Tis the season for Shoplifting, when the unemployed, teens, professionals, kleptos, and political shoplifters jack, rack, nick, and stroke holiday gifts. The BBB anticipates a rise in light-fingered merchandising, but notes that on average, shoplifters get pinched only "once for every 48 times they steal." Retailers are fighting back in unusual ways. Wal-Mart, the oft-target of political shoplifters, aggressively guards its merchandise, while across the pond the Dutch approach the problem with bemusement.
posted by terranova on Nov 27, 2008 - 50 comments

If you shop at Urban Outfitters a $10/hour manager will accuse you of stealing. Or something.
posted by The Jesse Helms on Dec 19, 2005 - 96 comments

They dance and eat as they steal. Yomango, a counter-but-consumerist-culture of shoplifting, surfaced July 2002 in Spain. It's shoplifting as a movement—taught in workshops, choreographed, organized as missions, and executed with prankish gusto on three continents. Why? One, it's civil disobedience that believes stealing to stay alive should be permitted. Two, it takes back what once belonged to everyone. Three, there's humor in it, even with the communistic undertones and its little red book. Discussion: Dark Matter, Las Agencias, and the Aesthetics of Tactical Embarrassment. A Poliedric Debate On Collabora Art. ¿Lo quieres?¿Lo tienes? (Spanish). More about Yomango: Ten Style Tips for a Yomango Life. A gallery of promos, news, and event photos. Yomango fashion show. Yomango tango. Yomango dinner.
posted by Mo Nickels on Jul 31, 2005 - 46 comments

Is baby formula financing terrorism? Also discussed one year ago. "Just because you have an infant- formula operation doesn't mean it's a terror funding operation," says Sergeant Jezierski. "But to say there's no terrorist funding isn't the case either."
posted by leftcoastbob on Jun 29, 2005 - 14 comments

The 'nightmare' fall of Svend Robinson: Canada's first openly gay MP threw his career into doubt yesterday with a shocking revelation that he had stolen a piece of jewellery last weekend.
posted by timeistight on Apr 16, 2004 - 79 comments

Winona Ryder Tape exonerates her? Apparently the tape shows nothing about Winona Ryder removing security tags, contrary to what police said about it. Also, her attourney makes a really cheesy Girl Interrupted joke.
posted by trioperative on Mar 12, 2002 - 12 comments

Steal Something day offers an alternative to the earlier discussion on Buy Nothing Day
posted by riley370 on Nov 19, 2000 - 6 comments

Steal a Snickers bar ---> Get 16 years in jail This Texan appears to be extremely unfortunate, even when you read his past criminal record. How can stealing a Snickers equate to 16 years in prison? However, the audacious comment from the assistant attorney is worth noting:
"If it was a Milky Way, we probably wouldn't have even tried him on it".
posted by williamtry on Apr 7, 2000 - 11 comments

Rex Reed will probably be getting some bad reviews in the future, thanks to today's arrest for shoplifting CDs from a New York music store. Too bad he never got into Napster and mp3s, maybe this would have never happened. I think I own all three of those CDs, actually. Rex, I would have let you download them!
posted by mathowie on Feb 12, 2000 - 0 comments