What Happens If I’m Caught Shoplifting at Walmart?
If you are reading this article – you may be wondering what happens if I’m caught shoplifting at Walmart? While shoplifting occurs at many places, shoplifting at Walmart is one of the worst places for these charges to occur.
Many people steal from Walmart each day. However, they do not remember that there are cameras, and they are going to get caught. Most people will target large stores such as Walmart because of their size. This is actually the wrong idea and a bad one at that. While you may not get caught right away, you will be caught from a loss prevention agent or even the surveillance cameras used.
What is Shoplifting?
Technically speaking, shoplifting will be the act of stealing items or good from a store while you are acting as a paying customer. If you are going to the store to intentionally steal something while pretending to be a customer, that is shoplifting. Keep in mind that shoplifting charges can be a misdemeanor or a felony charge depending on how much was stolen.
What is Shoplifting from Walmart?
If you steal from Walmart, you likely have done one of the following:
When you move an item, you are going to be placing it an area where it is not supposed to be. This is done to alter prices, or you have consumed the item or taken it out of the package and moved it elsewhere in the store. This is considered shoplifting.
Price Tag Alteration
You can expect to be thrown a shoplifting charge if you change the price tags on items. If you alter the price tags in any way to reduce the price, you are shoplifting.
Item Transfer
Many people will put items into a larger container to only have to pay for one item instead of the many smaller items in the larger container. This is another form of shoplifting because you are not paying for everything that you have picked up.
Intent
You walk into the store with an intention of stealing or shoplifting from the store. This is something that is hard to prove when it comes to a jury.
Consequences of Stealing from Walmart
Anyone who is caught stealing from Walmart could face consequences. There is a policy set in place at Walmart that is followed. Those who are caught stealing could be incarcerated. This is at least for a few days up to 6 months. If the amount stolen is large enough, it could be a felony charge. This also means that you are at risk of sitting in a facility for years.
Keep in mind that the judge and jury will look at your past criminal record. Those who have a history of theft or shoplifting will have a harsher sentence than those who have never committed a crime before.
Walmart Shoplifting In Louisiana
When someone shoplifts in Louisiana, it is treated as larceny. If you are caught in the store, you will have a Loss Prevention agent come to you. These agents are not allowed to touch or run after you. If you are going to run after being caught, the police will be called.
Banishment
Walmart does not deal with people who are stealing from their stores. They have a zero-tolerance policy. If you are stealing and caught, you have a chance to be banned from the store. In some cases, you will be banned for a day and other cases you can be banned for life.
While Walmart is a large chain store, you are likely going to be able to enter another Walmart without a problem. With that being said, you are also facing a risk when entering other stores after being banned. If someone were to recognize you, you can face legal troubles for not following the ban. Plus, if you do shop at other stores and shoplift again, you are going to face much more trouble than a first offense.
Police Presence
While it may seem like you have gotten away with shoplifting, the cameras and police will catch up to you. The people working may not know who you are, but a simple clip sent to the police will quickly determine who you are, and it will catch up to you.
Getting a LawyerFor Walmart Shoplifting Charges
No matter what you are getting in trouble for at Walmart, you should have a lawyer at your side. When Walmart is pressing charges against you, you need the best lawyer around. This will ensure that you are not facing the harshest penalties. This is especially true if it is your first shoplifting case.
If you are on a subsequent shoplifting charge, you will need a lawyer to avoid maximum sentencing. That is why you should contact Carl at Barkemeyer Law Firm. They have experience with Walmart shoplifting cases and can ensure that you are well cared for. Take the time to find the best defense lawyer so that you are protected.
We hope you now know the consequences for Walmart shoplifting charges. You should now understand the answer to your question what happens if I’m caught shoplifting at Walmart?
Theft of any kind is usually an immediate disqualification for virtually any security job. Not only can you not work in security - you won't be able to get a job in Walmart at all when they find out about it.
What happens if you get caught shoplifting at Walmart? Per their company policy, Walmart will not detain or press charges against someone who is caught shoplifting less than $25 worth of goods. Instead, they'll urge you to leave the item with them.
If the value of the stolen merchandise is less than $100 and you have no previous theft convictions on your record, you can only be convicted of a Class C misdemeanor. You cannot receive jail time for a Class C misdemeanor conviction; the maximum punishment is a $500 fine.
If you are caught shoplifting at Walmart, you will be detained by store security and/or law enforcement. You will be asked to provide identification and may be searched. The police will be called, and you will likely be arrested. In most cases, you will be charged with a misdemeanor offense.
Walmart is strict on its shoplifting convictions and will often pursue legal action to enforce its no-tolerance rules. However, there are a few ways charges can be dropped, including: You are a minor. Items stolen were less than $25.
The store detective has also been specifically created to combat shoplifting and sometimes wears a uniform to deter potential shoplifters. A good moment to stop shoplifters is as they leave the department or the store. However, only 5 to 10 percent of shoplifters are caught.
If you complete the pretrial diversion program successfully, the theft charges against you will be dismissed entirely. Then, once two years have passed, you can request that the charges be expunged from your record.
Frequently, new clients are concerned with whether or not a retail store, Walmart, Target, Macys, Home Depot, or the like, can simply drop their shoplifting charges without going to court. The simple answer is usually: no. Don't waste the time trying to call and speak to the store.
The security team at Walmart doesn't have much authority when dealing with suspected shoplifters. They're allowed to keep you from leaving the property, but can only detain you for a “reasonable” amount of time. You can ask for a lawyer at any time.
What does Walmart's rising theft problem have to do with you? On its face, it might seem like rising theft at Walmart has little to do with you. But when the problem grows this big, theft doesn't just dent a company's bottom line. Take Target – that $600 million annual estimated loss is nothing to sneeze at.
"In addition, Walmart uses software provided by Clearview AI, Inc. to match facial scans taken in its Illinois stores with billions of facial scans maintained within Clearview's massive facial recognition database."
Do employees have the right to sue if they're accused of stealing? Yes, employees can also file a claim against an employer for being wrongfully harassed or fired because of false accusations of stealing.
Most cases against Walmart settle before trial. This is no different from slip and fall cases against another other store. However, prepare your case as if it is going to trial.
It depends on the value of the items you attempted to steal. Walmart will press charges no matter how much. If it was a small amount the may just issue you a citation and let you go or they may take you to jail. If the value is high enough it may qualify as a felony and you are definitely going to jail then.
Technically, Walmart has no authority to fine you. However, they do have the authority to decide whether or not to involve the police, in which case you'll be arrested and charged with either petty theft or Grand theft. Grand theft is if the value of what was stolen exceeded $400.
Most stores these days have surveillance cameras to track and record the behavior of shoplifters. Shoplifters don't know if someone is watching from a distance possibly using multiple cameras, high-powered binoculars, and recording their criminal acts.
Yes, you can get caught for something you shoplifted 3 weeks ago. Depending on the store's security measures and surveillance systems, it is possible that they have footage of your crime or other evidence that could lead to your identification.
What is the most shoplifted Walmart? The Ohio Walmart that is the most shoplifted of the 4,500 stores nationwide is visited by police nearly three times a day. An Ohio Walmart in Cincinnati's Westwood neighborhood is the chain's top store - for shoplifting.
Will Walmart send police to your house? Wal-mart doesn't “send” police anywhere. If you've committed some sort of a crime, Wal-Mart can report it, and provide police with whatever information they may have, including who you are, and where you live.
Receiving shoplifting charges after leaving store is not uncommon. As we mentioned before, it can take several weeks or even months before you get charged. It simply depends on when the retailer is ready to file charges and present their evidence to the police.
Additionally, the former employee states that Walmart has codes for shoplifting ("Code 1"), a wet spill ("Code 10"), a dry spill ("Code 20"), a call to retrieve carts from the parking lot ("Code 50"), and customer assistance ("Code C").
Violent, sexual, drug, and financial/larceny offenses are most likely grounds for disqualification. Walmart does not hire violent criminals. Note: Expunged records will not show up on a background check.
This can cause a decrease in the number of hours per employee, which then leads to decreased earnings for the employee. This is simple math. Stolen products equal lost money for employees when retailers need to counterbalance the losses from shoplifting.
Walmart does not deal with people who are stealing from their stores. They have a zero-tolerance policy. If you are stealing and caught, you have a chance to be banned from the store. In some cases, you will be banned for a day and other cases you can be banned for life.
“If that's not corrected over time, prices will be higher and/or stores will close,” he told CNBC. According to a 2015 Reuters report, Walmart loses $3 billion per year in U.S. revenue to theft by customers and employees.
Walmart stores across the U.S. are grappling with an uptick in shoplifting that could lead to higher prices and closed stores if the problem persists, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said Tuesday. “Theft is an issue.It's higher than what it has historically been,” he told CNBC's “Squawk Box.”
You might assume that, because shoplifting is a common problem in retail stores, store owners simply absorb the costs associated with inventory lost through shoplifting. However, store owners typically pass on the costs of shoplifting to consumers in the form of higher prices.
Ultimately, a person caught shoplifting may be arrested and put on trial. A shoplifting conviction will result in a criminal record and a sentence. A police caution may be given as an alternative to prosecution. If accepted, this caution still comes with a criminal record.
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