SHOP THEFTS.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 September 1919, Page 3

SHOP THEFTS.

In the course of an article on shop thefts, the Otago Daily Times says: The ways of the shop-lifter are dark and devious, and, while pilfering of this sort is a serious matter, especially for the shopkeeper, it lias a humorous side as well. At the. beginning of the present spring season a well-dressed woman walked into a leading store to inspect the new millinery. When asked if she wanted anything, she replied: '"Oh, no; I am just having a look round." The next thing that happened was that the lady was being brought back from the door with a four-guinea bat concealed under her eoat. On another occasion a woman donned an overcoat worth .till 10s without authority, and would probably still be wearing it hut for the fact that she had forgotten to pay, and the omission was politely but firmly brought under her notice. In another case a woman loaded her perambulator with underclothing to the value, of about £7 10s, and had the obtrusive end of a garment not attracted attention in the nick of time she would no doubt have secured quite n, respectable haul. Sometimes—fairly frequently in fact —fortune, smiles on the shop-lifter at the expense of the shop-keeper. Once, when the ladies' hats were being inspected at the end of the day, an old one was found on the stand. It whs not difficult to infer that the four-guinea creation which it replaced was being flaunted before envious eyes whose owners wondered how on earth Mrs. So-and-so could ail'ord hats like that. Perhaps the highest level of ingenuity was reached, however, by the lady who concealed a piece of hooked wire up her sleeve and literally went on a fishing expedition. Her downfall eame about wheen' the curiosity of an alert assistant was aroused by the mysterious progression of a small article of apparel along the counter. The result, of a little investigation showed that the. lady was in unauthorised possession of a variety of small goods to the value of about 575. Another case is on Tceord in which a prominent employee in a certain shop politely offered to remove the ticket, but instantly subsided info silence when he was informed that the lady had not purchased the umbrella!