accused of shoplifting

What is the name of your state? Pennsylviana


I was accused of shoplifting in a store about a week ago, me and a freind had gone into the store and I had picked up some cold meds that my freind was going to buy for me. We had started heading off towards the snack aisle and I had stuck the meds in my pocket so that I wasnt carrying them around the store and could hold more items. Not two seconds after I had done this an employee came up to me and started yelling and freaking out on me and even after I had told him my freind was going to pay for the items, he still pressed a fine on me. I have done stuff like this before with employees nearby and all I've ever gotten was a "Please make sure you pay for that before you leave" or something like that. Is there any hope for me to get out of this?

Severs said:

What is the name of your state? Pennsylviana


I was accused of shoplifting in a store about a week ago, me and a freind had gone into the store and I had picked up some cold meds that my freind was going to buy for me. We had started heading off towards the snack aisle and I had stuck the meds in my pocket so that I wasnt carrying them around the store and could hold more items. Not two seconds after I had done this an employee came up to me and started yelling and freaking out on me and even after I had told him my freind was going to pay for the items, he still pressed a fine on me. I have done stuff like this before with employees nearby and all I've ever gotten was a "Please make sure you pay for that before you leave" or something like that. Is there any hope for me to get out of this?

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IMO, no.

From Pennsylvania statutes:

Pennsylvania Retail Theft Statute, 18 Pa.C.S. §3929. Specifically, that statute provides in relevant part:
(c) Presumptions.-- Any person intentionally concealing unpurchased property of any store or other mercantile establishment, either on the premises or outside the premises of such store, shall be prima face presumed to have so concealed such property with the intention of depriving the merchant of the possession, use or benefit of such merchandise without paying the full retail value thereof within the meaning of subsection (a), and the finding of such unpurchased property concealed, upon the person or among the belongings of such person, shall be prima facie evidence of intentional concealment, and, if such person conceals, or causes to be concealed, such unpurchased property, upon the person or among the belongings of another, such fact shall also be prima facie evidence of intentional concealment on the part of the person so concealing such property.

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Sounds like you are getting a civil fine from the store.

If the police weren't called, then you won't be prosecuted criminally and you won't have it on your record.

Severs said:

I had stuck the meds in my pocket so that I wasnt carrying them around the store and could hold more items.

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That's why they have shopping carts. Don't wanna push a cart around, then they have those little baskets you can carry around. Then you can hold all the items you want without concealing anything. If they would of caught you leaving the store I bet "I was gonna pay for it" would of turned into "Oh, I forgot to pay for it"

to the person of the first reply... thank you for clearing that up im not too happy with how it turned out but i will accept it... to the second person... i came here for help not ridicule so stfu... if that causes my acount to be deleted so be it but after this i dont think ill be back anyway

The truth IS a bitter pill to swallow! You see how foolish those excuses seemed when you read them? Now imagine how foolish they sound when the clerk hears them. That's why he was freaking out. Maybe it was an honest mistake on your part, so now you know never to put stuff that you haven't paid for yet in your pocket again. Lesson Learned!

Reality

A shoplifting charge can be worse than a drug charge as far as employment is concerned

taxpayer said:

A shoplifting charge can be worse than a drug charge as far as employment is concerned

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The way I understand it the poster wasn't arrested and it is just a civil fine between her and the store.