I haven't watched Dr. Phil in a long time, but I would have liked to watch this episode. I have a lot of curiosity about people like that, and how they tick, even though I think their behavior is disgusting. Well, I guess a lot of people feel that way, that's why his show is still on the air.

At the drugstore I worked at, we found on average, $1000 worth of stolen cosmetics per week. That's just the packaging people leave behind when they take the product. That doesn't count those who take the packaging too. Those losses we found come inventory. And that is just ONE department! I was constantly finding open packaging with the contents missing. It got to the point one day where we were trying to figure out who was stealing. I found an open boxes of condoms with a few missing (why not take them all, the shoplifting charge is the same whether you take one condom or all 12!), a bottle of aftershave, a tube of toothpaste, hair dye and some other stuff. Granted it was during an 8 hour shift and odds are it was all different people but the story we were telling with the stuff that was taken. LOL It's so bad, it's just a running joke. What bothers me about shoplifters is how they think they are 'owed' what they take. I worked in the store and I didn't get a single thing for free! I even had to pay for the free gift with purchases that every other customer got. I did corner one shoplifter one day, something we are not allowed to do. She just kept pulling stuff out of her pockets (notice I didn't say purse????) and when she took out more than we saw her put in I yelled, "YOU TOOK THAT TOO? And you're probably one of those people who b*tch and complain because we're so expensive! YOU are the reason we're expensive!" I was pms-ing at the time......... LOL

I had a friend who often went shoplifting with her baby. She put the baby in her carseat, then put the whole thing in a shopping cart and laid the blanket in such a way she could tuck all sorts of things under it. It took about a year before she was finally caught at a Safeway store and had to do about 100 hours of community service. And because she was over 18, it's on her permanent record. There are a lot of jobs out there she can't get anymore because most places here ask for a criminal records check now. Which proves nothing, other than you didn't get caught if your record is clean...... :o)

One gal at Walgreens said to be sure to check any hair color kits you buy. Sometimes they switch bottles - they put the expensive bottles into the cheap boxes and buy the cheap box.

When you buy the expensive box and get home, you have cheap crap instead.

One of the children of this couple was in a car seat and they were stuffing things under the cushion and behind it.They even put things in the other little ones pants.He/she,can't remember if it was a boy or girl,was about 3 years old.How can people stoop so low? When they were telling the story and showing the video they were laughing and giggling about it.They said it wasn't hurting anyone that the stores just write it off!

I still have guilty nightmares about when I was ten years old and my "friend" Clara talked my BBF (Linda) and I to shoplift something at Woolworth's or Kresses.......I still feel horrible about doing it and have never, in my life, taken something that wasn't mine. That was 58 years ago.
It makes me sick to my stomach just thinking about it.
Clara was the new cute girl at school and had a powerful influence of us "lesser" girls.

The one that still stands out in my mind was when I worked for the convenience stores and someone opened up a box of margarine and took one stick. There was butter there, but they took one stick of margarine! Low class and no taste! And I was noticing in the store today the tape left on items where people steal the coupons! Bags opened and left throughout stores. It just burns me up when I see people tear open bags of candy to give to their spoiled brats. Doubt they will be paying for it when they leave. In fairness, a few will, but the only justification I can see for it is if the kid is having some sort of diabetic shock and needs sugar immediately.

I agree with all the comments about shoplifting above and people that use their children as distractions or as unwitting accomplices to shoplift should not be allowed to be parents...
However, part of the problem stems from stores that are either chronically understaffed or have staff that do not pay attention to what's going on around them. Shoplifting is rampant because it's so easy to do (and no, I am NOT a shoplifter).
Next time you are in Walmart or any other large store start paying attention to things that are tucked onto shelves where they don't belong - like makeup in the toy aisle, etc.
If you had the time to wait around and watch, you'd see someone come by and pick that item up that they have stashed there.
When I worked as a trainer for a convenience store chain I saw one of the most inventive shoplifting ideas ever - the kids (and some adults) would come in, grab the largest pop cup we had, stuff it with whatever they were wanting to steal and put a lid and a straw in it. The store was very busy and crowded so it wasn't that easy to see whether every pop cup had pop in it - but we did catch one guy one day and he had that thing stuffed full of chocolate, candy and lighters! I didn't approve but I was impressed with the thought that went into that scam....
Once we realized the pop cups were being used as stash spaces we caught quite a few people using that method to steal things.
Shoplifting is a billion dollar industry. But the companies do need to shoulder some of the blame as they don't keep enough manpower on hand to really police the aisles.
Suzan J

When I was a kid, I went shopping with my GM and she ate a grape in the store. I was scared she was going to be arrested. LOL!

Have you ever been hungry while shopping and opened a snack before it was purchased. LOL! I use to eat a box of Cracker Jacks while shopping. I would turn in the empty box at the Cash Register.

If I would have forgotten my wallet or check book, that would have been stealing. The cashier told me they find empty food containers all over the store where people don't pay for their little snacks.

Gayle

I remember once as a child going into a local Woolworths with my mother and seeing a big case full of Hershey kisses. I grabbed a handfull and stuffed them in my pocket. No one saw. When I got home I ate them and put the silver wrappers in a wastebasket. Mom saw and asked where they came from. I stammered something about "They had so many." She marched me right back to Woolworths and made me apologize to a clerk and pay for the candy. I never forgot how low I felt. That was at least 52 years ago.

sjarz, you have a very good point. When I was with the c-stores prices were going up on gas and of course driveoffs increased with it. They'd blame the cashier and manager for driveoffs unless there was a police report with the license # and driver description which for one thing, not all cars would have plates but anyway I told them to make it prepay and you'll eliminate drive offs! But of course they refused because they'd lose sales.

Stores could do like the old LaBelle's stores did, where they had the products in back and you'd "order" them, pay for them and they'd have it for you to pick up. Again, people want to put it in the cart, see it, feel it, touch it, even though there's floor samples out there. And I know of another store chain that has instructed their people to not turn in shoplifters because if they prosecute them, they won't return as customers and they don't want to lose the business!

Even though it's easier though, the reality is that we've taught people to expect things and that getting it by any means is acceptable. Parents need to take a part of the responsibility too. One of the biggest theft items out there, interestingly is baby formula! Everyone knows that prices are higher because of theft. And employee theft is often overlooked too.

Crooks can be ingenius. Too bad they don't channel the creativity to more positive things.

I've seen several people shoplift. The stores usually won't do anything about it unless they catch the person in the act.

Dh and I were at Wal-Mart a few years back. A man timed his exit so he'd go out the door with us and our full buggy. The alarm went off and we stopped and the greeter asked the guy to stop. He gave one item back and then walked out and the alarm went off again and he just kept walking. The greeter said she was not allowed to go after him.

My husband works at Walmart. He works in the lawn and graden department at the back door. He see's so much back there but his hands are tied. Just last week he followed a couple of ladies out the door because it looked like one had something tucked under her coat. He watched them get in their car and as they drove away he made eye contact with the one in the passenger seat and she gave him a smug smile. Makes my blood boil.

My sister works for a large pharmacy chain and the biggest problem isn't the shoplifters who stash an item or two in their pocket - they actually come in and wipe out entire shelves of products (which they probably sell at flea markets later on). I think the store figures it's less expensive to deal with shoplifters than to pay for security staff or effective security systems.

My brother owns a music store and people occasionally just run right out the front door with merchandise (usually guitars). The funny thing is that they almost always catch the thief when they try to unload it locally. There aren't that many music stores/pawn shops/etc in that area and most of the thieves aren't willing to travel to fence the goods.

When I worked retail many years ago we had to riffle thru magazine pages, looking for greeting cards. Look down into the center rolls of toilet paper and paper towels, amazing what can fit there. One of the cashiers lifted a bag of dog food on the bottom of a customers cart and lo and behold, how did all those steaks fall under there? LOL! Often times the shoe department would find shoe boxes with someones old shoes in them and the new shoes long gone.
I guess I'm not a creative person, could never think of these things on my own!
Kathy G in MI

My daughter, the one I mentioned in the earlier post (who was manager of a trendy teen/early20 age clothing store) had a professional shoplifting gang working the mall that her store was in. One woman in the gang made violent personnal threats against both my daughter and another manager. For a while they had mall security walking them too and from their cars, but apparently there is not much else that will be done. The corporate office ok'd my daughter carrying a taser at work. This kind of stuff scares me to death, because that's the environment my child (even if almost 30 years old) is working in.

On a lighter note, my son picked up a tube of lifesavers at a convenience store when he was very young (maybe 3-5) and when I found it I took him back and made him give it back and tell them that he had stolen it. 20+ years later, I'm pretty sure he's never been a repeat offender :-)

However, part of the problem stems from stores that are either chronically understaffed or have staff that do not pay attention to what's going on around them.
and
I've seen several people shoplift. The stores usually won't do anything about it unless they catch the person in the act.

I don't know about in the US, but in Canada, people can shoplift in front of a cashier, stock person, whomever..... but nothing can be done about it. Why? they're not loss prevention. We were told by our loss prevention team that even if we saw someone put something in their pocket, we couldn't have our loss prevention person arrest them because he or she didn't see the theft and it wouldn't hold up in court. When I stopped the woman from stealing that night, *I* could have been sued! I didn't see her take a single thing AND she never actually left the store with it. It's not considered theft until they step one foot out the door. She knew that, so I made up a "concealment" law that doesn't exist and she bought it.

Also, those Walmart door greeters who go through your bags when the alarm beeps when you exit are breaking the law every time they go through YOUR PRIVATE BELONGINGS. They cannot legally go through your bag, your purse or your pockets. They are GREETERS. Not LOSS PREVENTION. Even if the person standing at the door was a security guard, he cannot go through your belongings either. A loss prevention person MUST see you take the item off the shelf and put it in your pocket/purse/whatever.... and he cannot take his eyes off you for even a second until you leave the store. Only then can he stop you and he MUST be able to tell you what you took and where it is. If he's wrong, YOU can sue him, the loss prevention company he works for and the store he was working in.

jannie-that reminds me of an incident when my DS was about 4.We were grocery shopping and when we got to the checkout he wanted a package of gum.I told him no,we checked out,got into the car and drove home,about 8 blocks away.As I was putting up the groceries he came in with gum in his mouth.I knew he didn't get it at home so after questioning him he admitted to picking it up and sticking it in his pocket at the store.So I gave him the lecture about stealing and carted him back to the store.I asked for the manager and told DS to tell him what he had done and to apologize and give the gum back,which he did.Then the idiot manager said to DS,"Oh,that's ok you can keep the gum!" I said,(in front of a store full of people)"I beg your pardon sir,it isn't OK to steal even a package of gum!Here I am trying to teach my son a lesson and you are telling him it's OK!" He apologized and sheepishly walked away.LOL DS is 40 now and he still remembers that!LOL

I saw the couple on Dr. Phil and they were so stupid to go on tv and reveal all that but I think they thought he would help them and save them from going to jail, but they found out so the three children will probably be taken away, them put in jail and have all those taxes to pay so they should have kept their mouts shut.......