D's Nightmare

This post is dedicated to my friend D who 2 months back went through a mentally traumatic experience in one of the retail chain stores in Bangalore. She was falsely alleged of shop-lifting but later the charges were withdrawn as there was no evidence (obviously!) and she was compensated for being harassed and traumatised and the store also apologized for their behaviour and the false accusation. It has taken both of us a lot of courage to post this. I have discussed this with her a lot and edited and re-edited many times so as to guard her identity and also of the store's which until this incident I personally thought was one of the best places to shop. Big hearted that she is, D had given them her word to not reveal their name. I hope no one has to go through what she did, but should you face false accusations of shop-lifting, I hope the below Dos and Don'ts will help you.

DO

• Cooperate with the store staff. They are just doing their jobs. Let them check things your belongings a 100 times if they want. However, please insist on being present while they check, you do not want them to plant some evidence against you.
• Reply to their questions appropriately. If they are asking a Yes/No question, answer them in Yes/No. It would look like you are doubting yourself when you are actually not if you do not answer appropriately.
• Insist on checking their evidence that they are citing to have against you.
• Stay calm.
• Declare items just as you enter the store to the security , especially clothes and certain accessories if you are carrying them in your bags in a packed state, or leave them at the baggage counter. If you must absolutely carry it in, it is better to keep the store staff informed.
• Demand for a compensation for the harassment when the matter is resolved. I am not sure if they are obliged to compensate but do not suffer all by yourself. Sometimes it helps if you give them a taste of their own medicine. :)

DON'T

• Panic.
• Get intimidated/ pressurized by the number of store staff surrounding you, the tone and volume (both sound and content) in which they are talking.
• Sign a declaration under pressure that says you have shop-lifted when you have not. It could cause serious problems for you especially if you have to travel abroad. Years back. I had to travel to Taiwan and the visa form back then had a specific question pertaining to shop lifting. Many countries may not verify the details in the visa form before issuing it but I do know many countries who perform a thorough due diligence before issuing visa. So don't get yourself into a bigger mess just to end things by signing the declaration.
• Let the store staff dominate over you. If you need to make calls for help, don’t let them prevent you
• Hesitate to inform them that you could also take them to the consumer court.
• Be in a hurry to resolve the matter in 10mins just to get out of the store. Your self-respect and reputation carefully built over years is more important than any other appointment.

This incident still bothers D. It was a very demoralizing experience for her. She is making a conscious effort to put this incident behind her. I hope and pray that time will heal everything. 

Here is another link that might help you. May or may not not be relevant in India but it surely gives some very useful information.

PS: If you can think of any other Dos or Don’t please DO share, I will update the post. I hope it will help someone someday. Please do not think such things will never happen with you. I know D is reading this- I hope I have kept my word in terms of safe-guarding identities.