Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1883-07-19
METHODS or sHopLlfrEas.
bow Stealing from City stores is Carried
On--Elegantly Dressed Women Who Pur-
lofu Shoes.

asked Detroit Free Press reporter Of
prominent retail boot and shoe
( merchant.
"Am- Ip Well, I should say SO.
Only few days since lost two pairs
of buttoned French kid shoes in the
neatest kind of manner. A very
elegantly dressed woman entered the
store. bearing every appearance Of a
lady, and asked to see some shoes,
designating the kind she desired. 1
was waiting on customer at the time,
but managed to divide my attention
between them. The woman mentioned
tried on a pair of shoes, with which
she announced herself pleased. In the
meantime. the lady 1 had previously
been waiting on paid for her goods and
l proceeded to the cashiers desk to
procure the necessary change. When
l returned the elegantly dressed woman
had disappeared. ! made hasty in
quiry and was informed that as soon
as my back was turned she had walked
out. She had not only taken with her
the shoes she had tried on, and which
were on her feet at the time, but she
also stole another pair from the open
box near by of the same stylean pat
tern"
"Why did you not 60 out at once
and overhaul her ?"
"Oh, that's easier said than done.
The street was filled with people, and
it would have been difficult to have
found her. And then, it will not do to
make a mistake, or serious conse
quences might follow. If I should see
a person take goods should not hesi
tate to confront them at once and
charge them with the theft.
"To what sex is shopnftiDg con-
fined?"
"Mainly to women; and the day
they usually choose for their work is
on Saturday and during holidays, when
merchants are exceedingly busy. It
requires the most careful watching to
detect professional, even after you
nave become aware of her character.
My impression is that thefts of one or
more pairs of shoes take place in my
store every Saturday"
"How do they conceal the goods ?"
"Under cloaks and waterproofs.
When hoops were in fashion I caught
ia woman hiding pair of shoes under
her hoopskirt. 1 understand that
hoops are coming in fashion again. If
SO, it will, it some cases. prove valu-
able auxiliary to shoplifters."
"Is shoplifting confined to any par
ticular class ?"
"Oh, mol 1t is a disease that per-
colates through every strata of society.
No class is exempt. 1t is not long
since that young lady. member of
one of the Oldest and most respectable
families in the State, who was about
to be married. was caught stealing
some very valuable goods from prom
inent dry goods house not stones
throw from the Campus Martius. The
matter was settled by her father, but
her intended husband she never saw
again when the intelligence of her dis
grace reached him."
"Are shoplifters generally young
or middle-agedF'
"They are of all ages, but the largest
number is to be found among the mid
dle-aged."
"How do you discover that shoes
have been stolen, especially when, as
at present, there are numerous pairs
scattered about the establishment ?"
Every often, in putting the shoes
away, we come across odd pairs of
shoes and slippers. There are persons
who have had the impudenceto return
shoes they have stolen in person for
the purpose of getting them ex-
changed, as they did not fit. Wemay,
in some cases. have strong suspicion
they were stolen, but we can't prove
it, and, therefore, we maintain dis
Greet silence. But the usual mode Is
to send a man with the stolen shoes
for fear some one in the store would
recognize her if she should appear in
person. A rather amusing scene oc-
CURED in the store few days SINCE. A
man came in to purchase pair Of
shoes for his child. He brought with
him an old shoe as a pattern, which,
when he concluded his purchase, he
put back in the outside pocket of his
coat. As he started to leave the stse
one of the clerks saw him with the
parcel of new shoes in his hand, and
the toe of the old shoe peeping out
of his pocket. He halted him and
charged him with the theft. The
man very soon convinced him that he
was honest"
"Do you never recover any of the
goods stolen"
Every rarely, but sometimes by the
use of little strategy we frighten
parties into returning goods by put
ting an announcement in the papers as
follows:
Personal-We do not wish to pub
Iicly expose the female who carried off