we just reopened as a 'new' store Friday. Anyway, last night a guy came in with a HUGE (empty) 'happy birthday' bag. i didnt think too much, but i watched him .(not to be stereotypical, but he was def NOT the type of person that shops with us)
anyway.... so when he left i noticed that a $100 bag was missing. (its a very tiny place and you know when something is gone immediatly) i asked the woman who works with me 'did you sell that?' she said No. Ok.. so today i asked this other girl 'did you sell that bag yesterday?' and she said No. OK... so now i THINK it was him. but cant be 100% sure.
so, tonight.... he comes in AGAIN with the same empty happy birthday bag. the other girk was watching him closely. he was staying near the bags.... but it was time for her to go home and i didnt want to keep her, so i finally send her home....
ofg course just then a woman needs something from teh back. i was gone for 30 SECONDS. and when i was coming back in i saw that he was jetting out of the door.... Sure enough, ANOTHER $100 bag was missing. So i was sooooo pissed that i didnt catch him.
Can you believe he had the audacity to come BACK in?!!?>!! (yes with teh empty HB bag!) (im sure he put it in his car and came back in) He was again staying near the bags and sweating PURFOUSLY! he then bought two tiny candles (probably to throw me off) He knew i was watching him by the bags so gave up and left.
What do i do next time he comes in??????
I'm a little timid girl! I dont do well in these situations. And I'm there all by myself....
Please give me adivce what to do/say!
TIA
2003OCT10
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Re: What Would You Do? (please give advice)
Ask him to please leave the bag at the register... or place a visible sign stating all bags need to be left at the register?
tourist
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Re: What Would You Do? (please give advice)
When I worked in retail ( we had the highest shrinkage rate in the district-woo hoo! ), they always told us if we suspected someone, to be OVERLY attentive, with the customer service bit.
Can I help you, are you looking for soemthing specific, what is your price range. . .etc.
I got in trouble once b/c i had to go in the back to get a manager & left the drunk lady in the dressing room & then she left with a bunch of stuff. I couldn't be everywhere at once. I don't know what to do with just one person working in the store.
I guess, just ask him if you can help him before you go in the back & hope he gets the hint?
Big bags were another thing we were told to look for, but I worled in a mall, so we were told look for bags from stores not in our mall & we had mall security we could call.
But I agree, ask him to leave his bag at the counter. A lot of stores do that.
swags1016
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Re: What Would You Do? (please give advice)
Tell him that he must check the bag while he shops store policy!
MrsERod
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Re: What Would You Do? (please give advice)
see, a girl like me would be like:
'excuse me sir, but I would like to ask you to leave...we don't allow thieves to patronize our store!'
HearzBellz
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Re: What Would You Do? (please give advice)
your boutique should definately have a panic button that is remote from your alarm system. I would definately make sure he knows you are acknowledging him and where he is in the store, but I also agree that it is worth no amount of money or merchandise to get hurt. Make sure you get a really good description of him for the police. You don't even really need to wait until the next time he comes in to call them either.
Also, if there are other stores in your area, see if they are having a similar problem with this man and call the cops together or set up a phone chain where if he goes into one store, that person calls the next & so forth.
Be safe!
Kel
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Re: What Would You Do? (please give advice)
Do not ask:
'Can I help you' .. that is a question that just begs for a loud and clear NO as an answer.
Like I mentioned before .. you want open-ended questions that will require some kind of dialogue ..
What are you looking for? What size do you need? What color do you want? What style are you looking for? Who are you shopping for? How much are you looking to spend?
You want to keep a dialogue going .. to keep them occupied with you or annoyed by your persistance that they end up leaving rather than scoping out ways to rip you off.
Certain questions can lead to spin-off discussions .. like if a person is shopping for someone else:
'Oh .. you're shopping for your mother? Is it her birthday? How old is she? Are you planning a special celebration? ... ' etc.
If it's an anniversary .. 'how long have they been together?' .. etc.
aliciahelene
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Re: What Would You Do? (please give advice)
Id friggin take that happy birthday bag and shove it up his AS$$$$...do you want me to come in and do it for ya??? Oh man..he would make me so mad!!! Sorry ya have to deal with thieves like that!!!
lolita4life
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Re: What Would You Do? (please give advice)
well well well mr. happy birthday bag was a no show today. i told the owner. she said next time i see him tell him 'you better leave or im gonna call the police.' plain and simple. i told her how i wasnt sure about accusing him and all that stuff and she doesnt care. Its her store, so i'm just gonna do what she tells me to do. I hope he's not dumb enough to come again, but if he does I'll just tell him to leave and if he protests, i'll just call the cops.
LImom
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Re: What Would You Do? (please give advice)
I'm sure you've seen how some stores post a sign at the door saying you need to check bags at the register. All they use is a little card with a number on it and a clothes pin. If it's a small store this is totally possible. Show him the sign and explain that someone has been stealing merchandise and he needs to leave his bag there til he's done shopping.
Good luck.
btrflygrl
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Re: What Would You Do? (please give advice)
DH is in retail and watched as someone walked out his door with a XBOX! They had NO RIGHT to physically touch the kid, but they did chase him out the door.
You need to first talk to security and mall managment/leasing/whomever owns the property.
NEVER leave the sales floor unattended...major NO NO.
If he DOES come back in, you can politely ask him to leave the store, you CANNOT accuse him of stealing with no proof.....you could be sued, I'm sure. Also, I think you do have a right to ask him if you could hold his bag behind the counter while he shops. I would also stand by the door AND watch him or have a security officer stand near the outside of your store door.
I don't think he'll be back if he came back in sweating like that...he knows you know.
eogara
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Re: What Would You Do? (please give advice)
Jess - did this ever get resolved?
lolita4life
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Re: What Would You Do? (please give advice)
not yet! he came in when i was all alone with his daughter. i came form behind the counter and stood right behind him. i wasnt about to tell him to leave cuz it was just us in the store and i was scared. he left right away and hasnt ome back YET. but i will have to tell him next time.
LImom
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Re: What Would You Do? (please give advice)
We, too, are in retail, shoes in our case, and my husband has seen it all. Even to the extent of being held up at gun point. Please be careful in these situations. This man may not come back again, but there may be others, believe me. You received some good advice here. You cannot accuse him of anything while he is in the store. Even if he put something in his bag, he can claim in court that his hand hurt and he's carrying it to the register. If he has something stolen in his possession after he has left the store (did you see the movie Arthur with Liza Minelli?), you still would need police or security by your side. What could you possibly do on your own? I understand you need to follow the directions of your boss, but your own safety is in your hands. A handbag, a wallet, an expensive trinket can all be replaced. I am not am alarmist, but I am realistic. Some people don't need much to provoke them. They can get very confontational and unless you are the type of person who wants to gamble, you should be general in your approach. I would not single him out in any way. Posted store policy should dictate, and implying hidden cameras, secret security, etc. may help, but definitely not 'you get out' or 'don't shop here again'. From what we have experienced, that is absolutely not the way to handle it. My husband did throw out a couple of very 'undesirables' out of the store once and the following morning he found his front window smashed with a big rock. Good luck.
Jen_n_Dale
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Re: What Would You Do? (please give advice)
I worked in a department store for many years and can tell you that you actually have to see them actually take the merchandise. But you and I both know he took it. The next time he comes in, he will be back because he knows he got away with it. I would call the police though and make a report and tell them you have a suspect.
If you are by yourself, call the police immediately.
When I was robbed (which unfortunately was quite often) I would call the police and say I am being robbed at that moment so they got there faster. Usually, they take a long time to come when it is a shoplifter. And if you have the subject in custody, the police take FOREVER to get there.
We had shoplifters literally screaming for hours saying they were innocent and no matter how many times you called the police to tell them they were not co-operating they STILL took a long time.
I also agre be right up his butt and follow him no matter where he goes. anyone hates being followed, even when you are innocent. The fact he took his child with him is disgusting and one of the BIGGEST ploys.
