Shoplifters

[BumbleFlump]

I’ve noticed a couple of times people loitering around the exit of a shop, waiting until I walk through the barrier and then either walking out at the same time or directly behind. Then, lo and behold the alarm goes off.

This happened to me today and I actually stopped so the lady behind couldn’t get past me and walked off when the store’s security came over, explaining that shed deliberately walked out at the same time as me. She was directly behind me, way too close for comfort. I told her and the security guard in no uncertain terms what I thought she was up to.

Am I right in assuming this is a tactic shoplifters use to confuse security so the don’t know who set off the barrier?

The woman and her friend caught up with me in the car park and told me I’d been rude. She said the security guard checker her receipt (not her bag/buggy) but that would have just shown that she’s paid for the items on the receipt 🤷🏻‍♀️ She could easily have had other things squirrelled away in her bag. To me, this shows that she probably had been stealing and was trying to divert it all onto me and my rudeness.

So was I being unreasonable? I wouldn’t normally get involved in anything like that, but it was all just so damn obvious.

Inwouldnonly accuse someone of shoplifting if I saw them put something in their bag or up their jumper!
I know security can purposely set off the alarm if suspicious.
You are brave though!

I've been eyed up and followed around in a shop but at the self checkout the gentleman in the nice suit next to me scanned all his shopping and walked out without paying. Things aren't always what they seem to be. Also, clothes tags have an rfid sticker under the price sticker, it sets off the alarm even if you take off the clunky magnetic tag. You set off the alarm 😅

Working in shops when I was a student, I encountered loads of shoplifters. None of them tried to ‘trick’ us, they either brazenly walked out laughing or made a run for it.

It is strange and rather paranoid behaviour on your part. As a PP said, I have a bad habit of walking too close behind people in shops because of so many dawdlers. It's so annoying when you're trying to get places and people are walking at a snails pace trying to catch out imaginary shoplifters

YABU. You don't know that she was a shoplifter. For a while I used to set off the alarm in a couple of shops and it happened again recently in one of the shops. No idea why. I'm not a shoplifter, clearly, it was some error. When it's happened I stop and tell an assistant that it's gone off on me - as the only person leaving the shop at the time - and asked them to go through my bags to show that I haven't taken anything that I haven't paid for.

If someone had said to me what you said to that woman I would have been absolutely mortified. Unless you actually see someone taking something you have no idea whether they are a shoplifter or not. You are not the bloody police.

Well I think you're right OP. It makes sense as a tactic because a respectable honest person will usually stop when the alarm goes off and offer to show the security guard their receipt etc - leaving the tea-leaf (everyone OK with that terminology?!) to stroll past them and make their escape.

Security don't routinely check anyway

You can delay all you want but items like meat always set off the barrier with the stickers. Whereas a shoplifter can nick an item without a yellow sticker and go unnoticed

Unless someone saw them, nothing is likely to happen anyway

Our ELC, when the alarm went off, used to ask "have you got a library card?" Apparently that was usually what set the alarm off!

I wouldn't get involved.
Doesn't matter how obvious I thought it was.

I think that was really weird of you to tell the security guard that the person behind you was probably shoplifting. How embarrassing.
The chances are a tag was accidentally left on, and even if it wasnt, why would you get involved and be so dramatic?

YANBU

you'd think people would have learnt to respect personal space by now, I can't stand people gluing me!

It can be a tactic yes but YABVU to assume she was a thief just because the alarm went off.

Alarms go off all the time in some supermarkets without anyone stealing a thing.

You are a Crime Fighter, OP!! 🏅

I very much suspect it was your clothes that set it off, and you have accused an innocent woman.

If she had done anything, she wouldn’t have chased you down afterwards.

Shop thieves are not doing victimless crimes. YANBU to suspect.

Are you sure your clothing didn’t have any of the sticker-type security tags on? They can look just like stickers with barcodes on.

@Iminaglasscaseofemotion

Also, you can't go around accusing people of shoplifting no matter what tactic you think you have uncovered. You made a fool of yourself and embarrassed a woman who probably did nothing wrong.

This. Wow. How would you feel if you were not a shoplifter and the person in front randomly turned round and accused you? Alarms do just go off randomly sometimes.

I am not surprised she thought it was actually you shoplifting and trying to cover it up by accusing her.

Have you noticed them doing it to other people too?
It is a good idea if you’re trying to shoplift so I’m sure people do do it but you seem very paranoid and to go and confront someone over it is really strange!

Never stop if a security alarm goes off when I leave a shop!

Apparently a mobile phone can set a shop alarm off. Could've been yours OP!

Really disappointing to see so many posters saying that the OP should have ignored her instincts. Instincts save lives. Walking very closely behind someone is a weird, aggressive thing to do, especially now in this age of social distance. People who do it usually do have a nefarious reason - e.g. in London people do it so that they can nip through the Tube barriers on someone else's tap.

@VodkaSlimline

Really disappointing to see so many posters saying that the OP should have ignored her instincts. Instincts save lives. Walking very closely behind someone is a weird, aggressive thing to do, especially now in this age of social distance. People who do it usually do have a nefarious reason - e.g. in London people do it so that they can nip through the Tube barriers on someone else's tap.

There's having instincts that something is wrong and then there's jumping to ridiculous conclusions. No one is saying that the former is wrong, but the OP dealt with it in a bizarre way and if her instincts were correct, the crime wouldn't have put her in any danger anyway.

I think you were imagining it and considering they didn't find anything, they'd have immediately view CCTV to check they'd stuffed items in the buggy, the security would follow them to the carpark.

I’m not particularly proud of what I did but all I can say is I did react totally on instinct, it all happened very quickly. I’ve never even come close to doing anything like this before.

So rude and judgemental! Wow. I'd have said something to you after too.