesco is putting metal strip security tags - usually reserved for pricier items like... more
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Memphis police are searching for a shoplifting suspect who used a tiny baby as a weapon against a security guard during an escape attempt Wednesday.
The incident happened early Wednesday afternoon at Wal-Mart on Austin Peay in Raleigh, where police say a woman was caught shoplifting. While attempting to escape, the woman hurled her two-month old nephew at a security guard. The infant, seated in a carrier, fell onto the concrete floor.
The suspect then threw the baby at a good samaritan who tried to tend to the infant.
The suspect ran from the store and escaped in a blue Ford Escort, abandoning the baby and his mother, who was in the women's restroom during the incident.Memphis police are searching for a shoplifting suspect who used a tiny baby as a... more
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A pregnant woman who was forced to expose her swollen stomach to a liquor store full of customers has prompted a consumer lobby group to call for a ban on strip searches in Queensland shops.
A 40-year old woman, who was eight-and-a-half months' pregnant, was forced to lift her shirt after being wrongly accused of shoplifting.A pregnant woman who was forced to expose her swollen stomach to a liquor store full... more
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Mychal Bell, 18, was arrested in the 2006 racially charged 'Jena 6' case. Bell shot himself Monday evening because he was 'tired of all the media attention.' Last week, he was arrested after allegedly stealing slothes from a department store. The wound from the gun is not life-threatening.Mychal Bell, 18, was arrested in the 2006 racially charged 'Jena 6' case.... more
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