Shopper's Drug Mart fail

[becomingun]

Year old bad_service, or more bad_logic, I suppose

Comments

[becomingun]

That does make sense, I suppose, but I think it would have made more sense to only approach me had I actually put them down somewhere? I put them back into the small store basket I was using.

[wicked_grl]

Exactly. Yes, people open packages and such all the time before paying for them. He should have just watched you to see if you were actually going to be dishonest. Had you been and then attempted to leave the store THEN he would have had the right to stop you, not before. That was extremely rude of him. I did a dumb thing and shoplifted as a kid. The security person waited till I was almost out the door before approaching my mother and I. That's how you're supposed to do it. Not embarrass someone like he did you. Shame on him and sorry he put you thru all that. And yeah, I got my rear fully wailed for shoplifting and was grounded for ages.

[capheine]

You totally beat me to it, re: the candy bar thing.

[i_id]

Absolutely not implying that you were trying to steal anything, but in my experience, that's something a lot of minor shoplifters do. They get in line to make one purchase, conveniently forgetting the product they already ate/used/etc because hey, they're making a purchase so they're clearly not a shoplifter. The bad_service here is how rude he was about it. He should have waited until you reached the cashier, just observing.

[becomingun]

That makes sense, I suppose, but yeah, I would never have expected them to approach someone UNTIL they put the items down. Especially because I had placed them back in my basket.

I've had friends have bad experiences with security at that location too, I guess they're just difficult in general.

[i_id]

It's a difficult job, being suspicious of everyone. I've met people who are really good at it, and people who are really just in it for the power trip.

[thornwolf]

The thing I don't understand, and maybe this was not the case of the OP, but how I understood it originally, say you have a packet of 6 hairpins. The UPC code will ring up as a packet of 6. Whether or not you put two in your hair or not, you're still keeping the package that will still ring up as 6 hairpins. So, unless she pulled out 2 hairpins and put the package back on the rack I don't see the problem really and I felt the "secret shopper" was way out of line.

[ladynorbert]

I'm not sure how you could leave without paying for the ones you used, considering that you were buying the package -- do you actually pay for each pin individually?

[peralta]

I think what they meant is she'd decide against buying the pack without removing the ones she'd all ready put in her hair.

[ladynorbert]

Ooh, right, okay. I get it now. Thanks!

[becomingun]

He was saying that he expected that I was going to take the rest of the package and put it on a shelf in the aisle or something and just walk out with the ones I'd put in my hair. Which makes no sense since I put them back in my basket. I think it's mostly a case of this guy seeing too many 19-year-old girls stealing things and overestimating.

[stevieg]

In order for shoplifting to occur, you must leave the store premise without paying for the product - arrest/detention within the store is considered a false arrest as you have not shoplifted yet.

I would contact the store management regarding this. I used to do loss prevention and we were under very, very strict orders to only confront people when they had left the premise. Yes, you did exhibit the typical behavior of a shoplifter; however, you were clearly going to pay for them.

[yourwateryhands]

You don't have to leave, you just have to walk past the registers without showing intent to pay, at least where I live.

[future_dystopia]

I think that was a little overdramatic over some hair pins. I mean sure you COULD have been stealing them, but until they saw you get out of line/reach the register without the rest of the pack, I don't even think they should have approached you. If they were that worried, they could have just silently observed. It's obvious he already was before approaching you anyway...

[herculaneum]

This. With such a long line, they're worried about hair pins? Methinks someone was bored.