If you are curious about Nordstrom’s shoplifting policy and what happens if you’re caught stealing from this store, you’re in the right place to find out.
Nordstrom has security guards and loss prevention professionals to help reduce thefts, and these will be trained according to state law. It requires all employees to comply with the law, and to respect the rights of all customers within the store, even if they are suspected of criminal activity.
Does Nordstrom Have A Shoplifting Policy?
Although Nordstrom does not have a specific published policy on shoplifting and does not state how it will handle shoplifters, it does have guidelines for how its members of staff should treat customers and those suspected of shoplifting in the store.
Nordstrom requires its loss prevention employees to identify themselves to customers when they approach them for any reason.
They must explain that they are a member of the Nordstrom loss prevention department, and they must be willing to give their name if the customer asks.
The employees are not permitted to use vulgar or threatening language and are required to avoid the use of excessive force. If a person is to be detained, it must be done so in a “reasonable” manner and only for a “reasonable” amount of time.
The policy also states that the employee must have “reasonable” reason to believe that the person is guilty of committing or trying to commit theft.
The policy also outlines the importance of not profiling customers and prohibits any “unreasonable” searches. It says that employees may be fired if they are found guilty of discrimination or customer mistreatment.
However, while the company does limit its staff behavior, it has also been known to pursue shoplifters and to spend time building cases against recognized individuals with care.
That means that if you steal repeatedly from Nordstrom, you are at risk of getting into serious trouble, especially if you take high-value items.
Although Nordstrom is against violating its customers’ rights, it does aim to protect itself from shoplifters.
What Does Nordstrom Do About Shoplifting?
Nordstrom stores are often viewed as tempting targets, as they have high value goods, and few employees. However, they are full of cameras, and these are often monitored actively, meaning that you may be spotted while shoplifting, even if there are no members of staff in sight.
The loss prevention staff are carefully trained to spot certain characteristics associated with shoplifting, like bulky clothing, hanging around for periods without doing anything, watching the staff members, coming into the store a lot without buying anything, or picking up and replacing products without showing much interest in them.
The stores also tend to have an open layout that means staff can easily see customers moving around and can keep an eye on anybody acting suspiciously without appearing to directly watch them.
Nordstrom has been known to allow shoplifters to “get away with it” for a while, only to catch them with high-level charges later.
This is a technique that many stores use as a means of deterring shoppers from stealing. They allow shoplifters to think that they haven’t been spotted, encouraging them to take bigger and more valuable items, and to steal repeatedly.
When the value of the stolen items hits a certain limit, the store suddenly takes action, and charges the individual with the theft of everything they have taken, even if it was over the course of several months (or possibly years in some situations). This can lead to more serious charges, up to and including felonies.
It’s often a more effective deterrent for stores than pursuing individuals for small amounts of money and low-value items. For this reason, some shoplifters will only steal once or twice from a store and will then move on.
The amount that you need to steal to be charged with a felony will vary depending on where you live, so be careful about this and make sure you aren’t going over it.
Always ensure your information is up to date, as amounts can change as legislation is updated. In a high-end store like Nordstrom, it’s easy to rack up the value quickly, and you can end up with a felony charge for just a few items.
You may also end up facing jail time, which could have an effect on your criminal record and your future employability.
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What If You Steal From Different Nordstroms?
Although some shoplifters try to get around these difficulties by swapping targets, you should be aware that stores often have internal databases of customers to be watched, and if you’ve been caught shoplifting at one Nordstrom, your information may have been circulated more widely.
Some stores will also communicate with other nearby stores to share information about shoplifters, so be aware of this if you steal in a localized area. You might be banned from multiple stores, even if you haven’t shoplifted from them.
If you have been caught stealing from Nordstrom (or if you have shoplifted and think you may have been seen, even if you haven’t been approached), it’s best not to return to that store or other nearby stores.
This is wise even if you are sure you got away with it. If you return to a store, you may be approached and questioned, and possibly detained in certain circumstances.
Stealing from different Nordstroms may seem like a good way to avoid being identified, but big chains are capable of cross-referencing easily, and will likely have a database of suspicious individuals – so this isn’t often an effective strategy.
Are You Likely To Be Prosecuted By Nordstrom?
It’s difficult to say how likely you are to be prosecuted if you steal from Nordstrom, but you should be aware that this is a possibility, even if you only steal items worth a small amount of money. You can have the police called on you for very low-value items.
The police can charge you, ask you to appear in court, send you a fine, or even imprison you if you have stolen high-value goods (again, the exact number depends on your location).
Even if the store chooses not to press charges, you can end up being told to pay fines of hundreds of dollars.
This is sometimes true even if you have given the item back and agreed with the manager that you won’t return it to the store. The store can still decide to pursue you for shoplifting.
In most states, they would have between 6 months and a year after the incident, and they can do this even if they didn’t stop you while at the store (provided they have evidence that you stole something). If you stole high-value goods, they could have years to pursue you.
Each state will have different legislation regarding the statute of limitations, so spend some time reading around these if you aren’t sure about them.
Conclusion
Nordstrom has a clear policy to help its staff deal with shoplifters in responsible, respectful ways, and specifically prohibits profiling.
However, that doesn’t mean that the store turns a blind eye to shoplifting, and you could face serious fines or jail time if you steal from the store – even if you take low-value items.
Reference Sources
https://www.nordstrom.com/browse/customer-service/policy/customer-bill-of-rights