She Caught A Shoplifter On Camera Stealing Handmade Clothing From Her And Her Husband’s Shop
It’s universally known that shoplifting, for lack of a better phrase, is not okay.
Some younger people still think stealing from shops, especially larger supermarket chains, is fun and rebellious. While most people understand stealing items from a small business is especially cruel, some still have yet to grasp that.
One small business owner recently exposed a shoplifter who had the gall to steal from her and her husband’s shop even after meeting him in person and learning their items were handmade.
Lindsay (@livelaughlindsay), who owns a small vintage store in a mall in New Jersey with her husband Zack called Trashion, recently posted the security footage she has of a young woman shoplifting from her store on TikTok and went viral.
“If you live in the tri-state area, specifically Bushwick, Brooklyn area, and you’re a small business owner, or you own a vintage store, listen up,” says Lindsay in the intro of her video.
Lindsay then cuts to her shop’s security footage and zooms in on a young woman named Samantha who went into her store in July. Samantha told store staff that day that she lives in Bushwick, Brooklyn, and was very friendly as she walked around the store.
At one point during her visit, shown entirely in the TikTok, Samantha looked at some of the shorts on a clothing rack, which were handmade by Lindsay and her husband. Samantha took the time to ask Zack, who was working in the store that day if he made them, and he said yes, that he and his wife did.
“After Samantha confirms that we are indeed a small business and make all of our clothes in-store, she decides to keep shopping around, looking at what she wants to steal next,” says Lindsay.
After making some small talk with the store’s cashier, gauging whether or not he was actively watching her shop, Samantha left the store for a while. Lindsay and her husband had dinner reservations later that evening, so as they were getting ready to leave the store for the day, Samantha went back in and waited for them to leave before browsing the racks again.
Camerene Pendl/peopleimages.com – stock.adobe.com- illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
Once Lindsay and her husband were gone, Samantha continued chatting with the cashier while searching a clothing rack near the front door. At one point, she found a shirt she liked and subtly hung it toward the front of the clothing rack for easy grabbing access.
After a few more minutes of chatter, she moved the shirt to the opposite side of the rack, making it harder for the cashier to see it. Samantha then stands on the opposite side of the rack and, while making full eye contact with the cashier and conversing with him, opens her tote bag and slips the shirt into it.
Once Samantha had taken the shirt, she continued her conversation with the cashier and casually walked over to the handmade rack of shorts again. While more customers were walking around the store, Samantha balled up a pair of shorts and placed them on a table before sneakily picking them back up and stuffing them down her pants, which was caught on the security footage, but Lindsay chose not to include it in the TikTok.
Thankfully, Lindsay’s husband had access to their live security feed from home and saw Samantha take the pants somewhere, so he called the cashier and alerted him to her shoplifting.
The cashier asked Samantha if she could show him the inside of her tote, revealing the stolen shirt. She tried to get him to let her buy it, but mall security was quickly notified and went to the store.
However, there was still the matter of the missing shorts.
Since Lindsay and Zack live right near the mall, he was able to return to the store to get the shirt back. But since Zack didn’t see Samantha put the shorts in her pants, he let the mall security deal escort her out.
Samantha was banned from their store and banned from the mall that day. As security was escorting her out, still with a pair of shorts in her pants, Lindsay reviewed the security footage and finally saw where Samantha had put those shorts. She called Zack, let him know, and Zack went running out of their store, flagging down security to let them know Samantha had shorts in her possession.
At the end of the day, Lindsay and Zack got everything Samantha tried to take back, although it was a close call.
“Knowing that it was a small business, the fact that she got caught and still kept the pair of shorts that I made is absolutely insane,” says Lindsay.
“[This] is why I made this video because I’m sure she’s trying to do this to other small businesses [and] I’m sure she’s done it in the past. I just wanted her face to be out there.”
Remember, folks, small business owners face a lot of hardships already, and we should be supporting them instead of taking from them!
@livelaughlindsay “I didn’t know it was a small business” is what people usually say when we catch them stealing from us. Ms Samantha from Brooklyn has no excuse for what she did #smallbusiness #theft #vintage #handmade
If true crime defines your free time, this is for you: join Chip Chick’s True Crime Tribe
She’s A Talented Musician Who Would Up Missing After Being Evicted From Her Beverly Hills Apartment
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
More About:News