"They've Got You On Film!"

At first glance I thought I was seeing things. It's never this easy.

I was sitting literally with my feet on the desk reading emails when I glanced at the camera monitor and saw a lady in our Health and Beauty Department, pulling Clairol hair color off the shelf. I put my feet down and reached over to enlarge the view of this aisle. And here is an instance when I can't really explain why I sat up and took notice, but for whatever reason, I did, and just in time.

I watched the monitor as the lady pulled one box off the shelf, then seemed to look for a different one down further. Then, just before returning the box to the shelf, she opened it, and pulled the bottle from inside and smoothly slipped it into her overcoat poket. I was shocked at first. I don't usually catch the actual concealment on the camera and it was strange sitting in the office watching it happen. Fortunately, that department was just down a few aisles from my office door, so within seconds, I was out on the floor with this lady in plain sight.

The second time I was shocked during this incident was right about now, when I got a good look at who we were dealing with as a thief. This person proved to me right then and there that thieves come in all shapes and sizes. If I hadn't seen actual concealment, I never would have given this woman a second look. Afterall, she was a short elderly lady wearing grandmom's long overcoat and carrying a tiny handbag, taking short deliberate steps as she walked through the store. If nothing else, this was the most relaxed I had ever felt during a surveillance and apprehension... partly because I couldn't believe it was really happening.

I followed this lady as she walked from the hair coloring past the registers and past the customer service desk. I was literally following her, unlike the hide and seek game I have to play with the typical shoplifter.

She walked at this steady pace right out the front doors until she met up with her husband sitting on the bench in the vestibule, where I finally approached her from behind.

"Excuse me folks, I work with Loss Prevention for the store, can I ask you about what you put in your coat pockets?" I said almost reluctantly. The woman's dyed hair came up to my chin and I felt like I was towering over her.

The woman looked up at me in total shock shaking her head, "No, no..." all I heard was a thick accent.

"Sir are you with her?" he never stood, but nodded his head. "I have her on video taking something out of a box and putting it in her coat pocket." I guess I was hoping he could have the argument with her while I watched.

"Agnes, did you take somehting?" suddenly the husband stood and his voice was angry, but in a way that made me think this wasn't the first time she had done this. For a moment, I drifted off to Dirty Dancing where the elderly couple were found stealing silverware, but came back to reality quickly.

The husband took the woman's handbag and rifled through it for me. He then proceeded with a quick pat down of his wife as if he had seen it done in the movies. The woman insisted she never took anything and I was about to run out of ideas short of calling the police. I switched to giving her an out.

"Can you come back into the store with me and I will show you what I saw?" the couple agreed and began their shuffle back through the store. My mind raced with ideas about how to get her to admit she took something short of showing her the video, and short of involving the police department.

Together we walked to the aisle I saw her in and asked..."remember being in this aisle?"

"No, never in this aisle..."

Oh boy. I thought I was starting easy, and she even denies this! I repeated the question in a variety of ways hoping she just misunderstood. Still, a refusal. I looked at her husband and explained, "I am really hoping I don't have to call the police department. I have her on video in this aisle, pulling something out of a box and putting it in her coat pocket. This isn't a question...this much I know for a fact." I said pleading to the husband for help.

"Agnes, they have you on film!" the angry greek man was raising his voice in frustration. She seemed to be getting scared or anxious as time went on, and I felt bad for her. Something was wrong but I couldnt figure it out.

"Can you show me where you were, or what you did?" I asked as a last ditch effort.

"Yes, yes!" she said with finally a smile. Her small frame turned away from us and hustled out of the aisle and turned the corner. It took me a second to get past the husband and catch up to Agnes, but as I turned into the next aisle, I saw her pulling a plastic bottle out of her coat pocket and placed it on the shelf as she walked. I instantly knew she was trying to hide the fact that she had it in her pocket the whole time...

"Hey look, you found it!" I said playing along with her shenanigans. "Where was it, right here on the shelf?"

She smiled and nodded.

"Okay Agnes, good, we found the merchandise. Let's walk down here to my office so I can get some information and get you guys out of here okay?" this was a rare time when I really meant what I said, I just wanted this case to end.

I gave Agnes one more time to come clean. The elderly couple sat on the chairs meant for criminals who do this kind of thing as a hobby, some times a living. The sight of this couple sitting there just threw me. With every ounce of kindness I could muster, I asked Agnes one more question...

"Agnes, the bottles we found on the shelf, would you admit that you really took them out of your pockets and put them there for us to find?"

Again, with the refusals. This time in both English and Greek.

I gave up. I knew I wasn't prosecuting, but it would have been nice to have her admit some wrongdoing. I obtained all of her information for the report and explained to the husband, who by this time was as frustrated as me, that I was not going to call for the police department since it was just hair color and we got the merchandise back.

They both were very appreciative of this fact and I couldn't help but think if this wasn't a case of the old couple from Dirty Dancing again. Were they always let off with a stern warning as they go store to store ripping them off? Well, I had to drop it for now and apologize for holding them up.

As the couple stood to walk to the door, the husband shook my hand and said, thanks, but added one line in a heavy Greek accent...

"Thank you sir, this won't happen again. You may not have needed the police here today, but when we get home..."

To date, I have not caught an older shoplifter than 85 year old Agnes.

Hopefully I won't.