What to Do If You Are Accused of Stealing from a Store

Have you ever been shopping in a department store only to feel like someone was following you. What about a discount store, or pharmacy like CVS or Rite Aid? It happens to me all the time. Have you ever been approached by a security guard wanting to examine your bags; even your purse? Well, that only happened to me once, but I just witnessed a similar incident that disturbed me greatly.

In a recent trip to Wal-Mart I stumbled upon an incident that at first glance seemed like domestic violence scene A woman attempted to leave the store and she was literally charged by an angry man who was calling her a liar and told her to get back into the store. He followed her into the store continuing to berate her. Being concerned about her safety, I took a few steps back to I could get a full view of what was happening. They stopped at a nearby register, just him and her, and she started pulling out receipts and going through her purse. He took a few items out of her large red purse (it looked like her cell phone) and PDA motioned for her to follow him. I pursued and noticed they were in the security office and they were motioning at each other. After about 5 minutes he gave her back her items and she quickly left the store. I left at this point too. As we walked toward our cars, I asked her if she was OK, and she replied "yes", but she was visibly shaken. She hurried to her car and sped off.

I am not writing this to make security guards look bad. For the most part they do an excellent job. They put themselves in harms way in order to not only control inventory loss for their stores, but also to protect the store's customers and to make it a safe place to shop. However, there are often times when security guards are a bit overzealous in their endeavor to prevent loss, and end up victimizing the innocent. Here are the things you should do should you encounter such a person.

When a security guard is following you:

If you notice that you are literally being stalked by a security guard acknowledge him. Unfortunately you can be unfairly profiled as a suspicious person, but an innocent person can change their mind with a bit of conversation. Just the other day, I was in the store with two teenage boys and notice the security guard hot on our trail as we waited for film processing. Just a minute later, as I walked in the opposite direction down the aisle, I nearly bumped right into him again; still watching us. I smiled and inquired, "Do you have a twin?" She gave an embarrassed smile and mumbled something about patrolling the store. He then found someone else to follow.

When a security guard asks to see your receipt and purchases:

There is no reason to give a polite security guard a hard time. If they ask to see your receipt and purchases, show it to them. Chances are, they were requested to do spot checks as part of their job. Even if they find an item in your bag that you did not pay for, it will probably not seen as your fault (granted they didn't see you add something to the bag). It will be seen as a cashier error and you will be instructed to pay for the item.

If a security guard accuses you of stealing:

If a security guard accuses you of stealing and you know you have not, you can feel perfectly free to stand your ground. If you feel unfairly profiled, you can ask for their name, ask that the store manager be included in any conversation between you and the guard. Such actions will communicate the fact that you know you have done nothing wrong and they will very likely send you on your way.

If a security guard is aggressive or scary:

If you feel threatened or uncomfortable in any way, you can refuse to cooperate with the security guard. The guard has not right to get in your face, touch you, or call you names. They have no right to instruct your or anyone to go into the men's room, the ladies room, or the security office to be searched. (Teens should be especially wary of this as fake security guards will often try to "search" them in privacy of the bathroom.) It is your right to demand the presence of the store manager, a female employee (if you are a lady and the guard and manager are male) or even a real police officer be involved in any interrogation or search. If the store does not call the police when you want them present, you should use your own cell phone to call the police. Dial 911 and tell them "I am at (name of store) and am being accused of theft. I feel threatened and afraid, I would like for a police officer to come and handle this as the store employees are scaring me."

Remember, as a customer, you don't lose your rights just because someone thinks you have done something wrong. Now if you have done something wrong, that is a different story altogether.