Did you know you could get arrested for shoplifting even when you didn’t realize that you may have made a mistake? A lawyer named Carrie Jernigan took to Tik Tok to ask shoppers “stop using self-check” at stores now! She warned her followers that days after a grocery store run, police could show up and put the handcuffs on them. “As a criminal defense attorney, I advise most people to steer clear of self-checkout,” she says in the video.
@carriejernigan1 Reply to @ducehaus Laws giving immunity for criminal and civil conduct of employees and owners for falsely imprisoning an innocent person hopefully helps some of yall see it’s real and it is happening.
With inflation, prices are soaring, and shoplifting is becoming a bigger problem for stores. Many stores take inventory regularly and check all the cameras controlling their checkouts. As a result, they can trace transactions with your credit cards and get all the information they need to prosecute you, even if you didn’t realize you broke the law.
At some point, we’ve all gotten home, looked at our receipt, and realized that maybe you forgot to ring something up, or it was under your cart, and you forgot. Jernigan called that “accidental” thieves, but it’s still a crime. She says there are three groups; those that plan to steal, “accidental” thieves, and the truly innocent. She warned that you may not get arrested on the day of any alleged theft, but stores are finding people after the fact when they find inventory shortages and going after them. It would be terrible to go through criminal proceedings and potentially have a record for a simple accident. Maybe the self-check aisles aren’t your best option. Just something to consider.
Most of us try to be honest and ensure we’re paying for everything we grab from the store. When I find something that may have gotten overlooked, I’m typically like, “they just paid me with cheese for work I did for them ringing it all up.” Now I’m a little anxious about using the self-checkouts. Will you avoid the self-checkout now?