Odds of Shoplifting Charges After Leaving the Store

[silkk_thb]

So I will give you the scenario...I went shopping at a grocery/retail store in Ohio. I put an item in my sweatshirt worth about $30 and also bought groceries. As I was walking out the store, the alarm went off so I was pretty nervous. However, the greeter approached me and asked to look at my receipt and said that she couldn't explain why the alarm went off since it just looked like I bought a bunch of groceries. She wrote down something off my receipt and let me go. I quickly went to my car and left. So I guess my question is that is there anyway they can catch me and convict me of shoplifting through possible video evidence? Do Loss Prevention people often look back at video evidence throughout the day? Could they possibly identify me from the video and be looking for me to return to the store? I would avoid going there, but I work as a vendor and go there 2 days a week. How long does LP search for potential shoplifters? Am I overanalyzing the situation or do I have reason to be nervous? Any help/input is greatly appreciated.

[panther10758]

If (for any reason) tape is reviewed and theft is seen yes you can be arrested next time you come or if they have an address for you. The likihood of that is very slim as there are procedures LP "must" follow before making a shoplfiting arrest

[silkk_thb]

thanks for the reply...one last question...is there a time frame that LP usually follows? For example, will they stop looking for me say after a couple months or so, if they are even looking at all

[panther10758]

There is no way of knowing that, however the chances they will even look is very slim. If a store is open 10 hours thats ten hours of video! for what?

[silkk_thb]

ya...it's actually a 24 hour store os 24 hours of video...thanks a lot man. i know this sounds typical, but i definitely learned my lesson.

[panther10758]

Listen to play it safe I would stay out of that store for a bit on the off chance someone actually saw you but didnt tell anyone in time to stop you

[750.356]

You're a vendor at the store that you stole from?!

If LP get word that you were tripping the alarm, I'd think they would be very interested to review video of your time in the store. Some random customer is one thing, but someone who regularly works at the store being a thief is a very serious matter.

Where I work, you'd be investigated, discovered, prosecuted criminally, and pursued in civil court. We would also do our best to get you fired from whatever distributor employs you, on top of making sure you don't get hired by any other distributor that sells to us.

Betraying the trust of your employer's customers is NOT something that will be taken lightly, trust me.

If you manage to fly under the radar, do yourself a favor and stick to stocking the Pespi or Ruffles, and go somewhere else to steal.