Shoplifters / Thieves

Just had a guy try to leave the store with a 750 of Courvoisier VSOP stuffed into his skintight t-shirt. I physically stopped him before he left and grabbed the bottle, while patting him down for more bottles. I gave him my best disappointed scowl and told him “Not cool man, not cool” while he walked out very sheepishly.

Any retailers here with funny/scary/ridiculous shoplifter stories?

I find it interesting that we are not encouraged to confront them beyond “Can I help you” or “Please pay at the register up front”. I’ll guess it is cheaper to lose a bottle of Scotch than defend a BS lawsuit. A couple of examples: When a purse snatcher struck, the then shift manager chased him into the parking lot, tackled him and retrieved the purse for the customer. The crook ran away. I heard through the employee gossip grapevine that he was disciplined for that. He is no longer employed with us. Another one has a porter chase down a thief with a hand basket full of stuff in the parking lot. The porter gets the basket of stuff without any physical contact, brings it into the store and is promptly reprimanded by the director for confronting a thief. Just last Sunday a well dressed attractive woman came in with what looked like her Mother. She took all the popcorn and makeup samples and stuffed them in her bag. Bad manners? Then she proceeded to stop at an unoccupied cash register and take all the plastic grocery bags, probably 100+. Theft. A manager was not present so no one did anything for fear of losing their job. Ridiculous.

I wasn’t in the spirits business at the time, but when in high school a worked as plain clothes security at an SS Kresge store. While on the floor, an 88 year old woman asked me if I could hold an empty bag open for her, and she proceeded to stuff the bag full of womens’ ready-to-wear, and then a second. All told, over $300 in merchandise, which was a lot of goods at Kresge’s in 1971.

I busted her as she walked out the door and called the police. They wouldn’t arrest her because they knew she wouldn’t be prosecuted because of her age. Nice racket

When I lived in the lower French Quarter in NOLA, there was a small grocery on the corner. Once I saw them catch a teenaged shoplifter and the owner (a retired cop) handcuffed the kid to a radiator, yelled to his wife “Bring the box, Ma” and she came out from the back with a box with a giant tub of Vasilene, a carton of Marlboros and a bible and set it in front of the kid. The owner then says to the kid “You’re gonna need those where you’re going son…”


He probably got off with probation but I bet he crapped his pants.

That’s creative. [welldone.gif]

Ain’t nuthin’ but a thang, as that must have been The Ladies Man!

;-D

It pains me more when it is one of your own employees thieving. In our beer wholesaler it is amazing the amount of time and money that we have to invest on internal controls. Sometimes I feel that we are being penny wise and pound foolish.

Ain’t nuthin’ but a thang, as that must have been The Ladies Man!

I wasn’t that upset that he tried to steal, I was more perplexed that he didn’t attempt to grab the Tesseron XO or Pellehaut Armagnac RIGHT next to the Courvoisier! Come on dude - step up your game!

Pete chased a guy three blocks one time for a bottle of Patron Silver.

I physically ejected a couple of shoplifters from that store, using their heads to open the door.
Back in my young and angry days up in Boston, I administered a couple of sidewalk beatdowns to shoplifters. At one of my former employers up there, it was like the scene in ‘Casino.’ We dragged the shoplifters in the elevator and it was, ‘do you want to walk or the goods and the crowbar?’ The only guy we let walk was the one who shoved Champagne in the baby carriage. It didn’t seem right to tune up a guy with a toddler.

I’ve only had a couple of caught stealings at my new place, and the situation was more as Pete described. Grabbed the bottle back and the guys walked out. I’m getting too old for this.

I once had a known neighborhood street drunk ease into my shop and ask to see the Italian wine section. It was midweek and in our small shop that required one employee, which happened to be me that night.

He’s perusing, walking back and forth, sizing up labels, rubbing his chin–waiting for me to be distracted.

As soon as a customer came in, the guy went into action. After the customer and the street drunk departed, I noticed that a particular Barolo of 1997 vintage was no longer in its slot. The guy had taste.

Don’t you have citizens arrest in the US?

Most states do. It’s the way the laws are written that are problematic. In CA, you can load your arms, pockets and orifices with items, but it’s not theft until you pass by the register AND leave the store without paying. It’s amazing how many people are stopped at the door and just forgot to leave the basket inside, while they go get their wallet they left in the car.

Liability issues cause large businesses and many smaller businesses to discipline when, or order their employees not to interfere with shoplifters. If the business is large enough, they will hire “security” and pay the extras for “trained” employees providing security.

Same in the UK, you have to leave the store, or (I think) be clearly about to leave the store. Almost all major chains will have security in every store.

I’m having a vague recollection that putting items in a pocket, purse or such is a different crime, but still a crime.

Here’s the CA shoplifting law guidelines, with links to the other states: Is This Not Wine? Devo Founder Builds in Napa | Wine-Searcher News & Features

As to citizens arrest, it is certainly a right. In practice, police and the courts tend not to be fans of it. Depends, of course. From what I’ve seen, police will rearrest the suspect so the courts will respect it, or just let the suspect go.

I had an habitual vodka thief whom I could see coming from miles away. He would always drunkenly dip on some bottom shelf brand. Each time I threw him out, I got a little more rough about it, until the last time, when I could see him stumbling up the street. I positioned myself in front of the vodka and decided to wait and see how long he would wait. Finally, after about five minutes, I stepped aside and he immediately lunged for a cheap handle to stuff down his jeans. I put one arm around his neck and used the other to tie up one of his arms and then I frog-walked him to the front door, then pitched him into a planter outside.

The neighborhood the store is in was a little rougher back then, and we’ve since built a much better physical plant, and I was also moonlighting as a doorman in those days, so our crowd was a little rougher and I was a little more aggro. We also had a little brick wall outside that served as a launching pad for more than one busted shoplifter.

Probably the most “menacing” thing I did was when I caught a college kid pissing on our backdoor. I came up behind him and I explained that he had two choices - he could come inside with me to get some water to clean up his mess, or I could pee on him. My very visibly nervous friend chose option one and came inside with me, we fetched a cup of water, and he dumped it on his pee spot. It was really more of a symbolic gesture, but damn man, don’t pee where I walk!

Years ago a very famous lawyer who had a weekly TV show put a $300 bottle of bordeaux in his briefcase and when caught was brought to the office where the owner sat him down and said he had been in the store at least three times previous and that he probably stole merchandise then also. He said $1200 should cover that. The lawyer wrote the check never came back and soon thereafter lost his TV show which I presume was unconnected.

My first job in wine was at a landmark shop on the Wharf in San Francisco. We had hundreds of 50mL bottles that were very popular for purchase but they were displayed around the front of the register desk. One time the guy delivering our phone books grabbed a couple and ran out the door. I didn’t chase him but told him to bring them back. His reply as he rounded the corner “Sorry man, It’s rough out here”.

I have a bit of an expanded understanding of that story…they went out to his car and took all the wine he had stolen from other stores out of his trunk to cover the tab…