Kmart's accusations and CS is RUDE

Kmart's Loss Prevention District Management contacted me and
apologized and got my side of the story. After reviewing the tapes the
Loss Management DM agreed that I did nothing suspicious and apologized
for the behavior of his staff and agreed that the way I was treated by
Customer Service was improper and the way all of it was done was
incorrect. He advised me that I would be contacted by district
management about the behavior of the employees of the store and he
would be correcting the problems that occurred with the way loss
prevention handled the whole incident. I applaud the steps that
Kmart's Loss Prevention District Management has taken and thank them
for their time.

Jessica P. Thank you. I will be buying my Jane products elsewhere.
I appreciate the update.

for instance LP (loss prevention) scan department 41.

They use code numbers to disguise where they are scanning.

I have never heard a Kmart or walmart use the actual dpeartments name
in a security scan. That is why stores use walkie talkies now a days
too. If the thief somehow figures out the codes, they can escape, but
if they don't hear the actual request for a scan then they won't know
anything.

I swear I have found Jane makeup at walmart before. But they
discontinue items so often that it might not be available anymore.

I find no need to shop at a Kmart, the one where I live is old, worn
down and dirty. I don't shop Sears either, too many bad experiences
there, maybe the CEOs should wake up.

I can't remember the last time I saw Jane cosmetics. I do like the
product but I probably never bought it at K Mart. I rarely go there. I
think I used to get Jane at Wallgreens.

According to Jane's website there is a Rite Aid in Crestwood Plaza and
a Rite Aid on Key Parkway, both located in Frederick, MD. Try jane.com
for more locations.

I never open my purse in the store. There is no need to unless you
standing at the front check out. I dont even like taking the babies
diaper bag in with me. I will take out a diaper and wipes, a bottle
and a paci and throw them in my purse.

Your behavior appeared suspicious.
You let yourself feel humiliated, which was under your control.
The manager apologized.
End of story.

When I was in college, I went straight from my campus to a local mall
by foot. I had my backpack with me. In a sporting goods store, I
considered buying a poster for my brother for Christmas and wanted to
see if it fit inside my backpack for transport.

I attempted to fit the poster into my pack, realized it didn't fit and
contented myself with purchasing the poster and carrying it.

I got no further than the next store when a security guard approached
me and held my arm to take me back to the store. After a search of my
backpack, nothing was found. I suspect that I had been observed by
another customer who assumed the worst and alerted the store.

This was an understandable misunderstanding as, upon retrospect, I
realized that it was a fairly stupid thing to do in the middle of a
store. I don't blame someone for assuming that I was shoplifting. It
was embarrassing, yes, but I got over it.

It would seem that the OP's actions were suspicious enough to cause
her to be followed. I can't imagine why she would understand why it
might be thought she could be taking things.

I've read statistics that show that most shoplifters have money on
them when they are caught and, in most cases, have enough for what
they stole. Money isn't what shoplifting is about. As for whether or
not the OP would personally shoplift at K-Mart...obviously some people
do.

I think all the people can do for you is apologize, since you said you
won't be going back. Why would they even bother with this complaint
knowing that they've already lost you as a customer? They have no
motivation.

Your behavior was very suspicious. After you stood up and went to the
counter, you heard the security page. Then, according to this, you
went over to shoes.

That's a sign of a shoplifter...someone who moves around quickly,
going department to department. I really do understand why they would
have suspected you.

I think it was unprofessional for the SGM to give out the employee's
last name and frankly, you don't have any rights to workers' last
names, just like we can't go up to you and ask you for yours. It's not
hard to file complaints with just the first name. It's not hard for
someone to go through schedules in the system and see if "Suzzy" was
working at the time you specified. So I'm completely with the store on
refusing to give out last names. My last name is very rare--why would
I want to give it out to disgruntled customers who could easily look
me up in the phone book?

I'm really sorry this happened to you, but look at it from the store's
perspective. All they can do is apologize, which they did.

Thank you, I agree with you. I should have taken my business
elsewhere and I will from now on, I also agree that I should not have
brought up my income, "it was just the heat of the moment."

Apparently my letter wasn't very clear. My behavior was never
suspicious to alert security, when I bent over and the prescription
bottles fell out of my purse and I set my purse down then set the
items down on the other side of me that I was purchasing, away from me
and turned around and put my medicine back into my purse and zipped my
purse up then turned back around and got the cosmetics I was going to
purchase...there was another customer in the same aisle as me. I had
initially gone to the Customer Service Desk to get assistance in the
jewelry department for my dead watch battery, that is when I realized
that I was the one that was being followed around and I was told that
the customer that was in the cosmetics aisle with me reported me as a
shoplifter. That customer had clear view of the contents in my purse
and yes I am aware, should have left my purse in the car with my
husband and three children. All I am saying is CS could have
apologized to my face nicely and been nice about it when I showed them
they made a mistake instead of apologizing to me behind my back while
I was walking out the door.

I do think KMart might want to get a better method for their security
department. I also think that you should not have brought up your
income as that is the first excuse a shoplifter has and has no bearing
on whether or not a person has stolen something. Plently of people
steal for the thrill, not because they actually need it or are part of
a racket.

I realize you didn't shoplift, but you being on the floor possibly out
of vision may have been reason for them to suspect something. They did
handle it wrong with announcing over the pa, and possibly had you been
tipped off that they were watching you, you might have left and then
they would have looked foolish had they stopped you to check your bag.
But either way you should have left and taken your business elsewhere
instead of had to put up with their overt behavior.

You know what? You did behave in a way that, from a distance, looked
very much like the way some shoplifters behave. And they responded to
that. That's not being rude. It's taking some action to protect the
store from shoplifters. I get that you felt totally humiliated, and
I'm sorry you felt that way, but that still doesn't mean they were
rude.

I was actually laughing when you got to the part where the woman at
the customer service desk was saying into the phone "Is she wearing a
brown shirt? ... Well, she is standing right here." It made me think
of something out of one of the Pink Panther films. Can you imagine if
you were some international criminal mastermind standing there at the
K-Mart customer service desk with a bumbling police inspector
(undercover as the customer service rep) whispering into the phone
"Well, she is standing right here"? I just hope that they were trying
to signal to you that you had better not shoplift in their store,
because if the manager expected anyone to take "Why do you assume the
announcements were about you?" seriously when they'd named all the
sections you were going through, she's definitely operating at the
level of Clouseau.

I hope I'm not coming off as laughing at your embarrassment, because
it is absolutely not you that I think is funny in this story and
because I know that not everyone shares my sense of humor. I just
want you to know that as embarrassed as you felt, other people hearing
this story are not assuming that you did anything wrong. In fact, I
suspect that the people around you when you marched up to the customer
service desk to prove your innocence were completely on your side.
And anyone in earshot who wasn't on your side before the "Why do you
assume ...?" part was definitely on your side after that.

From what I can read, no one in here is accusing you of stealing but
you feel you have to vindicate yourself after every written comment.
And no one is dimishing what happened.

And being a member of PFB you know that by writing anything in here it
leaves you open for variety of opinions and comments.

I think we all understand how upset you were at that time and that its
still fresh in your mind. It takes a while to calm down after
something like this. But you keep rekindling it every time you answer
one of the comments in here.

Why not leave out of here for a bit, calm down and then come back in
to read the comments later or even tomorrow. Maybe not seeing this
repeatedly may help.

If you weren't shoplifting (and I truly believe you weren't) then why
did you get so upset? People will think what they like. You can't
help that.

You could think I'm a thief ~ and it doesn't bother me, because I'm
not.

I don't think it's policy to give out last names, because then
(conceivably) you could hunt down where they live and make life
difficult for them.

I'm sorry you were embarrassed, but look at it from the store's
perspective. You were kneeling down in front of a display of small,
easily concealed items. You picked up other small items (which
rightfully belonged to you) and put them in your purse. It would be
hard for someone at a distance to see exactly WHAT you put in your
purse. The employees weren't out of line watching you closely after
that, and they are not required to give out their names. The store
manager apologized to you once he saw that they were wrong.

Look, it happens. I was once in The Gap with several shopping bags,
and I knelt down to look at some T-shirts on the lower shelf of a
display table. All of a sudden I realized I was being watched CLOSELY
by a security guard. But instead of being offended, I realized how it
looked, and offered to let him check my bags (rather than have him
tail me through the store!) And by the way, he didn't take me up on
it. Just a little cooperation is all it took to ease his suspicions.
I'm guessing that your defensive, confrontational manner when you went
to the Customer Service desk didn't help to ease theirs.

Regardless, I would never steal nor would I ever be dumb enough to put
something in my purse or pocket in a store. Whether some idiot
customer falsely accused me or not was not the point, the point of my
whole complaint was how I was treated during this whole incident and
after the incident. Even when I emptied my purse voluntarily, I was
still being treated like a common criminal and I told them I did not
appreciate how rude they were being to me. I didn't even get an
apology until I was walking out of the store and one of the associates
was still arguing with me even after I emptied my purse and still
purchased items from the store. I have been over myself for a long
time to the person who tole me I needed to "get over myself", I just
expect a little common coutesy when it comes to Customer Service, I
didn't have to empty out my purse to show that a mistake was made and
I didn't have to give Kmart my money still nor did I have to give them
a chance to apologize or make things right. Whatever, if they saw my
behavior as suspicious, I straightened that out when I emptied my
pockets and purse by my own choice, all they had to do was apologize,
ring me up and tell me to have a nice day. No I get attitude and
arguments from 2 different people and an apology to my back when I am
walking out the door by some 17 year old minimum wage worker that
claims to be the store manager.

Look, it was your behavior that triggered the security issue. IT's
not a big deal and it isn't personal. Sometimes when I"m shopping, I
don't grab a basket because I"m getting just a few things. Sometimes,
I'll put something in my pocket when my hands get full, knowing full
well that I may be seen doing so. I intend to pay for it, and have
never forgotten anything. If they were to bust me, I'd be mortified
and they'd be correct. However, security doesn't step in until they
see you walk past registers and toward the exit doors without having
paid for your items.

Your odd behavior, however innocent/well meaning it was, is to blame
here. Get over yourself.

Security cameras had nothing to do with it. From what I found out
later the customer that pointed out that I was losing stuff in my
purse went to Customer Service and told them I was cosmetics into my
purse. I used to work as a security guard, the way I handled setting
my items that I was going to purchase away from my person and zipping
my purse up then going back to the items I was purchasing and picking
them back up was clearly not suspicious in any way, shape or form.
The information I asked for from management including the name of the
security firm or "loss prevention" I had and have every right to have
and I still have every right to have and take this further if I would
like too. Security tapes would clearly show that I did nothing
suspicious and audio tapes would show that Kmart has a lot to learn
about "Customer Service!"

The cameras aren't good enough to pick up exactly what you are doing,
all they can see is you on the floor putting things in your pocket
book and then zipping it up.
I know that you felt violated, but the security worker was just doing
the job they were hired to do.

First of all, I did nothing to make anyone suspicious besides pick up
my prescription pill bottles and put them back into my purse and zip
my purse up so it did not happen again. Second of all, I received no
apologies from "Loss Prevention" and barely received one from
"management". I am not making this bigger than what it is, I am
telling exactly what happened and how unfair it was.

I have been a member of Planet Feedback since 2002, this is only my
second letter ever, I think that goes to show what type of person I
am.

First, you made some suspicious actions and got targeted, nothing
more. The loss prevention person apologized to you.

Second, I fair to see how people were being rude? Tone? Demeanor?
Details on that please.

You are making this out to be worse than it really is.