Confessions of A Childhood Shoplifter
Posted by: Ami Angelowicz
Filed in:
news
8:15AM, Friday August 14th 2009
I hope my parents aren’t reading this—because I have something to confess. I was a childhood shoplifter. It started off innocently enough, when I was 13. A neighborhood friend dared: “Go into the local health food store and steal a stick of incense.” Always game, I replied, “Done!” I came out with three sticks of incense and a burner to prove how tough I was. What a rush!
It progressed when I made a new friend at school, Amber. She was smart, funny, wore awesome vintage clothes, drove a BMW, listened to Jane’s Addiction, was a talented painter, and a professional shoplifter. One weekend, we went to the mall.
As we were walking through the accessories department at Dillards, she grabbed my arm. “Watch this,” she said and jimmied a sensor off a pair of Ray-Bans. I thought she was the bomb. “Eff consumerism,” she chuckled as we made a stealthy getaway. I lifted a pair of socks on our way out. I knew girls at school who stole because their families had no money and they wanted a new pair of kicks, but Amber was different. Her family was rich. My family wasn’t loaded, but I wanted for nothing. Why would either of us steal? I justified it by telling myself it was for the thrill, the rebellion, the drama.
When Amber invited me on a trip to Disneyland when I was 15, I didn’t go with criminal intent. We were too old to get the rush Pirates of the Caribbean once inspired, so the trip became a crime spree. I was a novice, and Amber was my shoplifting guru. “Disneyland is the best place to steal from,” she informed me. “No cameras. Besides the sh*t is soo overpriced.” “Totally,” I said, as I lifted astronaut food from Tomorrowland and put it under my flannel shirt. Next, there was a Winnie the Pooh necklace from Toontown. Then, a Minnie Mouse change purse from Adventureland. By the time I left the happiest place on earth, I felt nauseous and unhappy, and not from eating bad pizza and riding Space Mountain six times. It was because I knew what I had done was wrong. I didn’t need to get caught or be punished to understand the consequences of my actions. When I got home, I threw all the Disney loot in the trash, ditched Amber as a friend, and never stole anything again.
I’ve spent some time trying to understand why I shoplifted. I’ve come to think of it a sort of a right of passage, a moment to test out what’s right and wrong when no one’s looking, to be your own moral compass. And it turns out I’m right. A professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine says that childhood theft is not only common but expected. The good news? Stealing is not a predictor of future criminal behavior. Phew.
Read on for more confessions from childhood shoplifters who went on to become upstanding citizens:
“My sister and I used to go to K-mart of all places, and head to the underwear section. We’d pick up tons of bras and pair of underwear, then go to the dressing room to ‘try everything on.’ We’d slip on a few pairs over our actual underwear, put our clothes back on, and then make a big production about how nothing fit and slam the stuff we didn’t want on the counter. We’d walk out of there with like 4 bras on each, and maybe 6 or so pairs of underwear. Classy, right?”
“I used to shoplift all the time, mostly from preteen stores like Limited Too. One day, after a full day of stealing cheap necklaces and low-cut shirts, my BFF and I were feeling super invincible. We went into the grocery store with my Dad and, while he was buying stuff for dinner, proceeded into the beauty aisle and overturned bottles so they spilled all over the place. We unscrewed the caps of mouthwashes, shampoo bottles etc and flipped them over so they spilled all over the stuff on the shelves beneath. We ran around laughing and having ourselves a grand old time until the manager of the store came out, took us into a back room and showed us a video of our antics. We had to pay for everything and my Dad was furious. That was the end of it for me.”
“Once I stole a 40 oz from a bodega when I was 15 in an attempt to be ‘punk rock,’ despite having asthma and going to private school.”
“I used to rip the extra buttons packages off of clothes in department stores. My mom would drag me to JC Penney’s for hours and I would walk the halls and grab the button packets and stick them in my pocket. I think that I reassured myself it wasn’t really stealing because they were extra, kind of like a free bonus with the clothes. I wasn’t stealing the clothes, after all, just the buttons. I had a shoebox at home where I stored my button-booty. Never got caught for this one, but still feel sufficiently lame about it.”
How about you? Are you a reformed childhood shoplifter? Share your story in the comments.
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skywalk
wrote on August 14 2009 @ 07:26 am: [report]
I shoplifted right up to my 18 birthday and haven’t stolen ANYTHING since! I was pretty smooth too and the proof is I never got caught. But once I turned 18 I was too scared to even try. Does this make me a bad person or is this normal?
RachWilks
wrote on August 14 2009 @ 08:00 am: [report]
Yup. Did it. Old Navy was easy. Express from time to time. I seriously think it is a rite of passage!!
gevlife
wrote on August 14 2009 @ 08:12 am: [report]
I can’t tell you how much we used to steal. Sometimes I’m tempted to again, but it’s been years- I consider it an addiction that I kicked. THE RUSH! like that family guy episode. spot on.
waterytart
wrote on August 14 2009 @ 08:49 am: [report]
Yeah, during high school my two “best friends” and I would go out to big box stores and the mall with the sole purpose of taking stuff. Mainly cosmetics or jewelry, small stuff we wanted but couldn’t ever afford or were too cheap to buy. We thought we were so cool and edgy for stealing earrings from Icing…
Eventually, one girl started stealing bigger things, that freaked the rest of us out and it died down. Today, I’m just guilty of getting something from the grocery store bakery, snacking on it while a shop and then forgetting that I needed to pay of it. But, childhood shoplifting is totally a rite of passage of some sort.
nicefrenchgurl
wrote on August 14 2009 @ 09:06 am: [report]
i remember stealing one Rocher chocolate when i was five, right from the till and next to my parents. did they pretend not to notice and pay for it? i will never know.
apart from that, i used to steal toys from my primary school, when each in turn we had to get the classes ready for the younger sections. i didnt get toys except for christmas, and i guess i was trying to compensate .
i would never steal in a store, but my big thrill is when at the cash desk, the price is actually lower than on the shelves. am i normal? lol
joyy
wrote on August 14 2009 @ 09:15 am: [report]
Never stole from retail, but our xc team in hs would steal road cones and the like when we travelled for meets. We did get caught eventually and had to give it back with an apology. That one was extra stupid though, as a lot of the team signed the damn thing as a self-souvenir. Thankfully I kept my hands off that incident and was kept out of trouble, though no real consequences were ever handed down.
lilrockgoddess4u
wrote on August 14 2009 @ 09:30 am: [report]
Maybe I am weird but I have NEVER stolen anything. I guess I am just not a risk taker that way.
sklut
wrote on August 14 2009 @ 09:46 am: [report]
Old Navy is definitely the easiest for some reason. I got caught and of course it was like a week shy of my 18th birthday so no real damage and I havent done it since then.
palmettogirl
wrote on August 14 2009 @ 09:50 am: [report]
I work in retail and this stuff MAKES ME SICK. Two days ago one of my co-workers caught a teenage girl stealing, and made her cry. They started beeping when they walked out of the store. 2 girls ran, 2 girls walked back in b/c our manager was waving them back in. One of these 2 girls walked towards the back of the store not realizing that one of our associates knew. As she slipped the censor under a hoodie on a table in the back of the store, my coworker asked her if she was regretting not getting that top. She responded with “yes.” of course. Then she was asked “do you regret stealing that top?” again, the answer was “yes.” but she was so nervous that she gave the top back crying.
EPIC WIN
i really just don’t understand this. the crime rings i can sort of understand. but the rich teenagers stealing stuff that their mommies and daddies will just buy for them if they ask is what i don’t get. spoiled brats in my opinion.
WE KNOW when you steal from us. WE REMEMBER your faces. WE WILL stop you from stealing from stealing from us twice.
tattooed_redhead
wrote on August 14 2009 @ 09:59 am: [report]
I worked in an upscale tie store once and we sold men’s Calvin Klein underwear. I caught a couple of punks trying to steal them - the old ‘you distract & I’ll grab’ thing, which didn’t work at all. It was such a rush - I literally had one of them by the throat up against a display waiting for security. Then while the cops were taking my statement the other loser walked by the store and looked in (!!) so I sent the cops after him!
Have I ever stolen anything myself? I worked at an office supply store during university and I stole a pen refill. I felt so guilty that on my next shift I did a fake sale, rang another one through and paid full price for it without my discount.
h.
whatshesays
wrote on August 14 2009 @ 10:00 am: [report]
@joyy- hilarious, it seems to be a nationwide phenomenon that xc teams steal road cones, signs, my hs team once took another team’s stuffed animal mascot sitting outside of the tent… I’m still running in college and occasionally indulge in road sign thievery. I’ve never shoplifted, though.
dandrean
wrote on August 14 2009 @ 10:22 am: [report]
the only thing i can recall shoplifting is jewelry.
that’s my only bad thing. other than the ocasional swipe of the wayyy overpriced cheap jewelry, i’m a goody two shoe.
SunBun
wrote on August 14 2009 @ 11:32 am: [report]
I got totally busted at Magic Mountain for stealing a box of Nerds! Security told my parents… I was in big trouble
shellerbee
wrote on August 14 2009 @ 11:34 am: [report]
Someone in my high school class was like the friend you described, Amber. His thinking was, “just because my parents or rich, why should I have to pay for everything?” and would routinely steal things for all of his closest friends. He then cheated on the AP bio exam. And then went to UC Davis, and was put on academic probation after the first semester. In his case, I think it was a stepping stone for much larger things…
z3nger
wrote on August 14 2009 @ 11:39 am: [report]
‘Right of passage’? For a professional blogger, incorrect idioms like these should not happen. With all due deference to the blogger, I think you do great posts, but for the younger readers, please get things right for the sake of raising literacy level of the younger population.
CheeeeEEEEse
wrote on August 14 2009 @ 11:59 am: [report]
“Rite of passage” there, I fixed it for you.
Riley
wrote on August 14 2009 @ 12:04 pm: [report]
@Z3nger - Liter-what? I believe you are in the wrong country my friend. We checked proof-reading and grammar at the door years ago.
CheeeeEEEEse
wrote on August 14 2009 @ 12:07 pm: [report]
@Riley: Liter cola! I want my damn liter cola!
Riley
wrote on August 14 2009 @ 12:17 pm: [report]
Just get a large Farva.
Coral
wrote on August 14 2009 @ 01:16 pm: [report]
I am 18 and I have never stolen anything in my life. Never even thought about it. I know people who steal, and I just don’t feel like I need to engage myself in such petty behavior. It’s all about the thrills, the rights of passage. Whatever. I’m not a goody-goody either, and I’m not perfect, nor do I try to be. I just think stealing is something that is a waste of time. Plus, it’s more risky than doing other things.
bogart4017
wrote on August 14 2009 @ 01:42 pm: [report]
Thankfully i was always too scared of getting caught to steal anything. Coming from a very small town does pay off in the end i guess.
cbaum
wrote on August 14 2009 @ 03:19 pm: [report]
I’m with PalmettoGirl.
I’ve never shoplifted, never will (with the exception of the time I was walking around with two pins in Charlotte Russe, put them in my pocket while trying clothes on, and didn’t realize I still had them until I got home). When I was in my teens, I had friends that considered it a thrill to shoplift small items: rings, lipglosses, accessories. Friends whose parents would have bought the item for them if they so much as mentioned liking it.
I work in the restaurant industry, and consider shoplifting to be on par with the good ole’ “dine ‘n dash” routine. It’s classless, it costs the stores YOU enjoy more money, and it’s not fair to those companies to have to compensate with raising prices because entitled teens and preteens couldn’t resist the 5 finger discount.
CaleeKay
wrote on August 14 2009 @ 04:14 pm: [report]
Im guilty. Got caught stealing something from WildWaves gift store after a friend talked me into it when i was like 15. little did we know there was an undercover security guy in there watching us, /sigh.
Didnt get in trouble - by them. But my dad grounded me for like 4 months, that was the only time i ever got grounded.
littlebit21
wrote on August 14 2009 @ 11:33 pm: [report]
I never shoplifted until I was in my late teens and the first time I did it, I got caught and was arrested. Spent 6 hours in jail and consequently paid thousands of dollars in attorney and court fees. Needless to say, I learned my lesson. I would hope that shoplifting doesn’t become a rite of passage. Some get away with it and feel the adrenaline rush but there are some who end up turning into career thieves.
amber
wrote on August 15 2009 @ 12:41 am: [report]
I accompanied a friend on a couple shoplifting expeditions to the mall. She got caught on one of the outings, I was with her and I got charged as an accessory. I never actually took any of it, but I did “pick” stuff out and she’d swipe it for me. I was afraid of getting caught and she was the one who liked the rush. After we got in trouble, I got grounded and my parents had to pay a fine, I didn’t hang around while she shoplifted but she did it again and again… I don’t remember if she got caught again but I think she eventually stopped.
loveitlala
wrote on August 16 2009 @ 08:07 am: [report]
Oh yes, I did it, and it wasn’t for want of money either. It started as candy and makeup from the grocery store and went on to clothes. My friend would love trading her old worn out jeans for the exact same brand new jeans every month.
*sam*
wrote on August 16 2009 @ 11:40 am: [report]
[size=3]@palmettogirl: THANK YOU!!
normally, I (try) to be very open-minded and non-judgmental a/b people, but, I’m sorry, but to those of you who claim that shoplifting is a “rite of passage”—STOP!! it’s NOT !!! it’s f*cking dumb!!! I used to work in retail and have had to sit in with the LP guy while pressing charges on a 16yr old girl. IT’S NOT FUN!! I don’t care what anyone says a/b the “rush” it’s NOT WORTH IT!! even to those of you who didn’t get caught, do you really consider it to be OK??
idk, I guess I just don’t get it. I have never shoplifted and I don’t ever intend to. It’s wrong. It costs the stores a ton of money and is just an overall pain in the ass.
becknee
wrote on August 16 2009 @ 04:32 pm: [report]
My freshman year of college, I drove the getaway car for a friend who wanted a styrofoam Taco Bell “It’s Back!” yard sign for her dorm wall.
We were such badasses.
BlueVibe
wrote on August 25 2009 @ 09:40 am: [report]
Nope. I once took a miniature dollhouse-sized ice-cube tray from Michael’s (it had come out of the little plastic bag and was lying on the flat part of the rack below the other miniatures) and felt so bad about it that I un-shoplifted it back to the store the next time we went.
Sorry, I worked briefly in retail and, even though the job stunk, I hate it when people steal. The people you’re really stealing from when you do that are all the grunts at the low end of the food chain, because you can bet CEO’s get paid no matter what. It’s the stockers and cashiers who don’t get raises that are paying for it.
swiper
wrote on August 29 2009 @ 12:07 pm: [report]
I never stole from a store, but in high school I used to take things from gym class. Just small things like golf balls, ping pong balls, frisbees, badmitton birdies, and once a tennis racket. It was fun and I did get a little rush, but then I found a better one. I would steal bigger things like basketballs and golf clubs. Then the gym teachers would notice it was missing, mention something the next class, and then my friends and I would return the item. It was so funny to then ask the teacher if she found the missing item and when she told us she did, we’d all laugh and blame it on her bad memory. She was quite old and one year away from retiring plus we were all seniors. It probably wouldn’t work now, but it was sure fun then. I can’t say that I’ve ever really had an urge to steal from an actual store though.
Jayne
wrote on September 1 2009 @ 11:59 am: [report]
I’m a total wild child. When I was about six, I found a pretty purple bead lying on the floor of the craft section at the local supermarket. I ‘shoplifted’ it and was subsequently plagued for days with guilt. Hah!