BOZEMAN — Shoplifting happens more often than you may think. And if you saw someone doing it, what would you do?
“I was on the other side of the building, and a female customer came running up to me and said, ‘Somebody's shoplifting something, and another customer went out after him,’” says Jennifer Driver.
Jennifer has worked at the Antique Market off of Huffine for almost 20 years. She tells me the store is usually quiet, but a few weeks ago?
“Apparently a male customer and a female customer witnessed a shoplifter wrapping this fur pelt around his waist and watched him walk out with it."
A vintage silver fox fur pelt, worth almost $300. But these eyewitnesses didn't just stand by.
“All of a sudden, I saw him darting towards the front door. So, I followed him out and I was able to say, ‘You stole. I clearly see you have something in the back of your shirt,’” says Sidney Henriquez.
Sidney—a teacher at Petra Academy who is also an antique lover with his own online antique shop—was able to get the stolen item back.
I asked him, “Situations like that can be dangerous. Why did you feel it was your responsibility to go after that man?”
Sidney told me, “Maybe part of it is, I used to be a volunteer firefighter. So, I’m kind of used to going into danger if you will. But also seeing it as a need. And I love antiques, and I wanted to protect them."
According to CBS News, the shoplifting rate across the U.S. is up 24% compared to last year. But most retail stores have policies about shoplifters. Take Target, for example. Target only allows employees to stop thefts worth at least $50. The reason? According to the National Retail Federation, employees are advised not to stop shoplifters because of injury risk to the employee, the thief, and other shoppers.
But Sidney says, no matter what store he’s in, he’d stop a shoplifter any day.
“I’m sure they have all different policies for different reasons. But I just felt like it was wrong. And it shouldn’t go on," he says.
“I am so grateful. They were heroes. They truly were," adds Driver. "They didn’t need to do that. They didn’t need to go out of their way and risk themselves to do that for us."
For his efforts to help prevent this shoplifter, the antique market gave Sidney a gift card so he can add to his own collection of antiques.
