Definition of shoplifting includes a multi-concept approach. It can be one of the following acts committed by a person without the consent of the merchant for the purpose of taking possession of the goods for his own benefit. Shoplifting meaning can also be regarded as replacement, alteration or damage of packaging or labeling of goods with further intent to take possession of it.
Definition of shoplifting and shoplifter’s legal responsibility
Accordingly, a shoplifter is a person who having no authority for it deliberately hides the goods of retailers without purchasing them. He is on the territory of the retailer with the intention of depriving the owner of the goods and his own benefit. According to the law, such a person is considered guilty of an offense and is punished with a fine under $ 500, or imprisonment for not more than six months. Also, both types of punishment can be combined.
Conclusions on what shoplifting means
The shoplifting laws provide several definitions of this phenomenon:
• changing price tags and taking an item away
• committing a return fraud, removing a basket or any other commercial property from a store
• deliberate use of an illegal form of payment
The intent to steal in stores may be sufficient to obtain legal action even if the theft has not been fully completed.
