Chicago’s Lincoln Park is an upscale neighborhood filled with all types of busy professionals balancing career and family obligations.
So after shopping at the local Whole Foods Market, seeing people like professor Lisa Portes and her children stopping for a snack at the store’s cafe is commonplace.
REGULAR CUSTOMER MAKES MISTAKE?…
image source: slate.com
Suddenly Portes remembered that she had to pick up her husband and that she had forgotten to buy vitamins for her children. Chicago Magazine describes what happened next. Portes, they say
“…grabbed a $13 bottle of dinosaur-shaped chewable vitamins and began texting her husband that she was running late. Then her four-year-old announced he had to go to the bathroom. Juggling a cell phone, a wallet, keys, three coats, two kids, and a sustainable cloth bag filled with groceries, Portes managed a successful bathroom visit.”
The only catch is that she tossed the vitamins in her bag and left the store without paying for them.
After being stopped by a security guard in the parking lot, Portes explained it was a mistake. She had been distracted, she says, and offered to pay for the vitamins. Back in the store Portes signed some documents and was told she being banned from Whole Foods. No prosecution.
… OR A REGULAR POLICY IS MISTAKEN?
Portes pursued this further. After writing to Whole Foods her “ban” was lifted. Illinois, like many states, allows stores to collect monetary damages from shoplifters (even those not charged). Whole Foods waived the $250 collection.
Still the entire event strikes her wrong. Portes, and many readers of Chicago Magazine, feel that the store didn’t show compassion for a harried mom who, with so many things on her mind, lost track of what she was doing.
Chicago Magazine writer Jeff Ruby, however, correctly points out that for a retailers, the situation is not so simple. He quoted Rachel Shteir, (a professor in the same department as Portes) who’s writing a book on shoplifting. Shteir makes these points:
- “It’s just a mistake” is a common excuse among shoplifters caught in the act
- Many shoplifters use children as decoys
- Shoplifters often buy some goods but steal others
- Bans are intended to keep habitual shoplifters out
- Rigid policies help protect the store from allegations of false arrests, profiling and injuries during apprehension
What Can You Do
Retailers need prepare for these situations. Have policies in motion. Train your staff to deal with theft prevention issues though good customer service, effective surveillance and proper actions.
There are many inexpensive training programs and procedures that you can implement:
- LP Detective Online Training is an inexpensive training course for entry-level LP detectives. It’s also useful for store owners interested in learning the basics of loss prevention.
- Training videos teach your employees the basics of good customer service and Loss Prevention awareness. Use these at staff meeting and make them part of each new employee orientation.
- The use of electronic article surveillance might have eliminated this uncomfortable (for all parties) situation. It would have alerted both the retailer and the customer that she was leaving without paying for a product.
How Would You Have Reacted?
Back at Chicago Magazine’s website, there’s a lot of discussion about how the store reacted and how Portes reacted. Contributors to the discussion seem to understand the concerns of both Portes and Whole Foods.
Share your thoughts with American Theft Prevention’s readers on what would you do in this situation. Add your perspective as a retailer or LP professional. How have you dealt with similar situations?
——————–
