If it was at a store I would report it to an employee and follow the person. If it were my belongings being stolen I would confront the thief and do what I need to do. If it’s happening in a parking lot or on a street I would call the police and confront the scumbag.
That's downright hilarious, the gif that is. I would position myself so I could video the theft, if possible and if there was enough time to, and then alert the police and owner. I can only imagine what it would feel like to have my property stolen, so I would do my best to keep the owner from having to suffer the same pain. Just for clarification, I'm NOT about to try to stop the thief personally, not with all the nutcases packing guns in today's world.
This just happened at work. I was told by a friend that another co-worker stole 20 dollars from her folder of tips at the spa I work at.
There is a lot of proof, but there is not the smoking gun. I would HATE to accuse anyone of anything like that unless I knew for sure.
But, I think she did it. Meanwhile, it is not my business. If I caught her stealing, I would tell her to resign. I cannot imagine working with someone I cannot trust. I would not try and get her in trouble unless she refused to resign.
I was a Floor Walker for a few years at a K-mart store so I can spot a shoplifter from 5 isles away. Now a days I don't have any authority but I still try to detour a person from stealing and have a little bit of fun at the same time. Like if it's a drug user that's in the grocery store to steal I'll go up to them and whisper - the Sudzy is isle 3 - sudsy is a cleaning product they use to make crake or meth - it's usually enough to make them paranoid and leave the store. If it's a guy in the meat department trying to steal meat I'll go over to them and whisper - I bet because of your tiny package you could fit 5 steaks down your pants. - it's usually enough to embarrass them and leave the store. If they do steal something and they are heading for the door I will let an employee know. I've been shopping at the same grocery store for 25 years - they have always given me good service so I don't like to see them getting ripped off. Cheers!
A friend of mine told me this recently and it stuck with me. Her aunt and uncle own a country neighborhood store where they sell groceries and gasoline. She said when someone tries to steal something from the store her aunt will stop them and give them a second one of whatever they were trying to steal. She said often the person starts crying or apologizes and leaves the goods. Every person who tries to steal a small item is not a criminal and doesn't need jail. Sometimes they just need someone to say "I get it." We know kids will try to steal just because. Even with social services as they are, there is a lot of need out there. Some of the very very poor uneducated rural people don't even ask for government help. They are a proud lot and share what little they have among themselves. There are lessons to learn from them.
Benedict Arnold 