People thinks I'm a shoplifter?

[xnn]

So today I had a pretty nice day. Out shopping, and I didnt care at all what other people thought about me. I went in the store, tried some clothes and decided to buy them. The employes was nice and polite and everything went fine, until I was about to leave. There where alot of people in the store, and outside (it's in a shooping mall, and at the other side there where some tables where people where eating.
When I came to the exit the alarm went off. Everyone was starring at me. Probaly thinking that I'm a shoplifter. I knew I hadnt done anything wrong so I stopped turned around a walked back in the store, while people was staring at me. The employe met me halfway in the store, and went through my bag. He found one shirt which he forgot to remove the alarm. He was offcourse sorry.
I hate when this happens. Everyone has to stop and stare and probaly thinks he is a thief.

 

[shyflower]

I have had the same thing happen to me and have seen lots of other people go out the door and the alarm would go off and I always hear people around me going Oooooo! I know how I have handled the situation when it has happened to me. The alarm goes off and the first thing that goes through my mind without saying it out loud is " The idiot forgot to take the tag off of something..AGAIN". I know I shouldn't think of them as an idiot but I can't help it. The stares start..of course ..after that and then yeah people make judgements. So, now that everyone is looking at me like I am crazy I usually pass those crazy looks back and yeah I look at the cashier with THE LOOK also...so now that they have taken the tag off you get the apology and it still makes you feel awkward.. Then I usually go out the door mumbling a few cuss words. The thing about it is it happens all the time and you shouldn't care what those people think. It makes the store employee feel worse more than anything.. because after that they usually start thinking about what they did and it makes them feel bad.

 

[Feathers]

I've had a similar thing happen in a library. It's a bit annoying, but no fretting! People know it happens too... (or it will happen to them somewhere too!!)

 

[Lavinialuna]

Being poor has it's benefits as I rarely buy anything worth putting a tag on!:lol:
But I think most people realize that when the alarm goes off, it's very often a mistake. Still, I hate it when people look at me, so this sounds very awkward. Sorry you had to go through that!

 

[spider04]

I dont believe they think you're a thief just like that, they are just curious to see what happens, if you're really a thief or not, when I see that happen I just look to see what happens.

 

[Diend]

if you walked back, then you're not a theif. if you started running then you would be.

 

[MikeyC]

I think this sort of things happens everywhere. Most people barely pay attention to the beeping anymore, haha.

 

[Hellhound]

I'm sure it happens a lot. Don't worry too much

 

[WeirdyMcGee]

Alarms go off whenever we leave Walmart and they don't even bother checking anymore.
It's embarassing for a couple of minutes but you're surely not the only person the alarms have gone off for.

 

[Luckylife]

There are times when I will change my mind about food and thus I will have a can or 2 that I know I will not eat. Intact, in date, etc so instead of throwing away good food I will sneak it back into the shop and put it on the shelf. It must play havoc with their stock-check.

 

[awkwardamanda]

I've worked in retail. This happens all the time and people aren't likely to think you're stealing, as long as you either stay there or go back to the cashier. If you ignore it and keep walking, then people will get suspicious. Those tags are mostly a deterrent. Fewer people will try walking out of the store with something they didn't pay for if they know they'll set off the alarm. People who steal typically rip the tags off (and those stickers are hard to remove) and then dump them somewhere. So when the alarm does go off, it's much more likely because the cashier didn't deactivate the tags. Also, those alarms are finicky. Cell phones or other electronics sometimes set them off.

There are times when I will change my mind about food and thus I will have a can or 2 that I know I will not eat. Intact, in date, etc so instead of throwing away good food I will sneak it back into the shop and put it on the shelf. It must play havoc with their stock-check.

That doesn't sound like a good idea. Aside from messing up their inventory, it might look suspicious. If I saw someone pulling something out of their bag and putting it back on the shelf, I'd wonder if they were planning to steal it but decided not to. I'd probably be calling security to keep an eye on them. One thing we were taught about loss prevention is that customer service deters some thefts. If you see a suspicious customer you can ask if they need any help but at some point you have to back off and leave them be. That way, if they've got an item they were planning to steal but they've changed their mind, they can go leave it somewhere without being stared at. If I saw someone sneakishly putting a concealed item back on the shelf, I'd wonder if it was a case like that. Maybe next time you could give your extra food to someone you know or donate it to a food bank.

 

[kihira]

There are times when I will change my mind about food and thus I will have a can or 2 that I know I will not eat. Intact, in date, etc so instead of throwing away good food I will sneak it back into the shop and put it on the shelf. It must play havoc with their stock-check.

Give it to charity?

I once saw someone open a jar, have a smell, replace the lid and put it back on the shelf.

I don't like the alarm things at the library exit because they can go off randomly

 

[Witty_Name0_0]

I often look like a shoplifter due to my nervous behavior which is mistaken for someone who is nervous about doing something illegal.

 

[Luckylife]

Ha ha, this is so funny. In response to your concerns I rarely do this but I expect I am as stealthy as the 'other type'. Giving it to a food charity - now there's a good idea. As for anyone actually worried about being perceived as a thief. Keep your receipts, if you bring your own bag to the shop pack it at the cashiers desk. Its all common sense.