I have a question. I live in Texas. I have a friend whom did not have enough money for groceries so she decided to bag them herself and take them (store was W**-M***). She had never done this before and said she was nervous. She saw an employee either following her or simply just got too nervous and bailed. She did not take anything. She left the items bagged in the cart at the front of the checkout stands and left. She says the items probably total about $75 or so. She was never stopped or confronted, but said she saw the same employee (a checkout girl, not a loss prevention person) outside the store after she left. She said she did not see her nor did she get her license plate or anything. I told her maybe they could roll back the cameras to get it but I was not sure... I do not know much about these things...

Mom please do not respond to sandral. This post has been reported to the site administrators.

Back again MOM, so your question is can she be charged with shop lifting, the answer is yes but likely will not. When she bagged those items she consealed them and that is enough to constitute shop lifting. Since the items never left the store but she did W M will likely not pursue the matter but she may get banned from the W M facilities.

Okay. I will tell her. I do not know anything about this type of thing but she is very embarrassed and ashamed and has little ones to look after. I told her I would try to find some info. On it. Thank YouBallengerb1.

I do have one other question though. She says she thinks the clerk was looking for her. Do you think they could have gotten her license plate #?

Maybe, maybe not but at this point it no longer matters. If they wanted to come after her I think they'd be at her door by now. The guilty conscience should be allowed to work itself out, this will remind her to avoid this behavior. She is your friend so it great that you are helping her. However, don't try to relieve the guilt, just tell her to move on and be a better person. We all make mistakes, if this was her worst mistake she is a better person than many.

Okay... Thank You... Yes you are right about the guilt she feels. I can see it in her eyes and feel it in her heart. She is a good person, typically law abiding, minus this incident. I guess everyone has bad days and she was just too proud to ask for a handout.

Thank You very much for everything.