November 6, 2025 at 9:35 am

Loss Prevention Professional Realized Someone Was Stealing While He Was Shopping, So He Reported It To The Manager, Who Caught An Employee And His Brother Stealing

by Michael Levanduski

Shutterstock, Reddit

When you are good at a job, you often find yourself doing it all the time, even if you aren’t on the clock at the moment.

What would you do if you worked in loss prevention, and while shopping at another store, you noticed that someone was stealing?

That is what happened to the guy in this story, so he told the manager and got an employee and his brother fired for stealing.

Tales from a Former LP: I’m so awesome I catch people stealing when I shop.

So, about two years ago I went with a friend on vacation.

Taking some time off is always nice.

It was right after I had quit a job and was enjoying my first vacation since HS.

On one of our last nights there, my friend decided she wanted to, surprise surprise, go shopping at the locations of the store I just quit in the area.

Fine, I could always buy a few things.

So, while she’s out looking at shoes and handbags and stuff, I wander over to the ATHLETIC APPAREL store. I wanted to get a few golf shirts, and some rash guards (compression shirts) for BJJ.

Ok, all pretty normal so far.

I pick out a few shirts, and head over to the fitting room. As I’m changing, I hear the door to the stall next to me swing open, and some general rustling noises. Ok no big deal.

That’s when I heard an all too familiar sound. Snip. Snip.

The people next door were going to be stealing.

Well, any loss prevention worker worth his weight in Gold knows that is the sound of someone cutting the sensors off of an item.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, a cut tag falls on the floor and lads between the stalls. A foot reaches out, and kicks it back underneath the bench in their stall.

I hope he reports the theft.

So, I put my shirt back on, having tried on the last shirt I had selected, and walk up to the register. The two associates are sitting there, a male and a female.

The female is helping a customer, so I walked over to the male, who we shall refer to as Dummy #1.

Me: Hey man. I work LP for another company. I’m on vacation but whoever was in the stall next to me is stealing from you.

That is not the reaction I would expect.

Now, I have never seen a black man blush before, but this guy did it. He suddenly looks extremely uncomfortable, looks at his co worker, and back to me, and simply says “Ok”.

Me: Hey man, I don’t know your stores policies, nor do I want to tell you to do your job. I’m just letting you know because they are using something to snip the tags, so if you guys do do something, just be careful.

The manager might be interested.

At this point, the female, who turns out to be the manager, is finished with her customer and asks what the issue is. We will call her Belle, because she was a true Southern Belle. And I’m original like that.

Dummy goes to open his mouth, but I cut him off and repeat that I’m an LP agent and heard someone snipping tags off of the clothes in the dressing stalls.

I really think this guy is in on it.

Belle: Well what are you standing around for? Go approach them Dummy #1

Dummy#1: Ummm….Well.

She is not going to let them get away with it.

Well Belle doesn’t miss a beat. She marches over to the stalls and starts banging on the doors, saying “You need to drop your stuff and come out right now! Get out here now!”

Dummy walks over and looks horrified. I walk over too in case this person decides to take the scissors, multi-tool, or whatever it is they are using, and use it as a weapon.

What is he doing in there.

Frantic rustling is heard, and suddenly a bunch of shirts drop on the ground. The door opens up, and out walks a young male we will call Dummy #2.

Now, I’m tense because I don’t know what’s about to happen. Guts get cold, body tightens up. As comedian Bert Kreischer describes it, “It’s that moment in customs when your body gets cold, because they just found the hash on you”. And it gets awkward quick.

Oh yeah, they definitely know each other.

DA#2 is starting at DA#1, and DA#1 is staring at the floor. Belle’s mouth is wide open in shock and is starting between DA#1 and #2. It suddenly feels awkward. More awkward than farting at a funeral.

Keep in mind that the other shoppers are staring at us after Belle made a racket.

Wow, this escalated quickly.

Belle: Dummy #2? You MOTHER ******! Turns to DA#1. YOUR BROTHER! ARE YOU KIDDING ME. YOU TOLD ME HE NEEDED TO HANG AROUND BECAUSE YOUR PARENTS WEREN’T HOME! SO I WAS NICE AND LET HIM HANG AROUND! AND YOU’VE BEEN STEALING FROM ME?

Oh god, it was amazing. The look of pure hatred on her face. The look of shock on theirs. The look of amazement on the other shoppers faces. It was like Christmas and Hanukkah and Kwanzaa wrapped up into one glorious moment.

She wants to get them in trouble.

Belle turned out to be a smart cookie and didn’t let her anger get the best of her.

Belle: Well, you didn’t leave the store with these, so I can’t charge you. And until I go through all the security tapes, I can’t prove you took anything else. But I think you two should leave. And don’t bother coming back unless you come back with whatever you’ve taken, or the cash equivalent.

This guy has some nerve.

DA#1: What about my paycheck?

Belle: I think we can find a nice charity….

Hey, they did this to themselves.

So the Super Dummy Bros. give one last hateful glance at me, and leave the store.

Belle takes a few moments, apologizes to the customers, and walks me back to the counter. She thanks me profusely, and tells me she’ll give me a $100 credit.

Finally, his good deeds are rewarded.

So, I basically got two golf shirts and two rash guards for free. I tell her I’m sorry and she says it’s not a big deal, and that she should have known.

Shrink jumped the moment that kid started working there, and she just ignored it.

I bet that felt amazing.