I triggered a security alarm, am I a shoplifter?

leon_heller

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leon_heller
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I went to my local ASDA, part of the Walmart empire, to do some shopping this afternoon. My purchases included some razor blades, and I was a bit surprised to see that they were in a clear plastic box. I used the self-service checkout, as usual, and scanned and paid for the blades with the rest of my shopping. On the way out, I triggered an alarm, but it wasn't very loud and I ignored it. I thought it might have something to do with the razor blades, but as no one approached me about it I continued on my way.

When I got home and unpacked my purchases, I found that the box containing the blades had a locked top, containing some sort of electronic alarm system, apparently made by a company called Alpha. It needs a special tool to open it, which is presumably kept by the cashiers manning the ordinary tills. I think I'll cut the box open, extract my blades, and investigate the electronics. The next time I go shopping at ASDA, I'll return the bits to them. Their reaction might be amusing.
 
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leon_heller said:
I went to my local ASDA, part of the Walmart empire, to do some shopping this afternoon. My purchases included some razor blades, and I was a bit surprised to see that they were in a clear plastic box. I used the self-service checkout, as usual, and scanned and paid for the blades with the rest of my shopping. On the way out, I triggered an alarm, but it wasn't very loud and I ignored it. I thought it might have something to do with the razor blades, but as no one approached me about it I continued on my way.

When I got home and unpacked my purchases, I found that the box containing the blades had a locked top, containing some sort of electronic alarm system, apparently made by a company called Alpha. It needs a special tool to open it, which is presumably kept by the cashiers manning the ordinary tills. I think I'll break open the box, extract my blades, and investigate the electronics. The next time I go shopping at ASDA, I'll return the bits to them. Their reaction might be amusing.
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That's unusual the self-service tills are usually programmed to call for assistant for security tagged items, the same way they do for knives and alcohol.

I was once in a rush to get just one item from the local superstore, saw a self-service checkout free, thought it would take a minute but when I scanned the item the screen flashed "assistance required", it took nearly 5 minutes for the member of staff to walk over and override the checkout. The item? Vanilla essence - apparently it has some alcohol in it so you have to be over 18 to buy it...
 
leon_heller said:
I went to my local ASDA, part of the Walmart empire, to do some shopping this afternoon. My purchases included some razor blades, and I was a bit surprised to see that they were in a clear plastic box. I used the self-service checkout, as usual, and scanned and paid for the blades with the rest of my shopping. On the way out, I triggered an alarm, but it wasn't very loud and I ignored it. I thought it might have something to do with the razor blades, but as no one approached me about it I continued on my way.

When I got home and unpacked my purchases, I found that the box containing the blades had a locked top, containing some sort of electronic alarm system, apparently made by a company called Alpha. It needs a special tool to open it, which is presumably kept by the cashiers manning the ordinary tills. I think I'll break open the box, extract my blades, and investigate the electronics. The next time I go shopping at ASDA, I'll return the bits to them. Their reaction might be amusing.
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I don't think you are a shoplifter but I wouldn't recommend doing that. Those things are probably fairly expensive and if you hit someone in the wrong mood it might lead to a request to pay for it and/or legal trouble.

ETA:
After a little research, the box is worth maybe $10. I assume the alarm is triggered by a standard RFID tag so amuse yourself if you feel like it.
 
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leon_heller said:
It doesn't look very expensive.

I found some information about Alpha and their security systems. The boxes are opened with a magnet, apparently.
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I thought it would be more just because of it's purpose and intended market(large retail operations) and that it can be reused many times. The site I found will sell the "key" for $67.
 
Darat said:
That's unusual the self-service tills are usually programmed to call for assistant for security tagged items, the same way they do for knives and alcohol.

I was once in a rush to get just one item from the local superstore, saw a self-service checkout free, thought it would take a minute but when I scanned the item the screen flashed "assistance required", it took nearly 5 minutes for the member of staff to walk over and override the checkout. The item? Vanilla essence - apparently it has some alcohol in it so you have to be over 18 to buy it...
Click to expand...
This is my experience quite frequently. There is a queue of five people for the "basket only" till, so I take the self service. Then I have to get the person over because I'm buying alcohol; then at least twice I will get into the "take the last item out of the bag -- put the last item back in the bag" loop, then I'm buying something on special offer but it doesn't recognize the barcode for the offer. And still I keep using them. I must really hate human interaction.
 
I call the detectors "Honest Man Detectors". They go off so often for false alarms, they can't be acceptable as evidence of a crime. Evidence of a clerk not doing his job, maybe.

When I trigger one, I usually just make an oversized, exaggerated shrug, and proceed on my way. No body has ever come to detain me.

And I have often enough got home with a different purchase to find the gismo still attached, that I figure most of the systems don't work any how. Hmm, maybe the ones by the front door are deterrents, but the ones at the back employee entrance are kept maintained?
 
I purchased a pre-paid phone at Target once--I paid for the phone and my other purchases in the electronics area of the store since there was no line there, and then proceeded to walk out the front door. The alarm went off, so I stopped, turned around and looked all the cashiers. None of them even so much as looked in the direction of the doors, much less came over, so I walked out. No harm, no foul.
 
anglolawyer said:
I stole a book once. I suppose that's another thread than this one though.
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Were you just following instructions?

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Spindrift said:
Were you just following instructions?

[qimg]http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/imagehosting/47624f60ecf82257c.jpg[/qimg]
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No. But if I had known there was such a book I would have stolen that one and then made out some ground breaking defence based on auto-suggestion, or something.
 
I bought a couple of shirts once. Washed them and then noticed the security tags on them. Rang up the shop then took them back. They removed the tags without question. Same thing happened with my wife.

If you try to cut the security tags you might get die all over everything. Or at least you might find the job harder than what you think. No, get the shop to do it for you. Make sure you have the receipt.
 
rjh01 said:
I bought a couple of shirts once. Washed them and then noticed the security tags on them. Rang up the shop then took them back. They removed the tags without question. Same thing happened with my wife.
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Your wife came with a security tag?

Actually ... that's a damn fine idea. An alarm sounds when you go out with her.
 
Christmas shopping years ago, I walked out of one packed shop, heard an alarm ringing behind me but ignored it, then entered a second shop only to have an alarm go off as I went in. Two puzzled security guards helped go through the stuff I had bought next door. We found an "oboe" - an older version of the RFID tag- in an inside pocket of a jacket.(paid for) They told me to take it back to the first shop for removal - where, of course, the alarm went off on entry... damned nuisance. The "oboe" was about the size of a small computer mouse and was rumoured to contain purple dye , plutonium or Semtex which would spoil your whole day if removed without the proper tool. How they stopped you snipping an inch or two out of the jacket lining was not explained.
 
Years ago (in the early 1980's) those detectors were relatively uncommon. I had a friend who shopped at a bookstore regularly which had one of these systems. I liberated one of the stickers from a book and stuck it inside the fabric of my friend's wallet. From that day on, he set off the alarm every time he entered or left the store.

Good times.
 
genesplicer said:
Years ago (in the early 1980's) those detectors were relatively uncommon. I had a friend who shopped at a bookstore regularly which had one of these systems. I liberated one of the stickers from a book and stuck it inside the fabric of my friend's wallet. From that day on, he set off the alarm every time he entered or left the store.

Good times.
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Evil, but brilliant! :D
 
They have just started introducing self service checkouts here, and I bought some coffee and 500gms or so of grapes. The coffee scanned okay, but when I was trying to call buy the grapes I was getting nagged to bag the item, so I did and walked out. Robbed Woolworths of about $2.
 
Psi Baba said:
I purchased a pre-paid phone at Target once--I paid for the phone and my other purchases in the electronics area of the store since there was no line there, and then proceeded to walk out the front door. The alarm went off, so I stopped, turned around and looked all the cashiers. None of them even so much as looked in the direction of the doors, much less came over, so I walked out. No harm, no foul.
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I once set of the alarm as I left a CVS pharmacy in the early days of the detectors. I had just purchased 2 or 3 relatively inexpensive items. I looked around when the alarm went off and waiting for about 45 seconds, but no one was came to the door so I left. About 1/2 through the parking to my arm someone was yelling at me, so I turned around and stopped. The manager came over and asked to look in my bag. I asked him what happened if I said no and he said he'd call the police. So I sat down and said "go ahead, I'll wait". He went back in the store.

I was really just a little annoyed that I'd wasted my time (admittedly a tiny amount) waiting for someone to correct the false alarm, but I made some kind of point.
 
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