Apple Store Customer Arrested for Shoplifting Says He Was Trying to Use EasyPay Self-Checkout

[Gutwrench]

What is the possible penalty?
I once found myself in a similar situation and although the store manager decided not to take me to court, he denied me access to Apple Stores "across the world and for life time"! Is a store manager allowed to do this?

1. In California it was not uncommon for a merchant to ban a shoplifter who they did not prosecute. I know a large electronic and grocery chain that would agree to not pursue charges if the suspected shoplifter signed an agreement acknowledging a mere return to any of their stores would constitute trespassing.

2. I've paid for several products via the Apple Store app and made certain I had the confirmation before even moving toward the door. I prefer to pay this way any time I can. When an Apple employee first showed this payment method to me I asked how they detect shoplifters and other than saying each item paid for is transmitted to all Apple store employees his answer was pretty vague. It made me conclude they had some electronic means to track a product within the store and confirm if it was paid for via the app.

3. As far as I'm concerned in this case, I don't know if the kid may have made a mistake or intended to shoplift. He may have been testing out the Apple system to see what he could get away with and if caught have plausible deniability. The local prosecutor will need to feel the case can be proven beyond reasonable doubt and the kid will have his day in court if charges are filed. We don't know the whole story why Apple felt this wasn't a mistake. I'm glad he was caught and doubt this does little damage to Apple's reputation as moreover it sends a clear message that Apple is aggressively monitoring for shoplifting and that alone reduces the number of thefts and attempted thefts.

 

[Roller]

I don't know if Shine was intending to steal - I suspect he wasn't - but he definitely deserves blame for not following a straightforward process to its conclusion of getting an electronic receipt. But I also think that Apple should give him the benefit of the doubt and not press charges.

 

[KPOM]

The easy pay app should be rewritten so that as soon as you scan an item it is charged to the credit card on file. There should be no further steps required of the customer. It would truly be, "scan and go". Simple.

And then there would be lots of complaints about how "I accidentally bought an item I didn't want," or "my phone was stolen and someone used it to purchase items at the Apple Store." There's a reason it asks for your password.

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however, if your card is denied then your phone immediately goes into a loud facetime session with a scowling apple genius wagging his finger at you. Maybe siri could pop up some credit counseling services as a helpful touch.

 

[GoCubsGo]

The easy pay app should be rewritten so that as soon as you scan an item it is charged to the credit card on file. There should be no further steps required of the customer. It would truly be, "scan and go". Simple.

So, if your charge is approved, you're done: You're not obliged to do anything further.

However, if your card is denied then your phone immediately goes into a loud facetime session with a scowling apple genius wagging his finger at you. Maybe Siri could pop up some credit counseling services as a helpful touch.

This is a terrible idea. It is worse than 1-click through Amazon. No doubt people would scan "by accident" and end up being charged. This could turn into an accounting mess for one if not both parties involved.

 

[notabadname]

Any smart shoplifter is going to set up a plausible excuse in case he or she gets caught. Smart enough to set up the App and purchase down to the final step, but not to hit the Pay option. Sure

 

[AdamLittle]

Rediculious

The apple store loss prevention staff could have easily let this slide. As I have worked retail I know most LP departments have quota's on external and internal thefts they have to make per month. Maybe he meant to steal. It is his word against the apple store. Take it to court lol

 

[samcraig]

Clearly Apple knows his intent to steal because of their secret patented lie-detecting film residue on the screen which samples blood pressure and nervous system responses as you touch the screen.

/tinfoil hat

 

[ANinjaPeanut]

No, it's the fact that it's an expensive bose earphone and it failed. And you people were assuming I was blaming it on the age. Prejudice Hypocrites.

What failed? You claim that you didn't blame it on his age yet your post specifically points out that he is young. Explain why you would point out that he is young if you were not it ''blaming on his age"

 

[renegad3]

In the context of being in the store and using an app to purchase something using an inherently flawed system? Yes.

If you get arrested for using something that was suppose to work you should take it to trial and then sue the store. This is your freedom. Don't give up on it by taking some plea deal! If you're innocent you have that right for the prosecutors to prove criminal intent.

Whats the inherent flaw? The flaw was that he didn't press the giant green PAY NOW button when it popped up after he scanned the item.

Where did the accused say the app didn't work? Wait, he didn't say that at all, he merely scanned the item and put his phone away.

Had he even bothered to mention he had some kind of difficulty I would be more inclined to believe his story, but since he didn't I'm not buying it.

 

[mattopotamus]

I prefer to think of it this way:
1. Fragile stuff doesn't get mishandled by bored/pissed-off employees
2. A properly setup store will have enough u-scan type systems so that there is no line.

However in practice
- If I have a coupon, I go to the staffed checkout lanes, not the u-scans. Since you have to hand them to the checkout staff anyway, may as well save the time of having to wait for the one person that handles the 9 u-scan stations
- If I have produce, I go to the staffed checkout lanes, because I never write down the numbers and the uscan's aren't smart enough to recognize one fruit from another.
- I've somewhat intentionally did an exchange in the store without going to the customer service counter by exchanging one item for a like item on the shelf. This of course messes with their inventory control since they probably had different bar codes, but the item was the same.

With the Apple store, I have yet to try the self-checkout system. I think there's only two real issues, the one in this story and the self-initiated return.

To solve the first problem, the iphone/ipad should generate a barcode (or future NFC) indicating that the process is has completed, and at the exit to the store, wave it to a exit scanner, or wave the printed reciept if they got one, or their email with the barcode, however way they paid. The exit scanner will simply tell the security guard that everything checks out. If it doesn't check out, have them exit the exit line go back in and talk to someone again. You don't call them a thief and detain them until they've walked away from the store without scanning the receipt barcode.

The second problem is a bit more troublesome, and really needs to be setup as a self-initiated return by having someone in the store take control of the product being returned and sign off on it. Otherwise you get people who buy something, exit the store, swap it for the worn-broken item, come back and return it the following day.

That is actually a really good idea....just put your phone up to a scanner when you leave. I know when you checkout using EZpay right now the employees who have an ipad see you as a red dot moving through the store indicating you purchased a product

 

[WordMasterRice]

Accidents dont negate the crime. People accidently kill people all the time. You think they shouldn't go to prison? Or are you going to argue that killing and stealing aren't the same and completely ignore the principal? :\

Not exactly the same is it, Stealing requires intent, just like Murder requires intent. People who kill other people on accident don't get charged with murder, they get manslaughter at the worst or wrongful death.

 

[renegad3]

Not exactly the same is it, Stealing requires intent, just like Murder requires intent. People who kill other people on accident don't get charged with murder, they get manslaughter at the worst or wrongful death.

Well, look at it like this.

Wasn't it his intent to purchase the headphones? Why didn't he follow through with that?

When at no point he ever had any confirmation that he had actually paid for them, shouldn't he then have asked for help, or had some kind of intervention with the store staff? He sat through a genius bar appointment, and was in the store for an hour. He never gave any thought at all to the fact he should see if he had a receipt for the item?

 

[0wnage]

A New Jersey teenager.......... Yup, definitely was trying to steal.

 

[Blackberryroid]

What failed? You claim that you didn't blame it on his age yet your post specifically points out that he is young. Explain why you would point out that he is young if you were not it ''blaming on his age"

It was an expensive earphone and the payment just magically "Failed". I won't believe such story, no matter what the age is.

If it was just a cheap old thing, I'd believe it. But this time it's a Bose. An expensive one.

 

[mms13]

I've always felt very uncomfortable walking out of the store with a product not in a bag and without a receipt...as is the norm at Apple Stores. How do they distinguish from real customers and theives?

 

[SlCKB0Y]

I call B.S...

Apple employees aren't allowed to stop or question suspected thief. They would lose their job. It had to be those loss prevention guys apple hires... And there're cameras throughout the store it wouldn't be hard to prove what his intent was.

So even though his only potential punishment (if he was guilty) was going to be "one day of community service and attending a class on larceny" he is willing to have this matter drag on for months, pay legal costs and potentially be convicted of a greater crime than offered under the plea bargain?

The plea bargain was a slap on the wrist, if he intended to steal he would take it.

 

[renegad3]

What a clusterf....

EasyPay is easily one of the most stupid ideas ever implemented by Apple retail.

So, then we can conclude that every other major retailer or grocery chain is stupid also for allowing customers to pay for themselves without assistance from store staff?

Or, is it just Apple?

 

[ggibson913]

Give the Kid the benefit of the Doubt

Rather than calling the Police and throwing the book at him, why not instead simply tell the kid that his transaction didn't go through and then assist him in making sure he paid.

Is the objective of the store manager to ruin the kid's life or to sell product? I dunno, it seems to me if the headphones were in the cart in the app, then Apple has to assume the guy intended to buy them not steal them. Others are correct if the Apple Store employee didn't ask to see the recept that that is thier fault. If stealing is a problem, why not disable the ability to buy things through the store?

Btw, a thief would not ask an employee for a bag.

 

[Dorfdad]

Whats the big deal they caught him and if his intent was to not steal them just make him pay and tell him to be careful next time..

Problem solved..

Stealing means you got away with it.. You can not prove intent on something like this because he actually did use the app.

Im with ggbison above help him understand how to do it..

 

[JForestZ34]

I'm reading all the posts that this kid should go to jail. What ever happened to innocent until PROVEN guilty. If he's found guilty then punish him. If not I think he should sue.

And for all the guys saying he's guilt cause he didn't pay. Did you ever walk out of a store with one of those electronic tags on any of your stuff that the cashier didn't scan so the security wouldn't go off? Or what if the cashier didn't scan something and it had a tag on it and it went off when you left. Simple accident but by all these posts about throw the book at him and such then the same should go for you when it was a simple accident.

And what I find interesting about this case is he said he was still willing to pay for them. Sounds like an app problem to me.

James

 

[faroZ06]

That's really a tough call to make. It seems like the customer might be telling the truth.

Don't they have security cameras? That would most likely prove or discredit him.

 

[renegad3]

Stealing means you got away with it.. You can not prove intent on something like this because he actually did use the app.

Many thieves get caught for stealing, some long after the fact. Doesn't mean they got away with it.

Did he actually use the app? Doesn't appear to me that he did at all. Other than he made the conscience effort to open the app, scan the item...and put away his phone?

Really?

Can you honestly sit here and use that as a defense? (well thats what he is trying anyway).

Even if the kid was technologically illiterate (highly doubtful since he knows how to at least turn on his rMBP and realize it has a problem, he knew enough to bring it to the genius bar), also has an iPhone and can make the decision to launch an app that he knows requires a payment to be made, but yet stop short of making a payment. Can you really honestly say he wasn't trying to game the system?

Again, ask anyone in jail if they are innocent, 99% of the time you will hear of course they are innocent!

I don't have any idea what the kids true intentions are/were, just as no one else here does, but we only hear what the kid has to say, nothing from Apple's side. I am all for the kid being honest and hope for his sake he is telling the truth, but if he's not...

 

[faroZ06]

Because this is the 15th pair of headphones he's forgot to purchase

The thing I have against this kid is that there's a confirmation screen for your purchase. How can he just assume and walk out the door?

Wait, are you serious about this being the 15th pair he's forgotten to purchase? How do you know that?

 

[renegad3]

And for all the guys saying he's guilt cause he didn't pay. Did you ever walk out of a store with one of those electronic tags on any of your stuff that the cashier didn't scan so the security wouldn't go off? Or what if the cashier didn't scan something and it had a tag on it and it went off when you left. Simple accident but by all these posts about throw the book at him and such then the same should go for you when it was a simple accident.
James

Yep, sure has happened to me. But, the difference, in every time it happened for me? I produced a receipt!!!! I actually paid for my item(s).

Although, I have to say no, I have never brought multiple items to a cashier where they failed to scan one of those items, put it my bag for me and have a security device sound an alarm. Seems to me that any reasonable store clerk who then checked my order would notice the cashiers error and not accuse me of theft. But, this isn't even remotely the case of what happened in this story.

Not sure how you can equate a false alarm from a store security device on an item that is paid for, to an item that wasn't paid for.

 

[faroZ06]

Any smart shoplifter is going to set up a plausible excuse in case he or she gets caught. Smart enough to set up the App and purchase down to the final step, but not to hit the Pay option. Sure

Yes, but the bag? Either an app glitch, or he's pulling some tricks. The security cameras would tell. We don't know the whole story here, and the retail store does.

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What is the possible penalty?
I once found myself in a similar situation and although the store manager decided not to take me to court, he denied me access to Apple Stores "across the world and for life time"! Is a store manager allowed to do this?

At least in the USA, I'm pretty sure that all stores have the right to refuse service to anyone. I always see a sign that says that in stores. So I guess the manager is allowed to do that.

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They don't. The problem is, we're supposed live to in a society that is "innocent until proven guilty." In this case, it's guilty, until proven innocent. Ridiculous. Could he be guilty? Sure. But at least hear him out, don't just assume. The saddest fact is, in my mind, if it was an older man or lady, I'm sure their reactions may not have been to immediately assume guilt on his part.

I'd rather we live in a world that is too trusting, and be hurt by that, than live in one where we doubt everyone and everything.

If he was guilty until proven innocent, he would have already been given the penalties. If they just let him get away without questions, it would provide a way for shoplifters to steal without risk (try to steal, and if caught, blame EasyPay then get off the hook).

How about "If you don't want to be accused of crime, don't look like a criminal."? People who make it so hard to judge make it harder to sift out criminals and innocent.