
Quoting
eerelations
Most large, and many small, retailers use the NRTD. And they're not just interested in learning about their job applicants who stole from stores similar to theirs, they're interested in learning about their job applicants who stole from any store. (Whaddya think, if someone applies at PetSmart and PetSmart finds out the applicant has stolen from every kind of store in existence except pet accessory stores, that PetSmart is gonna say "well that's OK, let's hire this guy"?)
As someone else has said, there's is absolutely no way that we could possibly know whether or not the stores you apply to are going to check the NRTD (except that it's more likely than not), or whether or not those stores will hire you after seeing your record.
Finally, given that most/all stores prohibit people from trying on pierced earrings (most/all stores won't even let people take pierced earrings out of their packaging), and that most/all people know this, if these were pierced earrings you tried on and then walked away with, I have a very hard time believing that you weren't trying to steal them. Because pretty much no one ever tries on pierced earrings in a store. Just not done.