Got accused of stealing from a shop

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So I went into a shop to have a look around, and a cushion caught my eye so I picked it up and went to the till to pay for it. I gave the right change and put the cushion into my shopping bag, and went out the shop, rather happy with my new purchase.

As I walked out the shop and got almost halfway along the street, one of the workers from the shop came running up to me, yelling loudly, "you didn't pay for that!" and snatched it out of my bag and shouted, "do NOT come back into the shop, you are BANNED!! !" and marched off again with the cushion.

I was so alarmed, that I didn't know what to do. Everybody stared at me and I was so embarrassed as well as startled. I had a receipt for the purchase, but was so startled, that I didn't think of going back into the shop and showing it to them to prove my innocence. I wanted to cry, and I rang my boyfriend who was on his dinner break at the time, so he came to where I was to help sort it out. He asked me if I had a receipt, and I gave it to him, and we went in there together. At first the shop assistants looked furious when they saw me, but when we showed them the receipt, they were very apologetic. Apparently they didn't see the girl at the till serve me, and just made a big mistake.

That's the first time that ever happened to me, and I go shopping all the time. I just thought I'd share it here, because it was a rather unexpected and humiliating moment, and I felt really tearful afterwards. My boyfriend drove me home then he went back to work.

The worst part was how embarrassed I felt in front of all those people.

I'm sorry you went through this, Joe.

I'm glad your boyfriend was able to assist you in this instance.

Next time, if somebody makes such an accusation, just show them the receipt.

It would have been nice if the shop gave you something for your trouble (though it's not obligatory).

Please don't let this keep you down. Everything is resolved in your favor.

I've had the same happen to me at B&Q because I went in and knew exactly what I wanted a carpet knife and knew where it was I just walked in got it paid for it then left. Next minute I got 2 shop assistants after me. I did show them the receipt though and they were very apologetic.

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( If I ignore a reply it's not intentional I get distracted, send me a PM to prompt me )

Lawyer up and sue the shop. Claim disability-based discrimination. Tell your story to a local media outlet.

Make them issue a public apology to compensate you for shaming you in public.

At least you didn't get arrested

I was accused of shoplifting once too and I was actually arrested because the shop person didn't bother coming after me but instead called the police and I was picked up and taken in and I was also handcuffed. I was so humiliated and thought I would have to switch schools so I hid at home for the whole weekend and my mom made me go to school on Monday. It was a small town so some kids saw me in the car and I ducked down and then I was taken into the station and I was seen because it's a small town so it's very easy to be seen by someone who recognizes you and goes to your school and even junior high students saw me and it was still embarrassing because people have mouths and they tell and they could have siblings that are in my high school and they could tell others and my prediction was right, it did happen but luckily it didn't destroy me but I didn't go to that shop for a while. I had a fame for a couple of weeks. But lot of kids didn't even know I was arrested until I told them, they only knew I got pulled over. I was seen at the back of the police car but they didn't know it was an arrest.

Glad I'm not the only one that happened to. I just hope it doesn't happen again. I don't need that kind of embarrassment and accusation in my life. I have social phobia as well, so I just hope this situation won't set me back, like becoming afraid of going into shops and buying stuff.

I'm glad I didn't get arrested.

I could sue the shop. But it was just a mistake from the shop assistant - and HOPEFULLY a one-off thing.
Just when she marched back off into the shop I was riddled with confusion, and I thought, "what did I do? Did I accidentally give fake money? Didn't the shop want me to have it? Were they doing this on purpose just to set me up for some reason?" But I knew that it was just a mistake, although I don't know how she could have missed me standing at the till, as there was no other customers in there at the time. When she apologized, she said that she saw me looking at the cushions then the next minute saw me walking out the shop. She must have got distracted for a minute though when I was paying for my cushion.

@Tequila: I've been going out with him for 19 months now, and he IS a bus-driver, although I am not with him because of that. Since I've been with him I haven't felt the need to have special interests any more.

Sorry you had to go through that. I have social anxiety as well and would be completely caught off guard by such a situation and not be able to think in the moment either to show the receipt. Most of the time I don't even keep the receipt. I'm glad your boyfriend came to sort things out, he sounds like a really cool guy.

Always make sure you have your receipt handy.

These "loss prevention" people tend to act like idiots sometimes.

They should be the embarrassed ones, not you.

I'm guessing there was discrimination involved. You probably come off as someone who is not "normal" and she picked up on that and scrutinized you for it, and was quite willing to act against you without getting her facts straight because of it. You should pursue this.

No, it wasn't that. I've been in shops many times and this has never happened. I'm always shopping because I love shopping.

Now that it has happened, it has made me anxious about going into shops.