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"I was shocked to find it in my pocket. The package did look familiar so maybe I touched it. I worked a long shift prior so maybe I placed it in my vest pocket by accident."
??? This does not make sense. How could you take the stickers out of the package and place them in your pocket "by accident"?
Poor customer service?? How should they treat a thief???
Like a person who may or may not have intentionally taken a .69 pack of second-hand stickers. This woman wasn't shopping at Cartier, and this wasn't the Crime of the Century. Assume that it is a misunderstanding, rather than the worst possible scenario--and try to maintain some sort of decorum.
Making a spectacle wasn't really necessary...Especially over sixty-nine cents.
Like a person who may or may not have intentionally taken a .69 pack of second-hand stickers. This woman wasn't shopping at Cartier, and this wasn't the Crime of the Century. Assume that it is a misunderstanding, rather than the worst possible scenario--and try to maintain some sort of decorum.
Making a spectacle wasn't really necessary...Especially over sixty-nine cents.
But at what point does it become "necessary"? Seventy cents? Seven dollars? Seven hundred dollars? Stealing is stealing. It may be petit larceny or it may be grand larceny, but it's still larceny and a store is entitled to deal with it in any manner they chose.
I am curious if you have ever "accidentally" found other things in your possession before? Do you think they have seen suspicious activity from you before?
.69 cents--if 50 people took an item for .69 every week, that would be $34.50 for a week. Times 52 weeks a year would be $1794. That is quite a bit of loss prevention for Goodwill.
Sorta like when most people take extra plastic bags, plasticware, napkins or condiments from stores. At like .2 cents a piece it adds up but everyone does it.
But at what point does it become "necessary"? Seventy cents? Seven dollars? Seven hundred dollars? Stealing is stealing. It may be petit larceny or it may be grand larceny, but it's still larceny and a store is entitled to deal with it in any manner they chose.
Well, I find it absolutely ridiculous that "Goodwill", an organization reliant on donations, is so uncharitable...I mean .69?! What is this, Les Misérables? If I had witnessed the incident, I'd have given them the .69. Then, to threaten to charge this woman? I mean, really? How hilarious would it be for Goodwill to spend thousands of dollars to pursue criminal charges for .69 cents (for donated pack of stickers)? Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.
Frankly, I hope this was an isolated incident specific to this store because I would never donate to an organization that was so, well, rude (and cheap).
Stealing is stealing. It may be petit larceny or it may be grand larceny, but it's still larceny and a store is entitled to deal with it in any manner they chose.
Indeed they are.
Every little bit can add up... and it is their choice to deal with thieves as they see fit.
Thank you ahead for your time to read this. I am really shaken up. It's late and I cannot sleep
Maybe I didn't handle this well and should have kept walking. I was already outside the door
While I was shopping at a Thrfit Store called Goodwill earlier today, a man approached me right outside. He didn't have a badge but introduced himself as a loss prevention...specialist?? then displayed an empty plastic package which read .69 cents. I wasn't sure of what he wanted at first so asked if he was asking for money. They have a problem with panhandling there.
He was accusing me of stealing whatever was inside this 69 cent package. At his firm request, and at his accusation it was in my vest pockets, I showed him. There was one tiny sheet in there. He took it and said, 'here it is,. Would you come with me? I will not call the Cops if you come with me" This was repeated a few times.
It was one sheet of some stickers that you can affix onto a file folder. It held maybe 10 stickers on it. Maybe the size of 1/4-1/2 of a sheet of paper. I was shocked to find it in my pocket. The package did look familiar so maybe I touched it. I worked a long shift prior so maybe I placed it in my vest pocket by accident. That's the only thing that made sense so I apologized and handed it over. He insisted I go with him or he'd contact police. I was shocked. He wouldn't let up.
He had another lady with him. We went to the back into a room in the store where he asked me to show him the contents of my purse and gain, he wouldn't call the cops. I was cordial, only saying maybe I had the stickers by accident but nothing more. I opened up my purse and he took my hairbrush out and other items. He said my hairbrush belonged to goodwill. What in the world????!!It was MY hairbrush.
In order to avoid a scene and NOT be arrested, I signed some sheet that admitted guilt and the possibiilty of a civil suit though he said that wouldn't happen. I knew that part was true, I mean .69 cents for stickers?? You must prove a loss. He then said they had facial recognition software and I was banned from ALL Goodwills. What makes me even angrier is his insistance to walk me out of the store like a criminal. He also took my photo. This happened in California
I am still so shaken up but the shock has turned to anger. Can anyone descipher what happened? I shop there alot and have never seen this man or lady before. All this for .69 cents. Why falsely accuse someone over .69 cents?
They were watching you before you left the store, and saw the stickers go into your pocket, obviously. I think one must leave the store with an item before you can be confronted for theft. Until you leave the store with their property, no theft has been committed.
Since the item was so small, putting it in your pocket while you walked around the store might have been OK temporarily if you didn't have a shopping basket or cart, (I haven't done it myself, but I could see how someone might do it temporarily, just as I gather up some fruit then look for husband's cart to dump it in), except for one thing which appears to be suspicious, and that is that you seem to have removed the stickers from the 69 cent plastic sleeve. That looks like theft.
He/they had no right to look inside your purse, period, unless perhaps they could describe in detail what they think you put in there that belonged to the store, and even then I don't know if they, as merely store personnel, could do that. You should not have permitted him to do go into your purse. To the best of my knowledge, it was an unreasonable search and seizure by someone who was not a law enforcement officer.
You should not have allowed him to take your picture, and I find it creepy that he did. You didn't need to sign something stating your guilt, either, nor show him your driver's license or anything like that, if you did. (Did he say he was placing you under Citizen's Arrest?)
I am pretty sure he did have the right to escort you out of the store, however.
After having worked in stores like this I have zero sympathy for petty thieves. I was shocked to find a carton of cigs in my coat is something I got really tired of hearing.
To be so paranoid about this I'd have to wonder if drugs are involved?
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