Hi,

My friend was recently stopped by a store security when she left the store as they thought they saw her on a video camera stealing shoes.

After they searched her bag and didn't find shoes, but shoe bags they apologized and let her go. Shoe bags are items that sometimes are in the shoe boxes and very seldom when shoes are returned customers keep them as they are not sold separately... by way of example Gucci Shoes. I asked a lady who works at Sake 5th avenue and she said that if a customer walks out of a store with the shoe bags and the person would not get into trouble... she did however, state that she would like the customer to ask her for them... she did actually laugh when I asked her if the customer would get into trouble doing this.

So my ? Is... taking shoe bags or returning the shoes without returning the shoes bags... is this considered stealing as they are not sold and what recourse does my friend have for being stopped and accused of stealing something she didn't.

Thank you.:)

She took the shoe bags from the new pair of shoes, correct? I would consider it theft, but obviously it isn't a big enough issue to the store to pursue it.

Your friend was stopped, in the natural order of standard procedures. I cannot see any recourse unless something happened that you have not said here. I used to be an assistant manager of a shoe store and believe me, suspicious people were stopped and questioned. Why did she take a shoe bag of all things? She could have just asked for a bag. I would have stopped her too, as shoes come in the shoe bags and one never knows.

Since they were putting items in their shopping bag that they did not check out with, the security had every right to stop them. Since they took the "bags" without paying for them or asking for them, they could really be charged with stealing them, ** just because they do not offer them for sale does not mean it is not theft, for example if someone walked up to a check out and got a stack of 100 bags and started to walk out, this is still theft.

Most likely it was not actual shoes so they did not care, If the person tried to do anything, I bet the store may change it minds about caring.

She should go and tell the store she was sorry about taking the boags and ask to pay for them, and learn not to take things that are not hers.