So apparently Goodwill now thinks I'm a thief (LONG)

[Moosenogger]

I am absolutely livid right now.

I went into a local Goodwill after work to look for cheap Halloween decorations. I didn't think to grab a cart, which are located literally right next to the front door, and are positioned inside a cart coral. (The only way to get a cart is if you stand in front of the entrance. This is important later.) I shopped for a bit, and found some cute Halloween stuff. My hands were already full, but I wanted to check Christmas stuff, too.

I immediately found this very nice (and large) wire reindeer for $3. I wanted to buy it, but it was big and clunky and I already had a lot in my hands. I decided to go back up front and get a cart. As I approached the cart coral, I realized that the only way to get a cart was at the front door. When I moved to the opening of the cart coral, though, I hear this over the intercom:

"Runner up front!"

At first I was confused, but then it hit me. They think I'm trying to steal.

I was immediately embarrassed, and didn't even want to turn around to see which associate had made the announcement. Instead, I stood to the side of the cart coral, loaded my items into the nearest cart, and clumsily moved the cart around the coral barrier and over to my side.

I shopped a little more, but I knew everyone in the store now thought I had tried to steal, and probably only stopped because some champion associate called me out in front of everyone. So, I went to stand in line to pay.

The associate who helped me was probably the one who made the announcement, because she was very cold to me and kept saying things like, "I can't take any items off if you change your mind later" and "This item is $2, this item is $3, etc." Like she was rubbing it in my face that I had to pay for my items.

At first I wasn't going to make a scene, because I hate drama. But after leaving and driving around for a few minutes, I couldn't take it anymore and went back to talk to a manager. He wasn't really rude, was it was obvious that he was just humoring me. I asked if they could put carts near the back of the store so people didn't have to walk to the front door to get one, and he simply replied, "We keep our carts near the front door."

Nice, thanks for that information. A little late, but thanks none the less.

I'm going to write an email to Goodwill and explain what happened. I'm angry, because I'm as far from a thief as you can get, and I also love Goodwill and enjoy spending money there. However, I will never go back to that Goodwill because I know the associates think I'm a thief.

[auntiem]

I don't know if it works this way in your area - but Goodwill is a job training center. I know that doesn't help with the situation you found yourself in. My guess is the cashier wasn't trained properly - given the way the manager reacted maybe they weren't trained that well either.
I also think it is a poor place to keep the handbaskets up front only. There are usually a few handbaskets near housewares, but that might be ones left behind by shoppers.

[AmbrosiaWriter]

Really? They think someone is just going to walk out with their arms loaded with goods? Yeah, right. Give me a freaking break.

If I was annoyed enough I would've let her ring everything up, then smiled real big and said, "Oh, wait, I changed my mind on the entire thing. I don't want to look at these items and be reminded that I was falsely accused of stealing when I was trying to get a cart to be able to buy more stuff." Then walked out and gone to another Goodwill.

Seriously, you don't call out even a person you think is stealing like that. The most you do if you want to confront in some way is go, "Ma'am/Sir I can help check you out over here!" That way you give the innocent people a chance to go, "Oh I'm not done shopping, grabbing a cart/basket to load up more stuff to buy."

[Moosenogger]

Really? They think someone is just going to walk out with their arms loaded with goods? Yeah, right. Give me a freaking break.

Emphasis on walk. If I'm going to just up and steal from Goodwill I'm not going to meander out of the store at a mellow pace. I'd probably be sprinting for the door like my life depended on it.

What irritates me is that if anyone watched me they'd see it was obvious I was staring at the carts and trying to get to them. I guess a thief could try and act like they're innocent before they make a break for it, but seriously - if a thief acting like they want a cart looks the same as an innocent person wanting a cart, then don't jump to conclusions.

[Aethian]

See when something similar like this happened to Mom and I the Goodwill employee asked if we needed assistance with a cart while moving to the door. It still made us look like we were going to book it but it did allow us to get help in putting some large items in a cart so we could go get the last big item. But at least we weren't called out as thieves.

[Hanzoku]

I've not run into the same situation before, but when I've needed to go get a cart and I have to go out the front, I leave everything in a neat pile near the till so I can go with empty hands. It saves people from wondering and perhaps misreacting. I'm back immediately after, so I've never had employees head for my pile to clean it up, and I've not had anyone try to grab things from my pile.

[Moosenogger]

I've not run into the same situation before, but when I've needed to go get a cart and I have to go out the front, I leave everything in a neat pile near the till so I can go with empty hands. It saves people from wondering and perhaps misreacting. I'm back immediately after, so I've never had employees head for my pile to clean it up, and I've not had anyone try to grab things from my pile.

I do that at Wal-Mart because you have to walk through the metal detectors to get back to the carts. I also leave my items if I have to leave the building to get a cart - I would never take items out of a store without paying for them first.

I remember worrying a little about people thinking I might be stealing (since, again, I had to walk to the entrance for a cart). That's why I tried to go to the other end of the coral (the one furthest from the door) before realizing it was blocked off. I remember thinking that I should put my stuff in the closest cart, but before I even had a chance to do that the associate had made the announcement on the intercom. After that I was too embarrassed to think straight and just wanted to get my cart and get out of there.

[Pixilated]

Really? They think someone is just going to walk out with their arms loaded with goods? Yeah, right. Give me a freaking break.

*snip*
It's not unheard-of ... we've heard stories here about people who've meandered out of big-box stores with televisions and other large items. Not every theft attempt involves small items in bags or pockets.

Seriously, you don't call out even a person you think is stealing like that. The most you do if you want to confront in some way is go, "Ma'am/Sir I can help check you out over here!" That way you give the innocent people a chance to go, "Oh I'm not done shopping, grabbing a cart/basket to load up more stuff to buy."

Absolutely not. That's an extremely poor system because it publicly tags not only actual thieves but also people like Moosenogger, who are in the midst of browsing when they realize they should've gotten a cart (been there, done that ).

Emphasis on walk. If I'm going to just up and steal from Goodwill I'm not going to meander out of the store at a mellow pace. I'd probably be sprinting for the door like my life depended on it.

What irritates me is that if anyone watched me they'd see it was obvious I was staring at the carts and trying to get to them. I guess a thief could try and act like they're innocent before they make a break for it, but seriously - if a thief acting like they want a cart looks the same as an innocent person wanting a cart, then don't jump to conclusions.

Myself, if I were going to steal, the last thing I would do is sprint ... calls too much attention. A casual stroll out the door is less likely to catch someone's eye.

I've not run into the same situation before, but when I've needed to go get a cart and I have to go out the front, I leave everything in a neat pile near the till so I can go with empty hands. It saves people from wondering and perhaps misreacting. I'm back immediately after, so I've never had employees head for my pile to clean it up, and I've not had anyone try to grab things from my pile.

That's a good idea, but people may not want to do that, as there's always the chance that another shopper may think it's abandoned stuff (or not) and grab a few items that catch their fancy. The Goodwill employee that Aethian encountered had the right idea. "Do you need some help with that?" is ambiguous enough that if you are trying to abscond with unpaid-for items, it lets you know you've been busted, but it's appropriate and polite enough if you're just trying to get to the carts or baskets.

Which should be put in a more sensible place to begin with, if they are causing that sort of problem with customers.

[bainsidhe]

Though I probably would've been embarrassed by the page, I still would've rolled my eyes and shrugged the whole thing off once I had my handy cart. Some stores have a huge theft problem (even thrift stores) so *shrugs*. However, I certainly would've gotten upset about the cashier's remarks and not-so-subtle hints at your honesty. If she kept asking about the price, I'd start to question her ability to read.

[MoonCat]

Every store I go to has the carts near the entrance, which makes it really hard to go get one if I end up with more stuff than I had originally planned on buying. Really, they shouldn't have said anything unless you started to walk out the door with the stuff. They know the carts are up front! It never occurred to them you might be going to get one?

[Moosenogger]

Every store I go to has the carts near the entrance, which makes it really hard to go get one if I end up with more stuff than I had originally planned on buying. Really, they shouldn't have said anything unless you started to walk out the door with the stuff. They know the carts are up front! It never occurred to them you might be going to get one?

I'm not sure, but that's why I went back to the store and talked to the manager. I wanted to tell my side of things, because it pissed me off to think that the associate who made the page felt that they were a hero or something.

[Pixilated]

Though I probably would've been embarrassed by the page, I still would've rolled my eyes and shrugged the whole thing off once I had my handy cart. Some stores have a huge theft problem (even thrift stores) so *shrugs*. However, I certainly would've gotten upset about the cashier's remarks and not-so-subtle hints at your honesty. If she kept asking about the price, I'd start to question her ability to read.

Thrift stores are definitely not immune from theft and scummy customers. At the one where I volunteered, we had ongoing problems with people cutting the price tags off clothes (not sure about actual walk-out-without-paying theft). There was no way the place had the money to go with electronic pricetags, although even those don't deter all thieves. It's generally pretty pathetic.

[MournBlade]

Man that sucks.
I have seen some really brazen theft attemts and successes on S-Marts cctv system and in person.
I was working in electronics one day and this gem happened:
Apparently some gal took 2 fully loaded carts right out the front doors unpaid for.
She then loaded it all in her car and was grinning like and idiot thinking she got away with it.
This lasted untill she was blocked in by cop cars and hauled off to jail.
Turns out her car was chock full of baby stuff she was stealing from all over town.
I love it when a deserving person gets a karma bitch slap.
But it blows when an honest person is mistaken for a thief due to sucky circumstances.

[LillFilly]

I've had that concern myself, but either set my stuff on a shelf or asked a cashier if I could grab a cart; but setting your stuff down could lead to another shopper snatching it. HOWEVER that cashier was wrong to call you out. And you are not a shoplifter UNTIL you've exited the store, because until you have you still have the option of going to a register to pay. Even concealment is a slippery slope, and I've seen loss prevention people lose the case because the stopped people before they actually passed the doors.

As for running out the door, a lot of people get away with snatch-n-grabs just by LOOKING like they're totally at ease and not rushing. You'll watch a person moving quickly, not someone moving normally.

Thrift stores are definitely not immune from theft and scummy customers.

The Store where I live had this issue; people switching the 4.99 price on a pair of shoes for a 1.99 price. But the joke was on them; the color tags were associated with a number, which was written on the shoe soles; so the cashier could instantly see that, say, a pair of shoes labeled with a 4 were supposed to be X price, not Y price.

[Jay 2K Winger]

As for running out the door, a lot of people get away with snatch-n-grabs just by LOOKING like they're totally at ease and not rushing. You'll watch a person moving quickly, not someone moving normally.

Speaking as former Loss Prevention at the wholesale club, this is absolutely true.

Normal pace, no suspicious activity? You generally don't get them a second look.

Faster pace, furtive glances around and/or in your direction? Suspicious and you watch them more carefully.

You especially learn to be wary after one family tried to distract you by turning your attention away from the door while their kid tried to drive one of the motorized carts out the door with a small flat-panel TV in it.