The holidays are a time when most people want to give their loved ones gifts. Unfortunately, not everyone has the money or credit available to treat the people on their list to the gifts they want to give them. Remember that trying to sneak merchandise out of stores without paying the full retail price that the merchant is asking can lead to you facing criminal charges.
Retail theft is a big problem all the time, but many merchants are more cognizant to watch for the issue during the holidays. There are a few things that customers might do that can lead to them facing charges. We don’t want anyone to unwillingly commit retail theft, so here are some forms of retail theft and examples of each.
- Trying to walk out of the store without paying for items. Example: Trying to bypass the checkouts without paying for anything in your cart.
- Concealing merchandise to try to slip it out undetected. Example: Putting a necklace you want inside of a purse you will purchase.
- Changing price tags, barcodes or other information. Example: Putting a clearance price tag on a full price item to try to get it cheaper.
Facing criminal charges for retail theft is a surefire way to ruin the holiday spirit. Not only will you not have gifts for your loved ones, but you will also have a criminal matter to handle. This means you will be out of some money to fight the charge. If you are convicted, you face time in jail and financial obligations from the court. We are here to help you fight the charges, but we need to get to work quickly on your case.