A Viral Video Claims That Shoplifters Have a Threshold of $3000 In Retail Chains Before They Get Arrested

A TikToker has claimed that a chain store has a hidden policy to allow people to steal up to $3,000 before they arrest them. Only the shoplifters who break the threshold are investigated and arrested. Ashley Hernandez (@ashleyherrnandezz) alleged that Target allows to steal up to the threshold over the years to supposedly build a case, as per a Daily Dot report.

In the viral video posted with the caption, "I know I’m using this trend wrong, but idc,” the TikToker put an overlay text that claimed that the store was allegedly compiling evidence against her to make their case. The post triggered a hoard of users who commented on the hilarious observation.

One user, who may be thinking of verifying the claim jokingly said, “ So, the limit is $2,999.99?”, on a Twitter post that shared the news of the TikToker’s claims.

Another user quipped that “she didn't know how to quit while ahead,” deeming Hernandez’s greed as the culprit for her fall.

Another user rightly asked the question, “How do people not know this”.

Meanwhile, a user took the post to another level, speculating about Target using advanced technologies like facial recognition and 8K cameras to scout shoplifters and profile them.

On the other hand, a user explained that law enforcement does this to many other kinds of criminals so that the punishment can mount up by the time they arrest them.

However, the actual source behind Hernandez’s $3,000 threshold claim remains unknown but may relate to state theft laws. Several states, about 38, do not consider shoplifting a felony unless merchandise worth $1,000 or more is stolen. As per a CNBC report, in 2023 nine states passed new laws to crack down on organized retail theft. Further, the report mentioned that similar bills were pending before legislatures across the country as well as in the US Senate.

The sweep of legislation came after the retailers and trade associations rallied to use their collective power to get the bills written and past the finish line. Further as per a Capital One Shopping report, stores in the US lost $112.1 billion to retail theft in 2022 and the projections indicate that shoplifting in the future could cost retailers over $140 billion by 2025.

However, other reports including one from the New York Times claim that organized retail shoplifting data shows nothing to be majorly concerned about. The report suggests that the increase in shoplifting is seemingly limited to a few cities. Further in most parts of the country, retail theft has been lower than a few years ago, according to police data.

According to the shoplifting report by the Council on Criminal Justice, which uses police data through the first half of 2023, tracked 24 major U.S. cities. In the report, it was observed that incidents were 16 percent higher in the first half of 2023 than in the first half of 2019. However, New York City is excluded, from the data. On the other hand, 17 out of the 24 cities, reported a decrease in shoplifting.

Despite the picture painted by politicians and the actual data, Hernandez’s threshold claims still come as a shock to people.